Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
Greetings from deepest, darkest Borneo, Mulu in Sarawak. Will bung up some pics and vid of the adventures later, enjoying a cuppa overlooking the local river after bit of a trek through the jungle. More caves to see this afternoon before retiring to our native longhouse. View at the mo.
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OK, the longhouse may be a bit misleading, it’s the Mulu Marriott Resort, and very nice it is too.
17th Apr 2024 4:10 am
PROFSR G
Member Since: 06 Mar 2017
Location: Lost
Posts: 5044
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
It’s a bit out of the way on this jolly, as long as it doesn’t screw up our flights. Would hate to be stuck here in deepest darkest Borneo, mind you could get used to the Marriott.
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18th Apr 2024 12:18 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
The whole reason that Mulu NP exists is these little fellas.
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There are MILLIONS and MILLIONS of them and bit before sunset between 3 and 5 million of them stream out of the Deer Cave to feast on 15 tonnes of bugs!! It’s quite a spectacle!
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Prior to this vid they came out in little ribbons, then when this stream didn’t stop I started filming. 5 minutes later it looked like they were petering out so stopped, but they continued for a good few minutes after I stopped. Quite a spectacle!
The hotel is open air common and dining areas, so once it gets dark the bats love it as bugs are attracted by the lights. There was a big bug flying against one of the rain canopies, was a treat watching a mahoosive bat swooping in, jink towards bug and pick up a tastie snack.
18th Apr 2024 2:42 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
Spoke too soon re volcano! Got to KK from Mulu only to see the departures board a sea of angry red CANCELLED flights. Looks like most flights are canned for the next 18 hours, we’ll see what tomorrow brings.
18th Apr 2024 7:09 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
A few more pics from Mulu NP. Mulu is one of those places only easily accessible by air, really out in the jungle. We did loads of jungle treks, day and night, here’s a load of pics in no particular order.
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The last 2 pics were a hike to the Langam Cave in torrential rain. If anyone goes to Mulu that cave is an absolute must! It’s a 1km hike there, a km in the caves than back to the boat. It’s got proper walkways so easy to walk through, but no lights our torches, no distractions, only the two of us plus our guide, fantastic. Lots of swiftlets flying through the cave in total blackness using echo-location through clicks. It’s a true miracle how they can fly around in the kilometres of caves, zero light, eating bugs then finding their way to their nest in a tiny crevasse. If our torches had all failed we’d have real problems. Deffo thing of nightmares!
Millipede that curls up in a ball when the leaf next to it is touched. Sweeeeeet!
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And bugs and beasties from a night walk.
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Cat snake, venomous type, gave our guide a bit of a fright! Luckily he was more keen on getting away from us rather than saying hello.
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Now in Kota Kinabalu, by resort truck and MASWings ATR.
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Great views of the jungle until we hit the clouds.
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Here for 2 nights before heading back to Singapore. Hopefully!! Most of the airlines here have put a hold on flights but there are a good few a/c flying around, Singapore Airlines doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo re the volcano. Keeping fingers crossed as this week is majorly busy and virtually every flight in a few days is either full or stupidly expensive!
18th Apr 2024 10:20 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
Made it to Singapore c/o this bad boy!!
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Was a tad nervous re getting here, but loads of prayers to the volcano gods worked.
20th Apr 2024 8:01 am
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26775
Hopefully you’re not going via Dubai?
20th Apr 2024 8:21 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
Luckily heading t’other way. We’ve never done a Middle East carrier, timings have always been rubbish for us and singles (and returns) tend to be very expensive.
Re rain, it’s chucking it down here in Singapore, with lightning left, right and centre!! Loud enough that it prevented late afternoon schnooze in the tub.
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And re the Indonesian volcano, we were lucky in that it caused real disruption on Thurs all day & Fri am. Then in the afternoon the flights all returned and normality was restored. Not going to tempt fate but our next hop shouldn’t be affected. Unless it really lets rip!
20th Apr 2024 9:34 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
OK, and bye bye MY. That’s about 6 weeks in that country and thoroughly enjoyed it. The peeps are really friendly, esp to two lost looking tourists in areas that don’t normally see the likes of us. Prices are super cheap, about 1/4 of the prices in Singapore, getting around varies from super easy and slick to challenging but with enough time in the schedule that wasn’t a problem. The National Parks were superb, spotting wildlife that you only see on TV, plus we’re starting to feel quite at home in the jungle. As long as the “longhouse” had AC.
On Monday, volcanos willing, we’re off to a new country for both of us. Visas have been approved, extra cabbage bought at much expense (cabbage is our speak for cabin baggage) and we wave goodbye to Singapore for this jolly, as we did to MY this morning. As a clue to where that is, there’s a Redgum track that gives it away. The adventure continues, in the mean time it’s nice to sit with a beer watching the lightning and rain.
20th Apr 2024 10:10 am
Gareth Site Moderator
Member Since: 07 Dec 2004
Location: Bramhall
Posts: 26775
A new series of Race around the World has just started on BBC1. Japan to Indonesia. I reckon you and Mrs DSL should apply for the next series.
You’d be naturals, and I’d put my money on you.
20th Apr 2024 12:15 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
We saw that and had plenty of tips for how to do it once out of Japan. Before then it’s pretty expensive. Only problem is they have to work to top up their meagre allowance. Work, what is this work they speak of!
20th Apr 2024 12:35 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
And bye bye Singapore for a while. Nice little stay, refreshed and ready for next leg. We did try and do something useful, we went off in search or the elusive Asian short clawed otter but only saw this sign.
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Took a pic of prob the most photographed thing in Singapore. Along with everyone else.
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Gratuitous pano.
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And finally great view from the airport hotel’s window. Nice bit of plane spotting undertaken.
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Off to pastures new shortly, touch wood and JetStar willing.
21st Apr 2024 11:37 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
And greetings from Bali!!
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Cheers all, Balinese fizz and it’s gorgeous! Bit of a bun fight through the airport, we need this!
22nd Apr 2024 7:09 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73086
Right, settled into our mahoooooosive suite (we only booked the basic room), unpacked, soaked in the lovely bath for an hour, now down to lounge for happy two hours and started working through the Indonesian wines on the menu. The fizz and rose are excellent!
We were told last week that it’s NSW school holibobs and most of them have landed at Denpasar at the same time as us!! Immigration had a massive queue which we joined, but virtually immediately twigged that we just need to go to the eGates as we had done out visas on line. Then a curve ball, online customs declaration, which we could have done ahead of time but we hadn’t seen anything about it. Luckily my 3 sim had connected, 4g to the rescue! Through customs, get a 4,000,000 IDR out the ATM, ignore the temptation of the local SIMs and walk past hundreds of name boards, none of them ours!! Got a GRAB (Asian Uber) sorted but in the 10 minutes it took him to pick us up we were pestered by about 20 other e-ride toutes! Lots of hassle, up until our driver arrives. Missing MY already, it’s so much calmer and more easy going.
We’ve got 4 weeks in Indonesia, not sure my nerves can cope!!
Oh, and gratuitous pic of evening nibbles.
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Sun is going down, as is rose VC, and MrsDSL is already scoping out the next Indonesian vino to try. I’ll be girlie and stick to the rose.
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