Malaysia

Splintered wooden steps ascend from the ebb of a low river toward the dark edge of secondary rain forest. Dappled light speckles the canopy as a raised wooden walkway winds through a dense tangle of tree trunks and foliage towards ancient wooden cabins.

The raised walkway is treacherous, covered in a layer of slime ensuring every tentative step is filled with nauseous anxiety. Weakly rhythmic guitar-strums echo through the forest, emanating from an open platform filled with ripe smelling tourists from all walks of life. A retired couple from Vienna suspiciously eyeball the guitar-pounding American brigade, whilst newlyweds from Spain speak quietly under the raucous party, all the while attempting to acquire a cold beer in a rain forest. I close my eyes and try to cope.

A dinner of chicken, rice and vegetables washed down with a luke warm Tiger beer finishes an eventful day on the riverside in the jungle. Crickets compete with Geckos, the silent night air interrupted by a chorus of chirps and clicks. Large snakes slide beneath our sleeping bags, mere feet away from a tasty snack.

Morning arrives with the lackadaisical dripping of water from leaf to leaf, a symphonic core of the jungle’s soundtrack. Layered together with deep croaks, exotic grunts, and the occasional guttural roar, the lower levels of the harmony are offset by the hi-hat chirps and melodic caws of the upper, all blending together at dawn for a crescendo worthy of a standing ovation.