Gestrandet, Pläne gescheitert, dennoch tolle Erfahrungen

After traveling for more than 10 hours with two buses, I was eventually dropped off at a deserted place in Gua Musang.

I knew beforehand that Gua Musang is not particularly big. But it was close to Taman Negara, which I saw as an option to visit.

I walked a few meters and found something similar to civilization, albeit very small-scaled. The owner of the guest house was kind enough to pick me up by car, as there are no public transportation or taxis here.

What I didn't know before: The guest house is located 8km away from Gua Musang, almost completely isolated. No shops! No buses! Nothing! I wanted to join a guided tour to Taman Negara today, but it was canceled last night for some reason. For dinner, I had instant noodles that the owner had brought for me.

Today, the family took me to the town and dropped me off there. I ran some errands, had something to eat, and sat around a bit. I am the only tourist here. The people keep to themselves. But contrary to all expectations, I am received with such warmth and hospitality that I have never experienced elsewhere. People approach me, smile at me, ask where I want to go, where I come from, how my journey is. What is happening here is not a fake beach promenade friendliness to sell me sunglasses, but genuine joy that I am walking through their place. Earlier, a Muslim man of about 50 years old approached me and asked me what I like about Malaysia. He then told me that he enjoys the harmony in which all people, cultures, and religions live side by side here. That's exactly what I have been experiencing every day until today. It doesn't matter if you are tattooed, wear a headscarf, or have manicured nails as a man. People are friendly and respectful. Even here, away from the tourist flow. Anyone who has a phobia of other cultures should spend some time here forcibly.

Going off on a tangent... I then approached someone at the gas station who gave me a ride to the guest house (he didn't have to go that far, but he took me right to the door). I guess I'll have to cancel my Taman Negara trip. There are no buses going there, no taxis, not even a scooter to rent. I could book a tour (the only guide I could find), which is actually intended for groups. That would cost me around 100 euros. That's just too much here. So I am stranded 30km away from the national park and can't visit it. I will try to move on tomorrow. Without the rainforest... maybe some other time. By the way, I am now the only guest here. Unless someone else arrives.

Oh, and when I was walking along the main road and took a short break under a tree to have a drink, a big monitor lizard (or something like that) joined me near the river. We played a round of rock-paper-scissors and I continued on...