Day 5...Jungle Fever

 

Last day in KL. I was determined not to go back in the city again, instead seeking out the nearest approximation to jungle that I could find within the limits of the urban version.

Fortunately, not too far away from Maria's was a Community Forest where there were hiking trails and lakes. The google reviews looked good, mentioning good trails, nice views, jungle, animals.

Perfect. I am not a city person. I am far more at home trekking up steep inclines whilst scanning the trees and the floor for any sign of life. So the community forest it was.

The weather had cooled ever so slightly and there was even talk of rain later in the day, all of which meant that it was going to be better hiking weather.

The Grab pitched up within 10 minutes of booking and I endured a 40 minute ride through traffic filled roads, which ended on a dead end road in the middle of what looked like a factory estate.

Nestled in the corner off the path was the start of the trail, narrow and squeezed in between two fences to start. Still I knew that it opened out into a reasonable large jungle area and ploughed on.

I had obviously brought a bottle of water but it quickly dawned on me that maybe I didn't have enough. The sun was beating down and just standing there, left me drenched in sweat... you don't even have to move for that to happen.

The path almost immediately started climbing up, pretty steeply in places, with roots to camber over, steps hewed into the  clay from the passage of many feet, and vines to avoid being tangled in. This was my sort of trekking!

Almost as soon as I had started, I heard the unmistakable crashing above that marked the passage of monkeys through the trees. I looked up and there they were, right above my head. More maquacs.  These were properly wild and not so habituated to humans clearly as they scrambled up the trees and away from you if you  approached. Nice to see after the tamer versions at the temple and waterfalls.

There were a few people on the trails, all said hello as I passed. Smiling at each other as I struggled up and they struggled down. Although one or two were running down, bounding with seemingly limitless energy.

I had downloaded an offline trail map so could easily pinpoint where I was and where I wanted to head to. The park had 2 distinct areas, one to the north and one to the south. I had started at a trail head bang slap in the middle and was headed up to a path which then split north and south.

I got to the top, breathing hard. It was a brutal introduction and it was so hot. At least there had been a bit of shade from the direct sun but it was still energy sapping. The view was ruined by building works up to the edge of the forest and the noise from this carried a long way. It was disappointing to see as they had clearly pushed into the edge of the jungle, clearing trees, destroying the habitat. Not good.

I tuned to the left and proceeded up a bit of trail that was ominously entitled The Wall.

Now anyome that has followed my previous adventures may remember the previous incarnation of The Wall. A name to instill dread from. anyone that has ever attempted the Tour Divide, The Wall is a short but incredibly steep section of the trail. It has achieved legendary status amongst bikepacking afficionados. That Wall was incredibly painful given I was pushing my bike and kit up an almost sheer incline. This version of the Wall didn't quite live up to that name but it still hurt a bit.

Once at the top, I wandered along the trail until I came to a sign that seemed to be saying that I was not allowed to go that way due to the building works. There was another trail that I thought may go around it, so I took that one and continued on.

The trail wound down and then came out onto an area which had clearly been used by the diggers and led to an area of drainage ditches. It didn't seem quite right but went in roughly the right direction, so I went down the slope and then came to a halt. To continue I would have to go down the drainage ditch slope and up the other side but it looked like the only way. As I was trying to decide whether to continue or turn back, I saw a group of lads appear over the hill the other side. They smiled at me and I called over to them to see if the way they had come from was the right way. They shook their heads and grinned, saying we are lost too.

Let me just clarify, I wasn't lost, I knew exactly where I was. I just couldn't find the trail, which had been obliterated by the building works.

They said that the trail was probably behind me up through the building works. I turned round and stared at the steep slope, the track made by the diggers. Not fun. Worse was the fact that as the jungle had all been cut down, there was absolutely no shade at all and we were exposed to the midday sun. But what choice was there. Go up the slope and try to get to the trails. in the north, or go back up the slope I had come down.

They asked if I wanted to go with them up the digger slope, so I agreed and we all began the long slog. I started at a decent pace but then slowed to a crawling pace as the sun did its work. One of the young men was way in front but with some satisfaction, I was second up there. Eventually we reached the top and I collapsed on the ground, pretty done it. It took a few minutes for my heart rate to return to normal and I sat there drinking my water. Not much of that left!

One of the guys then asked if I wanted to go with them and I politely refused. They looked a bit perturbed at the thought of me walking by myself, but I reassured them I was fine and they went on ahead.

Back to solo, much better!

I had made my mind up to do a loop up here which would take me back down to the lake area near where I had started and then climb back up the wall to the top, before turning right to the South of the park.

This path was a bit flatter and I moved slowly along, in animal hunting style.

Basically to see any animal in the jungle, it is about moving slowly and carefully, scanning the trees and bushes both up high and low for any sign of movement. Your movement disturbs the animals and they start to run away, making the leaves on the bushes twitch or making a small noise. This is how I spot most of the stuff I find. Some, like monkeys, are unsubtle. The crashing of the branches a dead giveaway. Others, like lizards and snakes, can be so quick that by the time. you catch the glimpse of movement, they are gone or so well camouflaged that there is little hope of spotting them.

As I was walking in stealth mode, I saw the movement of something and the rustle of leaves and quickly. looked into the bushes, just above waist height. No more movement. I stood still and scanned carefully....

Gotcha!

Between two leaves was a long thin tail... the backside of a lizard and his back legs. He thought he was hidden as he couldn't see me any more but I had him spotted. I bent round and there under the leaves was his little face.

That is how hard it can be to find stuff. I sometimes wish that I was a bird lover, as wherever I go, birds are everywhere, taunting me with their presence. Unfortunately I like the creatures that hide, that sit still, that don't make a noise, the ones that come out at night. All. much much harder to find. But fun to look for 😁

I was by this time feeling pretty exhausted. The combination of the heat, the climbing, the small amount of water (oops) and more especially the long climb up the digger tracks in the direct sunshine, had served to take the power out of my legs.

I continued on, through palm tree tunnels, up and down, winding round, a sea of green surrounding me. It is my practice when going down steep slopes on the trails to grab hold of trees to brace me if I slip but in the jungle, one has to be very careful when doing this. Everything in the jungle wants to kill you, the words being that of one of my guides in the Amazon one year. Many of the trees have very sharp, very long spikes on the trunk. Many plants have barbs. Sometimes there are a line of fire ants running up and down the trees. When you put your hands out to hold the trees, you must first look at the tree carefully before placing your hand. A 3 inch spike through the palm of your hand would probably ruin your day.

There were fewer people around this part and I strolled along the path, finding groups of monkeys playing in the trees in many places. But then it all went a bit quiet. Even the ciccadas had stopped. Then the wind blew up a little, followed by the first few droplets of water from the sky.

These droplets preceded a deluge which fell in large fat droplets, cascading through the treetops. Bliss!

I was so relieved to have rain as it was just too hot and I could do with being cooled down. Then thunder started crashing above and the rain increased in intensity. I wasn't worried. It was warm rain and I knew that once it stopped, I would soon dry out. The trails would however be more slippery and perhaps if the rain continued have torrents of water running down them, as happened when I was trekking in Costa Rica. But the rain didn't last long enough and after about 15 minutes stopped. The sun came out and I was back to sweating as I stood there.

I had nearly completed the loop and found the lake, sitting serenely in the sunshine. I scanned the shoreline to see if I would be lucky and spot a snake or lizard but everything was still, not a whisper even of a breeze.

Of course, now I had to climb back up and face the wall again, though this time my legs had stopped their whining and seemed to be getting into the swing of things. I got to the top, back near the noise of the diggers and turned right.

I hadn't been going long when I saw another large group of monkeys and decided to sit and watch them for a while. The little ones chasing each other whilst the adults sat grooming or eating. They eyed me warily but when they realised I wasn't moving, they carried on with their antics, leaving me to sit and eat the packed lunch that Maria had kindly given me. It was idyllic, sitting in the sun (having made sure I didn't plonk my arse down on an ant trail), eating some  spring rolls and battered banana pieces, and watching the monkeys. No better than this!

They eventually forgot I was there and bounded around in the trees over my head, with a few of them wandering up the trail and coming to within a few feet of me.... magical.

When I got going, I once again bumped into a few people. As always they said hi and then one woman stopped and asked if I was alone.

Yup

Are you ok?

Do you need a map, water??

Everyone I meet today seems perplexed about me walking by myself.

I reassured the lady with smiles and showing her my online map, but she still didn't seem satisfied, asking where I was going. I explained my intended path and once again reassured her I was good. (I didn't mention my lack of water because I knew I could get out of the park easily within 20 minutes if I needed to and it had cooled since the rain, so it was all good.)

It was however starting to get late so I got  going and planned my route to the nearest exit point. I wanted to be back in time for Maria to be able to go to church, even though she said she could go tomorrow, I felt that I should make the effort to get back in time, give that they had invited me to stay.

The route back was a short loop of the southern part and looked to be easily done within an hour. So I set off. As I was walking along, my nose caught a whiff, the stale smell of animal. Nearby was a few areas where the ground had been dug up and these were dotted alongside the path. The smell reminded me of the smell of Tapirs in Costa Rica but I wasn't sure that there were Tapirs in Asia as well.

I passed some guys in high viz jackets and stopped to ask if they worked at the park. They shook their heads but then said what do you want to know. I pointed at the dug up ground and said about the smell and asked what animal caused it. Wild boar came the reply.

These were the only mammals scurrying about. Not much later I was accosted by 5 puppies and their mother. Clearly they were living in the forest and the poor puppies were jumping up at me, I think wanting food. They were so cute and kept following me jumping up at me. The mother, who only had 3 legs, stood nearby, much more warily.

It was horrid.. I had nothing to give them. Although they didn't look that thin I felt bad for them having to eek out an existence in the wild. Especially when I thought of my pampered pets at home (which are being well looked after by the Pet Collective... thanks guys x).

I walked on quickly to escape the puppies but they stopped when I got a little way away from their mother, scurrying back to her for safety.

My route was taking me to another lake but when I rechecked the map it appeared that I had strayed from. my preferred path and I was now climbing back up again. I thought that in a little whole it would turn and meet the path I had been heading for which led to the exit, but after about half a mile of continuous up, I realised that it would probably be better to retrace my steps and go back to the branch that I had not taken previously, thinking that it would  be longer.

So back down I went, sacrificing height for direction. It took me back down to another building area where bulldozers were ploughing mounds of earth to the edge of the jungle. All around the edge were the decaying trunks of trees which had been sacrificed to make way for 'progress'. No doubt some nice rows of identikit houses would be built here. Once again, I felt a sadness overwhelm me. All the creatures I had seen in the forest, and many that had evaded my eyes, were having their home destroyed bit by bit. It almost physically hurt to see.

It was not a nice ending to my little trek, a first hand reminder of the destruction man  has wrought on the world.

I tried to remind myself that this was on the edge of a big city and hoped that there would be some areas that survived man's need to spread out.

I found the lake, glistening in the sunlight but could not find anywhere to approach the bank to stick my feet in, which would have been nice. I had run out of water somewhere  a few miles back and was really hot and sweaty but no matter as I was nearly out.

I approached the exit gate, my stomach sinking as I saw a padlock and a notice that people must not leave through this gate into the smart residential area unless they had entered the park through this one.

I tried the gate. Thankfully it swung open and I ignored the notice and stepped out from the jungle onto a quiet road with well manicured lawns of the houses in front of me.

I looked at myself. Soaking wet (from sweat and rain) muddy and generally looking slightly unkempt. I headed to the exit of this gated community, hoping that the security would ignore me, rather than tell me I couldn't come through here and send me back into the park. I kept my eyes on the map on my phone as if I were a lost tourist (still wasn't lost) and thankfully made it past the security booth without notice.

I sat on the edge of the main road, pretty done in. nearly 10 miles and over 2000ft of climbing wasn't bad going, especially in the heat.  Just one obstacle remained between me and a nice cold shower back at Maria's.... getting a Grab. This far out I knew I may have to wait a bit for a ride, and it proved true. Nearly 20 minutes passed before some kind driver took pity on me and scraped me up from the kerbside.

It had been a lovely day and a re intigration into jungle walking and animal searching... all ready for my next few days in Borneo.

I can't wait!

p. s no images as trying to post from Tawau Hills park. All photos on www.facebook.com/OneChallengeAtATime