Niah Caves

Home to early man, Niah is one of the most important archaeological
sites in the world. 

A year ago, while we were living in Miri, we took the opportunity to drive down to Niah, a World Heritage Site comprising some of the longest inhabited caves in this part of the world with settlement dating back to 46,000 years ago.  I had meant to write a post about it at the time but so many other things came up.  I realised, the other day, that the trip was about a year ago so I thought it was the right time to post.

River between the welcome centre and the cave trails.

We drove down while my father was on a visit to meet the new baby, Niah is one of the must see tourist attractions of the area and one that my husband and I had wanted to see for many years.  I had been desperate to go since we arrived but it was not really a suitable venue for late pregnancy due to the heavy walking required and the remote nature of the location so we decided to wait until after the birth. We drove down before we bought our own car so, not having the space to seat 6 we had to take both cars.  

The bush trails look like fun

Niah is about 200km from Miri which makes it a (just about) doable day trip.  The roads, while decent, are single lane and there is a distinct likelihood of getting stuck behind a logging truck or a horrendously passive Sarawakian driver.  There are not many places to stop so if this does happen you have no option but to endure.  Our poor little baby was desperate for a feed on the way home and, stuck in that way, she just had to cope until I could pull over in Miri and sort out a bottle for her. 

But, as we had the children with us we stuck to the managed walkways

There is plenty of wildlife but the larger birds and mammals eluded us.

The caves are well signposted and, on arrival, there is an office where you can purchase tickets and register into the park.  Once that is done you have to get a ferry across the river where the walk to the caves begins. 

A little slippery when wet the boards still make for an easy walk.

There is a very good museum by the banks of the river which explains the history of the caves and the archaeological importance of the finds there.  From the museum it is about a 3-4km walk through the jungle to the first of the caves.  The walk itself is a delight, in order to keep the path clear the parks authority have put down board walk so the going itself is not strenuous (although the heat was enervating, particularly for Mr EE who was carrying the baby).

The walk gives a good opportunity to see the local vegetation
and landscape.

The walk is interspersed with benches and places to rest should you want to and, close to the caves, there is a stall selling souvenirs and (rather overpriced but very cold) drinks.  Every 500m or so there are boards giving (very good quality) information about the forest and vegetation.

The management take great pains to provide good quality information.

The first cave we came to was called Traders' Cave.  This is really no more than a large abri and rather reminiscent of the Cro Magnon habitations of the Dordogne.  It was used, for many years, as a home for the cave nest harvesters and the remains of their lodges, which were built out of belian (iron) wood can still be seen.  The harvesting still goes on, although it is regulated by the park authorities but the harvesters no longer live in Traders Cave.  

Traders' Cave -you can see the remains of the lodges (dating from the 70s)
on the left hand side.

A short climb further and we came to the aptly named Great Cave.  It is huge, one of the largest I have ever been in.  To the left hand side there was a large section cordoned off and this is where the archaeological research is still ongoing.  A bit further down and we came to a small shelter where our group took the chance to rest, feed and change the baby and give the older children a bite to eat from the picnic we had carried with us. 

The archaeological dig at the main cave.

After that we walked into the cave.  Forewarned we had brought torches and they are absolutely necessary.  Beyond the cave mouth the path is in complete darkness.  The trail undulates, sometimes gently, sometimes rather steeply over mountains of guano.  Here and there poles for the bird nest harvesters hang down from the ceiling.  They were not collecting during the time of our visit but it is still a well used location with the nests being highly prized.  Part of the trail leads out the back of the cave to the painted cave decorated with paintings by the earliest inhabitants of the region.  The other part of the trail loops back towards the archaeological dig at the entrance to the main cave.

The path into the cave - note the bird nest harvesting ladders/ropes
hanging down. 

After that we walked back to the river as the evening came in.  We could hear frogs and monkeys in the trees but saw very little.  The return boats are meant to stop at a certain time but, if you ask nicely, they will wait for you should you want to see dusk in the caves and there is accommodation in the park should you want to stay overnight.

Looking back towards the entrange the people (at the mouth of the cave)
give some idea of scale.

We were advised to see Niah before Mulu as after the spectacular caves there it would be a disappointment.  We do think we did the visit in the right order (we went to Mulu 5 months later).  Niah is rather more rough and ready compared with the very slick and managed environment in Mulu and in that regard it was a little bit more fun.  Although we did run into other people in Niah (mostly school groups) it was positively deserted when compared with Mulu which was heaving with visitors. 

Exploring the cave.

One of the things we were sad about when we left Miri was that we would not get a chance to visit Niah again.  We had been hoping to do some of the trail walks and spend more time in the caves and museum.  It was not to be but we were extremely lucky to have been able to see them at all.

Bats roosting in the ceiling of the cave

Niah does have a bit of a reputation for being a more challenging site to visit than Mulu but I think that is a little unfair.  We were a rather unusual band comprising 2 under 8s, a 6 week old, a healthy and active man with a broken foot rather tired from carrying a baby, a pensioner and a 6 week post-operative new mother.  If we could manage it I think just about everybody could.

The youngest ever visitor?  She slept through the whole thing.

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Man Eating Crocodiles - Thanks but no Thanks

Malaysia is a modern country with modern and up to date infrastructure.  Step just a little way from the beaten path, however, and you are back in ancient and thick jungle.  The peninsula where we live now is pretty densely settled and isolated communities are the exception rather than the rule.  

A little light reading to give you nightmares

Sarawak where we lived before we moved here is huge (the state, one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo, is as large as Peninsular Malaysia) and consists of small pockets of settlement in amongst some of the wildest and most remote land in the world.  Sadly much of that remote land, particularly along the coast and close to major settlements like Miri, is no longer pristine jungle but has been cut down for oil palm production. This means that a lot of the wildlife, particularly the rarer creatures such as Sun Bears, are endangered as they have seen their habitat ranges restricted time and again.  There are still mysterious animals out there, however, as a newspaper report from January this year attests.  Workers on a plantation came across a strange, almost bald, and very large mammal with extremely sharp claws.  While some thought it could be a sick Sun Bear the workers who saw it thought it was something completely new, it certainly would not surprise me if they are right.  (The animal ran away before it could be examined properly).

What is this?  It could very well be a new species...

One of the most common animals, seen all around the state, is the Salt Water Crocodile.  These fearsome animals can grow to be extremely large.  The males are known regularly to exceed 5 meters and lengths of up to 7 have been recorded (there are some claims of crocodiles being found measuring as large as 10m in the 1930s but these are unverified). These huge animals seem torpid and languorous but they can swim at speeds approaching 30km an hour when they need to.   The signs you see near creeks (danger, Crocodiles) are not to be taken lightly.  

The sign is not a joke.....

Reports of fishermen and villagers disappearing are still, sadly, all too common and maneaters prowl the waterways, the beasts are masters of camouflage and victims often do not know that the crocodile is there until it is too late.  It is estimated that there are between 1 and 6 crocodiles for every km of river in the state.  That is a lot of crocodiles!  A death by eating is not a common occurrence but it is regular and we saw a number of reports in the papers during the 9 months we lived there, someone told me that fatal attacks (and most encounters are fatal) run at between 2-3 a year.  

This is not an isolated or rare incident.

All in all that must rank as one of the most horrendous ways to go!  We have been lucky enough to see these animals in the zoo.  Salt Water Crocodiles are one animal I never want to meet in the wild, even at a distance.

These zoo crocs are as close as I ever want to get to them.

Posted on the Animal Tales linky hosted by Eco-Gites of Lenault

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Hornbill attack!

Last year we moved to Miri in Sarawak (one of the two Malaysian states on Borneo).  The state is known for its Hornbills (they are the state emblem) and tourist memorabilia is awash with the stuff.  We picked up a few decent carvings before we left as memories of our time there.  Hornbills are fairly ubiquitous and with their big beaks it is impossible to mistake them for anything else.  Our home was in a suburban area and we did not get them in our garden but we could see them at the beach just a short 5 minute drive away.

Hornbills, the state symbol of Sarawak are beautiful
birds with a striking bill

The closest encounter I had, however, was during a trip to the Miri Zoo.  My sister and I had taken the children (who were desperate to show her the local crocodiles) and I decided to get a few shots of one of the Hornbills in his cage.  The bird was either a thoroughly unpleasant individual or he was just having a bad day (I wouldn't blame him on either count as I am sure he would rather be living in the wild).  

This one had his beady eye on me....

Whatever the explanation he certainly took a dislike to me.  One second he was sitting quite contentedly on his perch, showing of his spectacular beak and plumage, the next he had launched himself, screaming, directly at my face.  I was thoroughly relieved to be separated from this close relative to the harpy by a sturdy close mesh cage.  He certainly made me jump – quite a sight given that I was 37 weeks pregnant at the time!  The strange thing was that, having made his feelings towards me quite clear, he returned to his habitual perch to preen and show off to all the other visitors. 

And decided to attack....

I was pleased to meet him in the zoo and not in the wild!

I will enjoy my hornbill carvings and the memories they contain of our all too short stint in Sarawak but I will never be tempted to get close to the real thing again.

Posted on the Animal Tales linky hosted by Eco-Gites of Lenault

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Paradise in Sarawak

While Miri itself is more of a staging post than a destination within Sarawak it is very close to some lovely, tranquil beaches lapped by the South China Sea.  We are not overly fond of beach holidays in and of themselves (we never really manage to just sit and cook) but think they are wonderful places to take the dogs for a walk.  Our house in Miri was in a beautiful garden suburb but it was plagued by so many street dogs that we could not easily take them for a walk. The beach then, was their opportunity to stretch their legs and even go for a swim. (Always bearing in mind that there are many people here in Malaysia who cannot touch or get close to dogs so we have to keep them under close control near people at all times). Our English dog had seen beaches and the sea before but there was something truly magical about being able to introduce our Kazakh Steppe dog to the water for the first time.  

Long, deserted and unspoiled beaches

Seeing the water for the first time

The end of the beach!

Within or just on the outskirts of Miri you can get to the popular Luak Esplanade and Hawaii Beach where you can rent a cabin for the day, these areas tend to be teeming with people, however, and we prefer a little more quiet.  From as little as 20 km out of town there are short dirt roads that take you down to the beach with enough space to park the car before getting out to enjoy a walk.  We never had any problems finding somewhere to go for a roam.  A few months ago, however, we decided to drive a little bit further on towards Benenu. 

It is easy to get down on to the beach

Pantai Bungai is being developed as a small resort with
places to buy food and engage in adventure activities

Pantai Bungai is not yet busy, the beaches are pristine and
seemingly endless

Shortly before the town, about 60km from Miri we saw a turn off for Pantai (beach) Bungai.  We drove down to find possibly the most beautiful beach we have ever seen.  The local government is capitalising on this and have built a small bazaar where you can buy cold drinks and snacks, a children’s playground and a stage for open air performances.  This is still mostly under construction but I suspect it will not be long before tourists are flocking here in their droves, it is certainly heavily promoted in Miri tourist literature although none of our friends had ever heard of it or made the trip down.  People do, however, already come out here; a little further down the road the Santai Sijiak Café offers snacks and refreshing mocktails.  The friendly owner arranges banana boat rides, caving, abseiling and nature walks both for groups and individuals.  A local homestay also offers rooms for people who want to stay the night and there are more accommodation options in Bekenu. 

Pals cooling down in the water

The beaches are quiet enough to allow the dogs off the lead

The beach stretches in a crescent around a bay and there are a number of small fishing settlements along the beach.  It is possible to walk up to some cliffs and even, if the tide is out, walk along their base to look at the caves inside.  Check the local tide times before doing this though, the beach shelves gently and the tide comes in very quickly.  We spent many (though not enough), Sundays walking up and down the beach giving the dogs a treat and enjoying the sun before grabbing a drink and a snack and heading home to Miri.

Off duty fishing boats kept away from the water

And some that have not lasted so well

  

Exploring the cliffs (before the tide comes in)

There are a few places in the world that, to me, are evocative of what I believe paradise to be.  One was a small place on a quiet river in Nigeria where two houses were nestled in beautifully kept grounds and we could swim in the river.  Another is Lake Bohinj in Slovenia.  Pantai Bungai joins these two places in my mind and, now that we have left Sarawak, our walks there are one of the dominant memories that spring to mind when I think of our 9 months in Miri.  

Paradise!

Posted as part of Seychelles Mama monthly blog link up.  Click to connect to the best of expat blogs from around the world.

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Mulu

We are moving to Ipoh on the peninsula tomorrow.  Our stuff was packed last week so rather than sit around an empty house we have been spending the time out and about enjoying an explore of our portion of Borneo.

Mulu - cut off by the surrounding hills

One of the things we simply could not leave without going to see was the Caves in the Mulu National Park.  The only time we could shoehorn it in was in the last few days of our time - fly up on the Monday, back on the Wednesday morning before packing our final bits and pieces and sorting out the final admin for our move to Ipoh Wednesday afternoon and flying Thursday morning.  Hectic but we felt that we absolutely had to see Mulu.

The entrance to Lang's Cave

Mulu is remote, set in the far North of Sarawak not far from the Brunei border it is a short 30 minute flight from Miri, the maps suggest that you might be able to drive and boat up but knowing how the roads can peter out and how long a short journey can take in the interior we thought the flight was the sensible option.

Deer Cave with the famous 'Abraham Lincoln' Profile

Mulu is set in a huge natural amphitheatre in a range of limestone hills and as you land in you feel like you are entering a lost world. The World Heritage Site/Natural Park was only recently gazetted and although there are now permanent settlements the tribes in the area (mostly Penan) were nomadic until that time (1970s).

A small bat hole in Lang Cave

Bats Leaving Deer Cave at Dusk

The first day was spent enjoying a short 3km (I say short but it is so hot and humid that a 3km walk takes almost an hour) through the jungle to the Lang and Deer Caves.  The national park is designed to be completely accessible and the majority of the paths are along boardwalks.  This makes them safe for large volumes of people and allows motorbikes from HQ to go to and from places quickly if needed.  Although we had Mini EE in the baby carrier we could have used her buggy for a large part of the walks.  The older two children enjoyed the walk and our guide, Mr Rick was fantstic with them, taking the time to provide a lot of background information on the park, caves and wildlife.  It turned out that he had shared uni digs with some Kazakh students in KL and impressed the children by speaking to them in Russian for a while.

Amazing Formations at the Entrance to Clearwater Cave

Rock Formation in the 'Lady' Chamber of Clearwater Cave

There was plenty to see in the caves, Lang Cave has some beautiful rock formations and Deer Cave is absolutely huge, one of the largest caves in the world.  The floor is covered in guano from the huge bat colonies that roost in the ceiling (the colonies are so large that you can see them from the floor as they make the roof dark in comparison to the surrounding rock).  The guano attracted the deer who gave the cave is name.  The nomadic Penan used to come to the cave to hunt venison, sadly a treat no longer available today.  We walked through the cave to a second entrance called the Garden of Eden which is window onto an enclosed world hemmed in by the mountain.

Roof Collapse in Clearwater Cave

After the tour we returned to the entrance of the cave and the 'bat observatory' to wait for the famous change of the guard where the swifts who roost at night and hunt by day return to their nests and the bat colonies stream out to hunt for insects up to 100km away.  It had rained quite a bit during the day so it was too damp to tempt many bats out, we saw some swarms but nothing like the intense ones we had hoped to catch.  Following the bats we walked back through the jungle at night listening to the insects and frogs calling to each other.  At times we saw some cross our path and caught glimpses of glow-worms out in the bush.

Shards created by the action of bacteria

The following day we travelled by boat to a Penan village, here most of the homes enjoy satellite TV and concrete longhouses are replacing the traditional wooden varieties, a government clinic ensures that people get access to healthcare, vaccinations etc and that all births are registered so that children can work legally when they are grown (unregistered births are a big problem in Sarawak and there are significant Government initiatives to try to combat this).  While the villagers still hunt the local women sell handicrafts and many of the people work in the tourist industry - a big change from the nomadic life their parents and grandparents led.

The village is a mix of the old and the new

Tourism is big business for the local people

Villages along the Melinau River

The boat then took us on to Wind Cave, it was possible to walk here from the park headquarters as recently as a year ago but the boardwalk collapsed and is in the process of being re-built.  Consequently this cave feels more remote than the Deer and Lang Caves.  Wind cave is named for the breeze that flows through  and has caused the rock formations to bend.  The cave connects to the Clearwater cave but  it is not possible to go through except on an adventure tour (not suitable for small children).

Swimming in a forest pool

The main entrance to Clearwater is up a flight of 198 steps (Master EE and I counted) and this is yet again breathtaking.  Clearwater is the longest cave system in the world and it feels simply gigantic.  The main cavern was formed by a powerful river which still runs through the base of the cave.  It is deep and fast even in the dry season, adventure tours guide people through the system but it requires a swim of 1.2km, a huge distance particularly underground.  The river still floods and fills the cavern to about the half way point so in December, January on a small portion of the walk around the cave is possible.

It is possible to get very close to the local wildlife

After the tour of Clearwater and back at the bottom of the stairs we were treated to a packed lunch and an opportunity to swim before going back to Park HQ.  There we opted to climb a viewing tower to look out over the canopy, this is an alternative to the famous Canopy walk which was booked out.  We then took the chance to walk the Botany trail, a smaller loop off the main walk with excellent information boards showcasing the plants and giving detailed information on the biology of the rainforest, then back to the hotel and another swim before packing for the flight the next morning.

The park botany walk is a good way to see and learn about a lot
of forest species

Some of the plants are breathtaking

We stayed at the Mariott hotel which is the luxury offering in Mulu, we had hoped to stay in the park but all the accommodation was booked out for Easter.  The hotel were, however, very accommodating, permitting the five of us to share a max 3 occupancy room.  We ate at a little canteen across the river which has an agreement with the tour guide we used (you are required to have a guide for all visits to the caves, we had our own but it is possible to join a larger group if you wish).  The food was excellent and the welcome extremely warm.  As is usual in Malaysia our baby was taken off us and entertained so that we could enjoy our meal and, once they had finished, the older two went off to play with the children of the family.

Making friends

The guides were excellent with the children, they
were a goldmine of information and never once
talked down.

Mr EE and I had dreamed of going to Mulu for at least 20 years so this trip, a birthday present for me, was a bit of a trip of a lifetime.  The park itself is manicured and managed and is very tame, there is no hacking through the undergrowth needed.  While this is a shame in some ways it is wonderful in others, it meant that we could take not only the older children but Mini EE as well, she will not remember any of it but she loved going into the caves and was intrigued by the contrasts of light and dark.  The forest was also a completely new experience for her, of course because she will not remember it we have the perfect excuse to come back again in the future and hopefully next time take the 3 day hike to the famous pinnacles.

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