After I walked around the city for a few hours, it was still early, so I decided to take a day trip over to Kubah National Park, just about 45 minutes outside of town. Unfortunately there weren't really any direct buses, but I managed to find a local minibus that gathered up some locals going in the same direction, and I soon got to the park, paying a little more than I should have, but it was still only a few dollars, so I didn't mind. Kubah National Park is the closest park to Kuching, and it is known for its huge variety of palms and frogs, though I'm not quite sure if those two facts are related or not. I was just looking for another typical Bornean rainforest, and I was attracted by the 'Waterfall Trail.' This is also way less popular than Bako National Park, along the coast, so I found the park almost empty. I spoke with the friendly ranger to get some ideas for the hikes, and then I was off, heading up the steep, paved road to the first trailhead. As usual, I was starting to sweat almost immediately, though I was able to find a bit of shade for a few stops. Down some steep banks, I scrambled to a few small, rocky cascades through the green forest, trying not to step in any holes where animals may be lurking.
I was happy to find that the Waterfall Trail was mostly downhill, a nice break after my steep climb up, though I was dreading the return part of the trip. The heavily wooded trail was similar to a few others that I had seen, covered in palms, ferns and towering trees, creating a mostly unbroken canopy above to keep the sunlight off for a little while. I passed just two or three people and came to the huge rock shelves through which the river has cut its way, walking along the wide, flat rocks, making sure to not slip on the fallen leaves covering parts of the rocks. Up to the left, I found a small waterfall dropping over a rock wall that looked like a stack of thin rocks piled on top of each other, revealing some of the layering process that created the area. Ahead and to the right, a much larger cascade spilled over similarly stacked rocks, creating a wide wall of water falling about 20 feet to a small pool below and then moving down through the stream amongst the boulders. While leaving, I noticed something on the edge of the rocks and saw a long, thin snake gliding around on the smooth surface. The dark green snake didn't appear to be dangerous to me, though it was a different story for the live frog dangling from the snake's jaws. I took a few pictures that I eventually showed the ranger, but he didn't know what kind of snake it was.
From the waterfalls, I climbed back up the steep trail, over roots and logs, though I veered off towards one of the other trails, sort of making my way back to the entrance and crossing over a ridge where a few trails converged, surrounded by a picturesque grove of tall, skinny trees shooting up to the darkening sky. Just a few minutes later, the rain came, and I was lucky enough to find a tiny shelter near the ridge, so I waited out the 20 minute storm, and then I made my way back down to the park entrance, tired from my recent treks and lack of sleep, along with the tropical sun sapping the energy out of me.
The buses back from the park were the hard part of the whole travel equation, since they don't really come at any set time. The ranger mentioned that if I was still around at 5, he could take me back to the city (for a small fee), but it was only about 2:30, so I figured I'd just start walking, hoping that I'd find a ride or a bus. If not, the main road was about 45 minutes away, so I just headed in that direction. Again, I wasn't too fond of walking in the hot sun, but I thought it would be my best option. Soon I got into a good rhythm and was barely sweating, making my way mostly downhill to the junction. Just before I made it, a nice university professor stopped and offered me a ride, so I jumped in, though he only took me about five minutes down the road to the bus stop, but that was good enough for me. I waited at the bus stop for about an hour, not seeing any sign of the minibuses that I hoped to find. Eventually, a driver with a sort of modified tow truck stopped for me, offering to take me to the main road back to Kuching, so I again jumped in and went along for the ride. We talked a bit about America (everyone has their own opinions on the country), and soon we passed a bus, so he sped up and beat the bus to the next stop, letting me off just in time to jump on the bus and get back downtown before the evening and more rain came. Back in Kuching, after the vicious storm of rain and wind passed, I walked along the waterfront, finding it a bit quiet due to Ramadan, though a few of the views of the stately buildings across the river were nice. This was a British colonial city at one time, so a few palaces and state buildings still remain from the time, giving Kuching just a slight bit of the historical feel that so many tourist cities try to harness these days. Just across the water is the Astana, built as one of the palaces for the local rulers during the colonial time, as well as Fort Margherita standing atop one of the hills across the river. The boxy fort looks picturesque and a bit imposing from the outside, but a few other travelers told me that the inside is basically barren, so it's a sight much better appreciated from afar, leaving your imagination to fill in what weapons and furnishings could have occupied the military post, named for one of the early settler's wives.
Back in the hostel, a few young roommates were just learning about the joys (and pitfalls) of independence, cheap alcohol and time away from their families, creating quite a bit of noise while first congregating in the room before I finally hinted that they may want to move outside around midnight. Then, around four in the morning, the group barged back in, loudly recounting their night to each other and waking every single person in the hostel as they banged repeatedly on the bathroom doors, since one of their friends had apparently passed out in the bathroom behind the locked door. Another of my partying roommates was throwing up right about the same time in the garbage bin, then basically passing out on his bed, as I hoped that would be all for the night/morning. I finally managed a little sleep, but it wasn't one of my more pleasant nights in a shared room. Fortunately, the majority of the group left the next day, so I was hoping for a more peaceful experience after that.
(More hot, humid, lush rainforest of Borneo, this time at Kubah National Park. This park is known for its large variety of palms and frogs, though I'm not sure if those two facts are related.)
(Near the top of the trail, there was a set of three waterfalls, along with a fourth one just to the left of this picture.)
(The falls were a little slippery, but I wisely made my way along the wet rocks to take this picture.)
(This is the fourth waterfall that you couldn't see before. The park was hot and humid with lots of hills, so I was pretty sweaty at this point.)
(Just downstream from the waterfalls, I noticed some movement in the leaves on these rocks, and I actually saw a snake slithering along.)
(He didn't seem to care about the incredible biodiversity of the frog species in the park, as he was carrying one of them away in his mouth.)
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