Bako National Park, Kuching, Sarawak - Part Two

2006 Bako National Park Exploration Trip
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

P.E said: ”Look over there” When I look down the cliff, there is a boat coming towards us. So P.E leads us down the cliff, to the beach. Our group leader went to bargain with the boatman on the price to bring us back to the park HQ. We aboard the boat, there are another three foreign tourists just arrive. We did ask them to join us, but they prefer to walk back. The boatride took us about 15minutes (if we walk it would takes two hours) to reach the park HQ, and I am starving. We all had our lunch at the Kerangas Café, that’s the only café available on Bako Park. I had fried rice + fried noodle + sausage + and chicken. My plate of food is just like the Mount Santubong, I seldom eat this much but I had use to much energy today.

That morning I had learn that the Bako Park contains “Seven” type of lowland tropical rainforests…

1. Kerangas or heath forest
2. Beach forest
3. Cliff Vegetation
4. Mangrove forest
5. Mixed dipterocarp forest
6. Grassland vegetation
7. Peat swamp forest

After lunch we went back to our hostel and I had nap for almost two hours. When I woke up, just in front of our hostel a bearded pig was having a mud spa o_O…. pig likes mud. We proceed trekking on the next trail Ulu Asam, which rich with different flora and fauna such as Pandanus, mushroom, fungus, hermit crab, and if lucky we even can see the famous proboscis monkey. Most of the trees here had their name label. When we reach the end of the trail there are still no sign of the big nose monkey, and I was a bit disappointed. Next trail is Tanjong Sapi which will lead us to a breathtaking viewpoint. It requires a lot of climbing, the trail is 0.5KM but for me, climbing up is like 5KM. But when I reach the viewpoint, is all worth the climbing and walking. We stay there for a while, and head back to our hostel for dinner. The sunset nearly 7:00pm, and the tied was low during sunset. I went to the beach to enjoy that fantastic view, the sunset just between the seastack and mount Santubong. It was an art of nature.

After the dinner we went for night trail at Ulu Asam again, the main highlight is the fungus that can glow (at first I don’t believe 100%, but when I saw it myself…), and fireflies. If I am lucky enough I might see other animal as well. P.E had sharp eyes, he shows us the fungus which glow at night but it was so tiny all I can see is just ….hey I can’t see anything, but when asked to turn off our torchlight, a very tiny dim light right in front of us. I rub my eyes for few times to confirm, and yep it really glows. Then we went to the Lintang Trail to see fireflies, along the trails, though I’ve use insect repellent, but the mosquito still keeps on biting me, and Kenny and the rest of the gang. The fireflies had transformed the mangrove tree into Christmas tree, blinking on the tree branch. We all sat at the jetty, while enjoying the night view. The moon was full, the night sky is full of starts and it was very quiet. Kenny and I lie just on the jetty and look up to the starts, the moon and the mangrove tree which block my view. We went back to the hostel around 09:45pm. After bath, I check on my toes, and I had one bleb on the left and one on the right…

(to be continue in my next post)


The beautiful beach


The boatman, and P.E pushing the boat from shore


This is a close up on the seastack that symbolize Bako Park, but this is not a good angle to shoot the seastack


Mount Santubong. Was planning to climb mount Santubong as well, but no one wants to go with me


It only took us about 15minutes to reach the HQ, compare to a 3 hours walking under the hot sun. Which one you prefer?


The Kerangas Café


My lunch, fried rice + fried noodle + sausage + and chicken


The bearded pig having it mud spa


Naughty monkeys around, watch out!!!


To Ulu Asam


This is an abandon termite nets


Wired twisted tree trunk


Look at the size of the Pandanus.


This is the Asam fruit. It can be use to cook asam fish head.


Teluk Delima, left


Slip rocks


Mangrove and swamp


The hermit crab


Mangrove roots


To our next viewpoint Tanjong Sapi


Into the woods we go


We need to keep on climbing, I seldom exercise so is a tough climb for me


wild mushroom growing on a rotten tree branch


A wired fungus, it had a slimy liquid cover all over it. There is a hole on top of the fungus, Kenny use a stick to touch it and it spray some white powder out from the hole. I hurry cover my nose, who know it might contain poison


The viewpoint, all of us are very tired when we reach here. There is a place for us to sit-down and rest. I can see a lot of people had carved their name and date on the rocks, and on the chair. P.E was very disappointed on this, and I notice that most of them are local people name. I feel ashamed as well, cause there are a lot of foreign visitor came here, and this will lead a bad impression to the local people


Wilson Chin (Me), and P.E


6:52pm, the beautiful sunset


Pit viper


A signboard “Watch-out for falling coconuts”


A big size pit viper, it is very poising. With one bite, it will be bye bye. And that crazy P.E actually touch the freaking snake


We saw monkey on the tree


There are glowing fungus, but it only glow a very dim light. My camera is not powerful enough to shoot that light


I am holding the glowing fungus; it is very tiny so I can’t see it. But when switch off my torchlight, I can see tiny dim light


The dark water


My right foot, with a bleb on it


Sames goes for my left foot toe
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Kenny had told me a very good phrase “Take nothing but photograph, leave nothing but footprints” So DO NOT crave your name and date on the trees, or rocks, or chairs, or any other place at the park this will only spoil the nature beauty of the National Park. If you want to prove that you have been there, just do it like me TAKE PHOTOS.