Tasik Chini

After Pulau Tioman, we thought that it would be nice to have a little break from the islands and try something different. Originally, we had planned to go to Taman Negara national park, but we heard some mixed reviews, so we decided to try something a that would be off the beaten path. One of the divemasters at Eco divers on Tioman suggested that we check out Tasik Chini, or lake Chini, so we decided to go for it.

Lake Chini is not exactly the easiest place to reach. You have to take a taxi from the city of Kuantan, or you can take a public bus from Kuantan and then take a taxi. We decided to chance the bus, which turned out to be a mistake because by the time we got to our stop, the taxis had stopped running. With the help of a gas station attendant, we managed to flag down a trustworthy-looking local who agreed to give us a lift to our final destination.

At Tasik Chini, we stayed at Rajan Jones' guest house. Rajan has been living in the jungle around Lake Chini for 20 years and is an expert on the Orang Asli people (the local indigenous population) that live in the area surrounding the lake. Rajan is a character, imagine horn rimmed glasses on Ghandi with a 70's haircut and a long-sleeve flowery button-up shirt. He has a lot of fascinating stories about living in the jungle among the Orang Asli people.

We explored the lake in a canoe and went jungle trekking. During the jungle trek, Julia discovered that she has a new fear: leeches. That's right, leeches. Laugh if you must, but let us just say that those creepy, crawly blood-suckers are pretty terrifying, especially when they are all over your shoes trying to find a way in so they can attack your feet. We managed to escape the hike without being attacked, but there were several close calls, and our local Orang Asli guide (who spoke no English) found it highly amusing that Julia was so freaked out by the leeches.

Aside from the oppressive heat and our introduction to leeches, we had a wonderful time at the lake. The combination of Rajan's hospitality and price of accommodation has been unequaled on our trip thus far. We would recommend a visit to Rajan's Lake Chini Guesthouse to anyone planning a visit to Malaysia and wanting a genuine jungle experience.

-Billy and Julia


Lake Chini


Rajan Jones' Guesthouse


The dock that Rajan built for the local kids


Billy, paddling around the lake


Our jungle trek started in one of the many palm oil plantations, where cobras are frequently spotted waiting for the rodents that eat the palm fruit


Our guide, showing us how they cut up the palm plant to eat the "hearts of palm" (maca neeboom)


Billy, sampling the water extracted from a tree branch


Water has never tasted so good as after a 3 hour hike in 95 degree heat with 80% humidity


Lake Chini


Enjoying the breeze during the ride home from our trek