Mulu is Sarawak's only UNESCO site. It is also a geography student's dream, with caves that host the entire entourage of cave formations including cave curtains, columns, stalagmites, stalactites, helictites, and vegemites. And it's also home to the worlds biggest cave passage and at a humble 700m long, 400m wide, and 70m high, is large enough to swallow St. Peters Basilica (about the first time in this blog something has been correctly compared to this cathedral) or several Boeing 747's. Unfortunately I can't be any more specific than 'several' in this case because when I questioned the local guide as to how many exactly (hearing the comparison before) I received only a 10 minute speech on how planes can't actually land in the cave, and that you have to 'use your imagination', as a response. And by 10 minute speech I really mean he repeated the above phrase for 10 minutes. So although the local inhabitants outside the cave may not be overtly impressive, the inhabitants inside the cave definitely are: 3 million bats. So after exploring the nearby Lang's cave and its geological history-soaked formations it was "quick, to the bat cave!" Yes I actually did say this.
Inside Lang's Cave
The trip inside the mammoth Sarawak Chamber (hereby referred to as the Bat Cave to make up for a batman deprived childhood), feels like what I imagine a bacteria would feel like walking into WalMart. So big that the mist in the distance shrouds your view, and the flash from the camera makes nothing short of a pitiful attempt to photograph what has got to be the worlds biggest pile of Guano (or bat crap, as us more cultured individuals might refer to it as). Like being swallowed by the mouth of the Earth itself, and with an ever-trustworthy mercy that the earth won't close it's mouth behind you. As the sun descends and the evening arrives however, the best views are from outside the cave where this 3 million strong team of batpower emerge from the cave for their nightly hunt (you don't need insect repellent round here, these wee fella's eat them all). And as they do so they form strings of helixes which spiral, twist, and dance across the sky above. It is what a song would look like if it were to be bought to life. I called it the northern lights of the equator.
Hoping to fly into Mulu in the 19 seater twin-otter aircraft, our plane was actually upgraded to a larger one in order to accomodate those whose flight had been cancelled the day before due to 'too many bats in the sky'
Day two saw the mission continue with a ride/walk upriver (you'll see what I mean soon) to a couple more caves within the National Park, Clearwater cave and Wind cave. Amazingly named because of the clearness of the water and the wind which rushes through them respectively. This is almost as Original as the nearby Deer Cave which gained it's name from the Deer which used to live in it. Almost. So with river levels at a record low, it was still possible to get a longboat upriver but meant that every once in a while I had to get out and push. A bit like my car really.
Given its epic 125km journey beneath the earth, the cool water that emerges from underground at the mouth of Clearwater cave proved to be the perfect spot to go swimming with the water snakes. However trekking through the jungle in 38 degrees and 500% humidity (that last figure may be slightly 'inaccurate') meant that when I did find a place to swim it was almost impossible to remove the clothing that had adhered to my skin, which coupled with overenthusiastic movements posed a significant problem. But I eventually won the battle and the prize was bliss.
Pretty soon I began shivering and I was loving it. I had finally found something cold in this country, after being severely dissapointed by everything else from the ocean to a coke straight out of the fridge to the hospitality of the local people.
I wish I was here at Clearwater cave 2 months ago, as to be able to claim I've seen the longest cave passage in the world as well, but I'm too late. Just back in April a cave network in Vietnam stole the spotlight, but with exploration going on all the time it shows us that we really don't know it all, and ever more so when we believe that we do. And more profound is that we have no idea as to how much we don't know.
My trip into the caves (especially the Bat Cave) is one I'll never forget and so all the extras, like a trip to a local village where an old woman was jamming out on a nose flute, being chased by bees the size of a pingpong ball, and some rather entertaining locals, made it a permanent ornament on the mantle of my memory. It's the sort of place that simple photographs will never do justice and I feel like a cheat for trying, but hey here's a few anyway.
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| Mulu, Borneo |
And cheers Deb for the sweet local hookups.
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