Take The Path Less Ordinary

Also, being at the bottom of the jungle food chain can be a scary thought. Ending up as lunch for some carnivourous wildlife - not forgetting leeches that peppers the forest floor - does sounds like a messy way to leave the world. And before you think things could not get worst, it rains. Ahead, slushy and more rutted terrain lurks, waiting to be tamed. With the soundtrack of wildlife howling from every side and looming sunset, the jungle looks set to be your home after dark.

“What the heck am I doing here?”

Sounds nightmarish?

Take heart, there’s nothing wrong with this picture. Some say, the greatest adventure is the one taken and not knowing what to expect.

That’s right. For those who love nature, thrills with dirt, mud, unlikely twist, and of course, fickle weather, a kick-ass trip into the jungle IS a holiday.

So, why do people get all messed up and call it a holiday.

If you think about it, getting one’s nerves shot to pieces does seem like a funky idea for a memorable jaunt that never fails to make your friends go “wow”. Firstly, nothing beats trekking to get up close with rainforest and Orang Asli jungle villages, the bedrocks of Malaysian attraction. Secondly, going off-grid is a good bonding flick with your travelling mates. Doing something freaky and unfamiliar bond the young and old together. With some hardship, everyone can also enrich and discover more about themselves. And of course, the biggest reward is being able to look fear in the eye and conquering it.

While the rainforest enthralls, it also intimidates. To help fire your imagination and steal your heart, we have compiled a pictorial essay to help you manage your innermost phobias and “what-if” questions about the rainforest.

Caveat

Firstly, allow us to clarify that this post does not cover any place that has “national park” tag to it. National parks are developed for the sole purpose of accommodating conveyor-belt tourism. Hence, trails are well-scrubbed by thousands every year, beaten and easy-going.

Secondly, if you’ve done Africa, you aren’t covered yet because the tropical landscape here is vastly different. You can see a lion coming at you from 500 paces away in the African plains. In non-national park Malaysian jungle , it’s so dense, you won’t notice a tiger 20 paces away.

And that’s too late.

Peeling the jungle layer by layer

When you hit inner rainforest, the feeling is exhilarating. It’s like travelling back to prehistoric time. The oxygen-churning green lung you see has not stopped growing and evolving since 130 million years ago. When all jungles around the world were destroyed during the Ice Age, warm Malaysian equator-hugging forests were the only ones that survived.

To take a peep into a place where time stood still, one has to brave a few layers of ecologies that embrace the rainforest core. The first layer consists of dense bushes and short trees.

As you go deeper, it gets shady. Lofty trees spot canopies that shut sunlight from ground-level dwelling plants. Hence the forest floor is more open and makes trekking easier. Nonetheless, this undergrowth is riot of thorny plants and small nocturnal animals taking naps in hidden nooks. Every step should be taken slowly and we’d advise you to make some noise to warn these animals to make way.

Before long, you’ll hit virgin rainforest and this is where the grind starts.

Palms and plants adapted to low sunlight condition close in and the paths are clogged with rutted roots. Trekking becomes a balancing act of trying not to fall and grab something thorny or poisonous. If it rains, the plot thickens; they don’t call our jungles rainforest for nothing. Leeches sprout from everywhere and muddy trails will give those without proper trekking shoes a hard time.

Finally, unblemished rainforest always involves some up steep climbs. And because the best rainforest are on hillsides and hard-to-reach regions, you need a good level of fitness to carry 10-15kg backpack and drag yourself through multiple up and down terrain for hours.

You’ll also learn very fast that it’s the downhill descend that hurts the legs, especially knees, most. Wear shoes that give you lots of toe space because hours for toes cramping up on the shoe front with turn them sore at times.

Any easier way to so it?

For novices, we recommend trekking the jungle fringes of rivers and streams. If you don’t mind getting wet, that is. Waterways slice through the thickest jungle and give nature lovers a good cross section of its ecology. It’s also hard to get lost with the waterway as landmark and directional guide.

These waterways are the oasis that spur life in the rainforest - human and wildlife alike. Aborigine villages are always located by the river which enables them to boat around and fish for food. And If one care to spend a night near the river (hiding up a tree would be perfect), you would be amazed with the variety of animals that stop by for a drink or simply wallow to cool down. Even the smallest trickle has its fans.

Once, we saw jungle “walking catfishs” waddling between small patches of water after the rain and this happened at 800m hillside elevation! Moving up the food chain, we reckoned small mammals hunt these catfishs for food. So, besides easier treks, you can also expect to see a whole new world of water-dependent habitat that will leave you amazed.

Here are some good pointers for river fringe trekking …

1. Put electronic gadgets, cameras or anything sensitive to water in airtight bottles or plastic bags (zip locks are perfect).

2. Major setback in waterway trekking - there are more leeches present in these damp areas. Make pitstops every 20-30 mins to check if there’s any leech that has latched on to you.

3. On non-rainy days, the river is usually pristine with a tint of green. Water marks on sandy banks and rocks peppering the river fringe will give trekkers a good clue whether the river is flowing at its normal capacity.

4. A hiking stick can be very helpful in providing balance needed to cross a fast river or rocky trails. It’s also good defense if you cross path with nasty wildlife.

5. Do not trail waterways during rainy monsoon season. During heavy rain, banks and natural dams break easily and may result in an avalanche of water spilling your way. Swollen waterways also sweep along jagged roots and branches that can cause injuries.

Important Note

It may be dry and sunny where you’re trekking but the weather can be exactly opposite upstream. If the river turns murky suddenly and there are leaves and branches in the water, it’s a good tell-tale that heavy rainfall is eroding soil and hitting hard at jungles located upstream.

Powerful current of flooded river can bend steel

Also keep one eye for any rise of water level by constantly comparing it with water marks formed during non-rainy days on sandy riverbanks, fallen logs or rocks. Sudden murky flow and fast rising water level are the hallmark of flooding - time to get out, fast.

More good reads ….

1. Understanding rainforest ecology
2. Downsizing your backpack to less than 10kg
3. Leeches … don’t scream for your guide