27.7.2016 Trek through the jungle or enjoy tropical paradise in this magical region

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Trek through the jungle or enjoy tropical paradise in thismagical region

By Eric Vohr

Special Contributor

Published: 26 July 2016 11:00 AMUpdated: 22 July 2016 01:21 PMBy Eric Vohr/Special ContributorSearching for wild elephants in the jungles of Malaysia, hanging with orangutans in the rainforests in Sumatra,and soaring over centuries­old temples in Myanmar ... you've got to love Southeast Asia.

Last winter, my partner and I made Singapore our base camp and headed out for a couple of weeks to explorethis magical region. Singapore is not only one of the world's most fascinating cities, but it has the best andcheapest flight connections to the U.S. and is the hub for Silk Air.

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Singapore

If you have a little of the foodie in you, this melting pot of Southeast Asia has the greatest variety of Asiandelicacies anywhere, and the best place for a taste test is at the hawker centers. These food courts providecheap, delicious food for Singaporeans on the go. Located throughout the city, each one specializes inSingapore's many immigrant ethnicities: Chinese, Indian, Malay and Indonesian.

For a more upscale dining with an ethnic twist, modern chefs whip up some amazing cross­cultural fusion fooddelights in Singapore's two hippest neighborhoods, Haji Lane and Kampon Glam, both located in the Muslimquarter.

Besides amazing food, you also find great shopping here and beautiful classic colonial era architecture. In fact,one of the best things to do in Singapore is put on a good pair of sneakers and just wander around. Theendless markets, bazars, shops, cafés, mosques and temples scattered throughout the city are simplyenchanting.

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Malaysia

After a wonderful tour of Singapore, it was a 180­degree transition from these crowded, culture­rich streets toour next destination, the 130­million­year­old rain forests of Taman Negara, Malaysia.

This 1,675­square­mile wilderness area is one of the most beautiful and wild places left on Earth. Crisscrossedby numerous crystal clean rivers, one of the ways to tour Taman Negara is to hire a boat and explore. Our tourtook us deep into the jungle where we swam in the river and visited an indigenous Orang Asli settlement wherewe learned how to shoot poison darts out of a blowpipe.

Of course, the best way to really experience these ancient forests and their wildlife is on foot, so we headedout for a four­day hike in search of wild elephants.

There's an extensive network of trails through Taman Negara, with a number of concrete shelters raised abovethe forest floor called "hides" where you can safely bunk down for the night.

These hides are strategically located in areas where animals are known to congregate. Sadly, on our first dayin the jungle we didn't see any wildlife (except for the wild rats scurrying around our hide) and went to sleep abit disappointed. At pre­dawn, however, we woke to a strange scraping sound, which turned out to be a coupleof tapirs working on a salt lick.

Tapirs are rather odd animals that have an elephant's trunk and a horse's body.

Interesting as they were, our minds set on finding some "real" elephants, so we packed our gear and headedto a second hide, where we had heard there were some recent "tusked" sightings.

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On the way, we saw numerous signs of elephants ­­ footprints, knocked over trees, scat, and their lingeringsmell ­­ but these large beasts somehow eluded us, both on the trail and at the hide. What we did encounter,however, were leeches, lots of them ­­ not exactly the wildlife we were looking for. However, we left TamanNegara with no regrets, as the experience was simply amazing, elephants or no elephants.

Sumatra, Indonesia

Luckily, at our next destination, Bukit Lawang, Sumatra, the gateway to Gunung Leuser National Park, all thatwould change. There used to be an orangutan rehabilitation center in the park, which meant these animals aremore accustomed to humans and easier to spot.

Of course that's not always a good thing. One of these orangutans, Mina, aggressively stalked us in search offood. Luckily, we managed to get by her relatively unmolested (thanks to our guide).

In total, we spent three days hiking and camping in the jungles of Bukit Lawang and saw all sorts of primatesand even a couple of wild peacocks. At night, our guides set up camp near gushing streams and waterfalls,where we swam, relaxed and cooled our tired muscles. They also prepared some of the most incredibly tastyIndonesian food we had while we were in Sumatra.

The only sad note to our trek through Indonesia and Malaysia were the millions of acres of jungle that havebeen cleared for palm oil plantations, which stretch from horizon to horizon in some areas. Luckily, TamanNegara and Bukit Lawang are protected. We can only hope they stay that way.

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Myanmar

On the next leg of our journey, Myanmar, we were looking for a different kind of prey ­­ centuries­old temples.Boasting more than 2,000 temples and stupas, Bagan is temple central. However, it's also the most populardestination in Myanmar.

Therefore, we were actually much more impressed by Mrauk U. This tiny village near the northwest coast isalso strewn with countless temples but only gets about 5,000 visitors a year; that means you can actually relaxand enjoy the experience, and not have to fight shoulder to shoulder (as you sometimes do in Bagan) to get agood shot of the sun setting behind a stupa.

We stayed in a very nice family­run guesthouse called the Prince Hotel. The rooms were basic, but the foodwas so good, people from other hotels joined us for dinner "family style."

Mrauk U is a real working village where men plow the fields and women still meet and talk at the wateringholes with tin jugs balanced on there heads. I was even invited for coffee and betel nut (a leaf and nutstimulant that turns your mouth red when you chew it) by some locals who were curious to see a Westernerwandering around their neighborhood pre­dawn.

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Bali, Indonesia

After our exciting, rough and rugged trek through jungles and ancient temples, we were ready for a little R andR, so we set our sights on our last stop on our Southeast Asian odyssey, Bali.

The first thing we did on arrival was enjoy the rice paddies and mountain air of Ubud. Featured in the movieEat Pray Love, you won't find better restaurants and shops anywhere in Bali. It also has some of our favorite"luxury" resorts, like the newly opened Mandapa. Set on the gentle slopes of a river surrounded by ricepaddies, this place is paradise.

We also tested our surfing skills at Bali's most famous beach town and surf spot Seminyak. There arecountless surf schools and surf rental places here, as well as clubs and beach bars. We stayed at the swankbeachfront Alila resort; if you're looking to party the night away, this is where you'll want to be.

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After a week jostling with the many tourists here, we wondered if there was any place on the island where youcould truly "get away from it all," and then we stumbled across Bali Eco Stay. Nestled on the flanks of thedormant volcano, Mount Batukaru, this delightful collection of peaceful, private bungalows surrounded by ricepaddies, waterfalls and lazy villages is far from he madding crowd. If we'd found this place on our first day onBali, we'd have stayed there the whole time. But as it turned out, it was the perfect end to a perfect trip.

Eric Vohr and Michaela Urban blog at travelintense.com.

If you go

How to get there:Singapore Air: singaporeair.com

How to get around:

Silk Air: silkair.com

Where to stay:

Singapore: The Fullerton Hotel (fullertonhotel.com)

Malaysia: The Mutiara Resort (mutiaratamannegara.com, Taman Negara)

Sumatra: Junia Guest House (juniaguesthouse­bukitlawang.com, Bukit Lawang)

Myanmar: Prince Hotel (mraukuprince.com, Mrauk U)

27.7.2016 Trek through the jungle or enjoy tropical paradise in this magical region

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Bali: Mandapa (ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/indonesia/mandapa, Ubud), Alila (alilahotels.com/seminyak,Seminyak), Bali Eco Stay (baliecostay.com, Mount Batukaru)