Bako National Park was our destination today, it is the oldest national park is Sarawak. Alan drove us to the jetty where we had to get on a boat to access the park. The process of actually getting onto the boat once we had paid our park fee was unnecessarily complicated. The idea of us wanting to wait to find 2 more people to share our boat with (so it was cheaper) seemed to completely baffle the staff… eventually we found an English man travelling with a guide and were able to share their boat (and get a lift back to our room at the end of the day with his driver which was handy).
The boat ride began… it was fun! A little bumpy but quite fast and it was a nice way to see the national park from the sea!
Jess and I looked super sexy in our garbage bag green ponchos!
The ponchos lasted us for the boat ride, but after that we decided it was nicer to be soaked from the rain than simply from sweat, so we quickly abandoned them! The man at the registration desk suggested we take the Pandan Kecil Trail, which would take us to the nicest beach in Bako National Park – now either he grossly overestimated my fitness, or simply thought it would be funny. The trail was 2.6km long one way, and was supposed to take 1.5hours (one way also). Thus, 5.2km long in total. We did do it in the expected time, which was encouraging - but it was not a nice, flat stroll… oh no. The trails at times had turned into rivers, we climbed nature’s staircases made of tree roots, slippery stones and the occasional man-mad rickety wooden ladders. I fell over rather impressively twice, ending up with mud all over my back and bum. Jess managed to stay upright the whole time, goodness knows how, with only a few unsteady slips and slides of the feet. I blame my shoes with zero grip – it couldn’t possibly be my lack of coordination.
May I point that there was NO SUN in the rainforest, it was cool, humid and completed shady!! (Later, this fact would baffle me as I am horrendously sunburnt – the worst I have ever been.)
The trail took us significantly less time on the way back as we had become so much more reckless with where we put our feet – on the way there we didn’t want to step in mud or get our shoes too wet, but by the time we reached the beach (the end of the 2.6km trail), despite our best efforts, our shoes were full of water, covered in mud and soggy as anything. Thus, it seemed pointless to care where we stepped on the way back!
Despite the hideous amounts of sweating, the slips and slides, and the very hard work navigating the trail, I am definitely pleased that we did it. It’s satisfying knowing that I completed it, even though I thought I would die… I did not! Yay.
The beach was gorgeous, albeit a little overcast, but deserted and peaceful.
On the way back, I began to feel a little nauseas and developed a headache… I assume due to dehydration. Thus, when we got back to the canteen, I consumed a can of 100 Plus (which is a rehydration drink) in approx. 2mins, but then proceeded to throw it all back up again. Not happy Jan. I must say I was pleased to say goodbye to the park, it is not an experience I will soon forget – with falling over, throwing up and getting terribly sunburnt!
I am still glad I did it. You cannot go to Borneo and not go hiking in a rainforest. You just cannot.
Home in less than 36 hours!
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