Jungle Boogie

Hello friends, I have finally emerged from the jungle, also known as Taman Negara. I will try and sum up my 4 days of fun.

Itinerary:
Day 1:
-Took a boat from Kuala Tahan to a trailhead--saw monkeys from the river! (baby monkeys too)
-walked through the jungle for about 4 hours
-completely soaked my clothes with sweat in about 5 minutes
-climbed into a bat cave, got covered in bat poo
-slept in a different cave
-made a smoky fire
Day 2:
-woke up feeling like I'd spent 2 weeks in the jungle, not 1 day, due to being extremely filthy
-hiked to a "hide"--a shelter built above ground, overlooking a salt lick. Animals come here in the middle of the night and if you are quiet and vigilant you can see them!
-napped in the hide
-stayed up half the night looking for animals
-we saw a tapir! This animal is in the rhino family.
-also saw lots of fireflies
Day 3:
-got up and saw Malay Civet Cats--mom and baby!
-hiked to the river
-got in a boat and went to an aboriginal village
-played poker with guide and friend, using cookies as chips
-learned to use blow pipe to shoot poison darts at prey
-slept in hut
Day 4:
-woke up in village
-made breakfast
-played with blow pipe some more
-went back to town
-took boat to Jerantut
-then it's now

Traveling companion:
-One wild and crazy guy from Czech Republic (dare not say "Czechoslovakia," friends!)
-He's had his ups and downs as a companion, but without him I would not have been able to do the 4 day jungle trip
-He swears a lot, in English. Swearing is a fine art he has not mastered in the English language. It comes off as gratuitous and forced.

Guide:
-Ubai, Malay guy
-jungle expert

Impressions:
-I cannot form paragraphs today
-Walking through the jungle is hard work, even when there's a "trail"--there are downed trees, mud, etc. I felt out of shape.
-I have never sweat so much in my life. It was so humid that my clothes never dried in the 4 days. My shirt stank. Well, all of me stank. My clothes are being laundered as I type.
-TGFG: Thank Goodness For Gortex! My hiking boots rock. They are bulky and heavy and I was told not to bring them because they were unnecessary. Every time I've used them, I've been soooo happy to have them. Trudging through mud is much easier with the right footwear.
-LEECHES!!!!!!!! Beware of the leeches. I don't consider myself a particularly squeamish person, but the leeches really freaked me out. They live on the ground and can sense you walking towards them. They do a little inch worm move to get over to your feet. Then they latch on and get fat off your ankle. Even through socks! This boggles the mind. They dump some kind of anti-coagulant into your blood, so after removing them (by burning them with a lighter) the hole they've made bleeds for several hours before it stops! I did not like the leeches one bit. I had about ten bites on my feet the second day! And last night I had one in my belly button. EEEEEEEWWWW!!!!!!!!!!
-I think each day in the jungle was like a full week in the Boundary Waters in terms of filth factor. I have never felt more dirty than after our first day--I was covered in bat poo, sweat, rain, mud and blood (from the leeches). Everything after that was just par for the course.
-I think I will do well to live my life in more temperate climes
-There are some cicadas that make a noise that sounds like a tiny circular saw. They are unbelievably loud!
-We saw a gynormous centipede that's very poisonous. And it jumps! Run away!
-We also saw lots of elephant footprints and elephant poo. Both were elephantine.
-The guy who works the desk at the hostel has the most unbelievably feminine, strange voice. He keeps giggling while I type--not that he's giggling at my typing. Anyway...
-I can't think of anything else right now. I'm sure I'm leaving some stuff out.

Tomorrow, I take a bus to Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands. There is hiking to be done there. I expect to be in Thailand by next week! I'm excited to do some more diving.

Food here is very tasty. They have this Indian flatbread called "roti" and it's so delicious I could eat it all day. They also have a dish called Nasi Lemak--coconut rice mixed with chilies. It is so very delicious. I would like to find a cooking class before I leave Malaysia.

The jungle was very nice, but I was ready to leave and bathe and put on clean clothes when I did. The people operating the tours, etc were really friendly and helpful and knew a lot about the jungle. It was a pleasure just to sit and talk to them.

I'm having a lot of fun. It took me a while to get to the point where I feel comfortable and relaxed, but I'm glad I'm here!

I got an email from the U of M that I won't hear about they're decision on my application till April or May. I'm still really disappointed I haven't been accepted. They said they will accept anything additional I'd like to add to my application that will help with their decision-making, so if anyone has any ideas, insider information, or friends who work for the U of M Law school admissions office, let me know!
Oh, and I didn't see a man with a big yellow hat...
TTFN,
Lauren