SIBU, MIRI, NIAH CAVES AND LAMBIR NATIONAL PARK
After
the kayaking expedition down the Semadang River, I organized an overnight,
possible 2 night trip out to Bako National
Park. The park is not far out of
Kuching and requires a simple bus journey and quick boat ride to access
it.
Accommodation is
simple, cheap and must be booked in advance in Kuching itself at the National
Park Booking Office at the corner of Jalan Carpenter and Jalan Tun Abang Haji
Openg.
Although I had booked
and paid $5 for a dorm room at Bako, I woke up that morning and decided to keep
moving north and jumped a bus to Sibu. This cost 50 myr
and took around 7-8 hours, never believe the time they tell you the bus journey
will take ANYWHERE in Malaysia!!
A great site for bus
schedules, prices and almost everything Malaysian travel related
If I had planned it
earlier, you can actually take a river ferry from Kuching to Sibu, which I
think would have been awesome, but you live and learn, I see myself back in
Borneo in the future anyway.
After arriving so
late the first night, I decided to stay 2 nights here to check out the town,
not much to report really, though as always, great food. Some quotes from
wikitravel... sounds like my kinda place!! Though in all honesty,
it didn't seem so bad.
" Unofficially, Sibu has been coined the 'Wild West' of Malaysia and the term has existed for more than 20 years. The
nickname came about due to the nature of 'lawlessness' and frequent triad activities in Sibu"
"Bars and pubs, often occupied by the
regular patrons. Take caution of shady characters. Do not stare back when
looked at."
"Travelers should take note that gossip is
an endemic problem in Sibu. It can be difficult to escape unwanted and
intrusive attention but keeping a low profile can help to reduce the extent of
this problem.
There
are many shady characters in Sibu, whom one must avoid at all costs.
Gangsterism
is a problem in Sibu; most of the gangs are probably connected with some of the
numerous timber barons in the town"
I honestly can't remember where I
stayed in Sibu, but it was soon time to catch another bus further north to Miri, 50 myr again and at least another 8-9 hours. As
with most of Malaysia, the bus terminal is right on the out skirts of town and
will require a taxi late at night or a local bus to get you into the town
proper.
In Miri I am booked in at Venice Inn Hotel for around $20au a night, which turns
out to be just fine, I like the location and end up staying for almost a week.
The number one choice for eating
and drinking for foreigners and locals alike, seems to be the Ming
Cafe. Boasting a great location, menu, ambience, drinks list and
attentative staff, it became my evening hangout where I could hook up to their
free wifi, watch football (via laptop) and meet all sorts of people.
Unfortunately, as per usual,
scooter rental in Miri was also non existent and I tend to feel trapped not
having my own transportation and being limited to the bus routes.
An overnight trip out to Niah
Caves and National Park was
on the agenda and is fairly easily reached, a local bus will take you to the
main terminal where you jump on a south bound coach back towards Bintulu.
Tell the driver you want to go to Niah Caves and he will drop you at a
small junction near the town of Batu Niah (that has some really amazing food in
one of those typically Asian bus-stop food halls, don't be shy to try the
delicious buffet style spreads here).
A taxi from here will cost you 30
myr straight to the park headquarters where you can organize accommodation
fairly cheaply. There was another foreign girl waiting at the junction so
I quickly assumed she was heading to Niah and soon we were teamed up ready to
explore the caves and share costs.
Get
to Niah Caves.... or ask at the local tourist office
WonderfulMalaysia is
also another great site I used regularly
Sarah and I hit the trekking
trails straight away, you have to cross a little river first which will cost
you 1 myr and has a boatman waiting all day to ferry you back and forth.
Once on the other side of the river it is a beautiful walk through the
jungle, though most of the way is man made trails.
Once you reach the caves there
are once again wooden boardwalks and stairs to guide you through, I recommend
bringing a face mask of some sort, the stench from the bird and bat shit can be
fairly overpowering. We explored the cave then waited at the entrance for
nearly an hour, hoping to catch a glimpse of the 'changing of the guard', where
you can witness the 2 black clouds of birds and bats crossing the sky, the
birds heading home and the bats going out to hunt.
No such luck today though and we
found ourselves walking back through the trails in the dark, the sounds of the
jungle buzzing around us and the beautiful sight of fireflies all around made
for a great walk. I had never seen fireflies before. Oh and I missed stepping on a decent sized snake by mere centimeters as he crossed the path in front of us, be aware that you really are in the jungle here.
The park accommodation was very
simple and so was the food, but they both served their purpose and the place is
well worth a visit. Our plan was to stop at Lambir Hills National park
on the way back to Miri and do an overnighter there also.
Still very few photos of Borneo..
