Welcome to the Jungle

First, let us pause for a moment in honor of Andrew Eisenberg Doyle, who turns 24 today, as we have kept him at the forefront of our thoughts through the ultimate 3-day, 22 kilometer cleansing hike in Taman Negara, a tropical rainforest/jungle in the Pahang region of central Malaysia. We missed you kid.
Now, I will not be able to do this entry justice, no way, but let me describe a little for you our last 3-4 days. Night one was spent in a "hide," 45 minutes up river in an engine-powered canoe and a 2-kilometer hike into the jungle; night two was spent in a cave as part of a group trek; and night 3 was spent with 9 other travelers in an Orang Asli village downstream, the indigenous aboriginal people here. We also braved the famous "Canopy Walkway," the longest in the world and perhaps the most popular/touristy activity. It is impressive to walk 30 meters above the jungle floor, amongst the tallest trees in the country.
There was an ongoing argument over the difference between a jungle and a rainforest. The general consensus was it depends on the amount of rainfall. Good item to google later I guess...
The best part of the journey was the group, the people all meshed well. Scott and I immediately limked up with 3 other young guys from the hostel (one of which we met on the bus to Jerantut and subsequently paid for our triple room by putting it on his company!), all world travelers and each with his own interesting tales: Rob: American, 30 yrs., 1 year traveling around the world; Stefan: Swiss German, 27 yrs., 1.5 years traveling in SAmerica and Asia; and Sef: Dutch, 24 yrs., working in southern Malaysia on rotation for an international co. They, as well as the guides, really made the trip, even as we sweated through the 37 degree sauna each day with our packs with 5 others. We met a hilarious middle-aged couple from Manchester, a Londoner on holiday who works for Coca Cola, and some Swiss Frenchman as well.
Nameless people. These are the people you meet while traveling, never learn their names, and yet you share incredibly special moments that you'll remember forever. Cheesy, sorry, but true. It's like you don't even care to get their name, just their story. Together you learn about the sandwood trees that the Aboriginees sell for oil and perfume money, how to shoot a blow-dart gun or how to make fire with a short piece of wood and a slice of bamboo, or which plants make the human male horny and the female stop bleeding during pregnancy, or how to efficiently manage just 3 liters of water over a full day of hiking when it feels like you're sweating out 10 pounds an hour. I have never in my life sweat like that; you cannot escape the heat. Even sheltered from the rays of sunlight, the canopy of the forest retains the moisture and heat necessary to cook you like a turkey. Endless moisture makes a brief dip in a cool stream heaven - you should have seen us all soaping up and grinning like idiots. Exhaustion also breeds hunger, and therefore our nightly beef stews and daily rice lunches tasted like gourmmet dishes from the kitchens of our mothers. Our most expensive endeavor yet, 3-4 days in the jungle with food and guides for around $75 is money well spent.
The guides are lively, knowledgeable, and generally out for a good time. They are just great to be around.
"I promise you will see Tiger..." That night we each had 2 beautiful, ringed with condenscation Tiger beers in our hands. The truth is, most of the animals we did see - water buffalo, snakes, a monkey, iguanas - were seen on the sides of the river banks. Nothing was seen from the hide, a small raised cabin deep in the forest with open windows for viewing, and its salt lick. I blame it on the English and Scots staying there with us, so noisy! I did, however, hear the trumpet of an elephant from the cave the second night when Stefan woke me at 3am, very cool. The guides taught us how to play Malaysian card games, how to say a few lines, and I even played drums with bamboo and tin cans around the campfire on a makeshift set last night while Amir strummed and sang some heartfelt tunes in his language. We slept on leafed stalks under hastily erected open-air huts on the moist dirt. Pain. Satisfaction. Perfection. I'd not have it any other way.
It did rain once, but we were back at base camp, enjoying lunch and cokes at a floating restaurant. There are a number of these by the river where bungalos and one resort have sprung up. The rain was short but needed, cooling the air and lending some relief to the struggling boatsmen who have dealt with ever-dwindling water levels through the dry season (now). We had to get out and help push quite a bit when the boats got stuck in the river bed.
Today while we waited for our 3.5 hour boat ride out of the jungle we just sat there and watched the world go by, conversating with the guides and eachother, drinking, smoking, card-playing, etc. I could have sat there for days, maybe weeks, let me tell you.
That's all for now. I am thankful to be sore but showered, awaiting my night-train back to KL. We are headed next to the Cameroon Highlands, higher ground with cooler temperatures where we can lounge extravagantly and carouse the old tea plantations on our slow-motion schedule.
I'll post pictures soon...