My first overseas backpacking trip 1991. Singapore and Malaysia

June 2022 · 3 min read · Malaysia

The plan was to catch a Bus from my parents place at Coolum Beach on the Queensland Sunshine Coast to Darwin with a few short stop overs. As I had seen a far bit of North Queensland, Mt Isa the Northern Territory on a previous driving trip. Then get a plane to Timor and Island hop through Indonesia. Unfortunately after talking with other backpackers in Darwin, the Timor option was out as it was having a lot of political Issues with Indonesia.

Option 2 was flying straight to Singapore.

I met others backpacker doing the same thing, we spent a couple of days checking out Singapore and then a few of us started travelling together up the East Coast of Malaysia.

Ferry ride out to Tioman Island about 30 kilometres off the main land.

I remember being a little underwhelm with the Tioman Island beaches but it was a great spot to chill out and lay back.

Cherating another East Coast stop over. Before we started heading in land.

A three and a half hour boat ride up river to Taman Negara National Park felt like a real adventure.

We stayed over night at the park head quarters before trekking into the jungle.

We stayed over night at Kumbang Hide in hope to see some wild life.

The sleep over in the Hide was interesting, we paired but and stayed awake for 2 hours shifts on a wild life watch. Nothing much was happening then on my turn early in the morning a tapir showed up, we were all hoping for a tiger but that was purposely really rare and probably dangerous. At least we got too see something, other than chasing a few nice or rats around inside the sleeping room. I woke up to one of the girls screaming about the rat. Eventually I set some food up on the floor in front of the door and was able to sweep it out the door with a straw broom.