Trekking in the Malaysian Jungle with George...
George of the Jungle
Our flight into Kuala Lumpur from London was a very pleasant
one. We landed in the evening and wasted no time in getting a room at the
YWCA (it's fun to stay there) and getting out into Chinatown once again.
It has been almost a year since we had been there, and our outlooks have changed
so much. It is an amazing place with so much energy and culture.
Every night is Saturday night in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown.
The following day we took an amazing bus ride up into the
Cameron Highlands. The last hour of the trip kept us at the edge of our
seats as we made hairpin turns at rocket speed..or so it seemed. The views
were stunning and the ride exciting.
The emerald green mountains of the Cameron Highlands.
We were fortunate enough to be in Cameron Highlands while George of the Jungle
was in town. George is a nice Irishman who now spends time in Australia
and Malaysia. Every year between December and March, he comes to Cameron
Highlands and leads a daily trek through the jungle for all who are
interested. All you have to do is show up at the Cameronian Holiday Inn at
9:30 am and follow George into the jungle. George will not accept payment
or bribes for these fulfilling walks through the beautiful forests. He
enjoys the company. During the days that we followed George through the
jungle, he had at least 20 or so followers. He is a legend.
Our first trek in the jungle with George involved a steep and muddy climb up
to the top of Gunung Brinchang. The scenery along the way was beautiful
and the views from the summit were tops!
The vegetation along the way was very lush. That is probably why they
call it the jungle. Among the many trees, bushes, flowers and plants, we
found this pitcher plant which catches insects on its gummy lips and eats them.
Our second jungle trek with George took us up, down and around ridges.
While the five hour trip was tough at times, we still found time to monkey
around. It has always been Kelly's dream to swing on a vine through the
jungle. It was as much as fun as she imagined it would be.
George knows these jungles. We would have gotten lost without
him. George fought in these jungles back in the 60s when he was a member
of the British military. If you come to Cameron Highlands (which we highly
recommend that you do), drop in on our friend George and go for a walk in the
jungle with him or just join him for a meal in town. He is a very
intelligent and interesting chap.
Continue with us to see the beautiful tea
plantations of the Cameron Highlands
