Today I arrive in this small town in Malaysia. The small streets run up and down the hills in this jungle town and our bus slows to make the tight turns. The jungle surrounds the little place on all sides. It will be a one night stop-over for me.

I arrived here in Jerantut, Malayasia after a 3-hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur . I still have a 3 hour boat trip down the Sungei Tembling River to make. I will do it tomorrow.

My destination is a small Malaysian village, Kuala Tahan, where the Tahan and Tembling Rivers come together.

Kuala Tahan is located on the river bank, just across from the Taman Negara National Park. This little village is where the base camps for the park are located.

I am excited to get to the village and begin planning my activities, but the bus stops in Jerantut. From here I will need to take the 3 hour boat journey to the park. I decide to stay the night here in the small town of Jerantut. I have learned if you want to see a place on your journey, it's better to take the time to do it now, because your route and plans might change and you may not get the chance again. 

The others on the bus begin their search for transportation for the rest of the trip . You can chose to go by a different bus or take the boat. I want to take the boat tomorrow, but the others are in a hurry to get to the park and are trying to find a bus to complete their trip today.

I find a small hostel not far from the bus station. At the top of the stairs I wait in a deserted reception room where no one is attending the desk. The pictures of things to see and do hanging on the walls are a good way to fill my time while waiting for someone to show up. 

After about 30 minutes a man appears. Yes, he has a room. Then he disappears. From a hallway in the back a woman comes and says something to me. I try to tell her I have already spoken to a man that said to wait here.

Apparently they are both assoiated with the hostel and the two buildings are connected by a hall in the back. She came from one direction and he from the other. I follow her and walk through some corridors to the other side of the building, where I get my room for the night .

By now, it is close to dark. I leave my things in the room and walk around town. It's a small town and doesn't take long for me to get an overview of what is here. 

While it is still daylight, I pass an outside place with tables set up and a food stall. I ask the man about food. He calls a boy over that speaks some English, but not much. 

"Food?", I ask.
"No rice", he says.
"Noodles?", I ask.
He looks puzzled. 
"No cook," he says.

Now, I understand. He is saying they are closed for the day and not cooking anymore. I smile and thank the boy and head down the street.

The streets are dark and quiet all over this little town. Maybe this explains why not many people take the time to stay overnight here. 

I wander by a hill that has a small amusement park on it . This is Friday night, but the park seems to be empty. The rides are lit up and some are spinning around, but there are no people.

There are only a few streets to explore in this small town . . . but ... there is a free WIfi Zone! How about that!

I finally find a place to get some rice and food, but I am the only customer in the rather large outdoor eatery. On the way back to the hostel (nothing going on tonight to see), I pass the boy. He is cleaning up. "No rice," I say, and he laughs.

The next morning the hostel owner takes me in his minivan on a 30 minute ride through the hills to the Kuala Tembling Jetty. I will catch the slow-boat to the small village of Kuala Tahan. 

But, first I have to get a permit for the park. I also have to buy a permit to use my camera while in the park. There are heavy fines for not having the permits on you at all times while in the park . I get the permits at the Wildlife Office at the boat jetty. I notice there is a prayer room here for the muslims to use. Islam is the official national religion in Malaysia, and prayer rooms are found everywhere I look, even here on the river bank.

The boat trip down the river is nice. It's a 60 km trip and I pay RM35 ($11). Everyone sits on the bottom of the boat. I read some online reviews that said the boat trip was a horrible experience. Sitting on the hard boat bottom for 3 hours was torture and they would never do it again. Others loved the trip and the views of wildlife along the river banks.

I have read reviews like this before, though. Some people just need more of a comfort level for things, I guess. I like to try the unusual, even if there is some discomfort and it is more time consuming. It makes good experiences for me and lasting memories once it is over.

I am sitting on the bottom of the boat, at the very front, which is good for photo taking . The only drawback is that the luggage is piled on the bow of the boat, right in front of me. You can see my bag in many of the photos I took going down the river. It is the blue bag. 

I find sitting on the wooden floor of the boat is comfortable enough and the scenery is beautiful. I brought snacks and water in my day bag. There will be no place to stop along the way.

I see some monkeys jumping through the trees on the banks and I see a small island we pass where a bunch of monkeys are running around playing. There are no trees on the island and I can see the monkeys and all their antics. But, I could not get my camera situated fast enough as the boat was moving, so I missed photos of these monkeys. 

There were also some water buffalo in the river along the way and some kampungs (villages). Some men from the villages were throwing out nets from their wooden sampans (boats), while children, some nude, swam in the water .

Later in the river journey, the river begins to narrow and the jungle greenery begins to close in from the sides. The 3 hours or so on the boat was a lot more interesting than if I had taken the bus, I think, and the time went by quickly. I enjoyed the ride and would do it again.

Around noon our sampan pulled alongside a floating restaurant on the river bank, and we docked at Kuala Tahan. It is the small village across the river from the park. This is one of those places I instantly like. I will have a good time here.

I walk throught the floating restaurant and up the sandy hill and stop at Liana Guesthouse. They have a room for RM10 (a little over $3). I can see the river and floating restaurants and sampans (small ferry boats) below, from my window. There is a video here where you can get an idea of where I am staying.

The hostel where I am staying does not have wifi . That is a problem! But, a short walk down the bank there is a restaurant. This is where I end up drinking my morning coffee and eating many of my evening meals. While I am eating I can look out over the river and use the free wifi!!!! A magical spot!

There are photos I made of the small village as I walked around for a while. I have started to use move videos and post comments about the photos next to the photos. You can look for the comments on some photos that might help describe them better as you see them.

There are only a couple of small streets in the village with small stands of food and a few souvenirs. People come here for the trekking in the rainforest and other nature adventures.

In my next entry I want to tell you about my time spent in THE OLDEST RAINFOREST ON EARTH.