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In search of respite from the blinking distractions of modern life, I embark on a trekking holiday in  Malaysia's Taman Negara  National Park.   
On arrival, one becomes  aware of the peace and beauty  of a lush environment that's only interrupted  by the wonder of an especially mighty tree, a hanging vine brushing against your head,  or  the sudden  furry flash of a  monkey's tail. 
It's a journey into  another world.  
Taman Negara, a 4,343 sq km  rainforest protected since 1938,  is one of the true  natural wonders  of Malaysia   and you don't have to  be fit or experienced in hiking to walk  its trails.
One way to reach this paradise is  via the  so-called Jungle Railway (real name East Coast Railway),  which stretches from Kota  Baru  in the north of Malaysia to Johor  Baru  in the south. 
Many people alight at Jerantut  to  visit Taman Negara before  re-boarding to ride to  Gemas,  which offers a connection to  Kuala Lumpur. 
 At Kota Bharu, I board the second of four daily services  and on the rails you're able to sit back, view the countryside and meet the locals. 
Outside the heat shimmers around banana and palm plantations, busy village markets do brisk business and white birds flutter around chestnut-coloured cattle.
As the train picks up speed, civilisation  recedes and misty hills appear. Giant fronds  arch towards the train, small boats float on rivers, tall trees rise out of the  dense, steamy  jungle and cliffs loom.  It's a deliciously primeval landscape. 
Jerantut  is uninspiring, but a useful stop for the boat trip to Taman Negara. 
Here, apart from trekking, most visitors  tread over the canopy walkway (above right), which, at 500  metres, is the longest in the world. 
There's also  fishing, rafting caving,  mountain climbing or a chance to pay a visit to the  indigenous Orang Asli  settlements.  However, the greatest attraction in Taman Negara is trekking, with or without a guide.  Setting off at  dawn,  I follow a trail  that leads  up and down hills, passing trees woven with vines and I crawl over logs in the steamy undergrowth. Although my clothes get muddy,   I don't  mind. 
Thrust into a multi-sensory wilderness experience, I'm  having the time of my life. Every sense fills to overflowing with the sight of intense colours, the smell  of pungent aromas, the sound of wildlife and the tactility  of the trees and plants.  
More than 250 species of birds can be found here, including  hornbills,  fireback pheasants, eagles and kingfishers. The trills, croaks, warbles and chirps swing my emotions from tranquillity to excitement. When the birds stop,   the quiet in the jungle is like snuggling under a thick blanket, before a trill heralds another orchestra of calls and songs. 
Far away from humans  roam deer, tapir, elephants, tigers and even Sumatran rhinoceri.   A monkey crunches a twig above me and I hear the incessant chatter of gibbons in the upper canopy. I am also relentlessly pursued. Small, black, limbless creatures throw themselves onto me, then wriggle into my socks to gorge on blood. 
I shudder before surrendering.  It is somehow fitting: I have become part of this complex, symbiotic  ecosystem, everything feeding on everything else.  My socks are full  of knobbly shapes. I climb up the ladder of  a wooden hut built on  stilts and sit on a bench. Taking a deep breath, I peel off my boots and socks and there they are:  the happiest gang of bloated leeches that ever lived. 
With my feet hanging over the doorway, a lit match waved over their tails  sends to them to  the forest floor. 
Pulling some food from my pack, I peer out of the large window into the darkening jungle. The  hideaway sits  in the  jungle's upper canopy  and all I see are the dark silhouettes of trees. There are plenty of interesting sounds during the night but I see nothing.
It doesn't matter. By the time  I re-emerge from the jungle the next day, Jerantut feels two-dimensional after the richness of the forest. 
I board the train  to Gemas, feeling better for having touched upon a rare world and losing myself in the jungle.




Detours: Taman Negara