29/11/08: Summon in Brunei

I have never been in strong favour of ecotourism. The mere mention of ecotourism ignites images of vigorous activities, tough climbs, exhaustion and constant perspiration in my mind. Nevertheless, when Robert first told me all about Mulu, and said,”A visit to Sarawak is not complete without a trip to the Mulu Caves”, I told myself, “I must go to Mulu one day.”

Well, that one day, turned out to be the 29th of November, 2008. Actually, Rosli, my offshore friend from Lawas invited me to explore Mulu Caves together with him. I was quite excited about it! So, I invited Amelia and Adam along. We planned all we could: such as how many cans of sardines to pack into our bags, how many boxes of chocolates to bring to the Longhouse, how many ‘special drinks’ should we bring to our gracious hosts, or whether we should bring torchlights, slippers, gloves etcetra.

So, at 3am on the 29th of November, 2008, we started off from Wangsa Maju to KL Sentral. From there, we took a bus to the LCCT and flew to Miri. We arrived after 2 hours. By 10.30am, we had already reached Miri airport. At 12pm,when Rosli arrived, I was only too happy to see him! Along with him, was Asrin, Rosli’s cousin, who drove all the way from Lawas to Miri. They drove all the way down from Lawas at 6am and only arrived after 6 hours! What a long journey!
So, after lunch, we set off for Brunei. Because it was such a long journey, I fell asleep in the car. I missed the Jelutong Park, which used to offer free admission fees and free rides to all visitors. However, due to the economic slump, it no longer offers free entertainment.

By 3pm, we arrived at Bandar Seri Bagawan, the capital of Brunei. The town looked sleepy. I felt as if I was in the land of Sleeping Beauty, where everyone was asleep, waiting for the Princess to wake up; as if it was still the wee hours of the morning, the hour before the sun rises. It was dead quiet. There were only a few cars on the road, only a few shops were opened. The most surprising thing was, the whole town looked void of human beings! It was such a far cry from our everyday life in Kuala Lumpur. The constant hustle and bustle in the heart of Malaysia has not prepared me for this at all! Where are all the people? Where have they gone?

Surprisingly, it was a Saturday, on a weekend. Perhaps, everybody was having a Sabbath on a Saturday; a day to rest after a week of hard work. That was the only reason I could come up with. It sounded most feasible to me. When I voiced out my thoughts, Asrin told us that in fact, in Brunei, weekends were on Friday and Sunday. People here worked from Monday to Thursday, and rested on Friday, the Holy Day for Muslims, went back to work on Saturday, and rested on Sunday again, the Holy Day for Christians! Well, this kind of working week may sound heavenly for some, but to me, it would absolutely disrupt my workflow! I can’t work for 4 days, rest 1 day, and continue working. My nicely built up momentum for work would be utterly fluctuate to high ups and downs, never reaching its optimum rate.

As Asrin drove us around town, I was excited to spot the famous Gold-Dome of the Mosque in Brunei! We stopped at the Brunei Waterfront, snapped pictures and stepped into the compounds of Masjid Omar Ali Saifuddin for a short visit! The ‘lake’ was so big and it even had a mini spraying fountain at both ends of it! Surprisingly, the mosque has been around for 54 years and it still looks so clean, white and new! Bruneians really take good care of their heritage!







We wanted to visit the museum, but we had no time. No sooner had we found a nice spot to park Asrin’s car, which was right in front of the market, we received a summon from the local authorities. We spent about half an hour searching for the police station, looking for any dark blue buildings. When we finally found one, we stomped into the police station, demanding an explanation from them. It took 1 hour for them to search for their comrade who issued us the ticket. We found out that the reason that we were issued a ticket was only because we had park at a spot designated for taxis, instead of private cars! The police constable, who was probably in his mid-30s, came up to us, and gave us a long lecture, “Didn’t you see the sign? Only taxis allowed? Next time, don’t park there!” barked the police constable.

“Duh!” In our hearts, we silently rebuked him. If we had seen the sign, we wouldn’t have parked there! Besides, there were several cars with Brunei number plate on it, and we didn’t see any summon tickets on them. For a moment, we felt that we were unjustly discriminated.

“Fine!” we thought. “Let’s just pay the ticket and scram out of here, quick!”
We told the inspector that we would gladly pay the fine. That, too, took them several more phone calls, and another hour before we could pay the 50 Brunei Dollars to the police. Then, we had to wait another hour for them to issue the receipt. When everything was settled, all of us scrambled into the car and sped out of this country!

Dealing with civil servants in this country is really not a very pleasant business. Things crawled at snail’s pace as if we had all the time in the world. By the time we reached the border between Limbang and Brunei, it was already 8pm! In fact, the number of cars waiting in line to go through the border exceeded a hundred that we decided to walk through the border instead. Our poor friend, Asrin, had to wait in the car and drove through. Meantime, we savoured our first taste of Limbang food at a local hawker centre.

The moment I arrived at the hawker centre, I noticed there were several Malay and Chinese stalls, selling food side by side. I was impressed! So, this is Sarawak! One would never have seen this scene back in Peninsular Malaysia! Imagine that! In our local universities, we fought for years to have a Chinese restaurant in the premises of the university and our requests were always rejected, on the basis that the authorities could never trust that the food that the Chinese operator would sell would be halal and came from a reliable halal source. The matter was never settled and we continued to have halal food until we graduated. Talk about being open-minded. True harmony exists right in the towns of Sarawak, far away from Peninsular.

As we sat there, Rosli informed us that alcoholic drinks in Limbang was dirt cheap. One could get 4 bottles for a mere RM 12! We had a wide range of choices from Tiger Beer to Carlsberg. Some places even add in another bottle for the same amount! Adam welcomed the news with open arms and broke his rule of not drinking whilst with his girlfriend. He ordered a bottle of the bitter drink, clanked bottles with Rosli and gulped down a whole bottle of Tiger Beer. When Asrin finally arrived at 9pm, we waited for him to finish his dish of nasi daging merah, and headed for Rosli’s Dad’s house.

In the dark of the night, we arrived at his dad’s house amidst the loud conversation between the frogs and crickets, hiding in between the bushes and trees. We were served delicious banana cakes, Milo cakes, mangosteens, langsat and rambutan! Ever since the durian season in July, I haven’t touched these fruits! Thus, I eagerly reached out for them, one by one.

That night, we stayed at one of the inns in Limbang, which cost only RM 60 per night. The moment I hit the bed, I slept like a log. All of us had been travelling the whole day. We were knocked out. We didn’t care where we slept. If worse came to worst, we could even have spent the night in the car.

30/11/08: The Mad Rush in the Search of a Tour Guide to Mulu

The next day, before the break of dawn, we were already up. We had a quick breakfast and began our search for our tour guide. Initially, a friend of our friend, a part time tour guide to Mulu, promised to bring us to Gunung Mulu. However, a sudden call from his office required him to be at Labuan. Due to last minute changes, we had to change our plans.

Limbang is a small town. Nevertheless, it is still hard to spot a shop which displayed the ‘Tour Agency’ signboard right above it. Furthermore, it was a Sunday. Most people were skeptical about the agents opening their shops on a Sunday morning. However, being all perky and hyper, I was optimistic. I knew we were going to find one.

We drove around town, asking around for about half an hour before we managed to spot a tour agent. We stepped into the shop and asked for a tour guide to Mulu Caves. The agent looked shocked. “We don’t conduct trips to Mulu Caves. Where are you from?” he asked, curious.

“We’re from KL.” We answered.

“From KL?” Another hint of that surprised tone. “All the way from KL? How did you end up in Limbang? Did you fly to Limbang from Miri?”
“Umm… No. We drove from Miri, went through Brunei, and arrived in Limbang last night.”

“Why did you come all the way to Limbang? What’s attractive here? It’s only a small town!” came the response.

“Hmm.. we just came to meet a friend. That’s all.” I gave a short reply. We sure sparked their curiousity, didn’t we?

“Well,” the agent began flipping through his handy telephone book. “I have one guy here, whom I know who brings people into the Mulu Caves. Let me give him a call. There are not many people who go to Mulu Caves from here, you know? It’s not so popular. You should have taken the trip to Mulu from Miri. Not here.”

“Hmm…. This is an unarranged plan. In fact, we were supposed to go to Mulu with another tour guide. Unfortunately, he had other commitments to attend to, that’s why we ‘re searching for a guide only now.” We explained.

The agent gave a call to Mr. Lim, the tour guide to Mulu caves. Mr. Lim arrived within 10 minutes. He gave one look at us and dismissed us with his tone. “Why would you want to go to the Great Pinnacles and Mulu Caves from Limbang? It’s a long distance, young people. It’s tough. You have to walk a certain distance, climb up the mountains, and be baked under the sun. Are you up for it? Are you sure you can take it? Why don’t you fly to Miri and take a flight there instead?”

And so, we repeated our whole conversation with the agent earlier. Mr. Lim listened and said, “Hmm… well, I understand. It’d incur more cost on you if you flew to Miri. But are you prepared for it? Let me remind you, it’s tough. Not everybody can make it.”

Then, he narrowed his eyes, peered through his long-sighted glasses and gave another good look at us. “Seems to me you are all unprepared, young people. 2 of you are overweight, you would have to heave your own weight up to the mountains. I don’t think you can even walk up to the camp and reach in one day! And all of you are inappropriately dressed. Short sleeves? Jeans? Branded sports shoes? These are certainly all the wrong materials that spell trouble in the jungle. I have brought many people to Mulu Caves and you definitely seem as if you wouldn’t make it. Trust me. It is hard. It is not an easy journey to make. You’ll definitely regret it.”
When I heard that, I thought, “It’s fine with me. I’d gladly spend a day visiting Lawas instead of visiting Mulu. Oh! But I came all the way here just to go to Mulu Caves! If I didn’t go, that would defeat the purpose of this whole trip, wouldn’t it?”

Amelia, on the other hand, was undeterred. The more this Mr. Lim talked about how tough it was to reach the top, the more she was determined to make the trip. She was probably thinking, “Who’s this old man who thinks I can’t make it? He doesn’t even know me. I know myself very well. I know I can make it. I came all the way to see the caves. I won’t be easily put off or give up just because of what you said!”
Adam was probably thinking the same thing. He coolly asked Mr. Lim how much it’d cost for the whole trip. Mr. Lim did some fast calculation and came up with a figure. It seemed much too high for us at first.

“Well, young people, you better decide fast. If you want to go, I’ll have to arrange for the transportation by boat, book the rooms and the spaces at the camp, buy food and so on. Let me know by noon.” Mr. Lim said.

So, we told him that we would call him as soon as we arrived to our decision.
Then, we drove around town searching for alternative tour agents to Mulu caves. We managed to find 2 more agents. Nevertheless, all of them pointed to the same old guy, Mr. Lim. Looks like we didn’t have any choice except for him. So, we took a vote, and decided to go for it!

Once the decision was made, my own emotions were in conflict with one another again. On one hand, I was hopping around, eager to visit the caves; on the other hand, I was depressed to depart with Rosli and Asrin. I haven’t met Rosli for more than a year! And the moment we met, we spent only a day with each other! I was so sad at that very moment. I held back my tears and sadly pushed the bag of chocolates into his hand. “There! This is for you. Thanks for bringing us around! I hope to see you again soon! Have a safe journey back to Lawas yar!”

Then, we shifted to a new room, and stepped out once again to pay Mr. Lim for the guiding fees, which would include food and lodging fees. At his office, he showed us pictures of some rare flora and fauna that we would encounter on our way up Gunung Api and Mulu Caves. He also enthusiastically took out pictures of him when he was still in his 20s, staring proudly at the camera, with the view of the Great Pinnacles at the background. All of us were inspired. We do want to see it with our very own eyes. With that, the deal was sealed. We paid our dues and was out in no time, shopping for all the necessities.

First, we went to the local supermarket to buy the following:
1. Medicated Oil to remove the leeches
2. A Poncho to keep our bags and own selves dry when it rains
3. A pair of tights to keep the leeches from sucking our sweet blood
4. Some chocolates to munch along the way
5. A reliable pair of Malaysian Made rubber shoes, which provided good grip in the muddy grounds of the forest, and doesn’t split into two after being soaked in wet soil for 4 days.



In the evening, we walked along the river reputed for boating competition held bi-annually. Across it, were villages on stilts. I even caught a young kid flying his kite, from his verandah, right on top of the river. He didn’t even have to run far for the kite to lift itself up. All he had to do was gave a light tug at the kite and it flew right up into the air.




I was so impressed that I lost myself, staring into the sky, at the kite flying high above the clouds.


Then we went to Tasik Mas to climb Bukit Mas. Several flights of stairs we had to climb. “Sort of a warm-up exercise before we climb the real mountain.” Adam remarked.



Exercise indeed it was. Knowing myself, I panted, huffed and puffed all the way up to the top. The sun was setting and the sky was pink at the end of the horizons. I looked far ahead and I just absorbed the moment. As darkness fell upon us, we made our way back down to the foot of the hill and walked all the way to Sugar Bun for dinner.

*Note: I later found out from Saudi that his mom used to climb Bukit Mas. Saudi's narration:"I remember my mother telling me something.. When she was young, she and some of her friends and sisters found a cave there, they went in and found a lot of snakes....!!!!! Then they ran quickly from there. My mother told me she did not want to venture into that cave anymore.. Too dangerous she said.. But she loves going to Bukit Mas.. Many fond memories as a teenager... And she told me memories last a lifetime.."

How true... Memories do last forever...

1/12/08: Taking the Borneo's Headhunter's Trail

At 6.45am, we began our hour long journey to a logging district of Ulu Medamit. Here, little wooden huts were erected by the river. Blue and white vans were parked right outside the small harbor. Several perahu-s were also parked by the banks of the river. The stairs leading up to the huts were typical of the Sarawak Longhouses; a wooden tree trunk, L-shaped at every foot, laid about 60 degrees against the hut.
When Amelia emerged from one of the huts, she excitedly told me, “Jean! Guess what? I heard a pig went ‘oink oink’ just now!”

I innocently asked, “Oh! Amelia! Do pigs actually make ‘oink, oink’ noises?”
Hahaha! Amelia broke into laughter! “Of course not! They snort. But I didn’t know how to imitate them. So, I just made the most common sound for pigs as commonly depicted in cartoons!”



When the owner of the perahu came, we hopped into the perahu. The perahu was really narrow. It was 1 feet wide at its base, and 2 feet wide between both sides. We barely had room to stretch our legs.


As the pakcik maneuvered the boat upstream, we sat on our plastic chairs and enjoyed the sights.


As we went further upstream, I noticed a pile of rocks in the middle of the stream. I was curious. Did somebody put it there? If so, for what reason? I later learnt that those piles of rocks in the middle of the river were formed by Mother Nature. Carried by the river from upstream, it forms not only in the middle of the river, it also formed by the banks of the river. Since the river was shallow, we could see through the water.


After 2 hours, we stopped at Bala Entakong longhouse, belonging to the Lunbawang. They invited us in and offered us biscuits and orange juice.

Fishing Nets outside the Longhouse

Then we headed off to the Mentawai Ranger station. I soon learnt that because the river was shallow, the weight in the boat was too heavy, the base of the perahu touched the riverbed. So, every now and then, we stepped out of the boat , wade through the water, walked on the rock deposits to a deeper end, and get back on the boat. Occasionally, we even helped to push the boat, which was really fun!

We reached Kuala Terikan at 2pm. Thus, began our journey into the jungle, to Camp 5, the foot of Gunung Api, right in front of Gunung Banarat. We stopped at Lubang Cina to have some bananas and drinks. According to Mr. Lim, bananas are energizers. Consuming one banana provides energy sufficient for one to go on for 8 hours continuously.

Why Lubang Cina? U may ask. It’s because there were 2 Chinese who came to one of the caves here to collect the prided delicacy of bird’s nest. Suddenly, the heavens opened up and rain poured down through the skies. These 2 Chinese men had nowhere to hide, so they stayed in the caves for shelter. The heavens rained for many hours and showed no signs of stopping. Soon, the rivers overflowed and the whole place was flooded. Water rised up slowly and reached the caves. “The poor men had nowhere else to go and they died here.” Thus, Mr. Lim ended this story.

Wow! What a great way to begin our journey, Mr. Lim! I thought to myself. Stories of death of people might have inspired me to walk faster in this thick jungle, but there certainly could have been other ways.

Then we crossed a monkey bridge and proceeded with our journey. By 5pm, it began raining. We pulled out our ponchos and draped it over our heads. It kept us from getting wait, and made it easier to spot the leeches. But, I still got a few leech bites! I screamed my head off. It was a good scream. All my stress relieved! Yes! This is better than riding the roller coaster! Oh My God! I actually feel good about being bitten by a leech! How much more sadistic can I get?

By 6pm, it was pitch dark. I couldn’t see anything. My eyes were bad. Severely short sighted, I couldn’t see the stones, or tree trunks! I kept stumbling over them and that slowed the team tremendously. Mr. Lim tried shining the path for me yet, I couldn’t see very clearly still. I had to call on Adam every now and then to shine for the path in front of me. Poor Adam! He had to lead the way and still shine to the back every now and then. By then, I was feeling really bad. “Geez! Jean! If you knew yourself, You wouldn’t have come! What have you got yourself into this time?”
The new black Malaysian made natural rubber shoes were a little too tight for me, and my two big toes were victims of my frequent stumbles. The nails rubbed against the skin and soon it became sore. With every step that I took, I grimaced in pain. “Ouch, Ouch, Ouch!” with every step. Soon, I stopped ‘ouch-ing’. I bit my lip in silence. “Suck it up, Jean! And complete the journey! You can do it!”

I had almost called it quits when I saw that we were only 200m to Camp 5! Only 200m! Come on Jean! You can do it! Just inch your way through! As I dragged my body forward, the 200m seemed like 1km! No matter how much I move, the destination seemed unreachable! It was like chasing a moving train! Finally, Adam spotted a light in the distance and shouted out, “Hey! I see the light! Come on! We’re approaching!”

Yes! Yes! Yes! I mustered all my strength and moved faster in the dark. When we finally crossed the last bridge, and saw our lodging at Camp 5, I almost cried for joy! “Yes! Yes! Yes! You did it! Jean! See! Who says you can’t!” I told myself.

There was no time to cry. The thought of leeches leeching onto every inch of my body prompted me to walk further still to reach the steps of the lodge, peel away the layers of socks and pluck the leeches out one by one. Eeeew! The blood sucking creatures!

After a good, clean bath, we had a simple meal of bitter gourd, salted egg and four angled beans. It was so delicious. Then, I realized that my toes were sore, my legs were aching! My muscles were stretched to their limit with every moment I make.
“Oh No! I don’t think I want to climb up to see the Pinnacles tomorrow!” I told Amelia.

“No! Well, it’s up to you.” Said Amelia. “But you paid so much for this trip. Don’t you think you should at least climb up to see what it is about? Think about it. Have a good rest tonight first and decide tomorrow.”

That, I definitely did. As I lay on the mattress, I could only lie facing upwards because if I did otherwise, my toes would be contact with some hard surface and I’d probably shout out in pain. Towards midnight, it became colder. I began putting on more layers of clothing until I wore 2 layers of tracksuit, socks and a jacket!

“Jean! Jean! What have you got yourself into this time? Is it worth it? The cold, the pain, and all the suffering!” That night, I went to bed mumbling to myself.

2/12/08: Look Before You Climb

We awoke at 5.30am the next morning. Since there were not many campers, we had the whole bathroom to ourselves. By the time we washed up, breakfast was already on the table. A plate of fried rice which consisted of some eggs and garlic. I’d never have been able swallow any of this had I been at home. First of all, I can’t stomach garlic. Second, a plate of plain white rice without meat? Oh! I am a meat eater. I need meat to go with every dish.

“Eat up! Young People!” urged Mr. Lim. “This plate of rice will give you energy to scale the mountain later!”

When I heard that, I forced myself to chew and digest the whole plate of rice. After all, energy is all I need now. I trekked all the way here just to see the Pinnacles. Plain rice or white rice… at least it’s fried and it has salt and eggs.
Then, I dragged myself up from the table and inched towards the bedroom to pack my bag; My packed lunch, a pack of biscuits, 3 bottles of water, my handkerchief. With that, we turned left and headed towards Gunung Api.

“Enjoy your climb!” the energetic ranger shouted out before we departed.
We walked along a beaten path, leaden with rocks to prevent slipping and laid out the path towards the rock. It was 7am. The weather was so cooling. As we walked, the cold wind brushed against our faces. The forest smelled of fresh grass, fresh dew, and fresh mud. Hmm…. I’m loving this!

10 minutes later, we arrived at what seemed like a dead end.
“Look up!” Mr. Lim halted us. “We’ve now arrived at the 90 degree wall. Look for places to hold and just climb up. Be careful. There’s no safety harness, hardhat, whatsoever. Remember, you are responsible for your own safety.”
I looked up and saw only a wall of rocks. How am I going to climb this? “Oh No!” I groaned inwardly.

Step by step, Mr. Lim climbed up the rocks effortlessly. We soon followed suit. The rocks were sharp, and I forgot to bring my gloves. Adam lent me his. I had a hard time where to hold, where to place my hands and feet; constantly looking up for handholds, and looking down for footholds. By the time I finished scaling the whole section, I was out of breath. Then it was back to normal jungle tracks. Well, I could do this, I thought.



As we walked further up, the hill became steeper and steeper, and I had to use my hands and feet all over again. My friends were far ahead of me and I struggled to keep up with them. Finally, I decided to take my own sweet time. After all, I came here to have a good time. It did not matter much to me if I managed to see the Pinnacles. To me, the taste of hands on experience of rock climbing was sufficient.

I remember the first time I was exposed to wall climbing was during the DDYPC team building session in KK. I climbed up half way and when I couldn’t reach one of the spots with my right leg, and stretch my right arm, I just decided to dangle mid air and pose for the photograph!

This time though, we had little time for photographs. We had to reach the First ladder by 11am. If we didn’t, we would have to climb down. Well, I didn’t’ want to be the sheep that held them back. So, when we reached the Mini-Pinnacles at 800m AMSL, they went on ahead.


Wow! To think that I climbed all the way up just to see this 'Mini-Pinnacles'!


It is only half my height!


Unlike Sandstone which crumble easily, carbonates are sharp, hard and non-porous.

Our guide decided to let them go ahead and guided me back. Actually, he just walked ahead of me and left me to fend for myself. At the beginning, I tried to keep up with him. In the end, I realized that this is not the time to practice the policy of “If you can’t beat them, join them.” I will just take my own sweet time to go all the way down.

As I adopted this school of thought, the climb became much easier. It seemed more of a walk than a struggle. I rested when I was exhausted, resumed when my energy returned. The climb down then gradually became a walk. I even had the time to see a baby snake slithering between the rocks and tree trunks! I wanted to whip out my camera only to realize that it was with my friends! Oh! I will just store that in my memory bank as well.

When we came to the section of the 90degree wall, Mr. Lim shouted out to me,”Hey! Be careful! Take your time to climb down yar!”

Having said that, he climbed down like spiderman. With a leap, and a jump, and a walk, he scaled down in 10 steps. Without looking back, he just walked ahead once again.
I looked at the section from the top, and stared down. Oh! How am I going to go down this section of the rocks? Mr. Lim!!!!!Mr. Lim!!!!! “ I shouted out like a baby.
Mr. Lim turned his head, without turning his back. “Hmm?”

“How do I climb down this wall?”

“Just climb! Turn back and look before you move! Be careful yar!” That was all he told me and he continued his journey.

“Well, You’re in this alone, Jean! Use your wits! This is not the teambuilding session, where you have people to tell you where to step. Come on! Move it! Move it!”

I bit my lip once again and mustered all my courage to scale down the wall, step by step. Not a single thought of thirst or hunger entered my mind. All the time, I was thinking, “Jean! This has to be one of the toughest things you’ve done in your life. If you can survive this, you can survive anywhere! Just Do It!”

When I finally made it to the base, I was leaping for joy in my heart! I was all smiles! Yes Yes Yes! I moved on. Every step after that couldn’t have been easier. The path was well laid. Tree trunks were steps instead of stumbling blocks. After what seemed like an hour, I finally made it back to the camp. I was super exhilarated! I’ve finally made it back! I desperately wanted to swim in the river. But then, when I thought of all the heavy clothing that I’d be carrying the next day, I thought.. “Oh.. my! Oh My! I don’t want to add more weight to my burden!” so I abandoned the thought and went for a cooling bath.

Then, I opened my lunch pack and munched on the sandwich which was only 1mm thick of tuna. Hmm… Anything’s better than nothing!

As I sat there munching on my sandwich, I befriended this Australian couple, Jeff and Kylie. Jeff was a scientist studying Lizards; while Kylie just graduated from law school. They were here on holiday. We were talking with Jeff when he leapt up from his bench all of a sudden and ran towards a particular tree in the middle of the garden.

“I just spotted a dragon! Can you see it!? Look! Look!” He pointed towards North East.

I looked and I couldn’t see anything. A boy, the nephew of the ranger, came running to see what the commotion was all about. His sharp eyes spotted the dragon immediately and he pointed out the lizard.

Jeff was so excited. “Kyl! Kyl! Get the camera! I want to snap a picture of this dragon!”

A second later, the ‘dragon’ jerked and jumped down onto the ground. Jeff wanted to catch it. Then only I realized that it was not a dragon Dragon, but a green lizard! A hah! A dragon is a green lizard! The nephew of the ranger came bringing a rattan basket, intending to trap the lizard. But the nature loving Jeff did not approve of it. He stopped the nephew and said, “No no no. Let it be.”

He crept up behind the dragon, silently caught its tail and held it up! Oh! How come its tail doesn’t snap and detach itself from its body?

As if sensing my question, Jeff said, “This type of lizard is tough. Its tail doesn’t detach as easily from its body as normal lizards do.”
Oh! Now I see!

Just then, Kylie came with the professional camera and snapped pictures of Jeff! Then they showed me pictures of him in Australia with snakes and all sorts of reptiles! And of the national park in Australia! Wow! I was impressed! I’m a firm supporter of national parks after chatting with these two nature lovers!

By 3pm, my friends were not back yet. The caretaker of camp 5 voiced her concern. “Are your friends back yet? I’m worried about them. I think your guide should be guiding them up. Not leave them to knock their way around.”

The ranger too voiced his concern. “Where are your friends? Are they still up? Can they make it?”

My guide was worried and exhausted from the climb at the same time. He seemed to be in constant contemplation. “Jean! I know Amelia can make it to the top. How about Adam? Can he make it?”

I sometimes think I have a 'flair' for telling people what they want and like to hear. This can be good, and it can also be bad. Especially in situations like this.

To the caretaker, I said, “Hmm.. well, I’ll ask the ranger.”

To my guide, I said, “I think Adam can make it. They always hike in the jungle together.”

To the ranger, I said, “Hmm.. it’s 3pm. my friends are still not back yet. What do you think we should do? Where do you think they are now? Can they make it back in time before it rains and before it turns dark?”

The ranger then responded, “I’ll wake Mr. Lim up. Ask him to go and search for your two friends.”

So, the poor Mr. Lim was awoken from his sleep, and made to venture back into woods to search for his ‘protégé’ in the rain.

As my 2 friends were trekking in Gunung Api, I played with the local kids. Taught Mandarin to Jess, conversed with the Australian couple, played chess with Jess and Magdalene, folded birds, balls and the planes. We chatted about dreams and ambitions, snapped pictures, and had chocolates in the middle of the jungle.

When my friends appeared out of nowhere, I was only too happy to see them! Drenched in rain water, they looked absolutely contented. As if they’ve seen the most amazing thing on earth! They had, after all, just reached the viewing point of Gunung Api at 2.4km AMSL and scaled a total of 4.8km in a single day. I was so proud of them! I believe they have challenged themselves to the limit! I just couldn’t wait to see the pictures they took at the Great Pinnacles!


The Rewarding View-The Great Pinnacles!

3/12/08: I Know Now Why I Came

This morning, I had a quick glance at the breakfast on the table. Because I just swept a quick glance, I assumed it was some rice with some gravy. Oh no! What’s this? Is it some kind of rice with tea? I can’t have that… Oh oh! When I told Amelia, she laughed, “Jean! That’s not rice! It’s Maggi mee!”

“Are you sure? Are you sure? Haha! I must have looked too quickly then!”
The Maggi mee was delicious. It had eggs and lots of MSG. I had two plates of it.
When Magdolene woke up, I gave her a big hug and said, “Bye Magdolene!”

Perhaps I should have added, “Study hard yar! Don’t be naughty!” heheh!

By 730, we set off towards Kuala Berar. We walked 8km into the jungle. Once again, our Mr. Lim walked as if he were floating on clouds. We finally caught up with him only to find out that he had found a spot for us to relieve ourselves and snap some pictures. The journey today seemed so much easier than before. Especially after the climb to the Pinnacles. Had I made this journey before the Pinnacles, I would probably have breathed heavily with every step I take. But yesterday’s climb has made me realized that nothing can be harder than climbing the Pinnacles. No stumbling blocks, just uneven path. Child’s play.

Along the way, we were introduced to the poisonous Ipoh tree. According to the guide, a person who spent the night under this tree, would be dead the very next day. I suppose it emits poisonous gases that suffocates human beings in the night. We are not even supposed to go near it because it will irritate the skin and cause it to be itchy.

On the way, we met 2 Swedish who stayed at the same camp with us and were moving towards the same destination. They travelled much faster than us, but they had to wait for the boat just like us. When our boat came, Mr. Lim said, “Looks like you have to walk! There’s no other way. You didn’t book your perahu! “ For a moment there, Mr. Lim sounded haughty to me.




As we moved along the shallow river, I was worried about the two Swedish guys. Do they have to walk this far? I mean.. though the river is shallow, it was quite a distance! Later on, we spotted another perahu moving towards Kuala Berar. Hmm… perhaps they’re going to pick the 2 Swedish guys up. I certainly hope so.

The journey to Wind cave and Lady Cave along Sg. Melinau was certainly refreshing. We were finally able to rest our much over-used muscles. This perahu was also much more wider than the previous perahu that we took from Ulu Medamit. We had more space to stretch our legs. And the pakcik this time had an assistant in front of the boat! As a team, they managed to steer the boat across the rapids pretty well!

When we finally arrived at Wind Cave, we had to climb a flight of stairs. I am beginning to feel like an invalid. My legs do not feel like a part of me. They seem to be detached from my body. They’re not listening to my brain waves. Its much worse than having pins and needles. The more I tell them to move, the more these legs and feet of mine protest. “Enough! Enough! Let us rest!” they demand.

“But I can’t!” I told them. “I have to see the caves! To see what the hoo-haa is all about!”

So, despite their protests, I dragged them along with me, even though at that instant, I feel like chopping all of them off.


Like all caves, Wind Cave was dark and cooling. The thing that distinguishes the caves in Mulu Heritage National Park is that there are red infrared light boxes all over the places to save electricity. So, when someone passes through, the lights in that area will light up. Once someone is away, it will off automatically. It’s also very educational in here. Animated information boards are installed at certain important points so that the visitors can learn more about the caves; its structure, its material, how it’s formed and what makes it stand out as a World Heritage Site.


Holes In the ceiling of the Cave


staglagtite



Why are the walls black, not white? Why does it face only towards one direction? It's all due to the wind and sunlight.


Flow Curtain


At Lady Cave, we spotted the one leaf plant which grew only on carbonate rocks. We spotted only one lady, which happened to be the shadow of stalagmite.

By noon, we were at Clearwater cave, where a steady stream of river ran through it. What a breathtaking view! No camera would do it justice by just capturing its view. One would have to be there to fully appreciate its beauty and bask in its majestic aura. As one of the biggest cave system in the world, the cave certainly looked never ending. If I could, I would have explored the whole cave by myself!

At 1.30pm, we checked in at the Headquarters of Mulu Caves. We stayed in a hostel, where we shared 4 to a room. At 2.30pm, we were out again, walking 3km, heading towards Deer Cave and Lang Cave. At the headquarters, elevated wooden platforms were set up all the way to Deer cave and Lang’s Cave. No doubt it made the trekking easier and more accessible. But, in the process, several trees, plants, flora and fauna had to be chopped down at the expense of the convenience of ‘tourists’. If I were local, I’d rather not have the tourists. It certainly saddened me to witness such destruction of Mother Nature first hand.

An hour later, we reached Lang’s Cave. Discovered by a certain person named Lang, we saw the flow curtains, a gigantic millipede, phytokarsts (Holes in the roof of the caves), moon milk, and a hosts of other amazing formations in the cave.


Then we walked to the connecting Deer’s Cave. What’s so special about Deer Cave? Consisting of 129.5km of cave passage, it is the largest cave passage in the world. It is also the place where millions of bats reside. It also has the largest entrance in the world.

The most interesting thing about Deer Cave is you can see millions of tiny droplets of water dripping through its roof! They were like diamond chips dropping onto the floor. Here, you can also see a structure that bears similarities to Abaraham Lincoln’s features.

The passage here leads to the Adam and Eve’s shower, and the Garden of Eden. From inside the dark Deer cave, looking out through the other exit, the forest outside does resemble a lush, green and rich garden!


Garden of Eden



Abraham Lincoln
In what ways does this structure represent Abraham Lincoln? Apparently, Abraham Lincoln had features of a distinctive sharp nose and chin. Can you see it?

By 5.30pm, bats began flying out of the cave. We were lucky on that day, because it was not raining. .Bats usually do not fly out when it’s raining. Perhaps, it might hamper their search for food. As we waited at the entrance, observing the bats, we noticed that the bats first flew in a circle first. Until all bats had been accumulated for, then they will shoot off in one direction, flying in a thick straight line, just like a dragon.

The longer I stayed at the Bat Observatory, staring up into the sky, I feel that the bat formation looked more like sound waves to me than a dragon. Every time we thought the exodus of bats was the last, another new batch of bats would fly out of the caves. It was simply awesome!

I remember living beside a vacant house which had been occupied by bats. Every evening, at 7pm, the bats would fly out of the house and into the open air. As a young child, I was never curious enough to stand longer to observe how the bats formed a circle before flying in a straight line. Perhaps, then, I was too scared of the bats.

By 7pm, we were walking out of the woods. Another 3km back to the HQ. Oh!!! Everytime I ventured into new zone, the nearby frogs would croak! It was downright scary. But soon, fireflies lit up the whole forest! One of them even stopped to perch on the head of an Australian Student.

At night, we had food at a local restaurant, talked throughout the night over a pack of Menglembu peanuts, and slept at 10pm.
.

4/12/08: Tracking the Past

Today, we’re supposed to go white water rafting. Fortunately or unfortunately, the activity was cancelled. The night before, it had rained heavily the whole night. The whole place was flooded. The river was flowing really fast and the rapids had disappeared.

So, we had our breakfasts and visited the Mulu Discovery Centre. It was here we traced how far we had walked, and from where, and how our journey looked like. It was there that I discovered the existence of Sarawak Chambers, a chamber the size of a football field, large enough to put a Boeing 747!

Due to time constraint, we didn’t visit this Sarawak Chamber. Next time, if I have the time, I will definitely go!

We also learnt about bats. I learnt that a bat is an excellent pollinator transplanter. They help to spread the seeds of the flowers in the forests. Bats are also harmless creatures. They won’t attack unless provoked. They also eat fruits and only hunt in the night.

At 330pm, we were on the Fokker Plane (MAS Wings) to Miri. Ahhh… back to the city. Oh no Oh no!

At night, we had food at one of the hawker centres near Boulevard. It was really delicious. It had been eons since I touched Meat! Yeay!!! Sandwich and vegetables were just enough to keep me alive.

5/12/08: Cooling Down

This morning, it rained so heavily that I slept like a log. My legs were itching. Adam and Amelia had decided to cancel their initial plan to visit Niah Caves. Our legs were still aching from the extreme muscle stretching. Instead, they decided to join me for a visit to the Lambir National Park!

Before breakfast, We sent our wet, smelly and sweaty clothes to the laundry and searched for a clinic to cure the unbearable itch. I bought an RM 10 China made anti-septic cream and applied it on all the red spots on my hands and legs immediately.



At noon, we walked to the nearest bus station, intending to take the bus to the Lambir National Park. Apparently, that bus station only served destinations in nearby towns. Lambir National Park is 31km away from Miri and 182km from Bintulu. So we had to board the bus to Pujut, about 5 minutes from Miri, and take a bus heading towards Bintulu.



After walking for 30km in 4 days, taking the bus to Lambir National Park was blissfully joyful. Thank Heavens for the invention for technology. No exertion of aching joints and hard tree trunks as chairs; just plonk ourselves onto the cushioned chair and in no time, we’ll be there. How convenient!

Then again, the dilemma presents itself. Because humans, in general, desperately yearn for convenience, we chop down trees and burn down bushes, removing the essential greens that bring peace to our souls, replacing it instead with technology that causes us to lose ourselves. Cool air of the forests replaced by air conditions; lush greens in the jungle replaced by money plants and orchids in the garden; cool and clean bath by the river replaced by purified water in the reservoir with options of varying temperatures; is it all worth it? Sacrificing Mother Nature for the sake of our own convenience? Ultimately, we are the ones who are at the losing end; losing our clean air, healthy lungs and our conscience.

About an hour later, we arrived at the Lambir Hills National Park. The place seemed really quiet. There were a few chalets outside the park. When we signed in at the guest book, we noticed that there had only been 2 visitors for the day. One of them registered at 1pm and came out 10 minutes later. Perhaps, the visitor came alone and was bored from walking alone in the jungle.

Anyhow, we registered ourselves. There were about 10 sites of interest at Lambir Hills National Park. However, we had only 2 hours to explore the place before it got dark. So, we decided on the nearest site, which was the Latak Waterfalls. Introduced as one of the highest waterfalls in Sarawak, we just had to see this one. In fact, there was also an abandoned oil rig built by Shell in the before the 1970s, I believe, but it was too far and we just didn’t have the time to visit it.

And so, we took our own sweet time, walking and talking among ourselves, and enjoying the sights and sounds in the jungle. This time around, we didn’t have to follow some speedy tour guide, who was constantly on the run, leaving us no time to stop and spot any birds or lizards.


1st Waterfall



The sight of the waterfall was just amazing. At a height of 25m, the river water just kept gushing down! As the water from above splashed into the calm pool of water beneath it, millions of tiny droplets bounced back from the surface into the air. At that particular moment, all I wished to do was just to sit under the strong current of the waterfall and let it massage my shoulders and legs! Ah!!! Kimochii!

Not long after, the wind gently blew the grey clouds over our heads. I got out of the water instantly , changed into a pair of dry clothes and walked out of the jungle once again.

Once at the sales booth, I bought a black Lambir Hills National Park Shirt. Just to announce to the world that I have come to the National Park of Lambir Hills. The shirt at Mulu National Park was just too costly! It was very nice though! It had this giant dragon on the right shoulder with the words “Mulu National Park” printed behind it.

In the night, we had seafood with our friends from Miri, chat ‘til the wee hours of the night. The next day, we sang karaoke ‘til it was time to go to the airport!
No stress, no cares. I’m loving it!


Saw this "No Swimming" sign outside the entry to the park. Who would ever think of swimming in this 'drain'? Days of living in the jungle, next to a real river has enlightened me. I would never, ever see a big, wide drain and think of it as a river again.

Lessons Learnt from My Mulu Trip

Did you know we would never be able to see sunrise or sunset when we’re in the mountains? I just found that out during my walk in the woods.

At about 6pm, it was getting really dark at that time. From afar, I could see the bright colours of orange, pink and yellow brightly reflected on the carbonate rocks of the mountain. I was so eager to walk out of the woods just to see the sun set, to see the reflection from near.

“Let’s walk faster! I want to see sunset!” I urged my friends on.

“Oh?! Don’t you know? One can never see sunrise or sunset among the mountains?” Adam remarked offhandedly.

My! Oh My! I never knew that! I guess the rocks are the mirrors of the sky in the world of Mother Nature.

Did you also know that we would never be able to see sunrise or sunset from the same location? Upon our arrival in Miri Airport, I wondered aloud, “Oh! Ever since I came to Borneo, I haven’t had the time to enjoy the breaking of dawn, or falling of dusk upon this vast, green land. I will see the sunset this evening then! If not, then, tomorrow, I shall rise up early in the morning to enjoy sunrise…”

“Oh! One can never see sunrise and sunset from the same location. You either see the sun setting, or the sun rising. These both phenomena never occur at the same site. So, how do you know whether we will see the sun rising or the sun setting from the beach here?” Adam asked.

Oh? The cat caught my tongue. Stunned. Logically, I always knew that the sun rises from the East and sets in the West. But I never knew what Adam said to be a known fact. Do you know why? It’s because I have never noticed that before.

The world is a big place. It is wide and the sky is everywhere! Whenever I am at the beach, I just look to wherever the sun is shining. If it happens to be in the morning, then I will see it rising. If it is in the evening, then I’ll see the sun setting. I don’t bother to think to which direction my head is turned.

Or… If I’m at home, in the morning, the sun will shine through the balcony. In the evening, It will shine through the main door, which is opposite the balcony.

So, I think his statement should be changed to “‘You will never see the sun rising or setting from the same location if you don’t change your perspective.' If only you would turn your head, you will witness this wonderful spectacle!”

After Thoughts

I am very thankful for friends like Rosli, Asrin and Saudi who went out of the way just to make us feel at home in Borneo. Miri & Limbang now feel so close to my heart. It’s like my 2nd home to me. I feel as if I have known it for my whole life and I’ll be back there again. It’s hard to get friends as warm as all of you and I really appreciate you from the bottom of my heart. It is through friends like you that I resolve to be warm and gracious to those who pay a visit to wherever I’m staying. I will bring them anywhere they want without a single seed of complaint in my heart.

I am also very grateful to have friends like Amelia and Adam. Even though plans changed at the very last minute, they did not express a single bit of complaint, lament nor resentment. They kept their cool and thought level headedly. They resilient spirit throughout the journey kept me alive. With them, I realized that I can achieve anything I want, as long as I have the determination and the keen will to do it. Currents may run deep down, but just look calm on the surface. Solutions will then resolve the challenges.

Other Places I’d like to Visit in Mulu

Mulu National Park is such a big place that it is impossible to visit all the places in a week. There are so many kinds of activities as well! This trip, I missed the following activities:

1. Canopy walk (the longest canopy walk in the world),
2. Night walks in the Jungle
3. A visit to the Garden of Eden
4. A swim in the Paku Waterfalls
5. Taking a longboat to Long Lansat River, visiting the Penan People
6. Climbing up the Summit to an altitude of 2,377 metres
7. Walk to the Melinau Gorge

Caves I’ve Visited:
1. Cave of the Winds
2. Clearwater Cave
3. Deer Cave
4. Langs Cave
5. Bat Exodus

Tasks that I’ve set out to begin, but failed to complete:
1. Climbing up The Pinnacles

My Biggest Accomplishment so far:
1. Taking the world’s hardest Trail – The Head Hunter’s Trail!
2. Walking 11km through the heart of Mulu rainforest
3. Pushing boats across the rapids!
4. Being bitten by leeches and being cool about it.
5. Walking 30km despite the stinging pain in the toes

Did you know that there are people who make exploring caves their career? The risks are almost similar or higher than those working on offshore platforms. To enter the unknown cave, not knowing where it leads to, one needs a rope, plenty of food, torchlights, and personal protective equipments. I’d love to try adventure caving next time!

Levels of adventure caving at Gunung Mulu, World Heritage Area:
1. Turtle Cave (beginner)
2. Lagang’s Cave (beginner)
3. Racer Cave (Intermediate)
4. Drunken Forest (Intermediate)
5. Stonehorse (advanced)
6. Clearwater Connection (advanced)
7. Sarawak Chamber (advanced)

My current dream is to visit the Sarawak Chamber, the biggest chamber in the world, that can accommodate a big Boeing 747 in it, as large as a football field! Just imagine that! My next dream is to climb up The Summit! I know I can do it! All I have to do is train myself!