Apr 20 - At the park for our 8:45 departure by boat to Clearwater Cave. The Dutch family is here so very entertaining for Odette. The water is a bit low so there is some running up and poling to get through the flat rapids. We stop at Batu Bungan, a small village on the west bank of the Melinau River. The idea is to show us a local village but mostly to offer handwoven trinkets for purchase. Fortunately, there is plenty of signage up regarding the native people and their traditions, so there is something to do for non-buyers.
More rapids and poling get us to the dock for the cave. Clearwater Cave is like the ones we saw yesterday, in that it is an underground river slowly eroding downwards and leaving a cavernous roof above. There are a couple of endemic plant species here, including one that is just a single leaf growing out of the cliff walls.
Exiting here, we go down to the river where there is an official swimming hole. It isn’t along the principal river but is an outlet from the underground stream with much clearer water. Not so many ‘bitey fish’ here. Eat lunch at the park restaurant with the Dutch family.
Back to the homestay during mid-afternoon, some storms so it isn’t sweltering in the aluminum-roofed house. Back to the park for the night walk, but a thunderstorm occurs right about 19:00 and the guides call it off. For a while the sky looks like a strobe light. Odette and I go around anyway, under an umbrella in heavy rain, to look for frogs. We find many, plus a large black scorpion. Back at the park café, Odette plays with the Dutch kids until after 21:00.
The air has cooled off considerably and tonight it is cold in the rooms. The rain has apparently activated a certain species of frog that is very loud. So loud that I can’t even hear the roosters from 2:00 onwards.
Malaysia (Sarawak)