Mulu National Park

Today we flew out to Mulu to begin our trekking through Gunung Mulu National Park which is another UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can see the traditional longhouses below.

photo courtesy of Nigel Kerby

Fans to keep cool (photo by Nigel Kerby)

Time to do a bit of shopping.  I bought this nifty rabbit fan to help me keep cool.  Perfect for Easter!

Dad, this one is for you!

We immediately headed out to check out some caves.  On our way we saw this pit viper.  Pit vipers got their name from these pits near their eyes and nostrils that are extremely sensitive infrared detecting organs used to detect their prey.  This one was sitting here in the exact same spot waiting for some unsuspecting prey to come by.

Red millipede

Our first stop was Deer Cave which was named due to the deer that would go there to lick the salt bearing rocks. Deer Cave was known as the largest cave passage in the world until the discovery of Sơn Đoòng cave in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park in Vietnam.

Nearby, was the smaller Lang's cave.

Who does this look like?  Yes, Honest Abe.

At dusk, there is a massive exodus of bats from the cave forming crazy shapes in the sky.  The bats don't really know where to fly and all try to follow the one who seems to be leading the way.

Amazing formations.  This first video was shot at the mouth of the cave.  We were the only people there, and managed to get out of the area just before getting locked in for the night.  Whew!

We then went over to a viewing platform to watch them for a bit more before heading back.

We walked back to the lodge in the dark, and were able to see more crazy creatures of the night.

A well camouflaged lizard.

Spider on its egg sack.

Walking stick.