Empty Jar

I am naught but an empty jar.

Hoi Tin Lau Kuching Dinner

I attended my cuzzie's engagement dinner at Hoi Tin Lau Kuching last night, and my favourite dishes were ....

Deep-fried pork ribs
The ribs was crispy and really tasty. It would be really yum to eat it with a glass of ice cold beer.

Steamed Fish
I liked the fish as it was really fresh, bouncy and Q.

Prawns in Salted egg
The prawns were really huge, and the salted egg coating was quite subtle.

Congratulations to my cuzzie, DL and her fiance, JTM.

Rices @ Shukie

We had lunch at Shukie today. We tried the Nasi Lemak Shukie.

A serving cost RM8.90. The rice was cooked in pandan essence, and hence was light green in colour. The nasi lemak had all the usual condiments like deep-fried ikan bilis and peanuts, a hard-boiled egg, cucumber slices, a deep-fried chicken thigh, and handful of crackers. The sambal was slightly sweet and spicy.

We also tried the Lalapan Ayam, at RM9.90. A clay plate was filled with a deep-fried chicken thigh, a quarter of deep-fried tempeh, a quarter of deep-fried beancurd, cucumber, blanched cabbage, spinach and long beans, with the sambal at the centre of the plate. Rice was served on a separate plate.

The sambal tasted alright - spicy and salty, but the serving was rather small, so there wasn't enough to dip my vegetables and meat with.

That aside, the fried chicken for both the Nasi Lemak and Nasi Lalapan tasted bland, if not for the sambal.

Anyway, lunch was a pretty comfy affair, as the restaurant is air-conditioned. A good place to eat especially when the weather is blazing hot!

No More Reflexology For Me

I used to like to go for foot reflexology at Yi Kang. Previously, I've always had very good experiences.

One evening, my friend and I went to the other outlet located in front of Imperial Hotel, Miri, and there was a lady named Susan. I think she's a sadist.

She did this to me.

My bruised calf

Never do I want to go back there or anywhere else for that matter.

Food @ Mulu

Our Mulu travel package was inclusive of lodging and food, and hence all our meals were taken care of.

For breakfast at Cafe Mulu, there was a choice of nasi lemak, fried beehoon, pancakes, muesli, or a Western breakfast set. On the first morning, I tried the nasi lemak, where as on the second morning, I ordered a Western breakfast.

Nasi lemak
The sambal was quite yum . . .

Western breakfast set

Fruit platter

All breakfast items came with fruits - watermelon, honey dew or banana.

We had lunch on Saturday at the rest area at the foot of the Clearwater Cave.

Lunch

There was rice, stir-fried long beans with baby corn and chillies, stir-fried cabbage, salted fish, and chicken curry with potatoes.

It was back to Cafe Mulu again for dinner. Each person was served rice, with 2 types of vegetables and a meat dish.

Rice

On our first evening there, we had a chicken stewed with baby corn, carrots and ginger flower. It was quite tasty because the ginger flower brought a refreshing flavour to the stew.

Chicken stew
See the ginger flower petals in pretty pink

Other than the chicken we had a stir-fried brinjal in curry, and a stir-fried baby bok choy.

Stir-fry brinjal in curry sauce

Stir-fried baby bok choy

The meal was sufficient, but we were disappointed as it was not exotic. We had expected to eat wild meats like venison, or freshwater fishes like ikan semah. Unfortunately, all we got was chicken.

We made a request known to the guide and expected "something special" for dinner on the second night. However, it was just fish fillet in soy sauce, beansprouts with salted fish, and stir-fried paku or ferns for us.

Deep-fried fish fillet with soy sauce

Stir-fried beansprouts with salted fish

Stir-fried ferns

I liked the fish and the ferns, even though many of us found the cooking very bland. My table finished a container of pickled chillies which we flavoured our fish and vegetables with.

Because of its inaccessibility, commodities are flown into Mulu, and hence sold at exorbitant prices here. A can of Coca-cola costs RM4.00, while small packet of groundnuts sells at RM3.00. My colleague M*** who had a craving for instant noodles ordered a bowl of Maggi Mee curry with an egg for RM3.00.

Maggi Mee Curry with an egg

And he also had a plate of stir-fried noodles which cost RM10.00.

Stir-fried noodles

Well, just a glimpse into what I ate during my stay in Mulu ;) If you're looking for wild boar meat or snake meat or any other exotic food, you're in for a disappointment.

The Mulu Caves

During my stay at the Gunung Mulu National Park, I visited 4 "show caves". Show caves are those caves that are equipped with walkways so that they are easily accessible. Besides that, the special features of these caves are enhanced with clever use of lighting, so that tourists may find their visit pleasurable.

Our guide was a local Penan youth named John. He led our group to the first cave, which was the Cave of The Winds. Alighting our boat, we climbed the wooden steps along the limestone cliffs to the entrance of the cave.

Climbing up the steps to reach the entrance of the Cave of The Winds

When entering a narrow passage within the cave, we could feel the a cool draft, as suggested by the name of the cave. The pathway eventually led us to the King's Chamber, where stalactites and stalagmites of all shapes and sizes can be seen.

Inside the Cave of the Winds

Next, we trekked towards the Clearwater Cave, which at 169km, is reputed to be the third longest cave in the world. According to John, an expedition is about to commence next week, where speleologists will begin work on the unexplored Clearwater cave system.

In different directions . . .

To reach the cave, one has to climb 200 wooden steps up a steep slope. Some people were put off by the stairs, and those with weak knees chose not to climb. I myself was overwhelmed. Those who did not wish to climb could take a breather at the rest area. Hot drinks and snacks are available here. And there are also toilets around, in case nature calls.

Rest area

I made a slow climb to the top where the cave entrance was. There were 2 trails here, one of which led to the Lady Cave, so named as the limestone formations were deemed more feminine. Indeed we saw a structure which resembled a woman.

A stalagmite resembling the figure of a woman

In the Clearwater Cave, you can hear the river roaring as the crystal clear water flows swiftly beneath.

What scared some of us was the presence of a snake. In the dark cave, we saw it slither along the steps and then coiled itself on beside the pathway. John said it was a cave racer snake and it was not poisonous.

Spines along the Clearwater Cave walls

In the afternoon, we headed to the Lang Cave and the Deer Cave. To reach these 2 caves, we trekked for about an hour from the Park HQ for it was 3.8 km long. The wooden plank walk was well-maintained. We strode at a comfortable pace, and so it was rather enjoyable. There were plenty of greenery to enjoy along the way.

Different directions yet again . . .

Lang Cave is named after a local man who discovered the cave. It is a rather small cave, but it was my favourite cave. The unique limestone formations were beautifully illuminated by the lights.

This photo does not do justice to Lang Cave

Deer Cave is the world's largest cave passage, and not to be missed here is the Lincoln's profile at the South entrance.

Abraham Lincoln's Profile

The Deer Cave is the roost of millions of bats, and the odorous guano deposit lingers in the air. The locals used to hunt for deers at the cave, and thus the name of the cave.

Part of the roof of the Deer Cave collapsed and a shaft of light entered to create rich green vegetation, named The Garden of Eden.

The Garden Of Eden

I thought the Garden of Eden was very pretty, but my friends who have visited in the 80's and 90's said that the garden was even more majestic in the past.

After we made our way out of the caves, we waited for the Bat Exodus. It was raining at that time, and the guides were not sure whether there would be a show. John said there was a 50-50 chance. After a long wait, they did finally fly out in a stream towards the fading sky.

Thereafter, it was another long walk back to the Park. Well, the Mulu show caves are worth a visit. They are not on the UNESCO World Heritage list for no reason, after all. Furthermore, the trails are very manageable compared to the Niah Caves. I personally think that Niah Caves were more difficult to navigate as I had to climb up and down the steep steps throughout the way.

Indeed, there's more to explore at Mulu. I would love to trek to the Garden of Eden, to go for the Canopy Skywalk, and even visit the Paku Waterfall. I guess it would have to be next time. Anyone interested?