We had to climb the steps of a partially completed temple which had multiple levels of rooms and shrines built to accommodate the various monks and deities. After climbing 7 storeys, we reached the topmost level where a wooden ladder led to the hill trail to the first cave. On our way up we passed many clumps of bamboo, spongy mossy ledges which threatened to give way under our feet and numerous potholes in the porous limestone rocks. We finally reached the cave and many sat down to enjoy the natural coolness of the interior while others shouted just to hear the echoes reverberating back. Then switching on our torches we made our way into this dry cave whose chambers were relatively large so we could walk upright all the way. Some interesting formations sighted were limestone curtains, resembling gigantic streaked bacon, hanging from the ceiling, phytokarsts, heads of finely etched cave corals, a grotto and a huge column near the back entrance which resembled a piped organ in a church. Bell-shaped cavities in the roof of the cave indicated the possible existence of swirling water in the milleniums gone by. There was absolutely no sign of any cave life though some cobwebs indicated the presence of cave spiders.

The next cave we visited was a 20-minute hike up very steep slopes with no marked trails to make our ascent easier. At certain parts the trip leaders had to hack a path through an entangled mess of bamboo, vines and thick branches. The bamboo stems here are beautiful - jade green in colour, straight, smooth and apparently hairless. They grew so abundantly here that we became dependent on them to haul ourselves up steep inclines. We squeezed in between them and yet were not cut. We finally gained entrance into the cave but were disappointed that we could not go very far in because a sharp drop into the interior was too dangerous to descend without proper caving gear. Fine dry leaves covered the floor of the cave entrance. Mah told us to look for animal drop-pings. It seems that this cave is a favourite shelter for the Serow (Malaysian Mountain Goat).

Someone then suggested that we should try to climb to the summit since we were already so near the top. Most of us left our haversacks at the cave entrance and proceeded to scramble and heave ourselves up very steep slopes. At the summit we were rewarded with a panoramic view of Tambun Town and far beyond. But the most exciting find was a large swallow-hole which we were sure led to Serow Cave below. What was fascinating was that this conduit leads vertically straight down, is not funnel-like or conical-shaped but symmetrically formed, resembling a large water pipe. It is as if the hole has been drilled with a giant bit. The chimney-sized cylindrical opening is large enough to accommodate an adult. An interesting activity would be a descent into the cave below, through this cavity, by using the single-rope technique (SRT) or a double-rope descent. The organizers may like to KIV this suggestion for a future visit.
(Report by SHARON CHAN)