December 24, 2011

I found myself stuck on the island of Borneo for several days, waiting for a helicopter to take me to a rig in the South China Sea, off the coast of Malaysia. Itching to explore, I asked a cab driver if he could take me to Lambir Hills National Park the following morning and pick me up in the evening. He agreed, and early the next day, I was in the back seat of his cab, riding to the entrance to the park.

I hiked to the Pukit Lambir summit, passing Dinding waterfall, getting there by mid-afternoon. I made the photograph above, took off my steel-toe boots, and waded into the water to make a close-up of the water cascading on the rocks. I was hot and covered with sweat, and thought about removing the rest of my clothes (I was the only one in the area) and swimming, but knew I had to get back to the park headquarters to meet my ride back to Miri. I put my boots back on, grabbed my gear, and headed out.

The following afternoon, I was sitting in an outside bar, having a beer (Tiger – I’ve had better) and talking with some locals. I told them of my hike, showed them these photographs, and told them of my desire to swim. One man smiled and said, “Good thing you didn’t. Lots of river crocodiles up there.”