Photos - Taman Negara Rainforest

And our trek begins ...

Elephant footprints

Our natural shower

Candlelit dinner inside the cave

Our sleeping arrangements

Refreshing river swim

Noodle lunch in the heart of the jungle

Children of the tribe

Naturally made dart

Dart gun

We made it!

Relaxing cruise back

Sleeping in the jungle

Taman Negara (national park) and Kuala Tahan, Malaysia

We spent a couple of days in Kuala Tahan, a village within walking distance of Taman Negara (the world’s oldest rainforest). We were taken by wooden longboat to a mini waterfall and swam in the refreshing river, deep inside the rainforest. We also did a night trek where our guide pointed out creepy crawlies of the rainforest – including 2 scorpions and a bird-eating-spider! The following day we were meant to head to Thailand but it’d mean Jack spending his birthday on a sleeper bus (not so fun). Instead, we ending up doing a 2 day, 1 night jungle trek, and slept inside a bat-inhabited cave!! The trek was challenging but enjoyable, we had a good group and an awesome guide. We walked 16km in total, with our sleeping bags, roll mats, food and 3 litres of water. We walked over rocks, fallen trees, roots and leaves covered with leeches. I was bitten once, it didn’t hurt but bled a lot. On a number of occasions we had to balance on logs, suspended several meters above rivers/streams, to get to the other side. During the trek, we also got the opportunity to meet one of the genuine tribes of the jungle. It was a little daunting. They speak their own language and have their own traditions and beliefs. We were shown how they catch food using a blow dart-gun. It was an effective weapon, made entirely of materials found in the rainforest. An interesting - slightly disturbing - fact we learnt, was that when a member of the tribe dies, instead of burring/cremating the body, the corpse is hung and left on top of the highest nearby tree, as the body is apparently closer to haven this way. Imagine coming across that!!

Photos - Perhentian Islands

Huge blacktip reef sharks

Sea turtle

Cute monkeys at our hotel

Drinks by the sea

Another beautiful island

Trying to make the most of paradise

The Perhentian Islands (Besar)

We spent the first day staying within close proximity to the bathroom.

We spent most the second day on the floor, in the foetal position, clutching our stomachs.

We spent the third continuing with the above, whilst also shivering under thick blankets, despite the 30 degree heat.

It would be safe to say that we were pretty ill.

Food poisoning perhaps? Dengue fever?... Tapeworms?

We weren’t sure.

On the fourth day, something amazing happened: we made it outside!

It was our last day and despite still not feeling 100%, we were going to make the most of it!

We booked ourselves onto a local snorkelling trip. We got into our swimming stuff, showing off our newly malnourished figures, and set off.

And thank god that we did!

We were soon floating over the most vibrant corals we had ever seen. A stop later and we are snorkelling amongst large black tipped reef sharks, gracefully gliding just a few feet beneath us. Back on the boat and next we are dropped off right above a huge turtle; seemingly unnerved by the desperate splashing noises I was making trying to keep up with it.

We are so glad we managed to do this. Another great experience. And to top it off, we managed the whole trip without soiling ourselves :) 

Photos - Kuala Besut

Various animals roaming the town

A taste of local life

Kuala Besut, Malaysia

Kuala Besut is a hub for travellers to access several island off the coast of Malaysiabut it was soon obvious that not many people stay in the town itself. We couldn’t find a menu with any translations so our meals we ordered through guess work which worked out surprisingly well and got us trying more of local dishes. However, on one occasion I was caught out. Leaving the room to fetch some water I bumped into the owner of our guesthouse, who happened to be holding several bags of ready-made food. She couldn’t speak any English but made it apparent that I should try it. I graciously accepted and after about 10 minutes of fumbling around with the bag like a tool, managed to get it open. Rather than wait the several hours it would’ve taken me to figure the rest out, she prepared the rest of the meal for me, passed me a spoon, and waited…

It looked like… mush, with white strips of… something.

I took a spoonful and swallowed.

My taste buds where overwhelmed with the fishiest, fishy, fish taste I have ever known – I cannot stand fish.

“Mmmmmmmmm!” I said, trying not to vomit.

She smiled at me with delight and indicated that I could finish the whole bag.
I told her she was being too kind, was she sure she didn’t want it back?

She insisted.

I could see only way out. I went to fetch Kerry.

Having been so overwhelmed by the taste of fish, I hadn’t noticed the other prominent flavour of the dish; coconut.

Kerry hates coconut.

“Mmmmmmmmm!”  She said, trying not to vomit.

Somehow, between us, we managed it. Passing – or shoving – the dish between us - “lovely,” “yum,” “so tasty,” – we cleared the bag.

The thought and generosity is what counts… but that was tough.

We didn’t get up to much in Kuala Besut. We did our usual walk around the area and found ourselves in a poorer part of town where goats, chickens, cows and an array of other farmyard animals wonder around freely between roads and small shops. The children here were fascinated by us, waving and screaming… running to watch us walk by. They went even crazier when we waved back too. We felt like celebrities.

Photos - Kapas Island

Beautiful beaches

Pool to ourselves

Kayaking until sunset

Back in paradise

Pulau Kapas, Malaysia

We had an awesome few days on Kapas Island – sun, sea, sand and amazing food, what more could you want? There were very few people on the island, so 9 times out of 10 we had the beach to ourselves. The day after we arrived, we grabbed our snorkels and hired a kayak. We (mainly Jack) paddled over to the neighbouring island where we found the best snorkelling location - crystal clear water full of brightly coloured fish and funky looking coral. We saw giant clams, eagle rays, eels and a puffer fish. On the way back I snorkelled alongside Jack, we were in our own little worlds. Every now and then I’d bring my head up to the sound of him singing to himself in the kayak.

As well as more snorkelling, we also did a mini jungle trek through the island’s vibrant rainforest. The walk was hot, sweaty and tough but we enjoy our adventures and we got to experience the jungle’s wildlife.

Photos - Terengganu

Further up the coast

Terengganu, Malaysia

We were pretty relieved to be leaving Kuantan. We got on the bus and were soon driving through open landscapes, sleepy fishing villages and picturesque beaches.

Terengganu was another fairly large city, but rather than dreary, almost hostile environment of Kuantan, Terengganu had more atmosphere: instead of towering grey buildings, there were colourful markets, shouting merchants and most noticeably, smiles on the locals faces!

We managed to fill the few days we had here a little more easily. We took a trip to the state museum and to the “Crystal Mosque,” which was pretty incredible. We didn't see many other travellers around and still seemed to attract a fair amount of attention, but this time it was in the form of pleasant greetings and smiles.