Above: Goodbye Mulu, hope it won’t be 21 years before I come back.
Today I head back to civilisation (and internet again) in Kuching. I relaxed in the morning before going to the airport at 1145 for my 1315 flight. I based my timing on walking there but the owner was available to take me for MYR5 in his pickup truck, so I did that.
Yeah, I had a little too much time at such a little airport. Wadering around the small public area, I noticed there was a Muslim prayer room. Quite an anomaly as this is largely a Christian area and most passengers are foreigners. But then, Malaysia (but not the Sarawak state) has Islam as its official religion.
I think I had acclimatised myself with five days of no aircon and felt a little cool in the departure lounge and on board the 1h35 ATR flight to Kuching. This actually continued for the next few days.
As we prepared for take-off, the safety video froze intermittently and then went caput. The crew picked up from exactly where the video left off and did a manual demo with life jackets. To me, it’s just a reminder that the Malaysia Airlines group is a respectable and safety-conscious company. In its entire history, it hasn’t had a single jet fatality that has been positively attributed to mechanical, technical or pilot error (despite MH380 and MH17).
It was a great idea coming back to Mulu after 21 years. It was good to see how the Park had blossomed into such an all-encompassing adventure destination. The Park HQ had been relocated away from the resort (now Marriott). But sadly, most guests are foreigners. It was disappointing to see that there were only 11 people on our flight back to Kuching.
If I learnt anything, it is that handrails are not to be touched or grabbed. At Mulu, it is home to spiders, hairy caterpillars etc. They’re simply to stop one from falling over!
I was lucky to get a cheap ticket to Mulu at MYR235 return when it could have cost over MYR600. Accommodation in hostels for 5n (incl hot breakfast), plus park fee cost MYR225. Three non-adventure outings cost MYR105 while the two adventure ones cost MYR290. Ten meals (including a few wines) and incidentals cost MYR230.
Total of MYR1080 including return airfare for a 6d/5n adventure-packed trip. Money well spent! I’m just pleased that I had brought enough money as many others didn’t know that there weren’t ATMs. They also didn’t realise that card payments would be so unreliable.
Goodbye Mulu, hope it won’t be 21 years before I come back.