Mulu National Park Traveling Tips

The Mulu National Park is one of the most magnificent national parks in the world. It's a world UNESCO site--on par with the Great Barrier Reef, Rome, Venice, and Taj Mahal--and hosts four of the most beautiful caves on Earth. 
I have the photos to illustrate my point.

The caves are not the only attraction here--birding and hiking are also popular among tourists. There are several hardcore hiking packages that take several days to complete--so yes you need to stay several nights in the forest. The park is therefore a suitable recreational place for people of all ages and fitness levels.

There's a human in this photo, can you spot him?

The Mulu National Park is located in Mulu, Sarawak, on the island of Borneo. The place is so remote that the only way to get to the park is by air--operated by a subsidiary of MAS--the MASwings. Phone coverage is very limited, WiFi and drinking water are a luxury and the Mulu airport is so small it doesn't even have a luggage conveyor belt--everything is done manually here.

Transportation, accommodation and tour packages are easy to come by so you don't have to prebook everything before going to Mulu.

When you arrive at the airport, just walk out the arrival hall and ask around for transportation to the national park. A single trip costs RM5.00 and takes less than 3 minutes, or you could walk to the park itself, located only 1.6 km away from the airport. Don't worry about getting lost--there's only one road in Mulu and the road signs are clear and accurate.

Lang Tengah Turtle Watch (LTTW) Volunteer Program 2016

I've practically given up every ounce of interest in writing down all my thoughts over the past few months. In fact I haven't been blogging as avidly as in the past because, well, I've been rather busy--it's a convenient excuse.

 Anyway, a lot had happened over the past few months, and I've achieved a few of my new year resolution, including an article published in a tier-1 journal (yaayyyy--warning, it's 16 pages long so if you're not into physics/science/nanotechnology/biotechnology/longwindingarticle it's best not to click on that link).

Backpackers' Guide To Kuala Terengganu & Redang Island

Redang Island is one of the most visited islands in Malaysia. It's located some 30km off the coast of Kuala Terengganu, and is an ideal place for snorkeling, scuba diving, and chilling out. 

Redang island is actually the largest among a series of islands located closely to one another.

Visiting Japan: Tsukiji Fish Market

In almost every travel book about Japan, you'll definitely see the Tsukiji Fish Market in the Tokyo Attraction section.

Why?
Because it's freeeeee and backpackers, especially, love free stuffs.

I was there two weeks ago, and witnessed for myself the endangered fish so longed by so many sushi lovers all over the world. So in this entry I'll give a little advice on how to get there, what to do, what to expect, and what not to do.

Visiting Japan: Cheap Accommodation

Backpackers are stingy people. They'll try to avoid paying for everything. If they can. 

On the other hand, budget for accommodation is one of the most important expenditure for any trip, and it is especially pricey in Japan. A typical three-stars hotel could cost up to USD $120 per night during the Sakura season.

Visiting Japan: JapanRail (JR) Pass FAQ

The Japanese railway system is one of the most messed-up and complicated subway systems in the world. Of course, I did my research before leaving for Japan, but I was appalled by the lack of useful resources on the web for travelers like myself.
So today I'll be writing a little bit on what I know about the train system and the mode of transportation available for travelers, with an emphasis on the JR pass.

Mount Bromo-Mount Ijen-Bali

It's been a while since I last blogged, and that's primarily because I was kinda busy with work and life and erm, preparing for this trip (my friends and I have been preparing for this trip since February, but we didn't actually prepare for it until a week before the trip).

So yeah, here's a brief summary of what to look out for in these three places.

Sungai Lembing 26-29 July 2014

Ops I did it again~

I woke up at 4 am on the 26th of July, and departed via the KL-Karak highway towards Kuantan. It's a 266-km journey from where I live to Sungai Lembing, and so I had to split the journey into four sessions; stops at Karak—Temerloh—Maran—Sg Lembing—and estimated myself to arrive at about 11 am.

But I was so wrong. So very wrong.

Koh Samui-Koh Phangan-Full Moon Party

The Full Moon Party in Thailand is considered one of the most important stops for any serious backpacker. 

The mere mention of the infamous party conjures up images of a wild-out-of-control-drink-all-you-want beach party where people of various nationalities get together and have fun.  

It all started in the 80s when a group of backpackers in Koh Phangan held a birthday party for their friend on the night of the full moon. They had such a wonderful time that they decided to return to the exact location the following year to do it again. What started as a innocuous, endearing birthday party gradually evolved into the alcohol-fueled, pee-into-the-sea beach party we see today.

印度--后记....India--An Epilogue

一时的冲动，一生的故事。

印度给你的印象是什么？

你对世界上最大的民主国，第九大经济体，十二亿人口国家了解有多少？

2013年七月二十七，我从新加坡飞往印度新德里，再从新德里飞往阿摩达巴，为期一个月。

Hong Kong 23~28th Jan 2013

Okay, a list of places I've visited:
1) Temple Street Night Market
2) Avenue of Stars
3) Bird Garden
4) Ocean Park Hong Kong
5) Man Mo Temple
6) Hollywood Road (Antique street)
7) HSBC headquarter
8) The Peak
9) Madame Tussaud Wax Museum
10)St John Cathedral
11) Lan Kwai Fong
12) Sun Yat Seng Memorial Museum
13) Hong Kong Heritage Museum
14)Lei Cheng Uk Han Tomb
15) Wong Tai Sin Temple
16) Ladies Market
17) Macau St Domingo Cathedral
18) Venetian Macau--Titanic Exhibition
19) Venetian Macau--The Human Body Exhibition
20) Michael Jordan exhibition

The original plan was to fly to HongKong and spend the night at the HongKong airport until the morning of 24th Jan.

Cameron Highlands-Gunung Irau

I was supposed to visit Singapore during this Raya Haji holiday. But a last minute cancellation by one of the guys ruined the plan. So I was left with only a few days to come up with a surrogate plan
.
Gunung Irau is the ninth tallest mountain in Malaysia, only 80 meters lower than the tallest peak in peninsular Malaysia, Gunung Tahan.

福州--月圆人团圆

我的贯藉是福州闽清。
我公公婆婆在战乱期间为寻求好日子不惜背弃家园远赴南洋。听说我婆婆当年才十几岁，从我祖屋到福州城需要走三天，然后坐船到香港一个月，再等下南洋两个月，全程三个月。
我老豆就是个念旧之人。这次回乡终于把我们全家人带回祖墓去扫墓，顺便与福州的亲戚共度中秋。

Mount Kinabalu 2012

Scaling the highest mountain in South East Asia has always been one of my childhood dreams. And unfortunately for me as the youngest kid in my family it's always difficult for me to attempt anything adventurous. Like many of my recent trips though, my parents were oblivious of my Kinabalu adventure.

A piece of advice: if anyone out there wants to book a slot, make sure you do it at least six months ahead. The best time to visit, according to the mountain guide, is around April, when the rain is few and far between.

Sea Turtle Rescue Unit Volunteer Program (SEATRU)

I ain't even sure how to start with this.

7 days on the remote side of Redang, an area off limit to tourists, sipping river water, using candlelight at night, sleeping on the beach, hunting and fending off monitor lizards, tagging turtles, releasing babies, watching shooting stars, snorkeling, I can go on forever.

Kuala Terengganu
It was the 29th day of Ramadhan when I arrived at Kuala Terengganu. That night I discovered something special about Kuala Terengganu-- the people of Kuala Terengganu do not wait for laungan azan at 7:30pm to end their fasting. Neither do they watch the TV nor stare blankly at their watch. Instead they wait for a cannon fired from Bukit Pak Apil, which signifies the end of fasting. It is a much efficient way because the sound of the cannon can be heard up to 10 km away, and the laungan azan from different mosques can be incoherent and confusing at times.

Look at the size of that fish!

Flying fish
The journey to Redang island was a rough one and everyone was sleeping during the 45-minutes trip. Except me. As the boat broke one wave after another I saw something shot out of the water and glided for at least 5 meters in a straight horizontal path before landing back into the water.

Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary + Bukit Tinggi Tour

I was ffk-ed by by two friends who initially invited me to a jungle trip at Sungai Lembing.
So I came up with the idea of riding to Lanchang, Pahang to visit my mammalian friends.

I woke up at 6am and departed an hour later. The journey reminded me of the days when I toured around Peninsular Malaysia. My loyal kapchai has now gone to more places than most Malaysians. We've had some disagreements in the past, though--he unchained himself and made things hard for me whenever I pushed him too hard. This time, however, we did 239km in a single day. It's the longest route I have ever traveled in a single day.

Backpacking: Lake Toba

I was flipping around my planner last Tuesday when I noticed we would have holidays on the following Monday and Tuesday (Prophet Muhammad's birthday and Thaipusam respectively).
That's four days to spare~~ I ain't gonna spend the days rotting away at home. And hence I went on and booked myself a ticket to Medan, Indonesia on Saturday morning. A lil dramatic but, I had 3 days to prepare my itinerary and currency exchange and.....inform my parents and get myself transportation to KLIA.

MAS Golden Lounge

If you purchase business class ticket from MAS, you're entitled to enter the MAS Golden Lounge.
I didn't. My bro did =P and he sneaked me in just moments ago.

Oh by the way I'm on my backpacking trip to Medan, and then to Toba Lake. This is one impromptu decision I just bought the ticket on Wednesday.

Penang Bridge International Marathon

How could anyone spend up to 4 hours running in a competition 99% of us would not win (not forgetting the involuntary leg cramp and severe dehydration)?

Well, marathon is more than just a run--it's about the spirit of Marathon.

It came from the story of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. Legend has that he was sent from the battlefield of Marathon to Athens (approximately 40 kilometers) to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon (in which he had just fought). He allegedly ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsed and died.

Seremban Trip

Why Seremban?

Firstly: Siew Pau

Secondly: I skipped Seremban during my round-Peninsular-trip last May, so I'm making up for it.