Up Bukit Teresek
Taman Negara is spread over 4343 sq. kms and contains some of the oldest rainforest in the world - at 130 million years old, it is older than the Amazon or Congo rainforests. It contains a huge variety of trees, birds and insects, as well as a number of mammals, including the Asian elephant, tigers, gibbons, macaques, leaf monkeys and clouded leopards.
This morning we were eager to get out for a walk and beat the midday heat, so we crossed the river by taxi boat, and were on our chosen trail by 9am. We had decided to climb 'Bukit Teresek' - a 342m hill - whose peak offers great views over the surrounding forest. Even though the forest felt cool, we were dripping within half an hour - we have never experienced humidity like it. The sounds of the jungle are quite fascinating; we found ourselves just standing still every now and again to listen to a cacophony of exotic chatter in the trees soaring above us.
We reached the second viewpoint and rested for a while. although mist was still obscuring the view. We managed to get a photo on our way back down, now passing lots of hot looking people coming up. We had lunch in the resort's restaurant, before crossing back over to the rustic side of the river and an afternoon of recovery.
