Lambir Hills NP, Sarawak
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Hi Folks,
================================= After Miri, my next stop in Sarawak was Lambir Hills National Park, a fine example of coastal secondary growth jungle. As you can see from the photo above, the facilities are not as rustic as some would expect in Borneo. =================================
August 2006
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It's mid-afternoon when the bus driver drops me off and points to the other side of the highway. This must be the National Park, so I make my way up the path towards several buildings in the distance. After checking in, the office gives me a map of the park, but informs me all the close-by trails are closed indefinitely. From the trail descriptions, the longer trails appear more interesting, so the closures don't bother me. After dropping my stuff in the room, a short walk takes me past a lotus pond, then to several buildings where researchers are housed. Luckily, several were resident and recommended interesting trails and hikes for tomorrow. But now they were getting ready to take an evening walk in the jungle to capture and survey bats. An offer to join them was not extended, and I wasn't about to invite myself. Other research projects at the park include a multi-decade endeavor where the growth of every tree in a designated region is recorded. If interested in volunteering, contact the park. Otherwise, this area is off limits to the public. Got an early start the next morning after the cafeteria made a bag lunch for me. The path has lots of ups and downs and a few forks, reasonably well described on the map. Several waterfalls were visited, but the trees are what interested me the most. Over the next seven hours, no other humans were encountered. Did hear a few unexplained noises, but never saw motion in the distance, let alone sighting the source. The closest animals observed were ants, fish, and birds. Some of the ants were so small it was difficult to see them. Also photographed some of the huge specimens - certainly over one-inch long. The birds were small but too far away to identify. The fish, however, were bold enough to beg for food scraps. Hiking on trails several miles away from the park HQ was most rewarding, as the path becomes less used and offered undisturbed sightings of mushrooms, variegated plants, and a tremendous variety of trees. Someone pointed out that pitcher plants were growing at the edge of a clearing by the main trailhead. Sure enough, got one good photo.
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Lotus pond flower near park HQ and lodging.  Huge ants were the closest encounter to wildlife on the trail.  These towering mushrooms were growing in the center of the trail.  Look at the diversity of bark in just one photograph along the path!  Here is another unusual site. Could it be the tree began growing on an anthill, which was subsequently washed away? |
 Photos of buttressed tree, pitcher plant, and bracket fungi. |
 Snapshots of another mushroom between wild variegated plants in the jungle. |
Have enjoyed the jungle, but it's time to move on to more sights of Borneo. Bintulu is the next town down the highway, and it appears a kite festival is happening. The busses pass by here early in the morning, so an early start tomorrow is mandatory.
Enjoy!
Bill
Questions? Email me at the juno.com address dancer2SEAsia.
"Travel is Fatal to Bigotry, Prejudice, and Narrow-minded ness" .... attributed to Mark Twain
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