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Gigantic Tawai Waterfall in Telupid, the Heart of Sabah

I love waterfall and I couldn’t wait to see the 95-Meter tall Tawai Waterfall, the biggest waterfall in the Heart of Sabah, after my friend told me about it. Tawai Waterfall is located inside the 22,697-ha Tawai Forest Reserve, a 1st-class protected forest managed by Telupid Forestry Department. You must apply a permit from Sabah Forestry Department HQ before entering this protected area.

To reach this destination, first I needed to drive 200 KM from Kota Kinabalu city to Telupid town, which took me about 4 hours driving on a paved road. There is no gasoline station after Ranau, so make sure you fill up your oil tank. To go to Tawai Waterfall from Telupid, you need 4-wheel drive, as it is only accessible via gravel and muddy road.

Luckily it was weekday and the forestry officers also planned to collect seedling and patrol in Tawai forest, so I just followed their vehicle. Otherwise I had to pay nearly RM1,000 to charter a 4WD and guide. The journey is nearly 3 hours one way and part of the road is steep and muddy. We departed in the morning so we could get back before dark.

Our 4WD crossed 3 rivers easily, as they are not deep during dry season. According to the forestry staffs, the old route to Tawai Waterfall took less than an hour, but a bridge was collapsed and they waited for the fund to repair it. Therefore, we had to take the alternative longer route, like a big U-turn, to enter the place from behind.

I had travelled to almost every corner of Sabah, so nothing in Sabah is really new to me. However, during this long ride, I found that I was in a totally strange environment. The vegetation is so different and the “rusty” soil is reddish in color, so I joked to others, “Are we on Mars planet now?”

The forest is blanketed by ferns and dominated by shrubs shorter than 10 Meters, with low number of tall trees scattered around. They told me these are the characteristics of Ultramafic Forest. More on this topic later.

The new and long route passed through other forest reserves such as Deramakot, Tangkulap and Pinangah. Tawai forest is somewhat connected to Kinabatangan, the wildlife sanctuary in Sandakan, so we saw many fresh elephant dropping along our way. I saw a big wild boar and another car spotted a king cobra. The ranger says orangutan also exists in Tawai, I’m so happy to know that.

Pic: starting point of the walk to Tawai Waterfall.

Finally we reached the starting point of the walk before noon. We parked our cars there and walked to the waterfall. I could hear that it is very near and hidden behind the dense wood.

Once I stepped out of my car, my eyes and camera were getting very busy, because I was dearly amazed by what I saw.

Pitcher Plant Garden

There are pitcher plant (Nepenthes) everywhere! They grow among the dense fern plant, on the ground and shrubs.

Every step I took, I saw a new pitcher plant, so I kept stopping and taking photos while the rest had to wait for me. That’s so crazy.

Tawai also has very high density of nepenthes like the heath forest (Kerangas) of Maliau Basin, but both sites have different variety.

In a few minutes, I saw Nepenthes rafflesiana, Nepenthes ampullaria, Nepenthes gracilis, and other probable hybrids. Next time I want to camp here to see more!

Hello… Tawai Waterfall!

Though I was so obsessed with the pitcher plant, I had to catch up with the rest to Tawai Waterfall.

At first, we went to see the top of Tawai Waterfall.

The walk to the top of Tawai Waterfall is only 5 minutes away. There is a shelter near the waterfall.

There is another smaller waterfall (Meliau Waterfall) about 1-hour trekking from here, but we were short of time (and energy) to explore it. Actually Forestry department calls Tawai as Waterfall A and Meliau as Waterfall B.

What I saw was just a river flew to a cliff. From this location, you can’t see the end and tell that it’s a huge waterfall ahead. The edge is so steep and dangerous to explore.

After the “sneak peek”, we took another 300-Meter trail that descends 70 Meters to a viewing point where we could see the whole waterfall.

The climb only takes 20 minutes, but the trail is very steep with uneven surface. I can’t make it without the rope support. The rangers warned me that the rope is nearly 10 years old and it might snap. We just proceeded slowly and cautiously. Luckily the rope is still very strong.

The rope is so old that, over time it slowly embedded into the tree that it lean against, as if someone drills a hole on the tree to install the rope railing. Once the budget is available, they want to build proper facilities such as stairway and toilet for visitors. For now, it is not ready for normal tourists.

Tawai Waterfall in the view. See how small the people are?

So here is the moment, the gigantic Tawai Waterfall right in front of my eyes!

The splash is so strong that it creates a rainbow.

Tons of unpolluted water flowing through pristine forest, what a view! You can watch the 1-min video below to get a feel of it:

Click Here to watch wider video

Pic: Mr. Ismailey, the Telupid District Forestry Officer, with the Tawai Waterfall.

Mr. Ismailey is a nice and adventurous gentleman. He has a vision to turn Tawai into a new nature attraction. Thank you for sharing the beauty of Tawai with me. I also want to thank other Sabah forestry staffs, Bonaventure, Matthew, Micheal, James, Awang and Mohammad for their hospitality. Thank you Datuk Sam (Director of Sabah Forestry Department) for the permit.

Below is the location map of Tawai Waterfall:

View My Sabah Map in a larger map

Ultramafic Forest

Ok, now come back to Ultramafic Forest. After the visit, I think the ultramafic forest is more significant than the waterfall. We can find bigger waterfalls all over the world, but our ultramafic forest is more unique and one of the least studied terrestrial ecosystems in Borneo.

Ultramafic rocks are formed at very high temperatures and pressures in the absence of water, during the process of upwelling of magma and the cooling of the oceanic crust. The soils of ultramafic zone contain magnesium, chromium, cobalt and nickel, which are toxic to most plant and infertile for agricultural purposes. That explains why pitcher plant, which grows well on soils poor of nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium and calcium, flourishes here.

The ultramafic forest occupies about 3,500 Sq. KM, or 4.6 % of the total land area of Sabah. As a result of the soil conditions, the trees in ultramafic forest are relatively shorter than rainforest. The lack of tall timbers allows this forest gets away from logging, and over 60% of the Tawai Forest Reserve in Telupid is still in pristine condition.

Only certain plant species adapt to such soil. 11 unique plants that are endemic to the ultramafic areas are found in Tawai Forest Reserve, and five are recorded only from Tawai and nowhere else in the world.

The ultramafic forest of Tawai can be sub-divided to Lowland Ultramafic Forest (23%), Upland Ultramafic Forest (49%), Lower Montane Ultramafic Forest (5%) and Ultramafic Heath Forest. This may sound meaningless to you, but it is an exciting playground for naturalists and researchers who love to see unique vegetation of Borneo.

Pic: Sembilu, is endemic to Borneo and abundant in Tawai.

Besides the special forest, more than 100 bird species are found in Tawai and bird watchers have started exploring this area and hope to rediscover birds not documented in Sabah. 26 mammals such as wild boars, barking deer (payau), mouse deer, Red leaf monkeys, clouded leopards and gibbons live in Tawai.

I’m glad that Sabah Forestry Department has gazetted Tawai Forest Reserve as protected forest. Otherwise it would have been engulfed by oil palm plantation.

To visit Tawai Forest Reserve, you need to get a permit from Sabah Forestry Department. The tourist infrastructure there is not ready and they are limiting access to this forest, to avoid any damage caused by recreational activities. In other words, no guarantee they will grant you the entry.

More Photos

You may check out my photo album if you want to see more nice pictures:

Photos taken in Telupid, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Kota Kinabalu Wetlands, Past and Present

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“Deforestation happens every minute. How many trees we can save?” Environmentalists are always dismayed by the clearing of forest everywhere, as if we are fighting a losing battle. It’s really frustrating that whenever we plant one tree, others cut a thousand at the same time. Anyway, a lush forest starts with a few small trees, so I would say “Every tree counts! Just do whatever we can.”

In fact, our efforts are bearing fruit, but it takes a long time to see them. For example, thousands of mangrove seedling were planted in Kota Kinabalu Wetlands (KK Wetlands) by nature lovers from all walks of life since 1998, and the trees are flourishing. The following chronicle photos would comfort your minds.

Above: note both sides of the boardwalk are tall and dense trees today. We planted a lot of mangrove here in annual World Wetlands Day.

Above: the entrance to the boardwalk was once an open area. See the small tree at the right. It is so tall after 10 years!

There is a saying in Chinese, “The predecessors plant the tree and the descendants enjoy the shade” (?????????). We always pave the way for our next generation, so they can have a better future than ours, that’s already an unspoken mission of parents. For example, we let our children inherit our big houses, profitable family business and lot of fortune.

However, does money mean EVERYTHING to our future generation? Do you think they can live happily if the air they breathe and the water they drink are dirty? If we handover our house to our sons and daughters, it’ll be clean and even nicely renovated, right? Our earth is also like a house, sadly, many people decide to handover an earth that is messy and piled with rubbish to their kids. Pollution issue such as stinky river and hazy sky isn’t “a problem next door”, your offspring won’t get away from your wrongdoing, so please keep our environment clean and green.

Above: We rehabilitated the mangrove trees along the river bank. See what we get after 10 years!

Above: a clear area becomes densely forested now, after Department of Irrigation did a mangrove replanting only 5 years ago.

Above: the mangrove trees also grow very high. The Wisma Perindustrian building almost “disappears” behind the wall of tall trees. Many wild birds find this spot a paradise and like to gather here in the late afternoon.

Above: illegal immigrants stealing clams
Things seem fine but KK Wetlands is still facing many challenges. Just to list a few, some bird species vanish after the golf course opened. Otter and monkey disappeared since the invasion of illegal squatters near the park. And don’t even think about cleaning the rubbish brought in by the river every day, they are too many.

Though small (24 hectares), KK Wetlands fulfills the criteria to be certified as a Ramsar site, designated under the Ramsar Convention, for wetland of international importance, in terms of fauna & flora, ecology system and feeding stop for migratory birds. Malaysia has 6 Ramsar sites and Kinabatangan Floodplain in Sabah being the biggest. If KK Wetlands becomes untouchable Ramsar site, many greedy developers will be disappointed, as they can’t wait to flatten this area, which is a gold property due to its proximity to the city.

We need to fight for the survival of the wetland, like the recently proposed high-rise condominium developments close to the park. Those developers want to use nature view as the selling point of their property, but the things they do have detrimental impacts to the mangrove. When I worked there, I also chased away many illegal immigrants who trespassed our park to steal clams. So now you can see, this park is being bugged by BIG and small “flies”.

Above: these replanted mangrove trees have fully grown and I saw them bear fruits yesterday!

Well, at this moment, let’s enjoy what we have and wish that they will stay for us forever.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

The Oldest Tree of Kota Kinabalu

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You had seen it, probably hundreds times, if you live in Kota Kinabalu (KK). The oldest tree of KK has been standing next to one of our busiest roads for over 80 years, but most motorists don’t even notice it. Guess what? This heritage tree is valued at RM600,000 (about USD$181,000)!

Now you want to see it right? 🙂 KK City Hall (DBKK) told me that there are a few of them near the traffic light next to Wisma MUIS (yellow building at the right of the photo above).

If you still can’t tell the exact trees from my photos above, you may use the location map below:

View My Sabah Map in a larger map

These old trees are over 20 Meters tall and have broad umbrella-shaped canopy. They exist since the British colony time, the time when Sabah is known as North Borneo. When British government was ruling our state, they planted a lot of trees near building and field, so their people can enjoy some shade in warm and wet tropical climate.

However, less than 100 trees of colony age stands until today around KK, most of them are over 60 years old, and these two are over 80 years old, being the oldest in Sabah capital.

The trees have short bole with heavy side-branches. Some epiphytes such as Bird’s Nest Ferns find the branches a nice habitat. Who knows you might find orchid on it.

Other famous KK city tour destinations such as Sabah State Mosque and Sabah Museum are less than 500 Meters from these trees. The funny thing is – no tourist visits the oldest heritage trees. I bet most Sabah travel agents don’t know about it. Do you see the man (at red arrow) standing next to the tree? Just to let you know how tall and big this tree is.

The second tree nearest to the traffic light is about the same height too.

FYI, they are Rain Tree or Monkey Pod (known as “Hujan-Hujan” in Malay language, Species: Samanea saman), which is native to northern South America and a common ornamental and shade tree for parks & big gardens. Typically Rain Tree can reach 15 to 25 Meters (50 Meters in rare case) in height with a broad crown of 30 Meters in diameter. Rain Tree can live an average of 80-100 years. Now they are over 80 years old, so you better check them out soon, before they are gone within 20 years.

The British tourists would be excited to see this “legacy” left by their ancestors in Sabah. The bark of Rain Tree is rough and fissured in long plates or corky ridges, like the wrinkled face of an old man.

On the tree trunk, you will find a metal tag that reads, (translated) “This tree is gazetted as the heritage tree under the small law of Kota Kinabalu City Hall. Any planned action on this tree must be reported to:
Director, Landscape Department of KK City Hall,
7th Floor, Center Point Building, No.1 Bandaran Road, 88675 Kota Kinabalu.
Tel: 088-244000 Fax: 088-243501″
The ID of these two tree are JTAR-4002/2009 and JTAR-4003/2009, and you can call KK City Hall to find out more.

There is another tall Rain Tree (ID No.: JTAR-4005/2009) next to the traffic light. It is smaller so I’m not sure if it’s also the oldest.

There are hundred of heritage trees in KK get this little golden tag that exempts them from being cut down. If you look at the trees, especially the big and old ones, around Gaya Street, Tanjung Aru, KK roadside, Merdeka Field (Padang Merdeka), etc., you will see many trees are tagged as heritage trees. A tree needs to meet one of the following requirements to become a heritage tree:
1) Older than 25 years
2) Planted by celebrity
3) Diameter exceeds 60 CM
4) Taller than 5 Meters
5) Grow in historical site

Besides supplying oxygen and purifying the air, trees also provide shade for us. You will really appreciate that shade during hot day.

When the trees flower, our city will look like having a blossoming cherry season.

I would like to credit Chung Yi Ni (???), the reporter from See Hua Newspaper (????) who wrote the article titled “The Oldest Tree of Kota Kinabalu” (??????) that was published on newspaper on 12 Jun 2011. The article is so well-written that she won an award. And that’s how I learn about these trees and share this online.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Long Pasia – To the Heart of Borneo (part 3 of 6)

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Continued from Part 2…

Fefukan Waterfall is the newest attraction at the south of Long Pasia. There were only 4 foreign tourists (from UK, Denmark, Italy and Holland) have been there, and we are the first group of Sabahan tourists.

Jungle Trekking to Fefukan Waterfall

Even after 3.5 hour of rapid shooting on Matang River, we still need to walk 4 to 5 hours on 10 KM of undulating terrain to get there. We started the jungle trekking at 1PM. Luckily we have a few porters to carry some of our stuffs. In addition to the camping tent and cooking utensil, each of them can take weight as heavy as 50 Kg (but still walk faster than us)!

>> Click Here to see more photos of Long Pasia

Because very few people walked this route before, the trail is in the most pristine and challenging condition. The trail is raw, slippery, muddy, foliaged and dense with undergrowth vegetation. If we are not careful, we will trip over crawling vines, rattan and tree roots on the ground, so be prepared to get dirty. A pair of Addidas Kampung shoes (“Village Addidas”, a water-proof rubber shoes) is highly recommended for such rainforest walk. For the beginning, we need to walk to the highest point, followed by easier up and down trail, then a long and steep descending trail to the campsite.

Above: teasing message on the tree bark

Needless to say, there are hundreds of forest leeches waiting along the trail. Very soon I found a tiger leech crawling on my camera. The good news is – once we move to higher altitude, there will be no more tiger leech but brown leech. Brown leech is much more easier to deal with and its bite is not painful (sometimes I can’t even feel it). Unlike tiger leech, which likes to hide in the shrub & bush, brown leech is mainly active on forest floor, so wearing leech sock is safe enough. I notice that the brown leeches here are so big, as big as tiger leech!

Above: Tiger leech delivers painful bite

With an altitude of 800 Meters above sea level, this forest is mainly a mix of hill dipterocarp forest and lower montane forest. Most trees are slim and no taller than 25 Meters, except the Agathis and Seraya Kuning trees. The jungle trekking reminds me of Maliau Basin, Sabah’s Lost World. Long Pasia is indeed another Lost World of Sabah, but with more cultural and historical heritages. Unfortunately, the forest here is not protected by the government.

Above: Agathis tree only grows between hill forest and montane forest

Above: huge seraya kuning tree

We also stopped occasionally to explore some jungle resources. The guide shows us how to get fresh water from the wild vines. I drank and it tasted fresh, with thin smell of grass. The water also can be used as eye tonic. Then they pluck some wild oranges for us to try, it is very sour but an energy booster.

Above: cutting vine for fresh water

Above: drinking water from vine

>> Click Here to see more photos of Long Pasia

Above: wild orange

We found some big chunk of resin beside an Agathis tree. They are hard and look like crystal. The guide took some with them coz these resins are good fire starter. In old day, they use this resin as torch and candle. It burns like rubber and release black smoke. But be careful not to let the burning liquid drips on your skin, coz it sticks and able to burn you badly.

Above: resin of Agathis tree

Click Here to see bigger video

After passing the highest point, the trail is less rugged and we walk quite fast. Our favourite part is the ridge walk. It is very windy and cooling, like a huge air-cond, and blows away our fatigue. There are supposed to be a lot of wildlife such as deer around, but we see only a few monkey. However, we see the wallow of wild boar and claw marks on the tree bark.

Above: wallow of wild boar

If you are very lucky, you would see blooming rafflesia pricei before Fefukan Waterfall, the one shown in photo above was blooming in April 2012.

As the trail is not clearly visible and no signage, we follow our guide closely, otherwise there is a 100% chance of getting lost here. Sometimes Lait stops and looks around, as if he is trying to recall the right way, making me nervous. “That’s the fun part!” they say. I have no idea how far we go until I hear the distant waterfall. Walking the descending trail is really a knee-breaking experience. The trail is narrow and slippery so we can’t move fast, putting a lot of stress on our knees. I almost want to cry when we saw Fefukan Waterfall at 5:30pm.

Above: Fefukan Waterfall

Campsite of Fefukan Waterfall

Our campsite is only 30 Meters away from Fefukan Waterfall. In fact, we went so far that we were so close to the border of Kalimantan. Another walk for 3 to 4 hours will lead us to the immigration checkpoint at the border. We are at the Heart of Borneo!

Above: campsite at Fefukan Waterfall

It is getting dark soon, so the guide and porters setup our camp and beds next to the river, and prepare our dinner. They don’t want to damage the environment, so there is no permanent facility here, no toilet, no hut, no cabin… All we have are hammock or canvas beds, with a sheet of canvas on top to block the rain. I never slept on a hammock before, so I choose the hammock bed closest to the waterfall.

Above: setting up campsite

Below is a 360 degree view of our campsite:

Click Here to see bigger video

Above: canvas bed

Above: hammock bed

>> Click Here to see more photos of Long Pasia

Above: Mary cooking dinner

Above: there is no light, so we eat in the dark with torchlight

Night Safari

We had some rice, sardine (with onion) and instant noodle as dinner. Everyone was so tired so most went to bed earlier. Lait decided to show me around the campsite and waterfall at night to spot interesting creatures. We found some frogs, insects and fireflies. Though leech is less active at night, I still get 6 of them sneaking into my shoes. Then it started to rain. I had no choice but going to bed.

Above: fireflies playing 3P wild sex

>> Click Here to see more photos of Long Pasia

The Cold Night

Can you imagine sleeping in the forest of Heart of Borneo and next to a waterfall? It just can’t get any better than this. I enjoyed the sound of nature. There are occasionally some twinkling fireflies passing by my tent. I fell asleep very soon. The temperature can plunge to 14 degree Celsius (14°C) at night. It was so cold that I shivered in my thin sleeping bag, then I had to wake up in midnight to wear extra clothing. My knees were quite painful coz of day-long trekking.

Above: my hammock bed

About 2am, in total darkness, my hammock shakes violently, as if a big animal knocks on my tent. I was so shock and pointed my torch light around, but see nothing. I found that my hammock is lowered by a few inches, so I guess the knot got loosen and slide down, phew… scary but funny, haha.

Above: preparing mouse deer meat for tomorrow’s meal

>> Read Next Article (Part 4)

Photos taken in Long Pasia, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Part 7 of 8. Trip to Maliau Basin, Sabah’s Lost World – Day 6

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Continued from Part 6

Maliau Rim Observation Tower

Day 6, 5am in the morning, when I was in deep sleep, someone shake me to wake me up. I thought it was Mr. T, who has been bugging me to join him to look for Banteng in early morning, so I just say, “No lah… don’t want!” Then I hear the voice of Mr. J, “are you sure you don’t want to see sunrise at observation tower?” Why not? This is an extra programme which was not in our itinerary. I don’t feel sleepy anymore.

Quickly everyone dresses up and head to Maliau Rim Observation Tower which is only 3 KM away from our hostel (24 KM from the security gate). This 4-storey wooden observation tower is 18.6M (61 Feet) tall and offers a 360 degree panoramic view of Maliau Basin rim. The surrounding area of this tower is clear so no tall tree blocking our view.

We are up there waiting at 5:35am and it is still dark. When the magic moment approaches, the forest is gradually lighted and we find that we are surrounded by sea of misty forest and mountains! The sunrise casts its warm golden light through layer of rising mist, and then the green forest emerges. As dawn passes, various birds start their morning orchestra. We hear or see Barbet, Great Argus Pheasant, Minivet, Swiftlet and Malkoha. Some birds perch on the trees quite far away, so it is advisable to bring a binocular for bird watching.

Below is a 1.5-minute video of Maliau Basin sunrise:

Click Here to see bigger video.

You Choose: “Monkey or Gold?”

Looking at this magnificent scenery that is rare nowadays, I feel sad how human greed destroys the beautiful creation of God. Some people just can’t sleep if they can’t cut these trees. Thanks to the Sabah government, the buffer zone of Maliau Basin Conservation Area is being logged now.

Maliau Basin is a coastal river delta 9.15 million years ago, where plant decayed and accumulated in peat swamp. After long period of compression, this carbon layer forms coal seams between mud and sandstone layers. An estimated 200 million tons of coal deposit is discovered in Maliau Basin. On top of the coal reserve is a huge area of pristine forest with the most valuable commercial timbers. Inevitably Maliau makes many politicians mouth-watering.

In 1992, an EIA (Environment Impact Analysis) report stated that conservation and coal mining are incompatible in Maliau Basin, so either you mine the coal to destroy the place, or you do nothing to leave everything intact. In 1997, Sabah government upgraded Maliau Basin to First Class Protected Forest Reserve, which means NO logging and mining are allowed. In 1999, Maliau was further gazetted as a cultural heritage site under the state Cultural Heritage (Conservation) Enactment. All these show our determination to protect Maliau Basin.

In year 2000, Primary Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik asked Sabahans, “What do you want: Monkeys or Gold?” and said, “There is no reason for the Sabah government to prevent the prospecting of coal in the Maliau Basin.” Well, giving Federal 95% of our oil royalty doesn’t make Sabah rich, so why giving them our coal? Of course Sabah decides to keep the monkeys. Guess what? 10 years later West Malaysia wants to relocate some of our orang-utan to KL. Now they know our monkeys are as worthy as gold too. The response of Sabahans is a middle finger to them. Ok, orang-utan is an ape and not a monkey, but now you see my point right.

Therefore, Federal fails to get our black gold and monkeys. Sabahans don’t want to surrender Maliau Basin, but none of us believes that the evil federal government will give up. When Sabah Electricity proposes to build a coal power plant in east coast (so near to Maliau), everyone smells something fishy. We suspect the coal power plant is just a conspiracy for creating excuse to mine the coal in Maliau Basin in future. I’m not sure if this is true but I would say this is a credible doubt. Let’s hope Maliau Basin will be listed and protected as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site soon, so someone can stop daydreaming.

Since we talk about Maliau Rim, probably you are interested to know how Maliau Basin was formed. I copied the info below from the Internet. But to be frank, I don’t know what the heck it talks about.

How was Maliau Basin formed?

By early Middle Miocene, between 14 and 15 million years ago, the eastern part of Sabah was subjected to NW-SE compression as tectonic plate interaction continued in this region. Active volcanism in eastern Sabah during this time was probably related to this tectonic force. The compression resulted in the gentle folding of the older Neogene and concentric shape of the smaller basins, with the faults acting as their boundaries. At this time, most of eastern Sabah was still under the sea, mostly very shallow waters.

The concentric-shaped basins were subsequently filled by younger Neogene sediments continuously until about 9 million years ago when the basins was uplifted above sea level due to continued compression in eastern Sabah. The compression resulted in the gentle folding of the sedimentary layers and at the same time accentuated the concentric shape of the basins, through the reactivation of old faults.

The intrusion of Mt. Kinabalu in West Sabah occurred during this time. As a result of the crustal shortening of the region due to the continued tectonic plate collision in this region, the whole of Sabah, including the shallow coastal area we see today, was fully uplifted above sea level by the end of Miocene time, about 5 million years ago. The Maliau Basin and the surrounding areas were probably uplifted to its present height with a slight tilt to the South-east. Following the uplift, the Maliau Basin and surrounding areas were subjected to intense weathering and erosion that continued up to this day.

Get it? Don’t ask me okay. My geography sucks. I only know in Murut language, Maliau has three meaning, (1) Land of the Giant Staircase, (2) Milky or Murky (river) and (3) Bowl / Basin.

Return to Kota Kinabalu

We return to the hostel to pack our stuffs. Before we leave Maliau Basin, we collect our certificate at the Administration Office of Maliau Basin Studies Centre (MBSC). Yes, anyone who reaches Maliau Falls is eligible to get a certificate. The number is still in 3 digits (my number is 500 something). If it is a serial number, that means less than 1,000 people have seen Maliau Falls? Wow, such a big deal. Perhaps I should include this certificate in my resume or CV, together with my blood donation and Mt. Kinabalu certificates, to impress my interviewers. We also take a peek at the Nature Gallery in MBSC. The gallery presents a lot of interesting photographs and information about Maliau Basin. It will be open soon. My camera is out of battery so I didn’t take any photo.

We use the Tambunan road to go back to Kota Kinabalu. It is really misty and the visibility is poor. Our car always stuck behind the slow-moving trucks. On the way, we drop by a famous roadside stall that sells wild boar meat. I didn’t buy any wild boar meat. Yesterday I just admire the wild boar, then I put it on dinner plate today? It is kind of weird so I didn’t buy any. I am not really fond of wild boar meat because its smell is stronger than pork. Someone say this is because most wild boars they hunt are those that eat oil palm fruits in plantation. The wild boar from “real jungle” tastes a lot better.

At last I arrive home at 6:30PM and conclude my trip to Maliau Basin officially. I still have one last blog that contains useful info for those who plan to go to Maliau Basin.

>> Next Article (Part 8)

Photos taken in Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

All Articles of Maliau Basin Trip:
Part 1. Introduction to Maliau Basin
Part 2. Day 1 in Maliau Basin
Part 3. Day 2 in Maliau. Trekking to the 1st camp
Part 4. Day 3 in Maliau. Maliau Waterfall
Part 5. Day 4 in Maliau. Entering the garden of pitcher plant
Part 6. Day 5 in Maliau. Skybridge & Night Safari
Part 7. Day 6 in Maliau. Leaving Maliau
Part 8. Conclusion & Notes

More Photos

You may check out my Maliau Basin photo album for more pictures:

BONUS! More new photos of Maliau Basin…

Part 6 of 8. Trip to Maliau Basin, Sabah’s Lost World – Day 5

Continued from Part 5

Hundred-Feet Observation Tower

I wake up early at 5am in day 5, when others are still in their dream. Next to the Nepenthes Camp is an observation platform on top of a 33-Meter Agathis borneensis tree. I want to climb up there early to see the sunrise.

Soon Mr. J and Mr. T also wake up to join me. Ms. S doesn’t join coz she has issue with the height and says there is no way she will do it. It is already frightening just looking at this tall tree. Anyway, adventure is doing something that scares you. At 5:15am, one by one, we climb up to the tree top with aluminum ladder that fixed to the tree body.

Imagine you climb a ladder to the top of a building over 10 floors high in the dark (about same height as the Karamunsing Complex in Kota Kinabalu). This is the second scariest climb that I attempt so far (the first is Batu Punggul). A misstep and you will be a free falling object for hundred feet.

One good thing to climb in the dark is, you can’t see anything under your feet, so it is not that terrifying. Mr. T and J got up there first. I hang the camera and tripod over my shoulder and move up carefully. After a few days of holding camera to take thousand of photos, my fingers are really painful. The extra camera weight also makes my legs tired and shivers. I have to stop a few times to rest. Finally, I reach the top within 10 minutes.

Above: a helipad not far away from Nepenthes Camp

Above: Nepenthes Camp looks so small from top. You can see the solar panel on the roof.

Strictly speaking, the observation tower is only a wooden platform on top of a tall tree. It is not really a tower. The structure is fenced and solid enough to take 5 to 6 persons. It is 5:40am. We look out from this platform and see that our house is so small under our feet. We also admire and appreciate the pretty Agathis borneensis tree that house the structure.

Above: the beautiful skin of Agathis borneensis tree, note the pocked-marked, greyish-reddish bark.

Above: Mr. J waits to video sunrise

The sunrise comes at 6:10am. The surrounding and the trees are painted with golden hue of colors. The birds also start their days. Many colourful birds such as Iora and Scarlet Minivet gather around the canopy of this tree. This platform is quite a nice bird watching spot. We climb down at 6:40am for breakfast, when the sunrise show is over. Damn it! I find a crack on the LCD protector. Luckily it helps to block the damage to LCD which would cost hundreds to fix.

Above: Mr. T climbing down

Above: it’s me climbing down the tree

Back to Maliau Basin Studies Centre (MBSC)

We are very relaxing today, coz we will leave the total wilderness of Maliau Basin and the trail is mostly descending (easy) path. Even though I am cut off from civilisation for many days, I don’t really feel homesick, it’s a sad day for me actually. After we have our breakfast, we depart at 8:30am to Agathis Camp, which is 7.5 KM away and a move from 1,005 to 421 Meters above sea level.

Above: trail in red is our path to Agathis Camp today

Above: the trail in 3D model

The guides warn us about the steep downhill trail and we should “brake” always and don’t run too fast. And they are right. The descending trail is not easy and it does not make us move faster, and it poses another challenge. There is no way you can tell if the soil is soft or solid until you step on it. The slope area is dangerous coz the soil is soft and slippery. The slippery “trap” is so evil coz the mud layer is just thin enough to make you slip, but not deep enough to hold your foot. I have to make sure both of my hands are supported by a rope or tree before I take the next step. I can survive a fall but my camera might not. Just be careful of the precipitous hills…

Over the days, I discover a special ability of women. They just can’t stop talking, during trekking, eating and sleeping, ALL the time. I am already out of breath trekking and they still talk to me. At the end, I just pretend I don’t hear them. Sorry, I am just too tired.

Above: lookout point, where you can see Maliau rim through gap between the trees.

Since this is the last jungle trekking of our trip, we just walk slowly, open all our senses and enjoy the surrounding view. We saw a family of 3 Bornean gibbons swings on tree branches. Red & Hose’s Leaf Monkeys (langurs) and Bornean gibbons are very common primates in Maliau. We also hear the distinct calls of Black & Yellow Broadbill and Bornean Bristlehead, and also the loud pecking noise of a woodpecker. Then Mr. T is very excited and shows me a flower of Dendrobium cinnabarinum. He says this flower is very rare, the two (all) varieties are found in Maliau Basin only.

Above: flower of Dendrobium cinnabarinum.

Finally at 12:30pm, we arrive Agathis Camp, where we have our pack-lunch. We are asked to take a shower and put on clean clothing, before we are allowed to sit in the beloved 4-wheel of the guide. Then we leave Agathis Camp and go to the hostel of MBSC, where we will spend the last night in Maliau Basin. After staying 3 days in jungle camp, the hostel is really a 5-star accommodation to us now. The guides and porters are very happy too coz now they can watch World Cup 2010 in MBSC.

Above: don’t know who brings this tiger leech back to the hostel. It is fully fed with 1 year worth of meal, so fat… lol

Skybridge (Canopy Walk)

You are wrong if you think we are holidayers who can sit still for day doing nothing. After we unpack our bags in hostel, we start to get restless and want to go to Skybridge (suspension bridges built between tall trees high above the ground). It rains heavily in the afternoon so we go around 4PM.

The Skybridge is only a 10-minute drive from MBSC. Constructed in April 2007 and linked up with about 8 super tall trees (Uratmata, Sepatir, Merbau and Seraya), Skybridge is the second longest canopy walk of Sabah, with a length of 293.8 Meters (Highest Point: 21.35 Meters).

Above: can you see them? They look so small…

Maliau Basin is an Important Birding Area. More than 290 bird species are found here, with more than 20 are endemic to Borneo, and 26% are listed as threaten or near-threaten by IUCN. Here you can find all 8 species of hornbill of Borneo, 6 species of kingfishers and all 9 species of Bornean barbets. We see fruits of fig species (Ficus), which is the favourite of hornbills, who visit as many as 240 species of fruit trees. We spend an hour here and back to hostel later.

Above: fruit of Ficus tree

Above: a weird praying mantis looking at us

Night Safari

Tonight we have a night safari at 8pm. We just sit on the jeep and let the guide scans for wildlife by using a spotlight. If the guide spots anything, the car will stop and he will show and tell us what we see. This is highly depends on luck. In bad day, you would see nothing.

Above: this wild boar (Sus barbatus) always comes to MBSC. She got 8 babies.

During an hour of fun drive, we see Malay Civet cat, Sambar Deer (cervus unicolor), Flying Squirrel, Rhinoceros Hornbill and Buffy Fish Owl.

We have been seeing the fresh dung of Banteng and elephants and hope to see them tonight, but too bad none of them turn up. Anyway, below are their photos for you to know how they look like.

Above: Banteng (Bos javanicus), Asian Wild Cattle or Bornean Wild Ox, known as Tembadau locally. Left is the female and right is male Banteng. Banteng is extinct in West Malaysia (since 1950) and Sarawak (since 1980). It was used to be the favourite game species of hunters but now it is endangered and protected in Sabah. The domesticated Banteng becomes Bali cattle. Note the white “stockings” on the legs. About 15 to 20 Banteng are recorded in Maliau.

Above: Pygmy elephant of Borneo is the smallest elephant species in the world.

Above: Common barking deer (Red Muntjac), known as Kijang locally. It can grow in length up to 98 to 111 cm, a height of 50 cm and a weight of 15 to 35 Kg. You can buy its meat as it is still the game species.

FYI, all 5 cat species (i.e. flat-headed cat, marbled cat, bay cat, leopard cat, clouded leopard) of Sabah are found around Maliau Basin. They are very elusive and secretive animals active at night, so they are very hard to spot.

Finally, we have joined all the programme In Maliau Basin and will go back to Kota Kinabalu tomorrow. But there is still one more unplanned programme waits for us tomorrow.

>> Next Article (Part 7)

Photos taken in Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

More Photos

You may check out my Maliau Basin photo album for more pictures:

BONUS! More new photos of Maliau Basin…

Other canopy walk in Sabah:
Poring Canopy Walkway (highest in Sabah)
Canopy Walk of Danum Valley (award-winning attraction)
Rainforest Discovery Center (best for bird-watching)

Part 5 of 8. Trip to Nepenthes Camp (Heath Forest)

Continued from Part 4…

Day 4 in Maliau Basin

I am ready to go home today morning. We have to cancel our trip halfway coz Ms. S is injured and suffer muscle pain. When all of us are in “quitting” mode, Ms. S has geared up and I can sense the “Go! Go! Go!” mood on her face. “Did you tell her… our decision?” I ask the others quietly. They look at one another and shake their heads. What?!! None of us told her the bad news? Probably nobody dares to upset her.

Then she is quite shock to find out the rest of us have decided (without her) to cancel the trip and return to Maliau Basin Studies Centre today. She assures J, our guide, and O, Senior Ranger, that she is almost fully recover, after she did the stretching exercise advised by the doctor over the night. J is very doubtful and tries to convince her to stop. Then they quarrel. The rest stay away from the “storm” and wait. It is not for us to decide because only Ms. S knows her own condition.

Above: GPS reading of Ginseng Camp

Soon the thunderstorm is over, the face of our guide looks pale, like a cock losing a fight; he comes and informs us to get ready to Nepenthes Camp. We almost jump and scream in joy. Though we wish to continue the trip, we really concern about her condition. We don’t want her to proceed just because she doesn’t want to spoil our trip. Again, she shows no intention of quitting. The guides say they will observe her condition, if she can’t make it for the first 500 Meters, then we have to turn back. If you read my last blog, you know how terrible the trail is. Later we find that we worry too much. She always walks at the front. The “Iron Lady” is back!

Above: GPS reading of Nepenthes Camp

Going to Nepenthes Camp

At 8:30am, we start walking from Ginseng Camp (566 M above sea level) to Nepenthes Camp (formerly Camel Trophy Camp) at 1,005 Meters. Today is also one of the best days. In 7KM of jungle trekking from 566M to 1,000M in elevation (a lot of climbing then!), we will pass through 3 types of forest, namely, mixed dipterocarp rainforest, lower montane forest and heath forest. We will stay in Nepenthes Camp for a night.

Above: trail (in red) from Ginseng Camp to Nepenthes Camp

Above: trail in 3D model

The terrain is as undulating as our previous trails. We first walk in mixed dipterocarp rainforest with many hundred-feet trees, quite similar to what I saw in Agathis-Ginseng trail. For every 100 Meters we ascend, the temperature drops by 0.75 degree Celsius, so it is getting cool and fresh.

About two hours later, a forest of huge trees changes to a forest full of slim and short trees only about 15 to 30 Meters high. Conspicuous green cushions of mosses, liverworts and lichens are seen along the trail. We have entered the Lower Montane Forest (750M – 850M above sea level). There are some weird plants that you would notice in montane forest (see photos below).

Above: Tristaniopsis sp. tree with orange bark, you can peel off the skin easily.

Above: a Rengas tree which can cause intense allergies, and is related to the well known Poison Ivy.

Above: Fan palm is common in montane forest

Heath Forest: Garden of Pitcher Plant

Then we saw the first pitcher plant at 11am. Very soon we saw many more small pitcher plants along the trail. The guide asks us not to waste our time to photograph these ordinary pitcher plants, because there are more big and special ones ahead. And they are right. We enter the tropical heath forest, also a garden of pitcher plant! We can see very obvious change of vegetation; the heath forest contains dense stands of smaller sized, small-crowned & shorter trees mostly shorter than 20 Meters. The trail is quite narrow, but more sunlight due to smaller canopy.

Above: first pitcher plant

Occur from 900 to 1,600 Meters above sea level and occupy 21% of Maliau Basin, heath forest is a type of tropical moist forest found in areas with leached, acidic, white sandy soils that are extremely nutrient-poor. Heath Forest is locally known as Kerangas in Iban language, the word means a forested land with underlying soils which are unsuitable for growing rice. There are not many heath forest in Sabah and this is the first time I see it.

Above: white sandy soil in heath forest

Because of the infertile soil, the plant is rich in tannins, which is indigestible or toxic to plant eaters. The tannins leaching out of the peaty leaf litter is hard to be broken down, so it stays in the water. The reddish brown color of river water in Maliau Basin is mainly caused by heath forest. The forest floor is criss-crossed by tangled roots encrusted in moss, making the ground very marshy and soft.

We can see fascinating pitcher plants in every few steps. Some are on the ground, and some dangled up to tree top, attempting to capture high flying insects. Except Maliau and Mesliau, there is no other place in Sabah where I can see such a big concentration of pitcher plant. 9 species of pitcher plant are found in Maliau Basin, namely, N. veitchii, N. tentaculata, N. stenophylla, N. mirabilis, N. hirsuta, N. lowii, N. gracilis, N. reinwardtiana, N. stenophylla x veitchii (hybrid). Most of the pitcher plants I see in this heath forest are Nepenthes veitchii and Nepenthes stenophylla.

Besides rich variety of pitcher plant, we also found some flowering orchids and Rhododendron. 21 species of Rhododendron are found in Maliau Basin. I was told that many Japanese tourists and botanists don’t want to leave this natural botanical garden as they love it so much. Mr. T is a plant expert, so he keeps me busy taking photos by showing me some unique and rare plants around.

There are fewer leeches in heath forest, but they are bigger here. Probably due to the white sandy soil here, the tiger leech has white, instead of yellow, stripes at the side of its bodies. We don’t see any other animals except a noisy Temmink’s Sunbird. We are close to the camp when we enter the Jalan Babi (Wild Boar Road), which is a clear and wide trail created by migration of wild boars that feed on fallen acorns. You better stay close with your guide because there are many junctions here, as you could be lost easily.

Above: “Wild Boar” road

Nepenthes Camp (formerly Camel Trophy Camp)

We arrived the Nepenthes Camp at 2pm (a total of 5.5 hours of walking). Constructed by the participants of Camel Trophy (hence the old name “Camel Trophy Camp”) in 1993, Nepenthes Camp was the first and oldest permanent camp within the Maliau Basin and it is located strategically at the meeting point of lower montane forest and heath forest on southern plateau of Maliau Basin.

Nepenthes Camp is a 2-storey wooden house smaller than Ginseng Camp. It is complete with bunk beds, showers, kitchen, toilet and solar electricity, which can accommodate up to 15 visitors. Personally I think it is more comfortable than Ginseng Camp, coz it has proper rooms with beds. The ground floor is the kitchen, dining area, toilet and shower room, and our rooms are in 1st floor.

Nepenthes Camp is the oldest camp and frequented by most visitors, so it has the most number of plaques (nearly hundred) created by tourists. Some plaques are very creative and interesting. We can spend hours just to look at them, which is great, as we have nothing to do at night. We also find the names of our friends on some plaques.

Above: part of the plaque collection in Nepenthes Camp

Above: Honeymoon in Maliau Basin. Are they serious?

Above: this one made in 2002, probably the oldest plaque

Giluk Falls

I have a quick lunch at Nepenthes Camp, then proceed to Giluk Falls at 2:30pm. Ms. D and Mr. T are tired and so they don’t follow me and Ms. S. We walk so fast that we arrive Upper Giluk Waterfall in an hour. Giluk Falls is also a multi-tier waterfall but it is much more smaller than Maliau Falls. However, it has the beauty of its own.

We can see white foams flowing slowly on the water (look like someone does her laundry in the upstream). Actually these frothy white foams are created by soapy saponins from the leaves, and they are commonly seen on the river around heath forest. The reddish brown river is rich in Humic acids, produced by, and washed from, the very slowly decaying leaf litter beneath the heath forests and highest montane forest. Humic acids are difficult to degrade so they remain in the river. The water is also low in oxygen level, so only 4 fishes and 2 crab species are found in the rivers of Maliau Basin.

Due to time constraint, we don’t go to Takob-Akob Waterfall, which is far away with very challenging landscape. We are back to the Nepenthes Camp around 5:20pm.

Update (May 2011): I visited Takob-Akob Falls, the tallest waterfall (38 Meters) in Maliau Basin, in my second trip. You may watch the video below:

Click Here for bigger video

The Evening

The water pump in Nepenthes Camp broke down, so we have very limited water that we have to take our shower in a river nearby. But I have to climb down a 5-feet drop, walk on the dirty muddy riverside to the river, so I give up. I get a scoop of clean water in the toilet to wash myself with wet towel.

Nepenthes Camp is powered by 6 solar panel on the roof. The electricity is only enough for lighting of our dinner. During dinner time, about 3 Malay Civet cats (Viverra tangalunga) turn up outside our house. We give them our leftover food and they enjoy it. Though they keep a distance from us, they seem to get used to human already. One of them is lack of one limb and being chased away by other two. If you stay still, they can come as close as 2 Meters away. From the info of other web sites, visitors and guides have been feeding them since year 2001 (but I’m not sure if it is always the same group of civets).

The night in Nepenthes Camp is not too cold, probably we sleep in a proper room. The sky is so clear and full of stars. I can even see the Milky Way (our galaxy) runs across the sky like two parallel silver rivers. It’s so great to be alive. You can’t see this in city coz it is overshadowed by street light and dusty air. We feel so relaxing because we have finished all the challenging trails. Tomorrow we will go back to Agathis Camp and it is mainly descending trail.

Late in midnight, I heard someone was shouting to the air. Next day I was told that it was a guide who asked for “permission” from spirit so he can pee from the balcony. The reason was – when he took shower with another guide at the river in evening, they felt that “someone” throwing thing at them. He might think that the spirit in forest dislikes him, so he tries to be respectful.

>> Read Next Article (Part 6)

Photos taken in Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

More Photos

You may check out my Maliau Basin photo album for more pictures:

BONUS! More new photos of Maliau Basin…

Part 3 of 8. Day 2 in Maliau Basin, Sabah’s Lost World

Continued from Part 2…

The Real Start

Though this is my second day in Maliau, today is the “real” day as I will go to Maliau Basin on foot. We wake up early in the morning to prepare our breakfast and packed lunch. The porters arrived shortly after we had our breakfast. At first, we thought our porters will be a group of muscular tough guys like King Kong. We are surprised that our porters are youngsters who are “smaller” than us. Most of them are 18 or 20 something, and a few even married with kid.

Above: our strong porters. Look like boys huh?

To ease my burden, I get a personal porter that carries 12 KG of my stuffs, so I only need to carry 5KG of my camera and tripod. One of the porters even carries over 30 KG! Seeing the heavy bags pressing their back, I have a bad feeling, like I am treating them like camel, just for a fee of RM100 (USD$32) per day. They are nice people but speak very limited English.

Agathis Camp

Then everyone is transferred by 4-wheel to Agathis Camp, the starting point of our 9-KM jungle trekking to Ginseng Camp today. Agathis Camp is 8.82KM away from Maliau Basin Studies Center (our hostel) and located at the southern-most edge of Maliau Basin Conservation Area, about 20 KM to the north of the Security Gate and 500 Meters above sea level.

Above: the trail in red is our route for today

Above: the trail in 3D model

Agathis Camp is named after Agathis trees (Damar Minyak), the large conifers, growing up to 55 Meters, with 3 species being found in Maliau. It is easily recognised by the abundance of resin and distinctive jig-saw patterned bark and absence of buttress. Agathis tree is very limited and scarce in distribution and found in mixed dipterocarp, heath & lower montane forest.

The largest Agathis tree in Maliau has a circumference of more than 7 Meters. Agathis trees were also found in New Zealand. The wood is very popular among the Japanese as it is used for building attractive ceilings and walls. Agathis is considered as the “iconic” tree of Maliau Basin.

Above: fruits of Agathis tree

Explorer who spent 6 days in Agathis Camp recorded 109 birds and 30 mammals. The camp is near the edge of rainforest and Agathis River. The camp is furnished with very basic facilities such as canvas beds (for up to 30 visitors), kitchen, dining area, electricity supply, toilets and showers. A 1-KM self-guided nature trail at the camp provides visitors with a fascinating introduction to the forest and its wildlife. If you want to stay inside the forest but don’t want to explore deeper inside Maliau Basin, Agathis Camp is a good choice.

Going to Ginseng Camp

But we do not stay in Agathis Camp. After we looked around in Agathis Camp for a few minutes, we proceed (at 8am) to the next destination, Ginseng Camp, by jungle trekking over a rugged terrain of 9KM. The forest ranger (with VHF radio sets) and porters were also going with us. Forest Ranger is not a guide. He monitors the visitors to make sure they don’t violate the park guidelines (such as poaching and stealing Gaharu wood (Aquilaria malaccensis)).

Before this, everyone told me they were either too old or weak and said something like “I will be very slow, please wait for me lah”, but when the trekking started, I was always the last one. Anyway, it is the worst day of Maliau trip for most of us. We are inside the mixture of lowland and hill rainforest, and many trees are over 50 feet high.

Due to the dense canopy created by the tall trees, the space below is wet, shady and lack of undergrowth plant. Most of the time we walked on thick layers of foliage and saw many tiny insects such as ants, spiders and cockroach fleeing around (and leeches that come to us!), when our steps stir the leaves. I spotted many interesting mushroom and fungus along the trail.

Above: wild orchid

Above: camera trap

Above: message on camera trap. I guess they are really pissed off already, lol…

Basically most of the trails are uphill roads and part of them is suite steep and need the use of ropes and ladder for moving up. The trail about 3.5 to 4.5 KM before the Ginseng Camp is the most terrible part, due to the steep uphill trail. We saw the sky on higher point. But after the long long walk, we still see the sky, like the highest point is unreachable, very de-motivating. So I quit to look up, I lower my head and only focus on small distance of trail in front of me and move up slowly.

The nice thing is – when we move up to higher altitude, the air getting cooler and refreshing. We have our lunch in the jungle. But frankly I lose my appetite and only take a few bites of the dry rice in lunch box. Then we continue again. On the way, we were constantly asking the guide “how many kilometres left?” and hope to get motivated from smaller number each time. Mr. T is a plant expert so he is able to identify the rare plant for me to photograph. Without him, the trip would be less fun.

Above: yummy… the fungus look like sweet bun.

Above: cookie fungus? Look tasty…

Legion of Leeches

Due to the heavy rain the day before, there are hundreds of slimy leeches on the trail because these little blood suckers are active in wet environment. Though they are blind, they can detect heat and vibration and also extremely persistent, with so many of them around, a few of them will crawl onto your skin eventually.

Above: two leeches f**k each other on the shoe

Whenever we stop and rest, we will see dozens of leeches coming to our feet. As expected, very soon the leech claims its first victim, Ms. S, who got a leech bite on her stomach. She didn’t even notice it until a guide told her the bleeding under the shirt. I was once very afraid of leeches. But I become so used to them in Maliau trip and even help others to remove the leeches by hand.

Because I know the leech prevention method, I got only one leech bite in the whole trip. In fact, that only leech bite happened in the camp. Someone didn’t remove the leeches hidden inside their shoes when they entered the camp. So a brown leech crawled out of the shoe and came to me. I didn’t know I was eaten until Mr. T told me. Please always de-leech yourself before you enter the room ok. Usually leech bite only takes a tiny amount of blood and it does not bring any infection and disease. The only problem is the anti blood-clotting agent from the kiss of leech will cause non-stop bleeding for hour. The amount of bleeding from only a few leech bites is as shocking as a devastating injury.

Ginseng Camp

After 7 hours of trekking, we arrived Ginseng Camp at 15:20pm. Ginseng Camp is 645 Meters above sea level. This camp is named after Ginseng plant (Renellia borneensis, coffee family – Rubiaceae) around this place. This “Malaysian ginseng” has reddish-yellow to orange color roots, with medical properties that improve your energy and vitality.

Above: almost there

Above: Malaysian Ginseng

The 27-Meter Ginseng Waterfall is about 500 Meters away from Ginseng Camp, so I took a 20-minute walk to check it out. Below is a 1-minute video of Ginseng Fall:

Constructed in 2005, Ginseng Camp has toilets cum shower rooms, cooking area, dining area and staff quarter. The structure is on stilts and built with wood and aluminum / zinc roofing. Our accommodation is just a wooden hut that has canvas bunk beds (with mosquito net) that can accommodate up to 20 visitors. As everything is so primitive, Ginseng Camp looks like an army camp to me. We also cook with firewood. The camp has electricity supply, generated by generator from 6pm to 11pm.

Below is a 1.5-minute video of Ginseng Camp surrounding:

The river is the only source of water inside Maliau, so Ginseng Camp has gravity water pipe that collects water from the river. The river water of Maliau Basin is tea-coloured and acidic, due to the tannins leaching out of the peaty leaf litter. Some even call it “tea river”, as the water is naturally stained by tannins from vegetation. It looks like urine but absolutely safe to drink after boiling.

Cold Shower

I am a typical city guy. I take hot shower even in warm day. I have no choice in Maliau coz there is no heater. The water is from the river and it is so icy cold, making me skipping and moaning. Then I also hear a Canadian girl next door moans. I’m not alone then. You better take shower earlier when the water is not too cold.

The Night

After dinner, everyone is exhausted and there is nothing to do in the evening, so we go to bed earlier. Very soon I hear everyone snores. I lay on the bed and glad that the first day is not as bad as I expect. However, this is not the case to Ms S. She complains that the muscle on her right hip is painful and she wakes up in agony that night at 2am. We call her “Iron Lady” coz she walks very fast and always in front of us. We guess she will be fine in next day.

Our sleeping area only has a roof over us and three sides of wall. One side is an open area and has no wall and door. Such setting is same as putting our beds in an open area exposed to the cold. The night was so cold that I wake up at 3am to wear socks. As my torchlight cut through the dark, I can see tiny droplets of mist in the air. It is so cold and humid that the jean and clothing hanging next to me turn wet. I got a good sleep anyway.

>> Next Article (Part 4)

Photos taken in Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

More Photos

You may check out my Maliau Basin photo album for more pictures:

BONUS! More new photos of Maliau Basin…