Tioman Jungle Trek

At the North end of Salang Beach the footpath winds up past an impressive abandoned bungalow complex. I say impressive becuase the bungalows cling to the steep slopes teetering on high thin legs and actually blend into the hillside quite well.

The path quickly turns to a winding jungle camino that follows the electricity cables that come from the islands capital.

My T-shirt was soon turned into a sopping rag as the humidity and the heat took their toll, but after a good hike up and down you come to the deserted white sand beach of Monkey Bay.

At Monkey Bay I stripped my sopping clothes and skinny dipped in the cooler waters of the sea, floating around I could look back at the jungle wrapped around the bay like a shawl.

Continuing on was an easier walk even if the distance was farther as the slopes became kinder. Monkeys followed me in the trees making sure I wasn’t up to no good, monitor lizards scurried out of my way and I teased tree snakes with sticks as butterflies flapped dreamily around as if in an opium den. The noise is hypnotic in the jungle, a constant rythm that has kept us entertained for all time, before the electronic rythms this was our melody and it has stayed fresh.

Eventually the path reaches habitation again and after another set of stairs and a hill reaches the long arc of a bay that the small airport sits on. I came across a fellow I knew was from Salang and hitched a ride back in his boat along with his son that he was accompanying from school. Perfect timing for the perfect day.

One thought on “Tioman Jungle Trek”

  1. What a vivid description. I relived my hike almost as if I was there again. The oppressive heat, the relentless cicada siren, the unbearable humidity, the overwhelming richness of it all and the immense thrill of being so immersed in this, well, Eden.

    It was simply awesome.

    We trekked from Paya all the way to the top of Gunung Kajang; a 2 day journey, except we’d decided to do it in 1 day. I thought I knew the feeling of fatigue, but by the time we were down again, at a pitch-black 8pm, I felt like a husk of a person.

    Still, we’re already planning our next ascent, mostly because, it’s true, you spend so much time watching where you tread, dodging thorns, swiping off leeches and easing through the almost impenetrable emerald lattice, that you can’t take enough of the experience in.

    We’re hoping to do just that in a few weeks.

    See you there 🙂

    Macy

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *