Flying Solo in SE Asia: Highlands and Islands

Well into the last week of my trip, and all I keep thinking is "do I really have to go home in five days?" It doesn't help that a major topic of conversation in every backpacker gathering is where you're headed next. I don't like having to say "back home."

In some ways, Malaysia has really grown on me and I've had a lot of fun here. At the same time, it's a much more sterilized travel experience than the rest of SE Asia. Everything almost seems too easy here. After three months of going at it alone when it comes to accommodation, transport, language and every other aspect of travel, it's a bit uncomfortable having the tourism industry so well-oiled that I barely have to make an effort.

After leaving Langkawi--two days later than expected because that place just seems to suck you in--I headed to the East coast island of Perhentian Kecil with a fellow traveler from my hostel. The island is tiny. You can walk from one side to another in about 10 minutes. It has no roads, just a few jungle walkways leading from beach to beach and a little fishing village on the southern point. And the water here is the clearest I've ever seen. Literally looks like someone filled a giant sand-filled tub with bathwater. In a boat with maybe 30 feet of water below me, I could still see the tropical fish swimming on the bottom--and there are loads of them.

Because there's only electricity on the island after 7 p.m. and there isn't much to see but jungles and beaches, we spent most of our time snorkeling or vegging on the beach. The person I was with is a diver, and he said just snorkeling in these waters put them among the top five dives he's ever done. The reef just off the beach is filled with all sorts of tropical fish, squid, reef sharks, sea turtles and colorful corals.

After a few days there, I headed to Teman Negara National Park, which is touted as the world's oldest tropical rainforest and home to protected species of rhinos and elephants. Hiking there was fun, but I didn't see what made TN so special. There are so many tourists filing through the first few kilometers from the park entrance and scaring away wildlife that you have to do at least a three or four day trek into the jungle to see any large game. I didn't have the time or the money to do that (they insist you hire a guide for stays of more than two days), and the few kilos I hiked revealed little more than a few exotic birds, snakes and one wild boar. The plants weren't any different than those I've seen elsewhere in Malaysia. Still, it was nice to move my body after more than a week of beach bumming.

From there, I headed to the Cameron Highlands, a place I had planned to bypass,but changed my mind at the last minute at another traveler's urging. So glad I came here. The weather here is damp and cool--much like Michigan in the mid-fall--and the entire landscape is rolling hills and mountains. The only indicators that I'm still in Malaysia are the giant ferns towering over the jungle and the everpresent banana trees. This area was a vacation spot for the British colonizers, and their legacy lingers in the style of buildings, the acres of tea plantations and strawberry farms, and the availability of scones and roast dinners at local restaurants. A few other travelers and I spent the first day hiking Mount Beremban, a nice (albeit steep and slippery) hike through thick, mossy jungle. On the way down, we visited a pretty impressive waterfall and somehow wandered off the main trail and ended up following a mountainside pipeline until it ended miles down the road at a bee farm. As luck would have it, it began pouring rain and we were stranded outside with several hours of walking time before we would reach town. Luckily, some friendly locals picked us up and gave us a ride back to Tanah Ratah town, where we indulged in hot showers an Indian feast.

The second day, we climbed Mt. Brinchang, the highest peak in the highlands. The slope wasn't as steep and the forest wasn't quite so dense, but the hike was longer and the views from the top more impressive--at least the whole 30 seconds they lasted before a massive cloud rolled in and enveloped the whole area in white mist. By the time we made the 7k road back down the mountain, it began to pour again. This time, though, we weren't so lucky getting a ride and ended up huddled beneath a banana leaf trying to keep dry. Could have been a miserable situation, but the mazes of tea plantations on the walk back down kept our minds off the mud and cold. After the downpour, we were finally able to get a ride in the back of some locals' supply truck. Pigged out again on Indian food, then spent the night huddled around a campfire before waking up early for the bus ride to KL, my last stop before flying back.

Cooling off in a pool at the top of the Seven Wells Waterfall in Langkawi. The spot right behind me dropped off over a steep rock face down the mountainside.