Malaysia - Asia up close – part 2

Taman Negara would mean a national park when translated, but any search engine will give you this one as a result. It’s located at the little village of Kuala Tahan and has the full name of Taman Negara Pahang, named after the region it is in. 

 

Taman Negara Pahang is the oldest tropical rainforest in the world. The roots of this forest date back over 130 million years. Even if the rainforest present just 10% of all forest areas around the globe, there are half of all life forms (plants and animals) living in these areas, making them endangered due to cutting down of the rainforests.

 

Taman Negara Pahang hosts over 10.000 species of plants and around 300 species of mammals, 300 species of fish and 250 species of birds. Here we can find many magnificent creatures, such as the Asian Elephant, tigers, bears and tapirs. It is in such natural diversity that scientists are trying to find cures for HIV, cancer and other diseases. Thus the park is visited by scientists and tourists alike. The park has a much larger area than you can visit. Tigers and elephants usually don’t come near the well-trodden paths. Deep inside the park is also the tallest peak of the peninsula of Malaysia – the Gunung Tahan, with its 2.187 meters. But if you’re only a one day visitor, you will have to be satisfied with a smaller hill Bukit Teresek, which is only 2 kilometres from the entrance of the national park at the elevation of 334 meters.

 

A popular attraction of the national park is the "Canopy walkway" (closed on Fridays). It’s a path made of ropes, suspended among treetops at the elevation of some 40 meters above ground, stretching some 530 meters in length. The webs around the trees were mostly made for exploration purposes, but have become the biggest attraction of the park, as they offer a top down view of nature. I had a chance to test the safety of the web, as during my “walk” a tree fell on the protection rope, but apart from some harmless swaying of the trees there was no damage or any danger. 

 

It will take at least half a day to see the park, as you simply mustn’t miss out on the boat trip, but if you have enough time, you can also spend the night here. Among other possibilities, there is also a Youth Hostel Nusa Holiday Villaga - Zaman Negara, in the very heart of the rainforest.

It’s 250 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur and there are several agencies offering day excursions to the park, but the prices are really too high! They would charge up to 150€ per person. An alternative (much cheaper) is to rent a car (it’s possible to rent it for around 25€/day) and the fuel is much cheaper than we’re used to in Europe. As there are about 3 hours to drive, with half the way a modern motorway, it’s fairly easy to reach Kuala Tahan, and from there you will follow a local asphalt road with many signs – Elephants on the way – but with no gas stations. The entrance fee and the registration of the camera are negligible (1 MYR and 5 MYR – both around 1,5€). You do have to pay extra for the "Canopy walkway" (it’s also 5 MYR), but it’s not much and remember it’s not open on Fridays! 

 

And if you have enough time to spend in the rainforest overnight, or in the nearby town of Jerantut, you can even use public bus transport. You can get from Kuala Lumpur to Jerantut and back for about 10€ and you can spend the time from morning until lunch in the rainforest, before returning to Jerantut and catching your ride back to the capiral. 

 

There’s also the possibility of using a train, but the 400km long ride takes 8 hours. Still the sleeping carts are good and not expensive, so you’ll pay 8€ to get to Jerantut – including clean linen. You’ll arrive about an hour ahead of the early bus and will have half a day until the train back to Kuala Lumpur, where you’ll get next day in the morning.

 

But no matter how you get there, I really suggest you get there! It’s worth any effort to visit the oldest rainforest in the world. It’s a unique experience, that I just can’t describe by comparing to anything else.

 

Warnings for the Taman Negara Pahang: The rainforest features relatively high temperatures, between 26 and 35 degrees in shade, with humidity over 90%. With so many species, you should know, there are also many insects, so have a lot of protective lotion and water with you – and dress light. There is also a warning that without announcing your destination (and paying the entry fee) you can face the penalty of 10.000 MYR or 3 years of prison. So don’t try to wonder off or not paying the entrance. 

After the rainforest of Taman Negara Pahang let me present to you the Penang, the meeting point of cultures and civiliations. The island is a symbiosis of cultures and religions that is mostly seen int eh architecture, culture and fod. UNESCO placed George Town on the heritage list in 2008. It’s the administration centre of the island and fully lives up to the expectations, with so many buildings representing the combination of cultures and religions of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Taoism, and even some other religions, which give Penangu and its capital a truly unique taste.

 

You’ll quickly notice the street art, which will follow you everywhere you go and many printed guides will have marked locations of creations that combine reality and art. But you can also get an online brochure at http://www.tourismpenang.net.my/pdf/street-art-brochure.pdf. The most famous is the creation of the bicycle with two children, where the bicycle is really set upon the wall and the children are painted on it. There are eight such creations and further 24 wire constructions, which are usually quite cheeky. But the street art is just an addition to the rich history following us around any step.

 

The temple at Penang are a set of attractions as Penang features the biggest Buddhist temple Malaysia, named Kek Lok Si, and is not far from the city. You can easily get there by public transport for basically just a few coins. At top of Kuan Yin there is a 30 meter tall bronze statue. Kek Lok Si also has another feature – it’s made of three parts, each in a different architecture. The opper is Chinese, the middle Thai and the bottom Burman. I give it special attention as it’s outside the city centre of George Town, which also features numerous other temples to visit.

 

Among many historical buildings I should point out the 650 year old Khoo Kongsi, which is also one of the best visited attractions of George Town. It’s the temple where the members of the old Chinese family, or better said clan, worshiped their forefathers. The house was also a scholl of a sort. 

 

From the military point of view I should also mention the Fort Cornwallis, named after Charlesu Cornwallisu, who was the general governor of India at the time of it being an English colony. Today the fortress hosts the museum and a summer theatre, so you can see shows within the walls, which remind of the time when it was still used as a military fortification.

 

Penang hill, connected to the valley by a cable cart, is the most noticeable point of Penanga, from where you can see the whole island, from the elevation of 821 meters. Apart from the view it offers a natural refreshment, as the temperature is 5 degrees lower. Penang hill is also the only remaining rainforest on the island and is protected since 1960s. It’s also a popular visitor’s point. There are over 100 different birds living here and it also offers a canopy walkway, connecting trees at the elevation of 30 meters and stretches over 220 meters.

 

 

And all the nature lovers should not miss the following destinations Penang offers: the gardens of tropical spices, the plantation of tropical fruit, the tropical butterfly gardens with a research centre, the national park Muka Head and beautiful beaches with the most noticeable being the sand beach of Batu Ferringhi.

 

And if we started with heritage, it’s only fitting to conclude with it as well. There are many piers in George Town, where Chinese families made their home, so you can find eight settlements that are swimming around the piers in George Town, with eight Chinese families/clans. The Chew or Hew Jetty has even made it to the UNESCO list of heritage. Today there are still a few hundred people living around these piers, who prefer the waters of the ocean to the apartment in the skyscraper.

 

Penang is very different and can be the main reason for the visit to Asia in the first place. It offers a combination of culture, history, fun, sport, recreation and good food, so it’s impossible to tell you how long you should stay there, as it’s a destination so endless offers. 

You can reach Penang from Kuala Lumpur by bus or train. It’s 350 km between the capital and Butterworth (from where there are cheap farriers to George Town) and there’s a night train connecting the cities, for about 10€. You get a good bed with fresh linen, but if you prefer the road over rail you can take the bus for about same price. There are many companies, just competing with each other who can offer more, that have transport between both destinations. You can book both tickets online, for rail follow this link: https://intranet.ktmb.com.my/e-ticket/login.aspx, and for bus you must find the company you want as each has their own site.

You can find a high class hostel there as well, at a great location, just a few steps from the sandy beaches and a bit more from the busy city in the back. Youth Hostel Penang is a part of the Mingood hotel and has spacious rooms with separate bathrooms, available for 19€ (two bedded),  22€ (three bedded) and 26€ (four bedded), all prices per room with breakfast included. And you will also be able to enjoy a great view from the terrace at the hotel roof.

 

Special warnings: There are none. It’s just the general caution rule applying to the whole country.

 

Tips and dangers in general: Malaysia is relatively safe country, but you can never be too cautious. It’s one of the 32 countries with death sentence for drug smuggling. I especially suggest you to be careful while packing and on the plane and you should NEVER take parcels from strangers to send to somebody back home. Crime rate is not high, but still be on the lookout as ever more daring thefts are taking place. Usually it’s people on scooters grabbing things (mostly purses), so make sure you don’t have any such easy targets (especially ladies). Such motorised thieves are faster and more agile than the police. Also – especially in Kuala Lumpur – be aware of the taxi service. There are very few that use taximeters, so they price you as they feel, but there are worst stories to be heard also (of mugging and even raping passengers). I don’t know how common that is, probably not, but as the city has a good public transport it’s easier to avoid all such threats.