“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!
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.
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