THAILAND: Taman Negara - Saturday 7 April to Monday 9 April

Saturday 7 April:

We packed up, said goodbye to our suite and went to catch the bus to Kuala Tembeling (3 hours) where we would take the boat (3 hours) to Taman Negara National Park. Unfortunately though by the time we checked out we had missed the bus so we had to take a taxi to Kuala Tembeling to catch the boat which took about two and a half hours. Once we arrived at Kuala Tembeling we found that we had also missed the last boat so we had to take another bus which took two and a half hours. It was a very bumpy ride. We were lucky because we had the whole of the back seat which meant we could spread out but unlucky because we felt most of the bumps. As we hadn't booked any accommodation at the National Park the bus driver said he would drop us off at a nice guesthouse where we could stay.

Once we arrived at Kuala Tahan, a village over the river from Taman Negara, the bus driver told Carl and I to get off the bus and directed us to a guesthouse and then drove off. We decided to check into Durian Chalet which was just past Tahan Guesthouse where the driver had told us to stay. They were really friendly and we had a tiny little hut which had a double bed, a squat toilet (yuk) and a shower. Very basic but very cosy. We stayed here for a couple of nights while we explored. We walked up a steep hill and then down a steep hill to where all the floating restaurants were and had some food. No alcohol could be bought from anywhere unless you caught a tiny boat across the river to Mutiara Taman Negara Resort which took all of half a second. We were too tired to bother with alcohol so had a very early night.

Sunday 8 April:

We took the half a second boat across the river to Taman Negara National Park where we did a couple of walks. You start the walks by entering the grounds of Mutiara Taman Negara Resort. By this time Carl has sung 'Welcome To The Jungle' by Guns & Roses about fifty million times since yesterday afternoon. We walked 1.5km to the Canopy Walkway which is a suspended hanging rope bridge 45m above the ground. It took about twenty minutes to walk around it and it was great fun and very wobbly. Carl managed to do it as well which was very impressive. He told me sternly that I had to wait until he was off the bridge before I could start walking it.

The next walk was Bukit Teresek which blows the Bluff walk at Carnarvon Gorge out of the water. It's a 1.7 km walk and all uphill. There's even rope to hold on to because it's steep and slippery and of course the weather is very hot and humid. It was very hard work. The track, which consists of soil and stone steps, had originally been made by previous climbers and guides. Half way through we came across some workers who were trying to finish the track. It hadn't even been completed and we were attempting to climb it. We had to stop and sit down a couple of times. It took us about forty five minutes uphill to get to the top to see a view over the jungle. At the end of an easy walk this view would have been worth it but because this was a 'sweat and tears' walk it really wasn't. We got down from the top much quicker but it was tough on the knees.

We stopped off at Mutiara Taman Negara Resort to have a beer and recover and then headed back to our hut to have a sleep. That walk had taken it out of us. Where are the monkeys and the other wildlife? We hadn't even seen an ant.

Another early night but only after a beer or two.

Monday 9 April

We caught a boat to the resort and took a walk to the swimming hole, Lubok Simpon. We were both very tired and still exhausted from yesterday so we were less energetic during this short walk. The swimming hole looked lovely. The water was really clear and I took some good photos but we didn't swim. We walked back to the resort bar and had a few more beers.

When we got back to our hut we decided that we would check out of Durian Chalet, even though we loved it here. I didn't really get used to the squat toilet. I actually think squat toilets are very disgusting and very unhygienic but Carl likes it. He actually gets excited when he needs the toilet. I think he's a freak. We had a mosquito net which was fixed all around our bed and the decor in the room was lovely. We had a little porch with two plastic chairs and every evening the lovely lady would come along and give us a lit mosquito coil for the porch. No hot water but that didn't bother us at all. It also didn't bother us that the shower was virtually over the toilet either.

We checked into Rainforest Resort which was closer to the river, provided a shuttle service to the boat the next day and it meant that we no longer needed to walk up the steep hill to get back. And I no longer had to squat any more. We managed to get an upgrade to a deluxe room. I think the deluxe rooms are only a little bit more expensive and the only difference is that you get a double bed. The other rooms only have single beds.

We went to the resort restaurant to eat. They only did a buffet on this particular evening so we helped ourselves. Not to too much though. The beef burnt my mouth because it was so spicy and the only other option was fish heads with their eyes. Needless to say, all I ate for the evening was a plate full of prawn crackers. Absolutely shit. We bought loads of beers and watched films back at our room.