The Well-equipped Walker :
- Everyday clothes - loose-fitting, light- weight cotton are suitable in the
Kuala Tahan area. But if you are heading further afield, you'll need heavy-duty
gear. Jungle attire is ideal, both as protection and making you less conspicuous
to the wildlife you want to see. You might need long trousers and long sleeves to
keep insects at bay.
- Leeches are generally not a major problem but they can be a real nuisance
after rain. To keep out leeches, wear jungle boots, or ordinary footwear with
calico socks worn over trouser cuffs. Insect repellent on your feet and ankles, a
liberal coating of insecticide sprayed on shoes and socks, deters leeches for a
few hours. The aborigines (Orang Asli) approach is to go barefoot and flick off
the leeches as they begin to bite.
- Other ways to keep these blood- suckers at bay - use mosquito repellent,
salt, toothpaste, tobacco or soap, with varying degrees of success.
- You may also like to take these things along with you:
- Water. Boiled water may be marginally safer than drinking from small forest
stream.
- Trail maps and perhaps a compass. Park trails are well and clearly marked and
broad. Navigation will be difficult only if you are off the trail.
- An umbrella or plastic poncho. For yourself if it rains, and also to keep
whatever you are carrying dry.
- Binoculars. A "must" for all bird- and mammal-watchers. 7X
magnification is quite adequate.Keep the lens caps off, so you can put them to
work before the subject of interest disappear!
- Camera gear. Auto-focus cameras with flash work well on many subjects in the
rain forest. An SLR camera with close- up attachments and a tripod broadens the
scope for good pictures.Or you can prepare films with at least ASA 400 and above,
in order to get good photographs in the dense forest. Keeping optical equipment
dry in the rain forest can be a challenge. But you can leave everything out
overnight under a ceiling fan to help to dry off any accumulated moisture.
- A magnifying glass. Have a look at the eyes of a spider, the spore cases of a
fern...The sort of 10X lens can open up a whole new world in the rain forest.
- A notebook and pencil. So that you can take notes of the detail of an animal
you see because remembering details of an animal sighting tend to change as time
goes by. You can thus broaden your knowledge of wildlife.
- A torch. Just in case you are late coming home!
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