Adventure Caving and Trekking in Mulu (Part 2)

This is the second day of our expedition, we hopped on the longboat and visited a native Penan village near Melinau river. FACT according to my research: Penan people are the last remaining semi-nomadic people in Malaysia.

The settlements by the river.

Indigenous people live a simple life. The women will look after the family while the men go out to work. Their regular income is through farming, hunting, and tourism. I was really impressed by the nearly dying traditional handicraft bead work and weaving. 

There are wooden cutleries, basic traditional musical instruments like the nose flute, fake blow pipes (harmless), weaved basket, mats, woven bracelets. 

I personally bought a number of beaded bracelets and key chains from them, wanting to share it among my friends back in Kuala Lumpur. (Shout out to Jo, Son, Mark c, and Kim!) 

NOTE: Prices are negotiable with the Penans, but don't bargain ridiculous prices, be reasonable.

Misty morning at Penan Village, Mulu

We continued our journey along the Melinau River, and stopped off at the Cave of the Winds. It is also part of the Clearwater Cave system.

There are a series of steep stairs that leads up to the Wind Cave, tourists would need stamina for this! ;) But trust me, the climb is definitely worth it. 

This unique species of monophyte (single leafed plant) grows at the mouth of the cave, towards the sunlight. They only grow on limestones.

The name 'Cave of the Winds' came about due to its cool breeze that blows of the cave mouth. As if we were in an air conditioned room, the cave was breezy and the wind was strong. 

At the end of the Wind Cave's passage, lies the famous King's Chamber (the main reason why I mentioned that your treacherous steep climb up to this cave will be totally worth it)

Columns formed by stalagmites and stalactites. Stalagmites are the limestones from the ground, and stalactites are the limestones from the ceiling. 

ps. I will never forget my geog teacher Ms Maddy's phrase: "The tights go down, and the mights come up!" Catchy, ain't it? As long as it helps you to remember.

Let's give it another hundred years...this stalagmite and stalactite will join!

We turned back and headed out of the Wind Cave entrance and continued our journey in reaching the Clearwater Cave, which is the longest cave system in Southeast Asia. It is larger than Deer Cave, and largely unexplored. It is about 107km long. However, only the first few hundred meters are accessible to tourists.

There are actually two wats of reaching the Clearwater Cave. The first option is to trek from the Wind Cave's nature trail, which is 4km and it takes about one and a half hour. The second option is to take the long boat which takes only 15 minutes. Needless to say, most tourists take the long boat, and that includes us.

Stairways into the Clearwater Cave. The gushing sound of the underground river could be heard.

A ray of hope.

Mulu caves contain different types of unusual floral and fauna too. Most of the creatures living in this pitch black are often described as the 'isolated' ancient group survivors, or 'living fossils'.

 This helictites, also known as lateral formations, are photokarsts. They are tiny needles of rock that will point towards the light as you shine on it. How dramatic!

At the end of the passageway, we climbed down the steps which led us to the deck area. At the base of the steps was a crystal clear pool with water flowing out of the cave. It is a perfect swimming hole, all natural and shallow. Tourists can freshen up after hiking in the caves in this cold water if they wish to do so. 

Our cave expedition ended after this trek and hike into the caves. We rested for about 45 minutes before returning by the longboat.

Adventure Caving and Trekking in Mulu (Part 1)

Underneath the mountains of Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia, lies the largest cave system in the world. This awe-inspiring natural phenomenal became a world-famous attraction. The park was proudly awarded UNESCO World Heritage site in year 2000. Speleologists around the world are still trying to explore the undiscovered parts of this massive cave system until today, how intriguing!

This is the Mulu National Park main gate, where our walk to the Lang Cave and Deer Cave begins through a long plank boardwalk. To ensure these nature phenomenal are full protected, all caves visit at Mulu must be guided. Tourists will also have to obey the strict rules of the national park.

The view while walking across the wooden bridge to the boardwalk trail. Longboats are the main transportation along the Melinau river.

And so, the trekking begins. The trail is mostly in filtered sunlight and shade therefore it feels chilly and cool.

                         

These towering trees are the skyscraper of the glades.

Don't forget to be fully equipped! Water is essential to stay hydrated during the journey, other items that will come in handy are insect repellent, cap, torch light, and umbrella or raincoat.

 Jungle streams.
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This astounding rainforest is also home to many different types of flora and fauna. Until today, botanical expeditions continue to shed more light on Mulu.

A lucky day to witness two millipedes mating on the top rail. Friendly reminder- do not put your hands on the railing.

Our very first cave visit was the Lang Cave. This cave is small and less well known yet it contains intricate curtain stalactites and jellyfish-like coral helictites as if it was a work of art.

Luminous spotlights gorgeously exhibits the low cavern in all angles.

Jellyfish cave formation.

Lang cave was a short walk to Deer Cave, the biggest cave passage and cave entrance of the world.

  

 

Cave entrance view from the outside.

 The cave mouth is 2.2km long and 220 high at it's highest point.

Although the walkways in the humid caves are well defined, it can be very slippery and damp. Water droplets would fall regularly from high above (or at least you'll hope it's water) like misty veil waterfalls. I was so weary of the millions of bats hanging overhead and the overpowering guano (bat poop) stench made me feel sick in the gut. The Deer Cave is home to a massive bat colony, thick layers of guano (the local people call it 'black snow') covers the cave floor.

The east entrance of Deer Cave opens onto a luxurious patch of jungle named the exotic sounding Garden of Eden.

The all-time famous creatively interpreted silhouette of the sharp profile Abraham Lincoln.

Photo taken from the amphitheatre located at the bottom mouth of the cave. Tourists would take a breather around this spot while waiting for the evening showcase of bat exodus. It is a cleared field aligned with wooden benches and a restroom. We waited with bated breath for the bats to emerge from the entrance of the cave.

The Bat Exodus occurs between 5pm to 7pm, if the weather is fine. Black clouds of millions of bats begin their daily flight ritual in search of food. What a spectacular sight to witness!

The bats fly out of the Deer Cave in spiral-like formations, like a dragon in the air. I was really lucky to capture a photo of a bat hawk swooping in for kills.

The parting of the bats from their homeland also signals that the sky is getting darker. It was time for us to head back to the park entrance. As you can see from my bat exodus photos, the sky was gloomy on that day. Not long after we departed from the amphitheatre, rain started pouring down heavily! The 'best' part of it all was the fact that we forgot to bring umbrellas and rain gears. With no other choice, I walked steadily at a good pace, completely ignoring the idea of the rain heavily beating down on me and that I am soaking wet. All I could think of was I certainly do not want to be out in the jungle after dark! The loud sound that went like "guak, guak, guak" really startled me, my dad said it was made by a type of river toad. I sped up my pace, walked even faster! I couldn't wait to get out!

According to our guide, we have trekked approximately 9km, walking to and fro through these two caves and walking back to the park entrance. Great job. I'm glad that he did not tell us the distance before we begin trekking. But it seemed that everyone eventually made out just fine, even the senior citizens.

Mauritius - Paradise Island In The 'Deep Sea'

Spending one week in Mauritius island had been an experience I will never forget. The stunning natural beauty of this island truly captivated me.

You can clearly see the algae and seaweed in the water!

Before I departed to Mauritius, I've been frequently receiving questions such as "Where in the world is Mauritius?" or "What language do Mauritians speak?". Honestly, I had a general idea of this island, but I am ashamed to say that didn't have decent answers to all these questions!

Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean, located on the southeast coast of the African continent. The official language of this island is English, but majority of them speak French and Creole (an informal language created by the slaves in the 18th century because they needed to communicate with their French masters and other slaves). This island has different religions peacefully living next to each other. You will find Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and even a bit of Buddhism. Our personal local driver, Vijay, proudly explained "We all live together happily on this island."

A photo of the busy and crowded street of Mauritius's capital, Port Louis.

This Roman Catholic Church by the beach made this village of Cap Malheureux a popular tourist destination. It is famous for its bright red roof. This village is located at the northern tip of Mauritius island. The name of the village means unlucky due to the countless shipwrecks over the years. I found it hard to believe when I looked out over the calming tranquil turqoise waters.

Miniature model of the church, found in Casella.

This exotic island is surrounded by an outer reef, which breaks the waves from coming in from the ocean. It means that the water is crystal clear and calm. It becomes a safety 'net' for water activities enthusiasts to avoid sharks!

Besides being fascinated by the blue waters and clear skies, my trip to Mauritius came with a few firsts. It marked the very first time my family and I traveled to Africa (ps. you don't need any special travel vaccination, there is no Malaria on this island). I also tried some other water sports for the first time.

It was my first time trying out water ski! I couldn't be more anxious when I waited for the speed boat to arrive.

Water skiing, beginner style (; It was not tooooo bad.

Sailing time!

Of all times, my sister and I decided to kayak under the scorching hot sun. Regardless the heat, the corals beneath the ocean were crystal clear.

I am not even surprised to get this tan.

We also played beach volleyball and water polo with different people, it was amazing! (ps. Our team was the winning team)

Mauritius Island is the place where you can find different kinds of native species of floral and fauna. Most of them are threatened with extinction, despite the fact that many Mauritians are already taking the initiative to save these animals and plants. As for the famous Dodo bird...it was too late.

The ineluctable giant water lillies found in the National Botanical Garden of Mauritius

Aldabra Giant Tortoises are one of the longest lived animals, they have lived over a hundred years of age. All of these tortoises in the reserve were born in captivity.

One of the best experience I had from this trip was definitely swimming with wild dolphins. Yes, the keyword is 'wild'. It was a whole new level of excitement. Our tiny speed boat cruised beyond the rough waves at the edge of the island's outer reef, into the open sea. We sped ahead to the deeper part of the ocean for about an hour, until we saw a school of dolphins. There were a total of six! They came out to the water surface to breathe every few minutes. Our speed boat frantically chased them, going deeper into the ocean and I could barely see the island anymore.

A total of three hours in the open sea looking for wild dolphins. It was worth it! I managed to touch one but our guide said it's better not to distrupt them as they're not the same as tamed dolphins we see in the zoo.

This reminds me of the recent Chris Hemsworth movie 'Heart of the Sea'

The sunset in Mauritius island is beyond compare. As I felt my feet sunk into the warm sand, I was fascinated by the pink, red, and orange brush stroke that set the sky alight. There is truly no better way to end a day in a paradise like this.

Mocktail/cocktail + sunset = perfection. This is the beautiful ombre tone of virgin pinna collada that matches the stunning sunset.

Sunset and Le Morne.

Le Morne is a rugged mountain in the southwest of Mauritius Island. It was a safe shelter for the slaves from the 18th century to early 19th century. The escaped slaves formed a small settlement on the summit of Le Morne and in the caves. Le Morne is made a symbol of the slaves fighting for their freedom, their sufferings, and their sacrifice.

As Mark Twain wrote: "You gather the idea that Mauritius was made first and then heaven, and that heaven was copied after Mauritius." Agreed.

Lucky find by the beach!

The Chamarel waterfall is the highest waterfall in Mauritius. This vivid view of the waterfall is from the upper view point of the Black River National Park. The height of the waterfall is being compared to the statue of liberty!

 The seven coloured earth is a natural phenomenon. These various colours developed due to the different compositions. If you try mixing the coloured earth together, they will eventually seperate and form layers.

This trip for me was a once in a life time opportunity, the trip ticked some things off my bucket list! I was lucky enough to experience things I thought I didn't have courage to. Overall I had a splendid time in Mauritius! Stay tuned for more travel stories :)