Here is a link to Russell's photos. My camera ran out of juice in the jungle. But everything I talk about is in his extensive photo library.
So where did I leave off? A yes, we had just arrived in Linbang and decided to stay for a few days to stock up on supplies that we might need while travelling through the jungle. After loafing about for 2 days we caught a bus headed to Medamit. These buses are not like buses in the US. Yeah, you get a seat, but it's a pretty Rusted old seat with torn covers and all. Anyways, when we arrived at the end of the road, Medamit, their was not much more then a few shack looking houses and people waiting around on the dock for boats to take them further up the river. We waited and had a small meat on a stick snack that we are still not sure what it was. Tasted a bit like a fried ball of meat fat or chicken or something... who knows.
We met a lady on the bus who said her husband was the boat guy who would take us up into the park if we wanted. We agreed to meet him and after about an hour of waiting on the dock a man named Siga showed up. He took us up river from Medamit to his home village and gave us a place to stay in his Long House. The long house is a VERY LONG HOUSE, that the entire village lives in. (about 160 people)
While in the village we went to the grade school and visited all the students playing games after class. Russ and I got out his Frisby and played with them for a few hours. I guess they don't have Frisby Discs here, and the kids LOVED it.
The next day we hopped in the Long Boat (a 30 foot long boat that's very narrow and flat bottomed) and spead away upstream foar about 3 hours. The long trip felt like something out of a movie or the heart of darkness. It was amazing, just when you thought you could not get further away from civilization and deeper into the junle, we pulled off to the side of the river and began to hike.
The Jungle was very thick, but the Head Hunters Trail was well marked. Our guide stopped many times to show us some caves, to eat wild fruits, and point out some interesting insect life.
After about 2-3 hours of hiking and a few river crossings we came to Camp 5. It was like an Oasis in the middle of the Jungle. Their was a nice, clean, cool stream flowing right through the middle of camp, and great view of some very large cliffs. The location was amazing. We met up with Siga's son named Larry, who would be our guide up the mountain on the next day.
The Pinnacles hike would take all day, but was only 2.4 K away from camp 5. The problem was that it was straight up the mountain with out any real switch backs or anything. Also, it was the rainy season and the trail was very wet and slippery. We finally reached the peak, where we had a great view of the Pinnacles. The Pinnacles are Limestone rocks that Jut out from the top of the mountain. They are Razor sharp, weathered down by the rain over time. It was very beautiful.
The next day we hiked out the other side to Mulu National Park and took a boat down river to the Park HQ. We decided to stay at a small Resort/Hotel for one night and get cleaned up and let our clothes dry out. After a day of rest, we headed over to the Park HQ where would spend the next 2-3 days...
While in the park we decided to see everything. We started with a tour of the Canopy of the rain forest. The canopy walk was 450 meters long and about 60-70 feet off of the ground. While we didn't see any amazing birds up there, we did see a small snake, and some amazing plant life.
Next we went to visit two caves, Deer cave and Lang cave. The Lang cave was full of great limestone formations, while the Deer cave was ENORMOUS and full of bats and guano. At night you can see all the bats come streaming out in long ribbons of black accross the fading light in the sky.
The next day we went ADVENTURE CAVING in the Racer cave. The caving did not involve any harness or repelling down holes, but it did involve some helmets and headlamps. We also had to climb up and down small cliffs with knotted ropes. It was very exciting and just the feeling of exploring a cave with nothing more then the light you provide for yourself was a real rush. Inside the cave we saw many more amazing formations. The rock was shaped by not only slow drips, but was also carved by underground rivers in places. Inside the Racer cave we got to see many very large Huntsman Spiders. Most were a few inches accross, but we found one that was about as large as my hand! We also got to see a Racer Snake inside the cave. These snakes are long and thin, so they can scale the smoth walls of the cave, lashin out at bats that pass within range. They are almost completely white in color and did not seem to be bothered by humans. Our guides showed us around and then let us explore on our own which was great. I don't think they would let you do that in the US. :-D It got to feel like we were the first people inside this cave, looking around in the dark for the first time. It was a great first caving experience and may get into it more back in the states. (hopefully without quite so many spiders)
Later, Russ and I visited 2 more caves. The Wind cave and Clearwater cave. The clear water cave system is about 145 Km in lenth and is really only accessible to experienced cavers. But the first 1 Km or so has lights and a path for tourist to travel along. Inside the Clearwater cave was an underground river. Infact it was the same river that we traveled on by boat earlier. This underground river was no small creek. It was quite large, and the cave that held it was equally impressive. Filled with amazing carvings and stalagtites and stalagmites, it was really an incredible site.
After that, we took the next flight out of Mulu national park and landed in Miri. Still in Malaysia we relaxed and decided to get caught up on emails and contacting people. 2 Days later we drove back to BSB, and here we are. Waiting to fly out to Thailand tomorow evening... and ready for our next adventure!
