Tropical rainshower
It's the beginning of the rainy season in the north of Borneo and the first heavy rainshower of the day comes down
swallownest collectors in the Niah caves
My brother and I are the first western people ever to go up with the collectors of swallownests in the Niah caves. At first, they don't want to take us since the're convinced that no western person can do this. Their idea is pretty logic since all toerists who come here, are fat americans who already have a hard time getting to the caves.. Only when we promise them a part of our nylon climbingrope, they agree to take us up. The climb is impressive. In total darkness we climb up a vertical rock, slippery from all the birdshit and only protected by some thick hemp ropes and wooden beams. Here on this picture we are at the highest point, 60 m above the ground heading back down through a big hole in the upper terrace.. Tp the left, it goes 60 meter down in complete darkness.. They will only hear you falling..
Red insect after sunset
The tropical jungle of Borneo becomes very alive after sunset.. Every inch of the forest floor seems to be inhabited by crawling species of all kinds.. Some colorful, unharmless while other ones love to bite..
swallow return
in the evening, just before returning to their nest, thousands of swallows gather in a nearby village, close to the Niah caves..
Grasshopper
Swallow nest collectors
two swallow collectors prepare the way up to the highest terrace of the Niah caves. The steep rock is extremely slippery because of the birdshit.. We climb barefoot.. no sole matches the grip of the human skin on this soapy like surface. The white spots on the left are remains of birdnests.
dragonfly at sunset
The tropical jungle of Borneo becomes very alive after sunset.. Every inch of the forest floor seems to be inhabited by crawling species of all kinds.. Some colorful, unharmless while other ones love to bite.. This dragonfly looks for a safe place to spend the nightso he wont be eaten by less friendly species who crawl the forest
upper terrace of the Niah caves
After a 60 m climb by vertical rocks, we reach the upper terrace of the Niah Caves where a group of 5 collectors spend the whole week. They installed a kind of camp and the stick to the left is placed there to collect drinking water. The dark subsantce on the ground is dried guano. The darker spots in the ceiling are birdsnests. Everthing here is done by candlelight or torch and the pictures were taking with flash..
Basecamp
During our 10 day stay in the jungle of Borneo, we used this hut as our basecamp..
birdsnest collectors construction
Starting from the upper terrace at a height of 60 meter an unstable construction of wooden poles leads to the highest region of the Niah cave where the precious swallownests can be found. We're not allowed on the construction since we're too heavy. Most collectors are young and very light men and we are considered too risky for the construction
Last ricefield
After the last ricefield, nothing but wild jungle
Basecamp
Our basecamp during our 10 day stay in the jungle.. Sashui and Dois, our two guides shoot all kinds of animals for lunch. Today, they shot two squirrels
Smoking monkey
The third day we shoot a female monkey with kid. The first step in preparation is burning off the hair above the campfire
Heading back to basecamp
Sashui heading back to camp after shooting two monkeys
Tropical forest
Tangled lianas in the jungle
Humid ground and tropical heat
Tropical jungle
Jungle bottom after a rainshower
Children run for cover for an approaching rainshower at the start of the rainy season
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Monkeyheads
The heads of the two monkeys we shot will be boiled for days so at the end we will be capable to eat the brains out with a spoon...
Sashui heading back to camp after shooting two monkeys hurrying to get down before rain starts...
Dois, one of our guides
Dois, one of our guides in the jungle of Borneo is bitten by a snake but although his leg is completely blue minimizes the event. 'It was just a small one' he declares...
Bingo!
The third day, Sashui shoots a mother monkey with kid with one bullet. He's the gunmaker of the village and made his rifle completely by himself...
Tropical rainshower
It's the beginning of the rainy season in the north of Borneo and the first heavy rainshower of the day comes down
smoked monkey
The third day we shoot a female monkey with kid. The first step in preparation is burning off the hair above the campfire
Centipede
wolfspider
At night, you can't put one step without spotting some big insect. Every inch of the junglefloor crawls, makes noises and looks for prey like this big wolfspider...
wolfspider
At night, you can't put one step without spotting some big insect. Every inch of the junglefloor crawls, makes noises and looks for prey like this big wolfspider...
Grasshopper with camoeflagecolors
Last ricefield
Going up to the last ricefields looking for our basecamp from where we will explore the jungle of Borneo
Mount Kinabalu
Down at the Mount Kinabalu national park headquarters, the summit plateau seems far away, partially covered in clouds...
Basecamp
Not so far from the last ricefields and next to a cut down piece of forest, we find ourselves a small hut which will serve us as a base camp for the next week...
Nowhere in the world night falls as quick as in the tropics.. Within five minutes daylight goes into night
Stick Insect
Wolfspider
At night, you can't put one step without spotting some big insect. Every inch of the junglefloor crawls, makes noises and looks for prey like this big wolfspider...
Wolfspider
At night, you can't put one step without spotting some big insect. Every inch of the junglefloor crawls, makes noises and looks for prey like this big wolfspider...
Light emitting mushroom
Light emitting mushroom
Grashopper
Silence for the storm
Just before the daily tropical rainshower during the rainy season, it's gets dark and hot as hell and all animals keep silent... Only few minutes later hell breaks loose and silence is broken by a tropical thunderstorm...
Kota Marudu
Our departure by boat to the mangroveswamps is in the city of Kota Marudu. They don't seem to care much for ecology or clean beaches...
To the mangroveswamps
Buffalo Dundee , a guy we met by accident in Kota Belud is bringing us by boat to the nearest mangroveswamp..
The beginning of the mangroveswamps
Buffalo Dundee drops us of at the beginning off a mangroveswamp in the North of Borneo.. From here, we're on our own... Buffalo willl pick us up in the evening on the other side...
Into the mangroveswamp
When you say mangroveswamp, you say mud.. Sometimes we hardly get our feet back out the sucking mud..
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Into the mangroveswamp
It's not always easy to get through the swamp but our machetes do the work...
Staying dry
The only way to get dry feet in the swamp, is by climbing a tree... if you're lucky to find one without ants in it...
Exhausted
At the end of our trip through the mangrovesmaps, I'm pretty exhausted...
On our way for lunch
After our trip in the mangroveswamps, Buffalo Dundee picks us up by boat to bring my brother and I to a small island called Kudat, to have dinner...
Lunch at Kudat
On the small island of Kudat we're invited in a local hut to have lunch
The island of Kudat
We make a great tour of the island of Kudat.. What worries us most is the lack of drinkable water...
The rocky coastline of Kudat
We make a great tour of the island of Kudat.. even when some parts of the coastline are hard to pass. What worries us most is the lack of water.. drinkable water...
Getting late
Night is about to fall when we're still on the other side of the island of Kudat.. Tired and no drinking water
Return at nightfall
Night is falling when we return from the island of Kudat by boat
Mount Kinabalu
On our way to the mangroveswamps we have a beautiful sight on Mount Kinabalu (4095 m) which we will climb later...
Deafening silence
When we arrive at the mangroveswamps, sound of the crickets is deafening... But that's about the only sound there is... Nobody wonders through mangroveswamps...
Mangroveswamp
A mangroveswamp is a very hostile environment. Water is salt and there is danger for watersnakes and mosquitoes..
Mangroveswamp atmosphere
The atmosphere in the mangroveswamps is amazing. The sound of the crickets is deafening and apart from that the sound of our boots plashing in the sucking mud is the only sound we hear...
Clouds over the tropical forest
In the evening all evaporated humidity gets back down forming big clouds above the rainforest.
Sundawn at the summit of Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu (4095 m) is famous for its beautiful sunsets.. That day it's just a normal nice one but nothing special... temperature is around 0° celsius
Borneo seen from above
The island of Borneo seen from the summit of Mount Kinabalu (4095 m)
The summit plateau of Mount Kinabalu
Looking down from the highest point of Mount Kinabalu (4095 m) onto the summit plateau...
Kids in the capital city
Kids in Kota Kinabalu, capital of the Malaysian part of Borneo.
Nephentes plants/p>
Because of the ever returning clouds on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu, atmosphere is very humid making it possible for some very rare insect eating Nephentes plants to grow.
Rafflesia
The Rafflesia is worlds biggest flower. There diameter can go up to one meter. I'm very lucky to find a twin flower which is even more rare especially since the flower only blooms three days once every three years...
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Inner center of a Rafflesia flower
The center of a Rafflesia flower, the biggest flower of the world... who can have a diameter of one meter and only blooms once every three year...
Summit plateau of Kinabalu
When we head up for the Donkeys ears, the rainforest down the mountain starts to heat up sending big clouds of moisture up the Mount Kinabalu...
Heading down
Heading back down to Panar Laban hut, leaving the Donkeys Ears behind...
Preparing for climbing
Preparing myself to climb one of the Donkeys Ears reaching up to 4.000 meters above the jungle of Borneo...
Halfway the Donkey Ears
My brother Wilfried belaying me during our climb to the top of the Donkeys Ears. The peak is made out of very compact hard granite and a tough one to climb...
Summit of the Donkey Ears
My brother Wilfried on the summit of the Donkeys Ears. In the back one can see the second one through the upcoming mist...
Rock formation
Rocks near the entrance of the Niah Caves...
Low's Gully
Low's Gully seems like a railway down to the unknown valley.. Nobody knows what lies beneath and some say the extinct Sumatran Rhinoceros might stil live there..
Upper part of Low's Gully
First recon of the upper part of Lows' Gully
The left wall of Low's Gully
Low's Gully is surrounded by steep walls of granite.
Looking down the valley
At the deepest point of Low's Gully (as far as we can get without ropes) we have an inside of the unknown valley below. A few years after our attempt, a big National geographic expedition managed to get down completely...
As deep as we can
Taking a rest as far down we can safely get into Low's Gully. If we want to get any further, it will have to be done by rope...
Heading back down
My brother Wilfried heading back down the summitplateau towards the Panar Laban hut after our recky into Low's Gully...
Clouds gathering
In the evening all evaporated humidity gets back down from Mount Kinabalu forming big clouds above the rainforest.
Looking down
Looking down on the island of Borneo from the slopes of Mount Kinabalu (4095 m)
Capital city rubbish
People are not very ecologic over here. Every village throws there garbage into the river making the mouth of the river in Kota Kinabalu, the main city of Borneo, one big rubbish dump
Mount Kinabalu
The summit plateau of Mount Kinabalu seen from the Park Headquarters. The two little peaks right in the middle are the Donkeays Ears. We'll climb them later.
Cloudforest
The forest down on Mount Kinabalu is called the cloudforest cause of the clouds coming down from the mountain every day.
Nephentes insect eating plants
Because of the ever returning clouds on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu, atmosphere is very humid making it possible for some very rare insect eating Nephentes plants to grow.
Insect eating Nephentes plant
Because of the ever returning clouds on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu, atmosphere is very humid making it possible for some very rare insect eating Nephentes plants to grow. The little umbrella on top of the plant prevents rain to dillute the liquid digesting insects trapped into the cup.
Rafflesia flower
The Rafflesia flower, the biggest flower of the world. The flower can grow up to a diameter of one meter and it only flowers three days once in three years...
Twin Rafflesia flower
The Rafflesia is worlds biggest flower. There diameter can go up to one meter. I'm very lucky to find a twin flower which is even more rare especially since the flower only blooms three days once every thre years...
Waiting for the boat
Reaching the other side of the mangroveswamp, we wait in vain for our pick up by boat.. We don't know that low tide made it impossible for the boat to get our way...
Pick up
We're very happy when Buffalo Dundee finally picks us up after our trip through the mangroveswamps. Dued to the low tide, he couldn't reach us at the other side of the island so we had to make our way back...
Fresh Coconuts
Kids bringing up fresh coconuts for our meal at Kudat, a small island in the north of Borneo.
Dinner on the floor
We have dinner in a small hut at the island of Kudat, north of Borneo. Generations have been eating here on the ground so the least I can say is that the ground is pretty slippery and greasy...
Following the coastline of Kudat
We make a great tour of the island of Kudat.. even when some parts of the coastline are hard to pass. What worries us most is the lack of water.. drinkable water...
Paradise beach
At the back of the island of Kudat, we find a piece of paradise... Unspoiled sand, great sea.. but no drinking water...
Mosque of Kota Belud
We reach the mosque of Kota Belud...
Mount Kinabalu
On our way back to Kota Kinabalu on a scooter... In the back, Mount Kinabalu starts collecting humidity form the rainforest below...
Beginning of Low's Gully
Low's Gully... We stand at the beginning of an unknown valley where no men has ever went down...
On our way into Low's Gully
The first part of Low's Gully descent is pretty easy. Only big blocks of rock makes it very tyring, especially since we didn't take any water with us...
Slippery Low's Gully
We try to get as far as possible into Low's Gully to check it out but it gets to risky. One mistake on the wet rock would result into the first human skeleton into the undiscovered valley.
Finding water at last
After our trip into Lows Gully we're out of water and we try to find some on the summit plateau. We're still at an altitude of nearly 4.000 meters
Tired at 4000 m altitude
After our trip into Lows Gully we're out of water and just extremely tired. We're still at an altitude of nearly 4.000 meters
Tired at 4000 m altitude
After our trip into Lows Gully we're out of water and just extremely tired. We're still at an altitude of nearly 4.000 meters
Heading up to the Donkey Ears
When we head up for the Donkeys ears, the rainforest down the mountain starts to heat up sending big clouds of moisture up the Mount Kinabalu...
Evaporated humidity going down
In the evening all evaporated humidity gets back down forming big clouds above the rainforest
Evaporated humidity going down
In the evening all evaporated humidity gets back down forming big clouds above the rainforest
Summit plateau of Mount Kinabalu
View from the highest point of Mount Kinabalu to the other peaks of the summit plateau.
Donkey Ears
The two Donkeays Ears seen from the highest point of the Mount Kinabalu... We'll climb the rigth one later
Preparing for climbing
Preparing ourselves to climb one of the Donkey Ears, at an altitude of more then 4.000 meters
Climbing one of the Donkey Ears
The Donkeys ears are very steep and hard to climb... If something goes wrong here, there is nobody to help...
Summit of one of the Donkey Ears
My brother Wilfried sitting on top of the Donkey Ears...Mist coming up in the background...
Summit of one of the Donkey Ears
Myself sitting on top of the Donkey ears... The highest point of this 4.000 meter high little peak is very very small...
Rapelling down
Rapelling down from the Donkeys Ears while mist covers everything up.. Spooky...
Heading back
Heading back down, leaving the Donkeys Ears behind...
Back down
Back down into the Mounta Kinablu Park Headquarters we enjoy a long rest after the tendious climb...
Niah Caves
The Niah Caves where at night sparrows sleep and bats change places during the day...