Weekend Jungle Walks...

Jungle Walks...

A 20-minute walk from my front door leads me to the trailhead (a dirt path alongside a busy road) and the start of a rejuvenating time... both for my mind and body. The jungle near my home was once a rubber plantation. The rubber estate has been abandoned for years and the rubber trees are now mixed within an emerging rainforest. There are about 20 km of trails created by mountain bike enthusiasts. They've created many of these trails following the old plantation paths.

On a typical walk I may encounter 1 or 2 other people, but usually never see anyone. What I do see are scores of monkeys (usually 2 or 3 packs), eagles, turtles, snakes (cobras and tree snakes), monitor lizards (reaching a length of 5 feet and longer), small streams, bamboo groves, birds, and bugs of every description.

The many different trails allow me to vary the walk each weekend. Hills abound and the highest elevation is about 900 feet. From this summit I get a great view of Kuala Lumpur... if the haze isn't too bad.

I typically walk at around 11:00am and finish around 2:00pm... the hottest time of day. But it's really not too bad under the trees. Humidity is a problem and I have to bring at least 2 liters of water for each walk.

The pictures below were taken with my Treo600 phone. Not the best quality but you can get a feel of the environment...


Snakes & Ladders Trail


Bamboo Grove


Bamboo Grove


Bamboo Size


Small Stream


Small Waterfall


Kuala Lumpur from Summit


Snake


Monkey on Rock


Tapping Rubber