It's the Journey, Not the Destination

On the move again, this time eight hours by taxi, bus, another bus, another bus, and boat. The destination was Taman Negara, a primary jungle which is over 130 million years old and covers 4300 square kilometers.

The boat trip was the most fun. You board these very long and narrow boats that probably seat about 20 people total.





The boats sit very low in the water so you feel like you're just skimming over the water during the three hour journey. Our boat had a slight leak so our driver stopped about two to three times during our trip to bail water out of the back seat.



When you're off the boat you slog up a steep little beach and then set about looking for that night's lodging. Often when I make lodging choices I am too taken by the kitsch factor of a place and forget about practical considerations for what would help with a good night's sleep. Consequently we spent our first night at a motel where you might expect to find Papa and Baby Smurf. A series of squat, pink A-frame houses painted bright pink and blue. The room was almost passable but the bathroom really hit a new low. Gecko droppings on the wall, no drain for the shower so the floor stayed wet all the time, mold, and a slug on the floor. I've gotten so used to weird bathrooms that I didn't even notice there was no sink as we've been sinkless for the past few weeks. You just use the hose coming out of the wall.







The next day we picked up and moved to a much cuter place, the Durian Chalet, which was a bit of a hike but well worth it. Still no sink, and a bathroom made out of concrete which absorbs all smells if you get the idea. We picked the least stinky room and settled in.