A good dose of Vitamin D!

Scenic: View of surrounding hills 

Today I nearly passed out while walking in the hot sun... it was SO HOT I could feel my brains frying inside my head. Towel and cap did no good. Had to rest several times in what little shade I could find along the open track. Scenic views along the way but I do wonder why I punish myself so sometimes…

 
Pocket-sized waterfall.

On the bright side, I was down with the flu last night but after much sweating and sun exposure today, I feel a lot better. Heading out again tomorrow, hope to find some nice waterfalls!

Wordless Wednesday #7

Trekking to Teluk Limau, Part 4 – Tajor Waterfall

We arrived at Tajor around 12:40pm, nearly two and a half hours since we began our trek. Without stopping to rest or to take photos, I think Tajor can easily be done in 2 hours from Teluk Assam.

Tajor is the only waterfall I know of at Bako NP and it is also the only blackwater waterfall I have ever visited. The color of the water is caused by tannins that leach out of decaying organic matter. Bako’s soils are also rich in iron oxides which further darken the water when the particles are stirred up by fast flowing water (iron oxide is not soluble in water).

There is a small bay and beach not far away called Teluk Tajor but we didn’t trek there.


Nice, but not the main waterfall…


This is the main Tajor fall. Water cascades down a steep slope into a large blackwater pool below. The water is so dark that it’s hard to estimate the depth.


There are at least three levels at Tajor, smaller falls flow into a much larger and deeper pool at the lowest level.

  
The blackwater pool at the lowest level is even larger than the one below the main waterfall.


Friend taking photos of the small waterfalls.


Crossing a slippery stretch. Visitors should take care not to tumble into the water, cameras and all! There is a small hut here (upper left) for visitors to change into their swimwear. We did not use it as there wasn’t anyone around when we arrived.


Alas, national parks are not safe from litterbugs! Very disappointed to see this sort of attitude among visitors. Look at the opened tin cans, they are a hazard to others and may injure small primates or other animals looking for scraps. I think all NPs in Sarawak should adopt a zero waste policy; all non-biodegradable items taken in must be recorded and on the journey out, checked again by park staff and disposed off properly. A cash deposit could be placed upon check in and visitors stand to lose this deposit for any non-biodegradable item that doesn't make it back out.


We went for a quick dip in here.  The water was cool and refreshing but it would be the last time I ever dip in a blackwater pool as I suffered from severe allergies after that! Consequently, I had the worst night ever, scratching my legs, back, waist, arms, neck… it was a nightmare! I stayed awake almost the entire night. My other two friends had no such reaction. More on this in part 5.


There are a few blackwater pools at Tajor. It’s hard to estimate the water depth so swim at your own risk!


This was all we wanted to do at first, just dip our feet in. However, the water felt so cool and refreshing that we ended up jumping in! haha



 
Dipteris lobbiana ferns fringe some of the pools. It is a common fern species found in places with clean flowing water such as mountain streams and waterfalls in Malaysia.


The water looks dark but worry not, it’s the tannins that cause it to take on a tea color. The water is safe to drink once treated with Chlorine tablets and filtered with a portable water filter. There are no human settlements at Bako to foul up water sources.








Foam churned up by the turbulent waters at blackwater falls and streams indicate the presence of saponin, a soapy substance of plant origin used in making soaps and detergents.


This large pool is fed by the main Tajor waterfall. I wouldn’t dare swim in here. I wouldn’t even dare wade or dip in it! Looks ominous… wonder if there are any skeletons down there? LOL


Betta ibanorum, a species of wild fighting fish plentiful in the large pools of Tajor. As I stood at the edge of the main pool snapping photos, a big school of betta swam up and waited just below the surface expecting me to throw in food scraps. It was truly a test of patience trying to photograph the fish with just a pocket cam and without a polarizer. I nearly gave up until I finally managed this one photo, decent enough to show the fish under the reflective water surface.



We spent nearly an hour at Tajor. Two other foreign tourists joined us shortly after we arrived followed by a lone Swiss as we were dipping in one of the pools. All three must have thought we were either crazy or really brave to swim in such dark colored water haha!

The first two hung around for a few minutes taking pictures before leaving the way they came from. The Swiss told us he was also trekking to the northern-most part of Bako. He intended to camp for two nights, one at Teluk Limau and one at Teluk Kruin. As we were getting out, he bade goodbye and went before us, expecting to see us again when we arrived at Limau. However, it was the last we saw of him as we never made it to our destination that evening!

We were so worn out from carrying out heavy bags that we only managed 8km in nearly 6 hours before setting camp in the middle of the jungle…

Continued in Part 5.

A natural jungle spa

I really like this place. It’s so peaceful and unspoiled here. The only sounds to be heard are all natural sounds, birds chirping, tree frogs croaking and water gurgling. No manmade noises, no cars honking, no trucks rumbling and definitely no loud people talking and yelling. A perfect place to unwind and just soak in nature.

It’s located in Middle of Nowhere, secluded and safe from day trippers and litter bugs from the city. There are many “middles of nowhere” all throughout Sarawak and all it takes is a few hours of driving + trekking to get to a place where one can be totally immersed in the natural beauty of a pristine jungle.


Postcard perfect!


Very Hawaii-like, no?


Ferns of all kinds and large petrified tree trunks lend a very “lost-world” feel to this place.
 

Natural fish foot spa! The freshwater fish here are not afraid of people because so few human beings come here. As soon as I got my feet in, the fish all swarmed around to nibble at flakes of dead skin. Some people pay good money to have this treatment.


The small stream is full of T-barbs and rasboras that love to nibble on flakes of dead skin. Even small freshwater shrimp join in!


The fish may be little but they do have rather sharp teeth! Very ticklish at first but after a while you get used to it. Great to just sit back with a book and let the fish do their job. :D


In this deep pool, more fish await to give a full body fish spa treatment! Just dip in, stay afloat or sit still in a shallow area and the fish will come to you.


Ahhhh… this is the life!


After the fish spa treatment, just jump in for a swim! The waterfall may be small but the pool is actually very deep! Though the water is clear, it is too deep to see the bottom.


I love this small water cascade. Wish it was in my backyard!


Waterfall massage, very relaxing!


Relaxing in the upper pool of the natural spa.


The upper pool, very clear and cool water.


As I lay back and float in the water, I feel totally relaxed. Looking up, all I see are tall trees and greenery and all I hear are natural sounds. Perfect place to de-stress!


SLRs in the wild. :) Olympus E-510 on the left and Sony A350 on the right.


A small clear water stream flowing through the quiet jungle.


Pandans grow abundantly along the banks.


A species of aquatic aroid, Cryptocoryne striolata grows in abundance near the banks.


The water in the stream comes from a nearby mountain and is very cool. Great place to go for a dip. Over hanging tree branches and lianas provide shade from the hot sun.


Such clear streams used to be a common sight near Kuching. In just a couple of decades, many have turned black and polluted by wastes from pig farms (by far the worst!), chicken farms, run-offs from plantations, household refuse and trash chucked away by irresponsible people. Very sad!


I like this small little stream. On both banks are heliconia-like plants. I’m not sure what they are.

  
Great place for a small picnic lunch too. Dumplings, spice breadsticks and yam puffs stuffed with char siew meat.


A dead tree trunk full of mushrooms.


Beautiful ferns (Dipteris lobbiana) grow abundantly along the stream.


Just looking at this picture again makes me miss the place already!


Many small cascades and waterfalls can be found here.


Amazing architects, spiders string their webs from one bank to another, catching unlucky flying insects such as damselflies.


A small water cascade.

 
Sandstone boulders.


Pandans and ferns.

  
I often see this fern species growing along clear water streams. Refer next photo for closer view.


Dipteris lobbiana. If anyone has a clue what fern species this is, do drop me a line or leave a comment.
 

We brought back all that we took in and left the place as we found it, without a single trace of our visit. Hope it stays pristine like this for as long as possible. Can’t wait to return here again!