Goodbye Kuala Lumpur

Mother Hash is over. I’ve recovered from the 26k Ball Breaker run through the jungle. My bag is bursting with hash gimmies in addition to my normal gear. It’s time to move on to a new location and adventure.

Leah and I didn’t have much of a plan for after Kuala Lumpur. We were hoping to meet people at the event that would give us insight on where to go next. That was a huge success. We have more than enough suggestions on places to go and people to see. Our first order of business is joining our friend Osama Bin Hashin for a few more days. He came out to Kuala Lumpur from Washington D.C. and gave himself another 5 or 6 days of travel after Mother Hash ended. He already had a loose plan to see the Malaysian National Forest, The Perhentian Islands, and the Maldives. For budget reasons, were joining him for the first two only.

Today has been a really great example of the importance of backup plans, knowledge of options, and willingness to throw all that out the window and fly by the seat of your pants. Our time table for the forest and islands is very important because Osama only has a few days to fit in a lot of action. If you miss a bus, you’ll miss a boat, then you’re screwed on getting to the Island that day.

This morning, our first order of business was to order a Grab (similar to Uber) in time to catch an 8:30am bus. The ETA for Grab drivers is never close to correct. Our driver’s GPS pin showed they were two minutes away for about 16 minutes. By the time we got in the car, we didn’t think we could get to the bus station in time. Osama made an executive decision to bail on the current bus plan, found a new company that would take us to a similar destination in a minivan, and rerouted our driver by finger pointing to the new drop off point. We made it to the counter just in time to get tickets and get in a van. We drove 3 hours towards the Taman Negara National Forest where we were dropped off at a small restaurant and jetti (dock). We had time to get a bite to eat and get our permits to enter the national forest and an extra permit so I could take pictures. Don’t worry, they didn’t break the bank. The cost to enter was 1 ringgit each, and for me to take pictures was 5 ringgit. That comes out to about $1.60 USD.

We were boarded into a long, narrow fiberglass boat with a tin roof. We sat on cushions on the floor while the driver steered from the rear. This was a glorified canoe with a big trolling motor and it made for a lovely three-hour ride up river. I let my fingers drag along the brown water as we kept our eyes out for water buffalo, shanties, and the occasional light rapids. Our destination was a fork in the river in the heart of the rainforest. A resort and a network of hiking trails were on one side, and on the other was a small town with a handful of hostels, guest houses, a school, and restaurants. We booked a room at The Rainbow Guest House which cost $29.00 USD. Not bad split between the three of us.

We took a 30 second boat ride across the river to check out the resort and the trails. After talking with a few workers, we decided to hike up a big hill for some great scenery. We only saw 7 other people on this 4.5-mile hike. We were in thick, lush rain forest with an array of strange noises that never stopped. We were happy to sweat our asses off while climbing stair cases and root systems uphill to the peak of our trail. As always, the work paid off and we relaxed at the top while taking in the view of surrounding green mountain sides. What time does the sunset? Whoops! Time to get going. We decided to down the mountain a different way than we came up. The route was listed on a map, but it felt like it hadn’t been used in years. When there were stairs, they were dilapidated. Parts of the trail were covered up completely and we’d have to look for where it picked up again. That trail was far better than the one we came up! Night fell just as we got out of the thick of the foliage. We grabbed some dinner on a floating restaurant and washed it down with a chocolate milkshake I’m positive was made from Nesquik. It was surprisingly good, but that’s probably because of how hot and sweaty we were. Anything that cold would have been delicious. At that point we went to bed in preparation for a 2:15 am wake up call.

The original plan was to get cab at 4:00am so we could make it to a train station by 5:00am, but there are no cabs running that early. Osama worked his magic and found numerous locals that we could hire to drive us to the train station. It was a little pricier than we planned on, and earlier as well, but it was the only option. The driver said he wanted to leave extra early so he could drive slow at night… because of elephants. Sure thing, pal. Take it as slow as you need. Unfortunately we didn't see any elephants in our path, just a few cows and cats.

We made the train. We’re still on the train. It’s the coldest place I’ve ever been. We may have boarded the Polar Express. I’ve spent the last week begging for colder weather and less humidity, and this train finally gave it to me. At least it’s giving me a reason to wear the one pair of jeans and a jacket that have been taking up space in my bag.

In a few hours, we’ll be off the train and catching a ferry to the Perhentian Islands. A perfect place to thaw out some frostbitten toes.

Tyler