Coastal Rainforest Part I

The winding road becomes narrow as we drive deep into the heart of the forest. Soon the bitumen ends and the dirt road disappears around the next bend. We park our four wheel drive under the shade of tall palms and native coastal trees. Salty air and the sound of distant waves greet us from somewhere beyond the green and brown forest. Birds call in clean whistles. We begin our walk into the forest, water bottles in hand and dried fruit snacks for the hike.

white bottlebrush // forest crab // green jungle

Within metres, the hot dry air changes and as we continue through the shade created by a tall, dense canopy, the cooler temperature of the air feels fresh and clean. White bottlebrush and local honeysuckle flowers rise from the ground. A stealthy monitor lizard watches us from a safe distance, we almost overlooked it with his still statue-like pose. I gaze up towards the forest ceiling, tiny stars of sunlight sparkle through the dark green canopy that is dominated with Pink Bloodwood, Blackbutt and Flooded Gums that stretch as much as 30 metres above us.

woody climbers // nature lover

Tall, woody vines creep up over old moss-covered trunks. If I look closely, tiny ants can be seen marching along the stems of the vines. A gentle reminder that different communities of species in this green ecosystem can exists on a minuscule scale. Byron turns towards me and I snap his picture. The camera shutter click sounds unnatural in this pristine forest environment. We continue on foot, making crunching sounds as we step on dried leaves, twigs, rock quartz and other living debris that has fallen from the hardwood forest trees.

seaside forest // understory creatures // staghorn ferns

As the dense foliage beings to thin, the sound of the sea amplifies. The wind picks up, howling through the shrubs that line the edge of the forest. This is where the Bongil Bongil forest meets the Pacific Ocean in a spectacular, noisy seascape. We walk along the beach, taking in the dunes, sea grass, driftwood and white-tipped waves before returning to the cool, still forest. We sit at a damp picnic table setting where we enjoy navel orange wedges, grape tomatoes, carrot and celery sticks with spicy apple juice before gathering our picnic and wandering back towards the Hilux.

Along the way, we give into our inner wild creatures to play about in a small clearing. Laughter erupts from us like the wild calls of the native birds. Taking short breaks now and again to look up, we observe the lime green foliage of giant green Staghorn ferns, hovering over our heads like oversized bird nests.

The forest is an amazing place to explore, wide-eyed in the spring time. I hope my children and my children's children can visit this place, untouched by development for years to come. I hope it is preserved, protected and treasured for our future generations. It should be.

Do you enjoy hiking? Do you wonder at the beauty of the forest? Have you explored a place that appears as if it is untouched by people? Please share your stories in the comments below, I'd love if you could paste links to your blogs so I can visit.

I confess, I'm a lover of nature.

Bella xx

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Hiking in Borneo Part I

One of my favourite highlights from travelling our beautiful planet has been hiking through the tropical green jungles of Mulu National Park in Borneo. Here, clear flowing rivers wind through the dense forests like dancing snakes. Travel throughout the river systems is usually by longboats that seem to fly noisily through the water, past makeshift houses in scattered villages inhabited by the nomadic Sarawakian tribes of the Penan people.

Penan houses // colourful longboats // Nomadic Penan children

The Penan children are beautiful, with sweet smiles, ebony hair and olive skin. Passing by I smiled and was greeted with the occasional wave as young girls splashed about in the water, seemingly oblivious to the hot, thick jungle air.

Limestone mountains // The Kings Chamber // dual vehicle and pedestrian bridge

Huge white limestone mountains emerge from the forest canopy with impressive jagged cliff faces. The Clearwater Cave and Cave of the Winds may be explored in the Gunung Api section of the Melinau limestone. During our hike we walked through the impressive Kings Chamber, identified by giant honeycomb columns and stalagmites. Whilst inside the Cave of the Winds, we noticed the temperature of the humid jungle air plummet as cool wind flowed through the cave along the same route of an ancient river that formed the cave many thousands of years earlier.

Glow worm threads // A floating ribbon of bats and a bird of prey

To walk into a dark, damp cave can be a daunting experience, I recall the sound of dripping water and the faint rushing sounds of an underwater river echoing along the stone walls. Suddenly I was aware of a tiny galaxy of scattered stars above me and for the first time in my life I could clearly make out the insect lures of glow worm threads that dangled like silk from the cave ceiling.

This feeling of awe struck me again and again as I ventured throughout the cave and I couldn't believe my eyes when I witnessed the wondrous sight of three million naked bats streaming from the mouth of Deer Cave like moving ribbons drifting towards the sunset. The ribbons looked like giant serpents and sounded like swarms of buzzing wasps as birds of prey circled nearby to capture any unfortunate strays.

Abe Lincoln // crystal clear waters below

At the entrance of Deer Cave we saw the side profile of 'The Boss', aka U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. From the perfect angle, the silhouette of Abe's pointy nose and iconic chin can be made out against the mouth of the cave entrance.

I always write a travel journal on every trip to help me to remember what I have seen and the way I felt during the experience. The entries are usually brief, simple little sentences, thrown together over a meal or before bed and to be honest I almost always miss the last couple of days from any trip because I would rather be present in the moment than sit somewhere and write. Here I share with you some of my entries from my small, blue notebook that I carried with me throughout my jungle adventures in Mulu...

Exhausted and happy after a day of hiking exotic cave systems in Borneo

'The smallest of the four caves we visited was Langs Cave. It was very easy walking along the three kilometre boardwalk to the cave entrance. Han (our guide) and Byron discussed the corrupt money-hungry government and how they plan to build another dam, which would force the relocation of many of the local tribes. This senseless destruction of the environment and local people saddened me to my very core. It was hard to believe that part of the beautiful forest I was visiting might one day be gone.'

'The rainforest canopy provided much cooler walking conditions as the temperature dropped by some five degrees Celsius. I welcomed the cooler air, although it still felt quite hot and humid. My skin was sticky, loose strands of my hair stuck to my face and my shirt clung to my skin as if I had showered fully-clothed. Although it sounds unpleasant, I was actually captivated by my surrounds and the sweet scent of the rainforest.'

'Langs Cave was a spectacular show cave with cream walls and flat ceilings that were formed by standing ground water which dissolved the limestone. In contrast, Deer Cave was the largest cave I had ever visited, and indeed it is the largest cave passage in the world with massive chambers and between two to three million bat inhabitants. OH MY GOD did it stink from all the guano, which is a fancy name for bat feces. Can you even fathom the quantity of shit that three million bats produce?! The smell is incomprehensibly putrid and I'm ashamed to say, worth the discomfort to experience the wonder that is Deer Cave.'

Bella xx

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