The Jungles of Cameron Highlands

21st December - 22nd December

2,000 meters above sea level in central peninsular Malaysia sit the Cameron Highlands. We decided to take a break in the high mountains for a couple of days before continuing south for Christmas.

The first day pissed it down but the second proved to be a bit more welcoming so we heading out for a jungle walk...but first we found an enormous scorpion on the sidewalk; this bad boy was a good 7 inches long.

Tally, Ho! Come on George! Come on Timmy, lets go rescue Anne from the wicked Skunk Ape of jungle mountain!

Deeper in the jungle, the sunlight began to shine though the canopy creating a beautiful effect with the mist.

A birds nest fern hangs enormously at the top of the trees and is a common sight in the tropics.

The mountain paths were difficult, to say the least, especially after a week of rain. We slipped in the mud several times and had to almost get on all fours to get under some of the fallen trees. At times we wondered whether it was wise wondering off without a guide and only a rudimentary map.

That was until we reached the top and found ourselves surrounded by school kids from Kuala Lumpur on camp for the Christmas holiday.

After an hour we finally made it back down, here Zhenia poses next to a stream.

While asking for directions back to town Tom got stuck discussing the merits of Arsenal and Thierry Henry with a local hiker.