26.03 to 31.03.09, 5 days, currency rate 1 € = 4.75 R (Malaysian ringgit)

highlights - Kuching is a provincial, pleasant town. Life is concentrated along the river, you can eat, relax, talk with friendly local. Lady in the tourist information has a great and practical knowledge and will respond to all your questions. Near the town is very popular Bako NP with proboscis monkeys, and orangutans sanctuary in Semenggoh (we visited one in Sabah, which now we regret). At the welcome we went for an hour massages in YCY (45 R, 9.5 €).

Cruise on Batang Rejang River, defined as the Borneo’s Amazon, is no way to call it the romantic trip. You are locked inside the express boat, so you can see the river banks through the window of rushing boat. However in Kapit were still very nice people, a few tourists, cheap and delicious food. Our goal here was to see the longhouses of Iban tribe. I imagined hiring the local guide, walking through the jungle with machete, watching wild animals and encountering the half-naked descendants of head hunters. Instead, we saw cargo boats transporting out the trees from the jungle, on the grubbed areas the huge palm oil plantations, a lot of cement and Iban’s concrete long houses with cars parked in front of them. Nevertheless Kapit can be a base to a less civilized areas, but with more time and money. Due to lack of time we resigned from the trip into jungle, but we decided to visit the nearest traditional wooden longhouse. And to our surprised that was a very interesting experience. It’s true then people have TV  and mobile phones, but the longhouse was authentic, old. We did not have a guide with us, but coming closer to the Rumah Bundong village we were friendly greeted. Life there has own easy rhythm, no one get bigger attention to us. We climbed the wooden footbridge, took off the shoes and entered the long hall inside the house. It was nearly a hundred-meter common corridor, within which there were the doors to family rooms. This corridor is a meeting and gossip place, or tribal conference. In front of chief’s room hung a net with human sculls, the reminder that is the legendary head hunters area.

The first tourist trap was a Gunung Mulu NP (entry fee 10 R, 2 €). The place is nice and pleasant, but "plastic". You do not have the individual possibilities, almost all the attractions must be guided tours. Get to the nearby caves through the jungle (10 R, 2 €) is lead on wooden foot paths. You cannot really see the wild animals, including even the leeches. At 8am is a trip  to Wind and Clearwater Caves (the longest in Southeast Asia - East) - just one hour walk, but other tourists didn’t come. Why? You can get there by boat for 30 R (6 €). The caves are even pretty, nice lit, interesting stalactites, stalagmites and other formations. However, a narrow paths stops all group if anyone wish to take a photo, or simply look and reflex. After cave visit there is a time to swim in the river. When we were coming back on foot and passed a tiny Moonmilk Cave, we met on our way the snake. It was hard to walk around, as the cave was narrow and his position signaled readiness for attack. Well, he asked so we had to hit him by stone. At afternoon you can visit two other caves. This time we went with a guide on the footbridge from the beginning, and heard some info about flora and insects. After 3 kilometers we reached Lang Cave, and after this we visited Deer Cave, the world's largest cave passage, over 2km in length and 174m in height. I was impressed, it is huge. After we met in observation point in distance from cave entrance, where between 4:30 and 6 pm from the cave flying out about 2-3 million bats. Every few minutes we could see another group, forming on the sky black curl of bat, like a cloud. It is however a small problem – this doesn’t occur every night, they are not so hungry, especially when rains. However to the observation point you can come alone and be able to see this unique presentation on the following day.

The park has other popular attraction called canopy skywalk -  bridges suspended at a height of trees branches (30 R, 6 €). The most I wanted to see "The Pinnacles" (I saw the beautiful pictures), but to get there you need organized 3-days trip, even though that is not so far (price for one person is more than 500 R (105 €) plus the meals, with the bigger group would be cheaper). There are other attractions – climbing the surrounding peaks, boats cruises, etc., but everything with the compulsory guide, and slowly, more days  allow to charge you more money. In caves you can go for adventure version with some underground rivers crossing, or more serious trips for speleology card holders. Whatever you want to do, take some food and water with you, because the prices there are killers.

accommodation - Kuching, Borneo Bed & Breakfast, LP,  dormitory for 12 R, double room for 20 R per person. Breakfast is included (toasts with jam jam and tea).

In Kapit almost all inexpensive hotels were full of locals, finally we found the vacancy in the Rejang Inn, rooms with own bathroom and a fan for 35 R, with air-conditioning for 45 R (9.5 €).

In the Gunung Mulu NP the cheapest dormitory costs 37 R (8 €), breakfast included. We slept outside the park, in Homestay for 20 R per person (4 €). Going from the airport you don’t turn left into the road leading to the park, only take the next one, unpaved track just 100 meters away. Following it to the end you will reach few houses, one of them is your hostel.

transport - from Kuching airport you can get to the city by taxi – fixed price 22 R (5 €) for the course. We hitchhiked for 10 R per 2 persons.

From Kuching to Sibu is better to catch the boat then the bus - faster and cheaper. Just remember to take a jacket inside bus or boat – air conditioning is a crew favorite toy, they will make sure you are freezing.

We used the cheapest economy class in express boats, which has air condition, TV and a comfortable airplane seats. There is no reason to upgrade the class.

In Kapit to reach the longhouse you do not have to hire the  minibus, but our extreme time budget push us to overpaid and get to the target quickly. On the way back we used the local shuttle minibus.

In general, we should continue go further on upriver to Belaga, and from there by road to Bintulu. We had not enough time and we have read about some permits over there, but as we met other people, no one checked them.