Tarzan Mania

15th to 18th July - As if the jungle trekking I did in Tioman was not enough to kill me, I decided to give Malaysian rainforest another try. This time I decided to challenge the almighty Taman Negara in Pahang. Touted as the oldest rainforest and jungle in the world at 130million years old, Taman Negara's main entry point is Kuala Tahan.

To get there I stayed overnight in a small town called Jerantut in which I got the earliest boat ride up the Tembeling river from the jetty in Kuala Tembeling. The 55km upriver journey took me 2 1/2 hours and cost RM35. View of the river was breathtaking especially in the morning where it's covered in thick fog where it creates a heavenly feel. I enjoyed the ride very much however I felt 2 1/2 hours is a bit too long especially sitting in a boat which doesn't have loads of moving space.

Upon reaching Kuala Tahan, I checked into a dormitory called Ekoton Resort which cost me RM13 per night. After the long boat ride, I decided not to do anything but just to hang out in Kuala Tahan town for the rest of the day. Technically I am still not in Taman Negara yet as the main entrance is a stone's throw away across the river from Kuala Tahan. You can get across by the river taxi which cost RM1 one way. Kuala Tahan is a small village exist mainly because of Taman Negara. One thing I liked abt it is that it has a stretch of floating restaurants along the Tembeling River.

On the next day, along with 2 German guys and 1 English guy whom I shared the dorm with I went into Taman Negara to visit the longest canopy walkway in the world. It was about 40 minutes walk from the entrance and the jungle trail was well marked. The 45 metres high and 510 metres long canopy walkway suspended midair in the jungle was very scary.Being suspended so high up in the jungle means tht you get to see amazing view of the jungle and the wildlife tht lives in it (if you're lucky) After that we took another 30 minutes walk to a nearby hill called Bukit Teresek. The jungle trekking wasn't as bad as I have imagined even though I felt quite tired after it. I guess my "training" in Pulau Tioman came in handy for this trip huh.

After that we went back to Kuala Tahan for lunch after which the 3 guys left for Pulau Perhentian. In the evening, I joined the night jungle walk tour to go see animals as most animals are nocturnal I was hoping to see a lot. With the help of the guide I managed to see snake, deer, wild boar, sleeping birds, various types of insect, creepy crawlies and some glow in the dark mushrooms.

On the next day, I decided to go trekking to a nearby cave called Gua Telinga. As all of the people I met went into Taman Negara by pre-booked tour I hv no choice but to do the trekking alone this time. The trek to Gua Telinga is about 3km but I went further to visit 2 animal hides (bumbum) which were erected for visitors to stay overnight for viewing of animals. As I am not those adventurous type, I decide to give this a miss. Gua Telinga was okay though. 1/2 hour inside the cave was all I could stand because there must be like thousand of bats in it with bat poo all over the place.

Along the way back to Kuala Tahan, I stopped by an Orang Asli village. What surprised me was that the orang asli here look so much like the ones I see on National Geographic Channel. I highly suspect that they are "imported" from Afican nation because they are really different from the ones I usually see. HAHA.

On the next day I took the earliest bus back from Kuala Tahan to Jerantut because I felt that one boat ride is more than enough for me. Besides saving time, travelling by bus to Jerantut only cost me RM6 compared to RM40 by boat. On the bus back I met Vincent whom I travelled in Tioman. It turns out that we were at Taman Negara at the same time but didn't see each other only until our journey back. I left for Kuala Lumpur after lunch while he stayed overnight in Jerantut.

Unexpected Visitors

12th to 14th July - Never did I expect that my first visitors on my journey is my dad and brother. My dad decided to join me in Kuantan after my regular phone call home. My mum has gone to China with her brothers and sister so my dad's alone at home. So when I jokingly asked him if he would like to visit me? He said Okay! Why Not? So he took the bus from Pontian to KL to meet up with my second bro where both of them drove to Kuantan. I was really glad to see them and their visit came as a relief to me as it means I get to save a bit more after overspending my budget in Tioman for diving. HEHE.

Both of them joined me on Friday and we stayed in a 3 star hotel in Kuantan. Early next morning we left Kuantan to a nearby beach in Teluk Chempedak. This is quite a decent place with nice sandy beach and even a trek into the jungle. The proximity of this place from Kuantan (10km) makes it a very popular place among the locals esp during weekends. Upon seeing this, I grew fonder of Kuantan as it's truely a place tht has it all.

After Teluk Chempedak, we drove up North to Cherating. The journey to Cherating from Kuantan (1 hour) was very enjoyable as the road is along the east cost beach so the view was fantastic. When we reached Cherating, we decided to check out ClubMed in Cherating cos we hv heard so much abt it but has never seen it. Security into ClubMed is very tight and we need to register before allowed to go in for a 20 minutes visit at the reception area. Even on such a short visit, we were very impressed with what we saw. ClubMed is really beautiful and the buildings in it are inddeed very nice. In case you're wondering, one night's stay in ClubMed including food and all activities is RM655 per person. The good thing about it is that EVERYTHING is really included in the price tag and u can just relax yourself as everything is planned very well for you.

After that we went into Kemaman, in Terengganu. Kemaman is a nicely planned and clean town with high technology car parking system.(according to my brother) And upon reaching we found out the Kemaman is most famous for coffee. It's smt like Ipoh over on the West side of Peninsular Malaysia. We stopped by in a coffeeshop called Hai Peng. If you all have the chance to come here. Do order their ice blended. I think it's better than the ones in Coffee Bean and Starbucks. Serious!I am not kidding. After that we had lunch in another famous local restaurant tht serves stuffed crab and giant freshwater prawns. It's very nice but expensive as well. Luckily I don't have to pay. HAHA. I like the crab a lot because everything has been done for u and stuffed into the shell, so all you need to do is just to eat.

At last we spent the night in Awana Kijal, a 5 star resort owned by Genting about 20km away from Kemaman. There's nothing much you can do in Awana Kijal but the place is very nice. We stayed in a room for 2 but I think it's enough for 4 and because dad's a government servant (headmaster) he got the room at a discounted rate of RM208 per night. Our room has a seaview and the toilet's huge. The beach is not as nice as Tioman and certainly no where near Cherating but it's quite decent. We drove back to Kemaman for seafood dinner that night.

The next day we drove further North to another town called Dungun and even dropped by Tanjong Jara Resort, a privately owned resort by YTL Corp. It's similar to ClubMed Cherating and the price is USD350++ per person for 3days 2 nights stay. FYI I will be staying in this resort on 25 to 27 July all thanks to my dearest cousin Mr Teo Wi Sern who will be paying for my stay so I am really looking forward to it now. After tht, we headed back South as dad and my bro needs to go back already.

I bid farewell to them in Jerantut where I will be going into Taman Negara while they head back to Kuala Lumpur. As we reached Jerantut at about 8pm, I stayed overnight in a budget hotel called Hotel Sri Emas (aircon and satellite TV included) for RM38 per night in Jerantut. Back to my backpacking life.

Their unexpected visit not only saved me some money but also time as well. If they did not come, I would have also travelled to Cherating by myself and ofcourse I would not hv the budget to eat all those expensive food as well.

Kuantan the capital of Pahang

Well. This is going to be my last blog for today. I have been online for almost 10 hours now.

I reached Kuantan on the 9th of July and will be leaving tomorrow for Tasik Chini. Kuantan to me is not a bad place to live in. It has what a city has, cineplexes, shopping centres, starbucks to online (hehe) and life's not too hectic here unlike in other Malaysian cities such as KL, Penang and Johor. The shopping centre that I am in right now has all the branded stuff than you normally expect to only see in KL but the good thing is that it's not so crowded.

The place I stayed was quite reasonable, RM28 per night. However one thing I don't like here is the lack of dormitories for backpackers. I am forced to stay alone in a room which is something I don't like especially after my wonderful Tioman trip in which I met so many interesting and fun ppl.

There's nothing much you can do here in Kuantan town (similar to JB) and the only place worth visiting is the national mosque in which I visited twice. Once in morning and once at night. The tourist information centre here is superb though. I managed to get a lot of information about Teluk Chempedak, Tasik Chini and Taman Negara where I will be visiting next.

I don't know if it's because of the hiking I did to Tioman to Juara, I seemed to grow a certain fondness to walking and I have been walking around town even in mid day from one place to another. Walking on flat surface now seemed so easy to me. HAHA.

Anyway it's time for me to sign off, I am hoping to be able to walk to another shopping mall now where I can get to watch another movie before I leave for ulu ulu place again tomorrow.

Ciao

Bali-Hai Here I Come! Pt2

6th to 9th July - I spent the whole of my second day sightseeing and snorkeling around Air Batang and jungle trekking further up North to Monkey Bay with Vincent. The water was very clear and the snorkeling went really well. I was so surprise at the sights of the corals and fishes that I saw because they are so much better compared to what I saw in Krabi, Thailand.

At night, Vincent and I had dinner with my dorm mates Stacey and Anne from England. We were joined by 3 boys from Belgium staying in the dorm beside us. The food at Restaurant Hijau was really good and the price reasonable.

On the next day Vincent and I went for 2 fun dives with B&J Dive Centre for RM190. It cost a lot more than Thailand but since I was already there, I didn't mind paying and the things I saw during snorkeling yesterday made me wanna dive more.

We went to Coral Island and Batu Malang for the 2 dives and we had lunch on the diveboat. The diveboat was the most luxurios one that I have ever set foot on. It had a dry and wet area as well as an upper deck. However the sea was quite choppy so I didn't feel okay on it.

The dives turned out to be superb as expected and I saw a lot of different corals and fishes. How I wish I had an underwater camera to capture it. Unfortunately I don't.

My initial plan was to leave the island on 8th for Kuantan but Stacey, Anne, Vincent and Jean decide to trek to Kampung Juara on the East coast of Tioman island. According to Jean whom has already been there a few days ago, there's a 2km stretch of sandy beach and eventually I decide to stay one more day.

We started trekking to Juara from ABC through Tekek at 9pm and the whole journey took us 2 and a half hours. It was a really strenuous activity for me because I haven't done anything like this for the last 5 years. I think there were times where I felt I almost died. HAHA. All in all the journey to and back from Juara is around 20km and it involves a lot of climbing and going downhill.

The beach over in Kampung Juara is worth it. There's a longer stretch of sandy beach over there and I even tried surfing for the first time in my life. I was told by my instructor that they are planning to organize an international surfing competition next February during the monsoon season where waves is at its best for surfing. (Timmy if you're reading this, u know where to go next Feb huh)

I shouldn't have done surfing because it really drains out my remaining energy and I still had to make my way back to ABC. The journey back was horrendous for me and Stacey who's always accompaning me at the back of the group got a lift from a local lorry driver up a stretch of steep road. Eventually I made it back to ABC and the feeling of satisfaction after the trip was very very good.

At night we had dinner again in Restaurant Hijau and after that we had a drink at a local pub where we played "ShitHead". According to Vincent, this is a must know game for all backpackers and it is really really fun to play.

As I was to leave the island along with Anne very early the next day, it was time for me to say goodbye to Vincent. It's really sad for me to say goodbye to my new found friend and it has been so much fun hanging around with him for the past few days.

The next morning I had to say goodbye to Stacey and Jean too. I think the hardest part in backpacking is really to say goodbye to your friends.

Thanks guys for making the first leg of my backpacking journey such a memorable one.

Bali-Hai Here I Come!

5th July – Before the ferry, I managed to take a picture with my first friend met along the journey, Samuel from Germany. Had dinner with him the night before and found out that he is just 20 years old and is already traveling alone in Malaysia and Indonesia. He will be going back soon for his University study though but I feel to do smt like this at the age of 20 is indeed very courageous. Sadly he is not going to Tioman so I had to bid farewell to him.

Coincidentally I sat beside the Holland guy in the ferry, Vincent whom I shared the dorm with. Didn't manage to talk to him before this as he was in the Internet cafe the whole night. Fortunately for me I found out that he could not sleep well last night too so it means the crazy things I faced was not a usual thing for backpackers. He turned out to be very friendly as well. As he is on his 5th month of his 6 months trip across SEA as well, we had a lot in common to talk about and he recommended a few must visit places in SEA. We were heading to the same kampung in Tioman as well, Kampung Air Batang (ABC) and we ended up staying in the same resort.

After checking in, Vincent and I went sightseeing in Tioman. To my surprise, Tioman is very charming. Even though I grew up in Johor, I hv never set foot on this island before. I've been to most of the island in the country and even to a few in Thailand but it never cross my mind to visit Tioman.

Tioman is a small island, slightly more than half the size of Singapore off the coast of Pahang. However to get there, one must get a ferry from Mersing in Johor. It is home to some local Malays and the main town is called Kampung Tekek. It was also selected by Time Magazine as one of the world's most beautiful island. Impressive huh? Today Tioman is a duty free island which means beer is cheaper than water here. Its accommodations range from 5 star resorts to budget dormitories which I stayed for RM15 per night.

The view from the balcony of my dormitory is great and the locals are extremely friendly. As the place I stayed, Air Batang is on the West coast of Tioman, we're only able to see the sunset. I spent the rest of my first day there sightseeing and jungle trek a little to Panuba Inn which is a little further up North from where I stayed.

My First Day As A Backpacker

4th July – Woke up unusually early to get ready for my trip. Mum drove me to the bus station in Pontian where I took an express bus to Larkin bus station. The feeling wasn't great as I feel uneasy from wht my mum has said last night. However I managed to keep going.

Lugging two big bags drew curious glances from most people especially in Pontian town. Even in Larkin, the sight of a Malaysian guy carrying a backpack drew attention as well. Being looked upon as a tourist in a familiar place is indeed quite fascinating.

Had lunch in Larkin while waiting 3 hours for my bus to Mersing. Since I am regarded as a tourist, I might as well do what most tourist do and that is to go sight seeing. Yes! I went sight seeing in Larkin. Amazing isn't it? To tour a bus station that I have been like a few hundred times. HAHA. Even so I managed to capture some sights that I have never seen before at the shops above the bus station.

One thing notable here is that I realised how good my guidebook is. It gave me the correct fare for the bus to Mersing and is even spot on to the fact that the Mersing bound bus will make a stop at a travel agency where travellers will be “advised” to take up packages to Pulau Tioman that sometimes doubles the actual price. Nevertheless I alighted at the agency and obtained some genuine information about the island that I wanted to go. (Pulau Rawa, Besar and Tinggi) These island aren't popular with backpackers and therefore no budget accommodations are available so I decided to go Pulau Tioman instead. The price quoted to me was the same as stated in the guidebook. I guess they don't get to con a Malaysian backpacker holding the Lonely Planet huh.

As it was too late to go over to Tioman I decided to stay overnight in Mersing and sad to say my first night was quite unexpected. I shared the dorm with 3 French girls, 1 Holland guy and 1 German guy. The place was like what I expect from a backpackers and at the price of RM10 per night I did not expect a lot. It was the amount of mosquitoes, heat and the noise from the road that caught me off guard. I think sleeping in a double decker bed added to the level of discomfort as well. The backpacker is located at the side of Mersing's busiest street and it reminds me of my grandmother's house in Pontian Besar. Just when you're about to fall asleep, a motorcycle with a broken exhaust or an “Ah Beng” with a modified exhaust will dash across the street. I think I slept for 3 hours before waking up at 8am to catch my ferry to Tioman despite having such a long day. Not a great way to start of my journey as a backpacker.

Apologies For My Absence

Hi ya all. I am so sorry for not being able to blog for the past few days. Internet access on Tioman is so expensive that I couldn't afford now tht I am a backpacker. (1 hour cost RM12) I am currently in Kuantan where I am able to get free internet in Starbucks, that's why I will blog and post some photos on Flickr
I have read all the comments and advise on my previous entry as well. Thanks a lot guys and gals. I am so touched.
The internet connection in this Starbucks sucks so I will try to blog and post more photos tomorrow when I go to another Starbucks with better connection.

My Last Night in Elysium

Well this is it. My last night or should I say morning spent at home before my departure in a few hours time.

My feelings rite now? Happy (a little), Excited (pretty much), Anxious (very).
Even until this very moment, my mum still tried to convince me not go to for this trip or at least shorten my trip to 1 or 2 months so tht I can come back and look for a job and be "normal"
HAHA. I guess this is precisely the reason why I am feeling so uneasy and even guilty rite now. Is working life really the only way for us to fit into a society and to be accepted as normal? Can't a normal person pursue a dream that is extraordinary? I guess this all boils down to a mother's concern for a child and the virtue of Asian culture. Well I do not blame her for tht but I feel sometimes parents should learn to let go at some point in time of their children's life.

Hai. I guess there's no turning back for me now. So much time and effort has been spent on getting ready for this and I need to make sure tht I make the most out of it.

Well after many weeks of preparations, I managed to get all the things I need and have painstakingly stuffed everything into 2 bags which will be my "home" for the next few months.
Here are some photos of the bag and my last minute charging for all my equipment.
These are my most valuable possession rite now. I know the danger of carrying around all these, I swear I will b extra careful with all these. These are all from my hard earned savings.. Oh yah one more thing not in the picture is my camera which I am using obviously. HAHA.
This will be my day pack. It will house my accessories u see above and will be carried around with me everyday.
This will be where I store all my clothing and other not so valuable but still important stuff. I will leave this in the hostel while I go gallivant in the day. Will only carry this when I move to a new place.

Okay it's time for me to sleep already. I need loads of strength to carry all these later. Until my next blog.

Ciao.

My Inaugural Blog Entry

Phew... It's harder than I hv imagined to start off a blog. Finally after many hours of clicking here and there, I managed to do it. First of all I wanna welcome all of u to my blog. If you are reading this, it means you somehow already know that I am embarking on a 6 months backpacking trip across South East Asia countries namely, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar alone. YES! You heard it rite. ALONE.

Backpacking has always been my dream for quite sometime now and finally I have the chance of realizing this childhood dream of mine. As to why I am doing this alone, well just think of all those around you. Is it easy to find another person who is as crazy as me to do such a thing? Even if they are willing to do so, $$ and time might be a problem. Tht's why rather than spending time to look for a partner, I hv decided to do it alone. Furthermore backpacking alone is also much more fun according to many blogs I read.

Some ppl might think I am very rich to go on a trip like this. I dare not say I am rich but wht I do dare to say is that I hv managed to save up a little after working in SIngapore for nearly 2 years and I believe I am able to survive for the next few months without working to go backpack. I would also like to highlight to u that backpacking is unlike touring. I am also not a tourist but a traveller. Therefore staying in star rated hotels, buying souvenirs, and eating expensive good food is not in my to-do list.

When I decided to quit my job in May to go for this trip, it was very tough. Where will I go with a limited budget? I keep having offers from my friends and aunt to ask me to go US. Well naturally as Asians, when we decide to go sight seeing, we will choose Western countries to experience different things but after my recent trips to Thailand, Vietnam and China, I discovered the South East Asian option. During my trips, I noticed that even though we may share the same skin color but culturally, we are very different. My main objective of this trip is to experience life and I figured out that if my country and the countries surrounding it already has such diverse cultures, why am I not visiting these countries instead? That's why I chose SEA and it fits perfectly into my budget as well.

I will be traveling by foot, busses and trains starting from my homeland, Johor. I will then make my way up through the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia because this is the least travelled part of Malaysia for me. I will then meet my cousin in Pangkor and go up further into the northern states before going into South Thailand. I will be spending 3 weeks in Thailand then I shall go into Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and my last destination will be Myanmar. I will spend approximately 3 weeks in each countries. These are all just planning and I will go according to my mood. If I feel good in a certain place, I might stay longer, otherwise I will cut short my time there.

My last destination Myanmar is also quite controversial at the moment because of the recent cyclone Nargis. Tht's why if I am not able to go into Myanmar, I shall be going to Philippines. I hope to be back in Malaysia by the end of the year as I have 2 very important weddings to attend. But it's hard to predict wht might happen huh? I might be enjoying my trip so much that I decide not to come back or I might be back after a few weeks because I can't get used to the life of backpacking. Everything is possible.

During my trip, I have arrangements to meet up with different people as well. Now I have arrangement to meet up a friend in Bangkok and I will be meeting my cousin in Pangkor as mentioned earlier. Therefore, if any of you are planning to visit the countries I mentioned above this coming 6 months, do let me know okay? It would be great to meet up in other countries.

This blog serves as a very important medium of communication for me during my trip. It is a way of keeping my mum and dad informed of my whereabouts and also to let my family and friends know that I am still alive and kicking. If you are interested, feel free to bookmark my blog to read about my adventure and I promise to blog as frequent as I can as I won't be able to access the Internet very often. If you know about RSS you can RSS my blog to receive realtime updates of my entry at
feed://xentria-journey.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss
If you prefer to see more than reading, you can follow my journey through photos at
http://www.flickr.com/xentria
You can also subscribe to RSS on flickr as well.

That's all for now. One last thing. If you don't have anything to do? Please click on the google advertisement you see on my blog for me whenever u log in. The more u click the more money I earn. I need this money to fund my trip. HAHA. Thanks hor.

Ciao.