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THE MOUNTAIN WARRIORS
Hello everyone Im currently sitting in an internet cafe just outside the Malaysian rainforest. There are a bunch of crazy kids running about and playing on loud games so its hard to concentrate. We have just got back from a night in the rainforest and it was such a crazy experience! Malaysia has a large area of tropical rainforest and the most popular place to visit is an area called Taman Negara as it is protected. Apparently there are loads of tourists there so we actually found someone who could take us away from the crowds to the border of Teman Negara. We got in from Kuala Lumpur a couple of nights ago at around 2am and found a pretty decent place to stay. Then yesterday took a 2 hour train journey followed by a 45 min four wheel drive journey right into the middle of this huge jungle. On the outskirts are palm oil trees which are being farmed for cosmetics but as you get further in the jungle just closes in around you. The plants are absolutely massive and its so full of life. We stepped out of the 4x4 at this little camp where the treks start from. The first thing you notice is just the thick smell from the plant life and the noise from the insects surrounding you. We got some things packed for the night and headed out into the jungle. We walked through the jungle for a couple of hours to reach a cave where we were staying. You see so many things as you walk through like black ants the size of your thumb and brightly coloured birds. Alex spotted a monitor lizard which was considered for dinner. Something we didnt know about was that the forest floor is covered in leaches. When we reached the cave Alex saw my heel was bleeding so I took my sandal off to find a nice big sucker feeding on my blood! I have put some pictures of that in the photo album. I was also bitten by this vicious biting ant, I guess I must have stepped on its mum or something but that feels like a wasp sting for about 30 mins but its all in the experience anyway. They did reccomend we wear sandals but I guess they get kicks from watching tourists being eaten which is fair enough. The cave was pretty cool as it was raised off the ground by about 15 feet so there was a ladder up to it. but apart from that and a pan to boil water there was nothing! We cooked noodles for dinner with out guide called Kayam. He was sound and spoke good english, its mad to think that hes only 3 years older than me and left school to work in the jungle. After dinner we went on a night walk and explored some of the limestone caves. I have put some pics on of these aswell, massive spiders, bats and huge cave toads! Walking around in that environment in the dark is pretty hard but you see some quality stuff. We found glow worms and fire flys, they actually look like they are battery powered! As you will see from the pictures the cave was less than comfortable to sleep in. Although Alex following the 'travel light' reccomendation had brought his inflatable matress so he was fine. But myself and this Italian woman, Sylvia, who was also with us slept on foam mats on the rock which dont exactly do wonders.. We got up this morning and walked back with a few more leaches involved! We went past this cave with huge creepers growing up it. You can actually climb up the rock and slide down these creepers from about 30 feet up which was a laugh. We then stopped off at this cave absolutely covered in bats. To get to this cave you have to cross an old rope bridge. Being boys we though it would be mildly humerous to jump up and down on this to scare the Italian but it ended up with me putting my foot right through the wooden slat in the middle of the bridge in a sort of Indiana Jones kind of way. The drop wasnt 200 ft though but I did manage to take a large piece of skin off from my shin. I enjoyed showing this wound along with the various bites to these two british girls at the station who were just heading out to the same place ! haha Another thing I thought was funny is that the sharp outcrops of rock on the lower parts of the caves had been rubbed smooth and shiny by elephants scratching their backs on them. I was hoping to have some pictures of elephants or monkeys or something but unfortunately we didnt see any! We heard the monkeys in the trees in the morning but apparently all the big stuff hides when it hears us coming. Overall a wicked experience you should all go to the rainforest! We have a train leaving at 2am for Singapore. Im hoping this place will let my upload my photos but if not I will do it when i get to Singapore. peace out.
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