Batu Cave and Mulu

Hello again!

Back from our three day trip to Mulu National Park on Borneo.  The pictures from my phone don't do it justice, but Tzer Ying took tons that we will have to sort through and transfer to my laptop later.  The rain forest was beautiful, as were the limestone caves.  It was quite warm, but the shade from the trees and the coolness of the caves kept it manageable. It was amazing to see how simple water had shaped the caves over millions of years.  In addition to guided cave tours, we did a canopy walk, where you climb stairs to about 60 ft above the ground and walk through the forest on bridges.  It was a wonderful opportunity to see how all the different plant species interacted.  The rain forest is truly a web of life. Unfortunately, wildlife was sparse because it is the dry season, but I did get to see a chameleon!

Monday, we took a day trip to Batu Cave.  It is a limestone cave just outside of KL that is used as a Hindu temple.  It was the first Hindu temple I had ever been to, as all of the ones in China were Buddhist.  The cave is a perfect balance of natural beauty and human religion.  Again, my pictures are insufficient but I will post a few that Tzer Ying and Dr Rao took when I can.

Lastly, I wanted to revisit my list of the things I was excited for in Malaysia.  The food has been excellent, although the selection on Borneo, being so remote, was understandably limited.  My favorite Malaysian food is roti canai, which is a flaky flat bread.  I'm still hoping to try chicken satay (chicken kabobs with peanut sauce).  The only thing I'm not sure I like is nasi lamak, which literally translates to 'fat rice.'  It has a nice curry flavor, but I don't like it so much because it has anchovies in it.

The rain forest was amazing, as I said earlier.  The last thing was meeting Dhan's family, which has been wonderful.  Dr Rao and Tzer Ying have been helpful, informative and understanding at every turn.  Dhan's dad is an amazing story teller, and they both have a great sense of humor.  There is a small language barrier, but it's about the same as you would find traveling to the UK: everyone is using the same words, but just a little differently.  I am so grateful for their hospitality.

I think that's all for me.  Today is recovery , a little touring in the city, and dinner with some relatives we missed before Mulu.  Tomorrow, Dhan and I will strike off on our own for Penang, an island in the Andaman Sea that boasts beautiful beaches and elaborate Buddhist temples.  On Monday, we meet up with the Raos for a tour of the Cameron Highlands, and then Tuesday we head back to Dengkil for our evening flight.  Blogging might be difficult after this, but I'll see what I can do.

Hope you all are having a nice evening!

Regards,

Elise & Dhan