Experiencing ancient rainforest in Malaysia usually means planning a lengthy excursion from the capital, Kuala Lumpur: be it a drive to the Taman Negara national park, in the centre of the peninsular, or a flight to Langkawi or to the states of Sarawak and Sabah, on the island of Borneo. But on a recent visit, I am let in on a secret: Janda Baik, an eco-destination surrounded by tropical rainforest and less than an hour’s drive from the skyscrapers of downtown KL.
It takes a cool head and the expert directions of my Waze app to negotiate Kuala Lumpur’s traffic jams and spaghetti of elevated highway before hitting the East Coast Expressway, heading northeast. The Janda Baik turn-off is a mere 40km further.
When I lived in Malaysia, I would often take this motorway for a weekend getaway to the sandy beaches of the east coast. I remember Janda Baik for its distinctive name – “the good widow” – but the village was off the main road, in the foothills of the Titiwangsa mountain range, and the ramshackle dwellings flashed by, far too close to KL to justify stopping off for the classic Malaysian breakfast of iced Milo and roti canai flatbread dipped in devilish fish curry.
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