Going batshit crazy

We just visited the Gomantong Caves near Sandakan, Borneo. Having seen the Discovery Channel special about them some time ago and having read Andy's blog entry about them, I thought that I had already pretty well experienced them. But I wasn't really prepared for the grand cathedral majesty of the cave, the stink of the guano, and the horror of the slippery boardwalk covered in guano and teeming with cockroaches. I concentrated very hard on not needing the similarily covered rickety handrail, let alone not falling off the boardwalk and onto the pile of bugs and crap underneath. As we crept up the slipperiest parts and saw the birds and bats above us, we realized that we could suffer the same fate as the walkway, and jumped (still carefully) when drops of water fell onto our heads.

Locals gather the nests of birds that live in the cave and make between $1000 and $2000 per kg (birds' nest soup is a Chinese delicacy). They are only permitted this harvesting during 4 months of the year, and we were lucky to see them in action. In the distance in the left of the photo, you can see their lights, ladders and ropes. They climb up and down like sailors comfortable on the rigging of a schooner, even though any misstep would likely kill them.

Stepping back into the light of day, we wiped our encrusted soles on the grass (our shoes will never be the same to us again), and hopped into the van off to our river nature cruise. We are nearing the river now.