Taman Negara

   Last weekend, during the labour day holiday, me and my family took a trip to the National Park in Pahang. This is my review. 

   Our destination in the National Park was Kuala Tahan. To get there, you have two choices, you can take a car which would be around one hour, or take a boat ride which would be around 2 1/2 hours. We took the boat ride. I have to say, never take the boat ride. It is uncomfortable and there is not much to see on the way there. You get so bored that 15 minutes in I had my ipod out which defeats the purpose of the ride, that is to connect with nature and forget tech.

   So anyways, we stayed at a resort called the Mutiara Resort. It is the only big resort there so if you are a picky city boy, thats the only place they got for you in the National Park. The rooms are decent and big. There is not enough lighting in the room, so may it be morning or afternoon, it still feels like it is the evening. It can make you a bit depressed, just a bit. If you go to that hotel, you can take a package which gives you a guided night walk, jungle track, canopy walk and a trip to a river to swim. We took that package.

  Around 8 pm on the first night, we went for our night walk. It was one of the best night walks I have ever been to. We saw snakes, spiders, scorpions and more. It was around 2km and at the end, we planned to go into a Hide.( a structure which you can go in and it faces an open piece of land in the forest in which you can see many different animals) The problem was, everyone wanted to go into the hide. In the end we went there around 11 pm. That was scary. The hide is in the middle of the forest and you are out there at 11. We saw dears and stuff which was good, but still, very scary.

  For meals, we stayed at the hotel because with the package, you get all your meals for free. There is not much selection but the food is really tasty. (buffet style meals) For breakfast, you would get your eggs, fried rice and pancakes. There would also be deserts and bread plus other things. During lunch and dinner, you mainly have local food. The only western food they have is the spaghetti which does not taste that great. I think just stick with the local food as it is tasty and filling. 

   Early on the second day we went for a guided jungle track. We were taken up a hill to 2 lookout points where you could see a lot of the National Park and also Gunung Tahan. The walk up there is tiring. It is around 4km up hill. The first 3km up is very easy and you get it done in less then 30 minutes, but it is the last 1km that really kills you. During this walk, you get to see all types of plants and insects. It is really beautiful and once you reach the top, you feel proud of yourself. 

   On your way down, you will pass by the canopy walk. If you want to go on it (and you should) be ready to wait at least 2 hours as the lines are very long. The way they know who is next is by taking your names like they do in Chilies. Since we had a guided tour, our name was put early on so once we got there we could go up straight away. Maybe you would also want to do that because the canopy walk is so nice you would not want to miss it. 

   In the evening of that day, we took a boat out to a river where we could swim. This boat ride was around 30 minutes. Do you remember how I said the boat ride to the Hotel was not that great, well this is not the same. The boat ride was simply magnificent. The river was beautiful and the trees would cover you from above even if you are in the middle of the river. There are even rapids. Once you get off the boat, you have to walk about 1.2km to your swimming area. The swimming area is located next to some huge rocks and you will have to be careful on your way down. For those who do not know how to swim, you better not because there are rapids near to the area you swim. If you get caught in it, well you better have 7 lives. In that one day, I managed to walk 11km. Man was I happy. 

On monday we got ready to go home. Nothing much really happened on that day. For those who are thinking of going to the National Park, this is what you could expect:

1. Beautiful sights

2. Hot water

3. Good food

4. Wildlife 

5. Fun

6. A big projector to watch football matches 

What you will not get:

1. Free internet

2. Cellular network

   One thing is for sure, we are blessed to have such a beautiful National Park, and it should be your duty to visit it but remember only take pictures, and leave only footprints. I mean it, if you take a rock or something and you see a ghost the next night, don't get angry at me.