(^44) Similajau National Park - Niah National Park - 130km
I was umming and ahhing whether to stay in the park an additional day, and waking
to a half-overcast sky, the decision was made easy. The map indicated Niah quite a
distance away, with no kampungs (villages) in between, and I thus loaded with
ample water. Breakfast was at the canteen with the other ladies. As a result, the
time was 09h30 before getting underway.
As indicated on the map, not a significant amount was happening apart from vast
areas of oil plantations. Almost halfway were a few food stalls and not significantly
beyond that one more set of kiosks, convenient for filling water bottles. The
kilometre boards miraculously vanished, and without an odometer, it was hard to
guess the remaining distance. I refrained from asking, as the islanders usually had
little idea of kilometres and only knew the distance measured in time by moto or
bus.
Like the day before, I very nearly went over a snake. I only spotted it when it raised
its head in anger for coming between it and its destination. With legs lifted as high
as it could go, I let out a loud shriek, at which the snake made a U-turn and
slithered in the opposite direction. I further encountered a monitor lizard, feasting
on roadkill. Sadly, it got run over by a truck. So interested in the easy meal, he
never saw the truck coming and, too late, ran in the wrong direction—poor thing.
Towards the end of the day, the road dragged on a bit. I was happy to slink into
Niah, only to discover the park wasn't where indicated on the map but an additional
fifteen kilometres via a rural path. There was nothing I could do but put my head
down and get the ride over and done with. The park looked lovely but, too late to
look around, I ambled to the canteen to get a well-earned meal of the usual fried
rice.
leana
(Leana)
#1