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| Clearwater Cave, Mulu National Park, Sarawak |
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| Seahorse Sculpture (Lighthouse), Coco Copana, Miri, Sarawak |
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| Niah Cave, Niah National Park, Sarawak |
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| Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple, Bintulu, Sarawak |
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| Bakelalan (a group of 9 villages), Maligan Highlands, Limbang, Sarawak |
" The purpose of LIFE, after all is to live it. Experience the utmost. To reach out eagerly & without fear for a newer & richer experience "
KF Wong, my travel buddy together with 6 of his group members are currently on a 3 weeks (Nov 1 > 19 2021) Cuti Cuti Malaysia vacation in the Borneo State of Sarawak, Malaysia. For this visit, his travel itinerary covers Miri, Mulu National Park, Bintulu, Niah National Park, Bakelalan (a group of 9 villages) at Maligan Highlands (3,000ft above sea level) of Limbang, Batang Ai National Park, Bako National Park & Kuching, Sarawak. Over the last few days, KF has forwarded a number of interesting pictures he had taken on this Borneo rainforest / jungle adventure trip in Sarawak. I have now created a new post & posted a number of his pictures in my travel blog for your reading pleasure !
KF's group of travel buddies on a 19 days adventurous trip to Sarawak, nicknamed a Land of Hornbills !
Travel Highlights:
" Miri, Sarawak - a coastal city in northeastern Sarawak, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo, 2nd largest city in Sarawak, Miri is the main tourist gateway to the world famous UNESCO World Heritage site ie Gunung Mulu National Park, Loagan Bunut National Park, Lambir Hills National Park, Niah National Park & Miri-Sibuti Coral Reef National Park "
Day 1 (Nov 1 2021) - pictures of an iconic seahorse sculpture (official mascot of Miri City) in Coco Cobana, Marina Bay, a top tourist attraction in Miri & a beautiful evening sunset in Coco Cobana, the best spot to watch daily sunset in Miri, Sarawak, East Malaysia .
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| Largest Seahorse Statute in Miri waterfront Act as Lighthouse for yachts & fishing boats |
" Gunung Mulu National Park - an UNESCO World Heritage Site, a protected rainforest in Malaysia Borneo, known for its dramatic peaks & caves, including the huge, bat-filled Deer Cave, the cave leads to the Garden of Eden, a hidden valley & waterfall enclosed by limestone cliffs, the Pinnacles at Gunung Api are tall, jagged limestone formations with steep hills & rare orchids, the summit of Gunung Mulu Mountain has views over the Park "
Day 2 > Day 5 (Nov 2 > 5 2021) - boarding the MASwings plane from Miri > Gunung Mulu National Park (UNESCO), Sarawak, East Malaysia - A warm welcoming signboard greeting KF's group on their arrival in Mulu Airport (KF's Air Asia ticket was extended twice due to Movement Control Order / travel restrictions in 2020/2021, this domestic air travel was made possible after the Malaysian Government lifted inter-state travel under the National Recovery Phase 4 for Kuala Lumpur, Selangor & East Malaysia) ! One up for KF & his group in their world of travelling during this Covid-19 pandemic trying time !
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| MASwings 72 seater ATR72 aircraft |
Wind Cave, Mulu National Park & a night walk along the "Botany Trail" inside a Mulu Cave ! KF's group of magnificent 7 in joyful mood & smiles exploring the Wind Cave !
Bats exodus (a Natural Wonder) from Deer Cave, Mulu National Park, Sarawak - the bats normally leave the cave most evenings between 17.30 & 18.30 & travel up to 100km from the cave before returning in the early morning !
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| Welcome to Deer Cave, Mulu National Park, Sarawak |
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| Bats exodus from Deer Cave at approx 17.30>17.45 |
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| Profile of American President, Abraham Lincoln viewed from inside of the Wind Cave, Mulu National Park |
Mulu National Park's botanic trail - tree top canopy walk (20m to 30m above ground) in Borneo rainforest & encounters of nature at her best ie trees, forests, birds, insects & animals; KF's group spotted a venomous viper snake coiled up on tree branches awaiting for a prey, others creatures seen were gecko, spiders, frogs & a big Musang (Asian palm civet) high up in a tree with red eyes locked on to KF group's torchlights !
Taking a motorised sampan (long boat) on a 45 minutes upstream journey to Clearwater Cave, Mulu National Park, Sarawak - dark & damp inside, must bring a good LED torchlight or headlight for exploring the caves, extra care when walking the path & walkway can be slippery, wear a hat as water or bat droppings from cave roof may drip or drop onto your head, wear rubber gloves if holding to guide ropes or railings ...
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| Hanging white threads like spider webs, are thread worms that trap & feed on flying insects |
" Bintulu, Sarawak, East Malaysia - a coastal town on the island of Borneo in the central region of Sarawak, located about 200km from Miri (3.5hr), a central gateway to tourist spots like Bakun Resort, Niah Caves, Similajau National Park, Mulu National Park, Logan Bunut National Park, Lambir National Park, Sibuti Wildlife Sanctury, Rejang Pelagus, Belaga & Bario Highlands; the Bintulu port area hosts the Petronas Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) Complex, currently the world's largest LNG production facility on a single site & also the very first Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis plant "
Day 6 & Day 7 (Nov 6 & 7 2021) - after the Mulu National Park visit, KF's group returned to Miri & rented a vehicle & visited a few touristy places in Bintulu Town.
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| Tanjung Batu Beach, Bintulu, Sarawak - 5km from City Center |
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| Sunset at Tanjung Batu Beach, Bintulu, Sarawak |
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| Tua Pek Kong Chinese Temple, Bintulu Old Town |
" Bakalalan (formerly Ba'Kelalan) is a group of 9 villages (belong to the Lun Bawang tribe) at Maligan Highlands of Limbang Division, Sarawak, 3000 ft above sea level, 4km from the border with Indonesian Kalimantan & 150km from the nearest town of Lawas. The village is famous for its apples & organic vegetables & for the local musicians & their "bamboo bands". In Bakelalan, tourists can experience the lifestyle of the Lun Bawang community with Homestay program, takes a 45 minutes jungle trekking to Long Kumap Salt Spring & experience the cold & clean water (or river baths) in the stream along the way, exploring Bakelalan surroundings by visiting rice fields, apple farms & organic research farm "
Day 8 > Day 11 (Nov 8 > 11 2021) - boarding a small plane from Miri to Bakelalan Airport in deep interiors of Sarawak, the start of their wild wild east exploring trip !
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| Small plane for flight from Miri to Bakelalan Airport & a stopover at Lawas Airport |
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| Bakalalan Airport, Sarawak |
" Niah National Park - located within Miri Division, Sarawak, the site of Niah Caves limestone cave & archeological site, the ares was a major center of human settlement as early as 40,000 years ago & features one of the worls' largest cave entrances, Palaeolithic & Neolithic burial sites and iron-age cave paintings, the Sarawak Chamber in Niah caves could easily park 40 Boeing 747s, at over 2km long & 174m high, there is enough room for a jumbo jet to fly through without touching the sides, 3 million bats can comfortably fit inside the caves ! "
KF's pictures of wild grapes along a 4.2km walkway from the jetty to Niah Caves Complex, Sarawak, wondering whether visitors are allowed to "taobao or takeaway" a few bunches to be eaten as dessert after an evening meal or are these wild grapes too sour to eat ? I hope these wild grapes are seedless, tasty & sweet like the Red Globe or Thompson Seedless of USA, Australia & Chile !
Trader's cave approx 2km from the signpost, Great cave 2.0km, Painted cave 3.2km; bring along a few muesli bars to munch for this leg of walking trail especially for an oldy like me over the age of 70s ! A great moment for KF standing besides the Niah National Park welcoming signboard ! Full of contentment !
Natives using ropes to climb up the roof of Niah Caves to collect bird nests, the height is approx 100m, a dangerous occupation but the reward is "delicious" ! Bird nest is an edible nest created by the Swiftlet using its saliva, bird nests are prized in Chinese cuisine due to their rarity & high nutritional value when made into bird nest soup !
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| If you are a coconut tree climber no harm trying this rope climbing act ! |
Painted Cave, Niah National Park, Sarawak - an archaeological & ancient burial site, cave paintings (1000 years +) etc
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| KF's face painted with joy ! |
Boat crossing (Rm$1, one way) from Niah Caves ticketing office to Niah Caves Complex, Sarawak, please pay attention to the Beware of Crocodiles Danger signpost put up by the Chief Wild Life Warden ! Crocodile Dundee's service maybe highly sought here ! Train yourself to be a Crocodile Dundee poacher should you decide to settle down & live a calm & peaceful life away from the madding crowd in big cities !
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| A US$0.02 fare for a boat crossing ! |
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| Not to worry ! After all just a very short boat ride ! |
KF's little shopping (bought a kilo of natural salt for home) at a natural salt processing "cottage" factory in Bakelalan, Sarawak, the natural salt is obtained by boiling (non-stop for 4 days) natural spring water from nearby pristine spring water flowing down from the hills & mountains, KF (looked like a Klang Valley cowboy) is seen here learning a new skill in starting a fire in a traditional furnace to boil natural spring water .... I bet you, it can be time consuming & require a big learning curve to learn this skill !
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| If each of KF members buy a kilo pack you need a new hand luggage bag for an extra check in ! |
Bakelalan Airport Bomba (Fire Brigade Depot) - small gadgets (2 fire extinguishers), a small two-wheel tow truck, a motor bike & a fireman on duty to perform a big task in case of emergency at this "tiny' airport !
Overnight stay in Apple Lodge, Bakelalan, located across the road to the Bakelalan Airport, owner grows vegetables around the bungalow houses & use these vegetables for the group's catered meals, also rear tilapia &"Sultan" fish in nearby ponds & cooked the fish for the group's daily lunches & dinners
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| This big pot of brown / purple rice porridge, taste like barley ! |
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| Morning breakfast - salted eggs, canned salted vegetables, fried noodles etc |
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| Ripen red durian, creamy but flat taste, served after breakfast locals eat them with condensed milk |
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| Red flesh durians, rare in Peninsula Malaysia |
"The Tropical Jungle Hideout where adventures live" for nature lovers deep in the interiors of Sarawak bordering Kalimantan of Indonesia ! A jungle adventure awaiting for KF's group, the 1st group of Jungle Hideout's outside visitors since the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020 !
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| No No to littering, hunting & cutting of trees |
Fairly Trail & Headhunter Trail Walk organised by the owner of the Jungle Hideout Resort, pitcher plants spotted during the "Fairy Trail" walk at the nature hideout, unfortunately most of the group members were bitten by leeches while doing the walk !
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| Fairly Trail (2.5km 1hr 10mins), Headhunters Trail (3km -2hrs 10mins) |
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| 8 dogs guarding the nature hideout ! |
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| A guard dog named "Tiger" stay close to the owner's wife cum cook |
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| Group's lunch at Jungle Hideout ! Delicious Meal |
KF's Jalan Jalan (Walkabout) around Bakelalan (a 9km route), a peaceful & tranquil place ideal for nature lovers & visitors seeking a quiet holiday, but it may be too boring for city dwellers as internet is poor & slow ! KF did a slow & long walk from village to village to get a feel of this remote place in Sarawak !
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| Road Sign of Bakelalan > Mt Murud Summit |
A salt spring near
Kampung Long Rusu, Bakalalan
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| A police station in Bakelalan, Sarawak |
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| A Government Health Clinic in Bakelalan, Sarawak |
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| Kampung Long Rusu, a small village in Bakelalan, Sarawak |
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| KF admiring the highland scenery |
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| Drainage work in progress, Bakelalan |
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| Kampong Long Langai, a small village in Bakelalan, Sarawak |
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| Local rice field as viewed from a 9km morning walk in a loop |
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| A military outpost in Bakelalan located approx 10km from Malaysia/Indonesia border |
Malaysian Immigration Check Point, Bakelanan / Lawas, Sarawak - the Nature Hideout is located close to Malaysia / Indonesia border; unfortunately, KF group's vehicle was not granted approval to drive across the border check point towards the Indonesian side for sightseeing, so near yet so far !
Day 12 > Day 15 (Nov 12>15 2021) - after the Bakalalan Highland, Limbang visit, KF's group next destination is Batang Ai National Park, Sarawak - over the 3 nights stay in Batang Ai, the group spotted a number of Orang Utans living wild in different locations in the Park !
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| A pregnant Orang Utan atop a big tree, 50m from the accommodation |
Taking a narrow motorised sampan (long boat) moving upstream towards an iban (local native) longhouse deep inside Batang Ai National Park ! There is no roads or dirt tracks inside the Batang Ai National Park, only motorised sampan via rivers can bring people to the interiors of the Park !
Inside view of a modern style longhouse, each room inside belongs to a family !
Sacred earthen mould / nest of termites inside the longhouse KF's group visited !
KF sipping a fresh coconut juice, served by the headman of the Iban longhouse ! A cooler drink, very refreshing indeed !
The headman of this longhouse is one of KF's group's boatman, the longhouse power supply is from a 15kw micro hydropower plant located up a steep hill which requires an hour of trekking (accompanied by an Iban guide) for the group to view it ! KF's group of males (half naked) having a jolly good time taking a cool dip at a natural pool besides a waterfall !
Arriving & accommodation in Kasai Camp, Batang Air National Park, Sarawak - basic room, bed with mosquito netting, shared toilets etc
River baths in Sungai Lalang, a stone throw from Kasai Camp, water is clear, cool & refreshing but water current is quite strong, plucking paku shoots for evening dinner & pulut & rice cooked inside bamboo tubes as lunch, barbecued tilapia fish & chicken meat after the group's picnic at waterfall & trekking !
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| River baths in River Lalang, Batang Ai National Park, Sarawak |
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| Iban boatman & his guide plucking wild Paku shoots near River Lalang, to be cooked as vegetables for this evening dinner ! Yummy & 100% organic ! |
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| barbecued tilapia fish |
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| cooking glutinous rice in bamboo tubes |
Day 16 > Day 18 (Nov 16 > 18 2021) - KF's group visit for a 3 days 2 nights stay in Bako National Park, Sarawak
On the way to Bako National Park passing Mt Sanbutong
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| Arriving by boat at Bako National Park |
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| Welcome to Bako National Park ! |
Bako National Park, Sarawak - beautiful gorgeous scenery !
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| Beautiful sunset at Teluk Paku Beach Bako National Park, Sarawak |
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| Teluk Assam Beach, Bako National Park, Sarawak |
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| Teluk Assam Beach, Bako National Park, Sarawak |
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| "Cobra" shaped outcrop in the sea at Telok Pandan Kechil, Bako National Park, Sarawak |
Salt water crocodiles warning sign to stay away from swimming or wading at the beaches in Bako National Park, Sarawak.
KF's group spotted a proboscis monkey up in a tree while trekking in Bako National Park, Sarawak, this long-nose monkey has an unusually large nose, a reddish-brown skin color & a long tail & is found mostly in mangrove forest in Borneo island !
Bornean bearded pig (wild boars) is the largest mammal found at Bako National Park, Sarawak, often found around the Park's HQ scavenging for food or wallowing in mud !
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| Wild boars foraging for food in the evening near the lodge where KF's group stayed |
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| Spotted this large bearded wild boar while trekking in Bako National Park |
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| Ground dug out by wild boars searching for worms & tubers when foraging for food in Bako National Park, Sarawak |
"Crystal" fruit - a new variety of fruit grown in Sarawak, like longan but pulp is much thicker & sweeter, retailing at RM15 (US$0.36) per kilo, KF bought this fruit from Lachau, a small town near Serian in Sarawak.
KF bought a pair of "Adidas Kampung" shoes Rm7.90 (US$1.90) at Serian Town enroute to Batang Ai National Park, this cheap black rubber shoe is Malaysian made of 100% rubber, they are waterproof, easy to dry & ideal for trekking in tropical weather !
Insects & nocturnal creatures spotted by KF's group during a night safari accompanied by a guide in the Bako Natural Park, Sarawak.
"Alpha" male Proboscis money inside Bako National Park, Sarawak !
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