The first stop was the Cave of the Winds, not to be confused with the Wind Cave near Kuching. All caves get their air flow from temperature differences within the cave. Hot air comes in through the mouth, and meets cold air within the cave. Those of us that learned our Laws of Thermodynamics from Flanders and Swann know that heat passes from hot to cold, so when hot air mixes with cold, the cold soaks up the heat and there is often movement as they mix.
In the Cave of the Winds, there were interesting crystals formed as bacteria or micro-organisms fed on the calcium in the limestone. This gave the limestone features a fuzzy appearance.
There were also curtain stalactites, where formations came down from the roof in sheets. Any minute, I was expecting an orchestra to play.
Again, it's difficult to describe the scale of these caves. Meter-wide walkways looked like matchsticks in the distance, and people (the hoards coming in as we were leaving) looked like miniatures in a diorama.
The hoards weren't really hoards. We were there in low season. However, at times it felt like every hotel guest was on the river at the same time as us. The Scottish couple that we met on the way in from the airport had a vantage point on an old trail and said afterwards that at least ten boats followed us, each with at least ten tourists. We had two tourists (Anita and I), a guide and a boatman in our longboat. Luxury.
Although the Cave of the Winds had some movement, there wasn't a lot. The air was close, and it was both hot and humid. Anita started to feel unwell again, so after a brief rest at the base of the Clearwater and Lady Caves, she decided to opt out of the final cave visits.
Ocean and I climbed the 200 steps to the cave entrance on our own. First, we went to the smaller Lady Cave because the other group there at the time opted to go to the Clearwater Cave first. The Lady Cave has a stalagmite that resembles a woman, particularly when a light is cast from a certain direction. Some people say it looks like a Muslim woman; others say she resembles a Catholic Mary. I thought she looked most like a peasant.
The Clearwater Cave is another spectacular show cave. It's high, deep and in every respect, enormous. There's a river running through it with wonderfully clear water. I passed when offered the opportunity to dip my hand or foot in the water. Perhaps it's deeply ingrained in me that mountain water is cold. I know this water had to be warm, given the fact there was no fog from cold waters evaporating in Equatorial air. Intellectually, I knew the water was warm. Viscerally, I thought it was likely to be cold.
As Ocean and I were leaving, I got a taste of what it must be like to be a high season visitor. A constant stream of tourists were making their way in, stopping at the stations of the tour. With Ocean as our guide, I never had the impression that the information was rote or the same as given to everyone else. He talked to us like he was sharing the wonder and splendour of the phenomenal places.
When we rejoined Anita, she had not regained any strength. The thought of a three hour trek to Camp Six was not appealing, and we decided to return to the comfort of the Mulu Marriott. It meant missing the Pinnacles, but better to be comfortable when ill.
The boat ride back to the hotel was about half an hour. We reclaimed our bags, checked back in and got the discount for returning guests. We also were assigned a room in Block Two, as Epau was concerned about Anita having to walk too far. Epau is the tremendously wonderful woman on reception that has a smile that can brighten the dullest day. She always had an answer to our questions, remembered us, and asked about our adventures.
While Anita slept off her nausea, the Scottish-Australian family (dad, mom, teenaged son and daughter) made their way to Camp Six. Rather than scale the Pinnacles, they were off to the Headhunters Trail.
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