Gunung Mulu National Park

To be fair we probably should have done a bit more research before traveling to Gunung Mulu National Park. If we were a bit disappointed, we've only got ourselves to blame. Our expectations had been based on a very out-of-date guidebook and since we are coming towards the end of our trip, our budget simply couldn't cope with the kind of expenses needed to get the most out of the park. 

Although the park is virtually inaccessible by any other route than by air, Mulu really doesn't feel all that remote. The forestry department has constructed kilometres of elevated boardwalks, so that walking through the forest feels more like a stroll through a municipal park than a trek through the Borneo jungle. 

Although our guidebook had touted several self-guided hikes, strict regulations now mean that there are very few activities that can be done independently. A trek to the Pinnacles, probably the most impressive and famous feature of the park, was too expensive to contemplate. 

Having said that, we did enjoy the tours we could afford. The caves inside the park are spectacular; one of the cave systems contains the world's largest chamber, which could house a couple of football pitches and a Boeing 747 or two. 

Deer Cave is similarly massive and home to millions and millions of bats. Our tour took us right through the cave; we clambered over mountains of guano and waded through chest deep water to reach the stunning hidden valley and waterfall on the other side. 

 

Every evening at dusk, the bats leave the cave by the thousands to feed. Apparently they consume some 15 tons of insects every night, which is reason enough to love them. They fly in a weird, twisting corkscrew pattern to evade hungry hawks. 

Inside Clearwater, Wind and Lang Caves, calcite deposits create beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and helictites. 

 

As we are learning fast in Borneo, a little bit of forward planning and a big wad of cash make travel in this part of the world much more enjoyable. After leaving Mulu we flew to Kota Kinabalu, capital of the Sabah province, and tried to work out where to go next. The Semporna Archipelago is out, since any bookings for June should have been made months ago (not to mention the high price attached to visiting the marine park); permits to hike Kota Kinabalu are sold out until the end of August and trips along the Kinabatangan River will set us back around $150 a day. 

So yesterday we bought snorkels and are heading to the Tip of Borneo...where hopefully we can make our own fun. 

What is it with Asia and....???

I know, I know...Asia is a big place. Depending on your definition it comprises up to 49 countries and 60% of the world's population. However for the purposes of this blog post 'Asia' refers to China, Japan, Korea and all of South-East Asia.  

Despite the huge cultural, historical, religious and ethnic differences that exist between China and Japan, Korea and Malaysia or Thailand and Vietnam, there are some striking commonalities. Here are a few uniquely Asian idiosyncrasies. 

1. Couples outfits: 

It is ridiculous just how common this phenomenon is among young, Asian couples. From colour-coordinated outfits and matching t-shirts to full-blown Ken & Barbie haute-couture, they just can't get enough of the matchy-matchy. 

2. Hello Kitty:

I always used to think that it was only 10 year old girls who loved the ultra-saccharine Hello Kitty, but across Asia you'll find her in business hotels (see below if you think I"m joking), clothing for adult females and males, home decoration, appliances and basically anything you can stick a cutesy logo on. 

 

3. Durian:

Although Durian is only native to Indonesia and Malaysia, it appears all across East and South East Asia in all its various stinky guises: durian puffs, durian pastry, durian ice-cream and even durian flavoured coffee. 

While the taste of durian is somewhat bland and benign, the smell has variously been associated with vomit, used surgical swabs, dead animals and countless other pejorative comparisons.  In fact, while Asia loves to eat durian, doing so in public is guaranteed to make you a social leper and perhaps even result in a hefty fine. 

4. Whitening cream:

It's kind of ironic that while white people are constantly trying to get browner, brown people are always trying to look whiter. Just goes to show that we're never fucking happy really. In the western world tanning salons, spray-on tan and sunbeds are the norm. In Asia, it is almost impossible to find cosmetic products (including soap, moisturizer or suncream) that doesn't also contain whitening agents.