Yes, I actually did get lost in the jungles of Malaysia
And please don't tell my mom. I think it was in month 3 of my 5 month trip around Asia on my way back to the U.S.. It was in the Cameroon Highlands on one of my morning hikes. I was taking a minute away from the city, fleeing the crazy compress of a week in Kuala Lumpur. A random 'what's cool in Malaysia' Google search said I should go here, so I did.
There's not a huge amount to do in this town. You either go to see the tea fields, you go to see the tea fields, or you take a hike through old growth forests. Did I repeat myself? Yes, yes I did. The town is a one-street affair. Nothing crazy and I wish I had pics, and I might, somewhere on some hard drive. Time will tell. The population was a mix of locals, tourists just coming through, and those people that just lived there.
Just lived there?
Yeah. A super cool thing about Southeast Asia is that you can find a lot of little hiding holes where you can sit for a long while living on dollars a day. I mean, the hostel I stayed at was $1 a night for a bunk. That's pretty hard to beat. And it had good internet, a bar, and movies. Factor in food at maybe $5 or $6 dollars a day, seriously, a great place.
They made their bills by day trading Forex and such. Not hard to make that much money a day as long as you have a decent bit of capital. And the country wasn't going to force them out as visas usually came in 1 and 3 month blocks for tourists. A couple days to either Singapore or Thailand, and back again with a renewal. Super easy and a change of scenery. Life and travel in that region of the world was amazing back then, and I hope it still is.
The day of this adventure was like any of the 5 others I spent there.
I woke up, had my coffee and breakfast at the hostel, looked at a map and picked my hike. My only worry was the regular afternoon rains at like 3pm. I had to be back before that or risk being drenched by massive unending sheets of dense rain. It happened a couple times and I'm glad by then I'd learned to wear sandals whenever I wasn't on a trail. Drying shoes in a tropical environment. LOL
At some point I left the regular path, and found myself on what might be considered drug trails by those of you who love documentaries. Narrow, well kept, slightly hidden paths that darted up and down the hillside. Not like there were any markers that really denoted a 'main' trail in the first place. I wasn't too worried. I had plenty of water, and usually if you walk long enough on any trail you'll get somewhere. And as far as memory served me, Malaysia wasn't a drug exporting nation, so angry men with guns wasn't a fear. Not to mention the views were breathtaking.
Walking on, and on, and on, and on.
Still no worries about anything. I was more than stocked with water and snacks thanks to a lesson way back on a mountainside in Japan where I didn't have enough... but that's another story. At one point I ran into a group of locals just making their way through so I figured, if they're coming this way then I should be fine if I go that way. Lo and behold....
I was right!
I do have to admit that every once in a while along the way I had doubted myself. I mean, alone in a jungle without a real map, and in another country? But, being young and dumb you mostly just grin and bear it. After all, we're immortal, right? Oh, there were also poisonous snakes, spiders, and other nasties, but I didn't know about those until a couple days later while on a tour. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, as long as you don't land in a bad situation.
The walk back to where I was staying in town really sucked. Since I had basically gone through a pass on to the other side I had to make my way all around to where I started. Which was a long, long, trudge on roads with nothing really cool to see. I was also quite exhausted from the actual hike and adrenaline from being, well, lost.
I made it back just as the rains started with a good story to tell those already chilling on the masses of couches that sat under some clear protective pieces of roofing. Not the Ritz, but damn the view made it worth it :)
Thanks for reading about another one of my memories. I'd love to hear if you've ever been there and if you have a cool story. I still got a couple more from this place, so stay tuned.
Michael
Similar Posts
Memories from abroad -Shirakawa
Memories from abroad -Winter mountains
Memories from abroad -Kinkakuji in Kyoto
