JalanJalan

We are leaving Mulu later today, so we decide to check-out the well-regarded Discovery Centre, located more-or-less inside our good buddy, Cafe Mulu.

It’s an exhibition centre of what Gunung Mulu National Park is all about, plus some, and boy, is this place a treasure trove of delightful information. First time I hear of ‘Asean Heritage Park’ of which Mulu NP is a worthy member.

As I enter it, the familiar World Heritage logo stares at me.

The Inscription.

Of course, a primer on caves.

Yes, these areas are invaluable, not just for Sarawak, but for all mankind, present and future.

Precious Mulu NP looks fragile clinging to the southeastern bit of Brunei. Logging is still a real threat.

I find this display on the caves especially interesting, especially the extensive map of the Clearwater Cave system, which is, last I checked, 130km long - #10 in the world.

Yup, no doubt Mulu has got a lot of bragging rights, and we Malaysians should be proud of that.

I wonder how they mapped this intricate cave system, in virtual darkness and no Global Positioning System for assistance. And they have to do 3-dimensional mapping too!

Obviously the mappers are members of the Douglas Adams’s fan club.

More of Mr Adams’s legacy here.

“Catman Do” and “Catman Don’t”?

And this is the little bit of the Clearwater Cave system (see top left corner of big map above) which we actually visited yesterday. The red dotted lines are our puny trails inside the caves (left trail inside Cave of Winds, right trail inside Clearwater Cave).

Well-presented posters inside the centre - easy to read and understand. A lot of work must have gone into making these things. Great stuff, Park HQ people!

Intro to the giant caves. British cavers play a big role, whence the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy influence above, and the typical Brit humour sprinkled around.

More on Clearwater Cave.

And of course, the not-so-accessible biggie - Sarawak Chamber.

Impressive graphics, though the 747 icon looks a tad deformed.

The 4 types of Mulu jungles.

Another view of the gallery. There is so much to learn here, and I’ve done my best to bring the juicy bits. For any visitor to Mulu, this place is a must, preferably before doing the trails.

Outside the Discovery Centre, some colourful mementoes.

Without the price stickers, I’d have sworn these were for real!

Time to leave, and I take a final look at swollen Melinau River, a vital transport expressway for Mulu.

Walking the suspension footbridge, I glance back.

Arriving at Mulu Airport, the crowd is sparse. There’s one flight to Kota Kinabalu and another to Miri (ours) in the next couple of hours.

Well, the place is deserted.

The check-in counters for the sole operator - FAX.

Not really state-of-the-art, but I guess it’s functional … and low-cost, easy maintenance too.

Secured my boarding card at last.

I chat up a couple of policemen. They are based in Miri and come here on a rotational basis. These guys just arrived for a 2-week stint and that’s their police-station I’m leaning against. I guess the airport terminal is the Mulu town centre.

The Fokker 50 from Kota Kinabalu (BKI) arrives on time.

And soon our own hardworking F50 gets in.

Gracefully approaching the ramp. Great weather for flying.

Saying good-bye for the last time to Mulu, but we’ll be back!

This is the same machine which brought us here 2 days ago - 9M-MGB. Wonder what that chap is doing?

Awesome props.

The fliers doing their checklist.

Nice interior, but the same old musty, sour smell lingers.

Front end of the cabin, door still open.

Prop on my side, and hmmm …

Duct tapes to fix the blades?

Ah well, at least this prop is okay.

Right turn above Tutoh River to head for Miri. Note the yellowish water as compared to clear Melinau River, which flows into Tutoh. Pity Tutoh.

Have to kneel on the floor to get this shot.

Destruction down below.

And soon, we descend into Miri (MYY).

Actual GPS flight path from Mulu to Miri, in red.

Uneventful landing at MYY. Short-and-sweet flight. Blades intact. From the virgin jungle of Mulu to the concrete jungle of Miri.

The F50 comes to a halt and soon a guy saunters over and inspects the blade one by one.

Yup, one duct tape has come loose, and he duly massages it back. Good for another flight I presume. I wonder if duct-taping props is part of the SOP.

From the terminal building, I steal this shot of the DeHavilland DHC-6 “Twin Otter”. They used to fly this to Mulu until recently, and provided half the fun of getting there. I missed it.

And our 9M-MGB, getting ready for another jungle-hopping flight. This is a true magnificent flying machine, the Fokker 50.

I stroll along the airside corridor to the arrival hall …

… and a huge Mulu display pulls me, …

… wa-hey!

TO BE CONTINUED …