Leeches Chased Me From Taman Negara
Okay ... leeches didn't literally chase me from Taman Negara, but their presence certainly didn't make me want to stay.
Taman Negara (literally "national park") is, at more than 150 million years old, considered the oldest rainforest in the world. It covers more than 4,300 square kilometres in the centre of Peninsular Malaysia. After being in Kuala Lumpur for a week we wanted to get back to nature and do some trekking.
We had been warned of the leech issue before and after arriving in Taman Negara. As much as I was freaked out about the prospect of encountering one of these disgusting little bloodsuckers, at the back of my mind I was thinking that they couldn't really be that bad. Unfortunately they were!
We travelled to the park via a basic wooden 'canoe'-like boat. It was a really peaceful way to travel. The sun was shining, there was a lovely breeze, the waters were calm, and rainforest lined both banks.
Three hours later we arrived at Kuala Tahan. Located on the opposite side of the river from the park, this is where most visitors to the park are based (there is a resort on the same side as the park, but it is exorbitantly expensive). Floating restaurants line the river and it was at one of these that we disembarked.
Our first order of business, after finding accommodations, was to visit the park office; we wanted to get more information about the seven- to nine-day hike to summit Gunung Tahan which, at 2187m, is the highest peak in Peninsular Malaysia. Unfortunately, it sounded very complicated. We had hoped that the guide we hired (which is an absolute requirement) would assist us in organizing the logistics of the hike. (Although there are a few huts within a day's walk, there aren't any after day two or three; we'd have to carry in our own tent, sleeping gear, food, water, and cooking gear.) Ulrik and I both felt confident that we could do the hike itself, but since we had never undertaken a completely self-sufficient hike before we weren't 100% comfortable with having the responsibility of kitting ourselves out. (Some of you might remember the story of our overnight hike in Honduras where we carried only tortillas and peanut butter for food and a sheet to sleep with.) So, instead, we decided to do a day hike to a small hill (about 11km roundtrip), and then do an overnight hike to one of the bumbuns (animal hides) where we could spend the night and, if lucky, see some animals. The two day/one night hike would cover a total of 22km. Great plans ... but they didn't take into account the leeches!
Before setting out, though, we decided to spend a day just relaxing. We headed to a nearby swimming hole which was really lovely; the water was cool and refreshing, which was wonderful because the Taman Negara is stinking hot! Unfortunately, our lovely afternoon ended on a gross note as Ulrik found a BIG FAT LEECH on his foot just as we were leaving. (Fortunately it was Ulrik and not me as he is much better at handling that sort of thing than I am.)
On our way out of the park, we met Lauren and Graham, this lovely South African couple who had travelled into the park on the same boat as us. We stood and chatted with them a bit and Lauren told us how she had had three leeches on her the previous day. Three! One of them was on her shoulder! After commiserating with her about her traumatic experience (if I was her, I don't know if I would have left my room again) we told them of our hiking plans, and arranged to do the day hike together.
Unfortunately, on the morning of the hike Lauren backed out. (She later said she just couldn't face the leeches again, and I can't say that I blame her.) But Graham was still up for it, and off we went.
Well ... before we headed out, I had to make sure that I would stay leech free. There are all sorts of suggestions for avoiding leeches: wear tightly-laced ankle boots, liberally spray your shoes with bug spray, rub tobacco on your feet, etc. Here's the strategy I came up with (I had thought of nothing else during the three-hour bus ride, one-hour bus ride, and three-hour canoe ride to Taman Negara):
1. Tuck long pants into socks.
2. In absence of ankle boots use gaiters with shoes (my gaiters went to my mid-calf).
3. Tuck tobacco in all exposed lace holes, and between gaiter and boot. (Although the Malay locals were laughing at me while I was doing this, secretly I think they were just sad to see the waste of so much tobacco.)
4. Tighten everything to the point of cutting off your circulation. (Hey, if one manages to get in at least there won't be any blood for the little f@%ker to suck.)
5. Liberally spray shoes and gaiters with bug repellent. How much is enough? Spray until you can actually feel yourself becoming sterile ... that's probably enough.
So did it work? Read on ...
Off we went into the rainforest. It was very cool. Some of the trees were huge. We got a little lost, but we ended up happening upon an Orang Asli (the "original people"; they are an indigenous people, and the only people, allowed to live in the rainforest) village. A tour guide visiting the village with paying tourists quickly pointed us in the right direction (I think he was worried that we might get to see the fire starting demonstration for free). After getting back on the right path, we stopped and explored a small cave and two bumbuns that were en route. Up until this point we'd only encountered a few small leeches. Both Graham and Ulrik got the occasional one on their shoes, but each time the leech was really small and slow moving and they were able to flick it off quite easily. And even though a couple actually got onto their socks, they weren't biting them -- I think they were just too small to get through the material. But as we started on the last kilometre of the hike, we noticed that the ground was much more damp, an environment that leeches apparently thrive in because we quickly noticed how many more leeches there seemed to be. Not only that but these were fat and aggressive leeches. These would get on your boot and haul ass to get to your skin. You had to flick them off quickly, and it usually took four or five tries to get the little buggers to let go. This was also the first time in the hike that I had leeches on my own boots, and I have to say that I was not too impressed by this development. So we're all distracted by the leeches, and with trying to move quickly to try to prevent them from getting on us, when we reach a point where the trail just seems to end. And, of course, we don't have the luxury of standing there to discuss which direction to move in, because if we stand still too long it's likely we will be overrun by leeches. So at this point, I said that I'd rather just turn around. Now most of you probably know how much I hate to concede defeat when it comes to physical exertions like this. I know I am not the most physically fit person, but I will run myself into the ground rather than be the first person to suggest turning around. And we were only about 3/4km from our goal. But I was not having any fun whatsoever. I was becoming totally paranoid that one of those aggressive buggers had gotten through my defence system and was, as I was standing there, having a little feast in my shoe. Based on how quickly everyone agreed with me, I think both Ulrik and Graham were happy that someone suggested it. So we turned around and practically ran through that stretch of the trail. We had to stop at one point because Ulrik noticed he was under serious attack ... he actually had a leech working its way through his sock! When he pulled his sock off, it was stuck halfway through! We stopped at the last bumbun for a bite of lunch and the boys assessed the damage. I refused to dismantle my defence system to take a look ... I knew that if I found one in there I might not be able to get myself together to get back out and Ulrik would have to carry me!
Shortly before we reached our starting point, it started to rain. Boy did that spur me on. I was just going for it. Forget the boys (who were behind me), I was getting the hell out of there ... everyone knows how leeches are so much worse during and after it rains. In fact, it was raining when Lauren got that leech on her shoulder.
Eventually we all made it out. (Pardon the dramatics ... leeches tend to do that to me!) And none to much the worse for wear. We quickly met up with Lauren, and then it was time for the great unveiling. Had my defence system worked? Was I leech free? Or was there a whole colony of the buggers enjoying a buffet in my shoes? Off came the gaiters, off came the shoes, off came the socks. And not a single leech. Phew.
Although I liked the hike and the scenery, I told Ulrik there was no way I was doing any more hikes in this rainforest. The prospect of leeches was just too much for me to relax and really enjoy myself. Even though I was pretty confident in my leech defence system throughout the hike, I was still paranoid the entire time. And even though I saw that my system did indeed work, I knew that I would still be paranoid if we went on another hike. And that's just no fun. Besides, I knew that there would be many other opportunities to go hiking in places that don't have any leeches. So we said goodbye to Taman Negara. We also said goodbye to Graham and Lauren, unfortunately, as they were headed south to Malaysia and we were headed north to Thailand.
F@%king leeches ...
For more photos, see our Malaysia photo album.
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