A routine has been established, with 100 days journal taking priority in the morning activities. It's our last day of exploring Mulu National Park . Yesterday was a huge with an early morning long boat trip up the river for cave exploring which also involved not only lots of walking but also over 600 steps as well. After a downstream boat journey back to Park Headquarters there was time for a quick refuel at the cafe before heading into the jungle again for a 50-minute boardwalk for more cave exploring. It's a tropical jungle so of course, it rains a lot and that afternoon the heavens opened up. the treat is no matter how wet you get you're never cold.
The visual inspiration from the caves has all been sucked into my being. The forms and colours of Stalagmite and Stalactite formations in the Lang Cave are impressive. One conclusion is that big is impressive. these caves are alive and evolving continuously.We waited until 6:30pm outside Deer Cave for 3 million bats to fly out in a formation but bats don't like rain so that spectacle was missed. Another 50 minute walk with headlights blazing in the dark back to headquarters. It's a boardwalk the whole way so you're not concerned about tripping on a tree trunk or stepping on a snake or getting suckered by a leech. I feel my leg muscles today. I always wonder about the saying 'no pain, no gain' and it seems to be true. I know my fitness level has been taken up a notch.
And that niggly word 'should' comes into play; I should walk up two or more flights of stairs every time I return home to the apartment. I should be swimming. I should be in my studio more. I should be phoning my mum more often than I am., should be, should be. there must be a better word than 'should be'.
So that was yesterday. Today is about more walking, in particular, a skywalk 30 meters above the forest floor. It's the world's longest tree based canopy walk at 480 meters long. There's nothing like letting go and putting your trust into wobbly suspension bridges. It's like seeing the structure of the rainforest in 3D.