Holiday in Belum Rain Forest

Our third trip to a rain forest in rainy season and for the third time it rained. No problem. Groupon enticed us to purchase a 3N/4D package that introduced us to the Belum Rainforest. The promotional materials did  not mention the pleasant surprises of the first day. The first surprise - our taxi driver wore traditional dress and wore a white skull cap (indicating that he had made the hajj). His taste in music? Heavy metal. The next surprise the bathrooms - the word “unique” does not adequately describe the resort’s public toilets. (This in a country where unpleasant public toilets are common.)

Public Rest Room (near bar) - yes, the tree is real

 

Public Rest Room (near reception) - no window, no screens
just a wall of bamboo

Band Chenl (Legend in their local language)

The last surprise was hearing a band from a “local” village. The band members traveled two hours by boat from their village in the jungle. They played and sang their own compositions. When Doug asked where the tip jar was, the response was “we don’t do that here.” The band members did not say a word about their program, so we have no idea of what they were singing about; it seemed heartfelt.

One move from collapse

December are school holidays, so the resort was jammed with children.  Lots of toddlers and young children were running  around. A few kids gathered around a computer, but most were playing games such as Twister and Uno. No fighting, whining, or crying.  And no TV in the room (thanks for the little things).  While some reviews complained about the lack of activities, families seemed to do quite well at entertaining themselves. We brought a stack of books – when it rained we read. It has been a good plan.

Doug rowing - Liz in front aimed camera over her head

We spaced out our Groupon activities – kayaking (or bamboo rafting), a night hike, and a boat ride around the island. In our experience night hikes, always sound like a good idea, but they are little more than a hike in the jungle in the dark. The sounds in the jungle and the resort proper are the same. While a group of 30 people may keep the wildlife at bay – time of year and closeness of the resort do as well. The kayaking trip was fun; we would have enjoyed it more if we weren’t neophyte kayakers and had a plan beyond checking out the harbor area.

Inspecting the bamboo rafts - people actually went out on them

 

As for wildlife we saw the ever present monkeys, butterflies, and this insect that sat next to us at the bar.

To better experience the flora and fauna will require a later trip with a guide and time to get further into the forest. We were told that the best times to visit are Aug-Oct (to see hornbills) or Feb (to see butterflies). To get started we will explore the Malaysian Nature Society website – since MNS guides are exceptional informants.

Travel from KL: Bought Transnational tickets at Puda Raya for bus to Gerik, traveled from Hentian jalan Duta Bus Terminal to Gerik. We arrived in Gerik on Friday at prayer time – so we had to wait until a taxi driver appeared (after praying and having lunch). Cost of taxi to Belum Rainforest Resort (posted as Bandung at taxi stand) was RM 50. From trip adviser we learned people have different expectations. For our part we found that the staff was pleasant and the food, while not outstanding, was similar to comparable nature resorts.

View from our room

Doug said that I need to note that the public bathrooms are not the only highlight. The rooms are quite nice. Ours faced on to water garden with soothing water sounds and frogs croaking. The resort's public areas were handicapped accessible, something that isn't common in Malaysia.