Lundu in Sarawak: Gunung Gading National Park

To see the Rafflesia, I went to the small town of Lundu, 3 hours from Kuching.

Astro (satellite) TV is a boon to the remote town of Lundu.

Lundu's sluggish river.

Motor workshop by the river.

Lundu's best hotel for 58 ringgit. The owner, Mr Ang, gave me a lift to the National Park.

Mountain stream in park.

Swinging in Gunung Gading National Park

                                 Temple's  guardian.

Tua Pek Kong Temple in Lundu.

The sleepy town of Lundu with Gunung Gading National Park looming outside town. The peak is an easy 900m climb.

Quiet and unhurried life in Lundu.May suit some.

Stories from Sarawak

The cat is Kuching's mascot

I had a chat with a Kuching lady in a private van to Pasar which is the transport hub,

Our conversation turned to the visit of PM Najib in Sibu where he was trying to drum up support for his ruling party, BN, in a bye-election.

She said, "People here are angry with BN. They take our resources and develop Semenanjong (West Malaysia). Public service in Sarawak is so poor. When you ask them when will my IC  be ready they will say not yet.

The dyak come down all the way to town for their IC, and they say not ready."

I said, "Why can't you telephone the department instead of going to the office?"

She said, "When you telephone them they don't jawab. Not like in Singapore, There the schools make ICs for the whole class. No need for parents to go to the IC department."

(BN, despite promising millions of ringgit to Sibu, lost the bye-election.)

BTW, I learned that when you're in Sabah or Sarawak don't announce that you're from Semenanjong. They won't welcome you.

Say you're from Singapore. Don't say you've not been warned. LOL

This is the reaction from Sarawakians if you say you're from Semenanjong!

Bako National Park, Sarawak Part 3 (final)

Canteen: reasonably priced food and drinks. Beer drinkers will rejoice.

Storm brewing at Bako.

In the evening what better way to while away the time than...

to watch the sunset?

Western backpackers clambering on board for the return trip.

Boatman Anuar: "Sometimes backpackers cheat me by claiming they've paid the fare."

Bako National Park, Sarawak, Part 2 of 3

My purpose in going to Bako was to trek and  to see some wildlife particularly the proboscis monkeys which thrive here.

A 15-minute boat ride was all it took to reach Bako. As it was low tide, we had to get off some way from the beach and wade in the water (wear slippers).

Bako beach

                               Four hours later, I'd not have the energy to smile for the camera.

                               The easy part but it gets tough as the trail climbs and dips endlessly for four hours.

I was on the lookout for croc. None : (

The varied terrain.

Scorching hot. Sweat was pouring off my limbs like a leaky pipe.

One misstep will send you tumbling into the stream. Hot, hot!

A glorious view from the hilltop.

Don't be a hero. Bring food, snacks and two big bottles of water. Heat stroke is a possibility so consider a hat/cap or umbrella.

I was disappointed in not being able to spot any wildlife. But Bako is rich in birdlife, and I was delighted to spot some birds I'd never seen before.

Sarawak: Bako National Park, Part 1 of 3

Jetty: Boats to Bako. 9 ringgit  per person or 47 ringgit to charter a whole boat.

Once again the lure of the Land of the Hornbill (Sarawak) proved irresistible.  This time it was Bako National Park, and the chance to see the largest flower in the world, the Rafflesia.

The good thing about Bako National Park is that it's easily reached from Kuching.

                                Boat speeding towards Bako. It takes 15 minutes across open sea to reach Bako.

Welcome to Bako

                                Canteen at Bako. Has satellite TV!

Most people stay at Bako. Cheap dorms and rooms available but no air-conditioning. Mine was a semi-d with attached toilet (52.50 ringgit) but even with a fan the room was warm at night, and I had a fitful sleep.

How to get to Bako from Kuching

Hourly bus leaves from Pasar (market) area starting from 8am. Takes about an hour to reach the jetty. Fare: 3 ringgit.

How to get from Miri to Niah Caves.

Someone asked how to get to Niah Caves. I couldn't find his comment so I'll respond here.

How to get to Niah Caves

1. A travel agent provides a bus service directly to Niah Caves. Be at Miri Bus Station by 8am (behind Park Hotel at southern end of town) RM60 per person
2. Take a cab, also from the same place, for the same amount.
3. Take a "pawangchia' or pirate taxi for the same amount. You can see them milling around Park Hotel.
4. Take a bus from the long-distance bus station outside town at Pujut to the little town of Niah, and from there take a cab to the Park HQ (cheapest but full of hassles)

I took a pirate taxi, an old junk of a car. I left at 9 am reaching Niah Park HQ at about 1015am. The driver returned at 4 pm, as instructed, to pick me up for the return trip to Miri.

Hope that helps.

Note: The canteen at Park Hq sells food and drinks. Reasonable prices.

Mir, Sarawak

When people heard I was going to Miri they gave me such a look as if to suggest the sun had got to me. Their reactions ranged from "Why go to such an ulu place?" "What's there to see there?" to "Haha, they're headhunters, right?"

These pictures will dispel such notions. You may not be aware but Air Asia now flies to Miri from Singapore (haha, no, Air Asia is not giving me free seats for this publicity)

Is this ulu? Broad streets and pavements.

Imperial Mall and Hotel. Ulu?

The seahorse: mascot of Miri

Miri also has its smaller version of "kampung ayer" (water village)

A bus stop: Good bus services connect even remote villages and towns. For long distance travel e.g. to Bintulu, Sibu and Kuching go to Pujut bus terminal outside town.

Bario's Homestays, Kelabit Highlands, Sarawak

Bariew Backpackers Lodge and Homestay: very popular. About 2 km from Bario airport. Owner is a Mr Reddish. Free ride to the homestay from the airport.

Relatives and friends of Homestay's owner. Mrs Reddish is on extreme right.She goes to the airport to look for guests. The guy (second from left) is all set to trek 8 hours over the mountains to his kampung in Indonesian Kalimantan.

Ngimat Ayu Homestay. 3.5 km from airport. Near art gallery and school. Has fantastic views of padi fields and mountains. With a good book and a coffee I can sit on its balcony all day!

This is the view from Ngimat Ayu Homestay.

Useful tips and info:

1. Homestay rate is RM$60 per person, and includes 3 meals and free flow of drinks.

2. Electricity comes on from 6PM to 11PM

3. Bring a torchlight for that visit to the toilet in the middle of the night. Or else you might stumble in the dark, crash into the flimsy toilet walls and bring the house down!

4. It's chilly at night.

5. Bring insect repellent or go mad with itchy insect bites.

Bario Loop, Kelabit Highlands, Sarawak

Bario Loop: starting from Bario, the capital, you could do the Bario Loop by trekking from village to village and finally returning to the starting point. And we're talking of a distance of at least 100 km! If only I had my mountain bike, this would have been great fun.

Sarawak, East Malaysia

This exceeded my perception that Sarawakians are laid-back people.

Lambir Hills, Sarawak

Lambir Hills National Park

Is this "lingzhi", dubbed the mushroom of immortality by the Chinese?
Nature can sometimes startle you with its beauty.

Lambir Hills National Park lies just 31 km from Miri. Compared to Niah National Park, it can be considered very small.

It boasts of trekking trails and a few pretty unimpressive waterfalls. The trekking trails range from short ones of 1 km to longer ones of up to 3 km over rather steep terrain.

As at Niah National Park, it was ferociously hot when I was there. But this time I took a nice cool shower in the park's toilets after the treks.

TIP: take bus 33A from Miri bus station to Pujut long-distance bus station. From there take another bus to Lambir Park (RM 5). Or else travel agents charge RM40 for a return trip. Taxi drivers ask for RM 40 PER PERSON for a return trip.

Miri Day 2

Today I'll be going to the world famous Niah Caves about 90 mins (102km)drive from Miri. Originally planned as a 3-day trip, it's been changed to a day trip.

It costs RM60 for the return trip.

I'll post pictures tonight.

Miri, Sarawak Day 1

VVIPs greeting visitors to Miri at the airport.
My backpacker guesthouse at Dillenia.
Miri street scene.
Today I took Air Asia''s first ever flight to Miri (Sarawak). This was my first flight with Air Asia, and I must admit I was quite impressed with its service. The meals were reasonably priced much to the delight of the passengers who booked them online (served first).

Now comes the surprising part. On arrival at Miri, we were greeted by big shots and a lot of photographers.

Another surprise is that Miri is full of cafes, eating places and hotels.

I stayed at a backpacker place called Dillenia (RM 30 for a dorm bed) with free breakfast and internet. The only downside is that it has no attached bathroom and toilet. But the owner is nice and friendly.