Borneo Bats, Spelunking and Slip Sliding Away on Mountains of Bat Guano
Spelunking in Deer Cave- Mulu National Park-Sarawak
The whole idea of this family vacation was to meet Erik halfway through his one year world travels. We thought it might be a great opportunity for a family vacation and to spend some time getting to know Kellyn, Erik's fiancé. I pulled out the Marriott stay points for a decadent abode in the jungle (as there were very few options other than homestays and we were 5 people. ) We picked up Kellyn in Kota Kinabalu the capital of Sabah, Malaysia and flew to Sarawak to Gunung Mulu National Park, probably Marriott's most remote location in the world. It is surrounded by rain forest and a handful of indigenous people.
Once there our three millennials planned the National Park activities with a very challenging caving spelunking day, a tree top walk above the rain forest and some walks on the floor of the rain forest. We booked a guided tour of Deer Cave called The Garden of Eden walk through one of the largest caves in the world that went from 9:30am to 7:30 pm. Our guide was a wiry thin, fit Malay man who soon pointed out a viper in the trees above our heads and lead us through the rain forest trailed by a novice young,stout, female guide of Irish and Malay descent.
The walk starts through the Gunung Mulu Rainforest and you enjoy the flora and fauna along a boardwalk trail. Believe me much better than trying to make your way through the forest floor.
A great variety of bugs, ants, caterpillars and other insects inhabit the rainforest. The bats feed on them when they come out at night for their rain forest dinner menu.
Poisonous Viper luckily high up in a tree. If we were walking on the ground we would never have spotted it.
The five of us headed into the rainforest we had strolled through the prior day on our way to Deer Cave. The only entry into this cave is with a NP guide as the cave presents many physical and mental challenges and houses about 5 million bats.
Entrance to Deer Cave one of the largest bat caves in the world. It is about 20 stories high. Look at the black hole above Rob's head and you will see the entrance.
Rob, Jenny, Kellyn Johnson ( soon to be Wardell) and Erik Wardell
Once in the cave, with headlamps on and your sure footed awareness heightened, before you know it you are off the board walk and moving across and climbing slippery rocks rimmed with mountains of bat guano. The cave is dark and the lights from our headlamps the only illumination. We gingerly make our way trying not to put our hands down too often because of the certainty that they will rest in bat guano. In between boulders strung with ropes pitoned to the rocks we hold on and manuever our way across the boulders, up, down, around and through.
Boardwalk soon runs out and you are crawling over rocks and terrain covered with bat guano from millions of sleeping bats!
Finally reach the other end of the cave and come out to the Garden of Eden Valley
First you slip slide on bat guano covered rocks then you slip slide on the river rocks in the stream that runs along the bottom of the cave. This is a STRENUOUS trip only for those very fit and capable. The rangers don't emphasize that enough!!!
Luckily I have been working out daily, so this was more a psychological challenge than a physical one, although it was plenty physical in the heat and dank mugginess of the cave. Finally after not falling down into the cavern depths by hanging on to the ropes, crawling and climbing, we came to an opening and the other end of the cave and saw the river that runs through the cave floor. Here we had to choose between swimming the river or crawling up and over more rocks. Kellyn and I choose the river which seemed clear and cool. We waded into the suprisingly clear waters that came up to our neck. The guide took my guano covered backpack up and over the rocks and met us and the rest of the party on the other side of the rocks.
It was so refreshing just rinsing off some of the bat guano and sweat as we swam through the river. I had to do a mind set readjustment about the guano because of course things are what you make them. The guide offered his hand to help me through a particularly slippery rocky area. I was originally circumspect about offering him my guano covered hand but that did not last long. Soon I was no longer worried about where the shit landed and focused on trying to stay on my feet and keep up with the flow of the 7 of us through the cave to the far opening, called the Garden of Eden Valley. I guess after one has come through and crawled over the slippery, guano covered rocks, swum the cave rivers, walked along incredibly slippery rocky stream beds where 'small rocks, small rocks' is the keyword for safe foot placement, and survived not falling into the depths of the cave, not getting stuck in the rock crevices, then anything can legitimately be called 'The Garden of Eden." This forested waterfall area accessed after one emerges on the other side of the cave requires climbing up slip slidey muddy hillsides, holding onto tree roots for sure footedness and sliding through muddy underbrush. When we finally reached the waterfall it was a much needed break. I relaxed for a few breathes only to remember that we had to return the way we came to get back out of the cave and back to safety.
Once there our three millennials planned the National Park activities with a very challenging caving spelunking day, a tree top walk above the rain forest and some walks on the floor of the rain forest. We booked a guided tour of Deer Cave called The Garden of Eden walk through one of the largest caves in the world that went from 9:30am to 7:30 pm. Our guide was a wiry thin, fit Malay man who soon pointed out a viper in the trees above our heads and lead us through the rain forest trailed by a novice young,stout, female guide of Irish and Malay descent.
The walk starts through the Gunung Mulu Rainforest and you enjoy the flora and fauna along a boardwalk trail. Believe me much better than trying to make your way through the forest floor.
The five of us headed into the rainforest we had strolled through the prior day on our way to Deer Cave. The only entry into this cave is with a NP guide as the cave presents many physical and mental challenges and houses about 5 million bats.
Rob, Jenny, Kellyn Johnson ( soon to be Wardell) and Erik Wardell
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| Rob dropped his camera twice. The second time it fell in a stream and didn't make it. |
It was so refreshing just rinsing off some of the bat guano and sweat as we swam through the river. I had to do a mind set readjustment about the guano because of course things are what you make them. The guide offered his hand to help me through a particularly slippery rocky area. I was originally circumspect about offering him my guano covered hand but that did not last long. Soon I was no longer worried about where the shit landed and focused on trying to stay on my feet and keep up with the flow of the 7 of us through the cave to the far opening, called the Garden of Eden Valley. I guess after one has come through and crawled over the slippery, guano covered rocks, swum the cave rivers, walked along incredibly slippery rocky stream beds where 'small rocks, small rocks' is the keyword for safe foot placement, and survived not falling into the depths of the cave, not getting stuck in the rock crevices, then anything can legitimately be called 'The Garden of Eden." This forested waterfall area accessed after one emerges on the other side of the cave requires climbing up slip slidey muddy hillsides, holding onto tree roots for sure footedness and sliding through muddy underbrush. When we finally reached the waterfall it was a much needed break. I relaxed for a few breathes only to remember that we had to return the way we came to get back out of the cave and back to safety.
We all washed our hands in the clear waterfall pond and ate our NP provided chicken lunches glad to sun on the rock and watch Jenny swim in the pool and Erik take pictures of Kellyn who as always graciously modeled for him. Rob and I quietly applauding our 'Bolder Boomer' capability of hauling our butts over guano covered rocks and through rivers to get there. By this time Rob had fallen in the river twice and the 2nd time his camera got immersed enough that it did not make it out workable. So we sacrificed his 10 year old Nikon to the cave and got over it. Jen and Erik took enough photos for all of us.
I thought I had psyched myself up for the return journey without Xanax when our young female guide headed in a new direction down into a small hole just large enough for a body into the depths of the cave for our return. Yikes, I was not ready for going down, down, down into the rock crevices and not seeing the light of our exit. I really had to 'get it together, keep it together' to not freak out on this part. I was never so happy to see guano covered board walk in my life when we finally crawled through rock crevasses and hit it, ready to leave the cave depths behind. By this time it was only 3 pm and we still had one more cave to go to before going to sit outside of Deer Cave and watch the 3 million Borneo bats emerge at sunset for their evening feed of forest insects. I was not keen on doing a second cave having survived the first, but sucked it up and it was actually very interesting, stalagtite and stalagmite formations in the other cave. This time it was all boardwalk and no spelunking so it was a breeze. We were so glad to get back to the cave entrance to finally sit down and await the awakening and emergence of the bats who had so kindly slept through the day during our travels through their homeland. We did our part though and did not blare Jimmy Hendrix at them to awaken them from their slumber.
Upon reflection bats are amazing and they do get a bad rap. They did not bother us at all during our caving expedition. They slept and outside of their guano droppings ignored us. They keep to their own colonies and have very systematic behaviors for sleeping and eating. One of the most amazing natural experiences I have ever seen is their wave like migration out of the cave in black speckled spirals with a whirring of their wings speeding them on their way like a ribbon of black into the rain forest to feed. All 3 million bats emerge colony after colony in waves for about 30-45 minutes starting near sunset. It is truly a terrific sight and a natural wonder.
So when Rob and Jen decided to do the canopy walk early the next morning I opted to roll over and enjoy the sumptuous sheets of the Mulu Marriott where we had so happily spent our Frequent Flyer points for 5 nights in this great National Park. It would be followed by weeks of various backpacker guest houses and huts, lacking the sybaritic appeal that the Marriot afforded. When they returned from the canopy walk, they assured me that I had made the right decision for the height sensitive, anxiety disorder person that I am. They enjoyed it and I enjoyed not doing it especially after I talked with another 66 year old English woman who had done it and had admitted to being fairly petrified most of the time.
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