The Rides

In the evening, we went for a boat ride along the river in Kuala Tahan. The boat was 6 feet wide and about 10 metres long. As we sat in the boat, going upstream, I thought it would be like Mulu, where we have to come down to help push the boat up. Nevertheless, the boat operators did a great job and required no help from his passengers. He skillfully maneuvered across the rapids and used his engine propellers to turn the boat left and right according to the meandering rivers.

Boat Ride

Yet, unsatisfied with the idea of having dry passengers cruising along on a river, these cheeky boat operators grabbed each opportunity they had to race beside each other, purposely splashing all the passengers in the boat with water. Some even had their ‘assistants’ use pails to scoop up water from the river, and as they sped us by, they purposely lifted up their pails and the buckets of water water would sail towards us and wet us from head to toe.

Armed with nothing but life jackets and our own 2 hands, we could not do anything except receive the blows of cold water hurled towards us. My shirt and pants and shoes were thoroughly soaked in brown, muddy river water. The only thing I could do was lift up both of my palms to reduce the volume of water aimed at us. Unfortunately, water is quite flexible. Wind was strong. As the water hit my palms, they splashed onto my hair, my arms, and dripped onto my shoes. Oooooh! I’m so cold!

Is it Mist or the Bouncing of Drizzling Raindrops?

The heavy rain had stopped and was reduced to a drizzle. I dipped my hand into the river and it was so warm! I yearned desperately to jump into the river for a swim. The teacher beside me pointed out that the river was deep. “Look at that guy. He’s totally submerged in the river, except for his head. Just imagine how deep it is.”

On second thought, I’m joining a company event. Safety is everything. I better be a good girl and obey the rules. No jumping into the river, Jean, no matter how much you feel like it.

Scenery along the River

The boat ride was quite enjoyable. I expected more out of it though. I expected us to stop somewhere by the banks of the river, get down at one of the river deposits, snapping pictures by the trees, the forest, the stones, and standing next to the water. Or perhaps we would be taking the boat to hike up some exotic locations. But in Peninsular Malaysia sense, a boat ride is a boat ride, and nothing more. Whereas in Sarawak, one can expect a whole chain of events to come from a boat ride, in Peninsular Malaysia, everything is direct. No surprises. What one sees is what one gets. I still feel that I have been taken for a ride.

Riding in the Pick Up Truck

The best part about this trip was riding the Triton Pick Up truck. Loaded like cattles, we climbed eagerly onto the back of the truck to and from Taman Negara. I was so afraid that I would lean over and fall. But, apparently, my fears were unfounded. It was perfectly safe, even though it seemed unstable. Admittedly, the ride on the back of the truck was very bumpy. We couldn't sit on the basement of the truck as our buttocks would have hit the metal piece terribly! Towards the end of the trip, I eventually gained the courage to stand up at the back and feel the wind blowing against our faces! So cool!