The Best Thing I Did In Malaysia: A Hike To Monkey Beach

At first, it sounded perfect.

A walk through the woods to a beautiful beach– who wouldn’t like that? When the guy at my hostel recommended a day in Penang National Park, I jumped at it.

I didn’t quite realize what I was getting into.

The National Park was easy to get to from the center of George Town– just take the 101 bus  to the end of the line– and I brought two water bottles, since the sweaty Malaysian heat was as overbearing as ever.

I thought I was prepared.

The hostel guy had recommended the hike to Monkey Beach, so I chose that route; I had to log which path I was taking with the welcome desk of the park. (Penang National Park has free admission.)

As soon as I entered the park, I ran into a pack of monkeys climbing all over the path and immediately regretted my route.

You see, monkeys freak me out.

And here I was, headed to a place named Monkey Beach.

Uh oh.

Hiking through this national park turned out to be much more involved than I’d anticipated. Before long I was clambering over rocks, ducking under tree trunks, scrambling down steep ledges, circumnavigating a maze of branches and roots. (Thankfully I wore good shoes.) I was alone most of the time, which was contemplative and a little scary, especially when gigantic lizards the size of alligators crossed the path in front of me and I was too paralyzed to run away. Plus, where could I run? I was in the middle of the jungle. The solitude, combined with the fear that a monkey was going to jump out at me, kept me on edge.

And then there was the heat. In the middle of the thick green trees, the humidity gripped tightly, and my shirt was quickly soaked with sweat. I was thankful for the two water bottles I’d somehow had the foresight to pack, but regretted that I brought almost no food– after a half hour of rappelling down small boulders and ducking under errant branches in the smothering heat, my stomach was rumbling.

Occasionally a view of the stunning turquoise water would break through the trees, bringing a sharp breeze and a reminder of the beach waiting at the end. Then I’d remember the monkeys. What was I doing?? Was I walking into a scene straight out of the Hunger Games?

 

Sometimes the rough route would give way to a boarded path, but instead of being a relief, this was often more stressful– the path was in terrible shape, and I was afraid the boards would give way completely– and I scrambled over, desperately clutching my camera close.

The air buzzed with bugs that sounded like tiny chainsaws. I went long stretches without encountering anyone else on the path. I wondered what I would do if I got lost in the jungle.

And then, drenched with sweat and dirt and wildly hungry after an hour of hiking, I found Monkey Beach.

Actually at first I wasn’t sure if it was Monkey Beach, but I’d already decided to rest whether it was or not. (It was, luckily.) I made two wonderful discoveries here: first, there were no monkeys on Monkey Beach. And second, there were little huts selling FOOD.

I collapsed into a chair and ordered some kind of grilled chicken (which came with a spicy homemade ketchup) and a tall lime ice tea. As I cooled down and silenced my rumbling stomach, another feeling washed over me– pure exhilarating adrenaline.

THIS is why I hike– or run, or bike. Waves of happy electric energy buzzed through me as I realized I’d DONE IT. I’d hiked an hour through complicated sweaty jungle, ALONE.

The euphoria was incredible.

After my meal, still floating, I located the next best thing to heaven… A HAMMOCK.

I took an hour-long nap on the beach and woke up in awe that this was actually my life.

All my stress and anxiety from the hike washed away. Pushing myself to do something hard and little scary ended up being incredibly rewarding. I am a bit stubborn, and these are the circumstances when that is an asset– despite how difficult the hike was, I wouldn’t give up.

The hike to Monkey Beach was the greatest thing I did in Malaysia. The glow, the sense of accomplishment, the euphoria lingered long after the hike ended. It’s tempting to take things easy. But these times I challenge myself and then meet those challenges are the most wonderful.

I felt so good lying on the beach hammock, that instead of hitching a ride on a boat across the water to the park’s entrance, I hiked all the way back.

Like a pro.