Singapore cave restaurant and karst walk

Singapore has no natural caves but a man made cave restaurant is opening in 2025. When I first saw the news I thought about the fiasco with the Lepak Cave restaurant at Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia. See my website for articles on Lepak Cave. 

However the Singapore cave restaurant is entirely manmade, so no damage will be done to a natural cave! 

Rainforest Wild Asia will be Singapore’s fifth zoological park, set to launch on March 12, 2025. It is located at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. See Time Out 7 Nov 2024.

It has 8 distinct zones including a subterranean labyrinth of walk-through cave chambers. The park includes iconic animal species from the region as well as trees and shrubs. One zone is The Karsts, jagged limestone formations that rise above the canopy, providing a stunning backdrop as primates swing through the environment. You can trek along the Karst Loop and go up the elevated Karst Lookout platform. An Adventure activity is to scale the karst along a guided via ferrata path.

Photograph: Time Out Singapore

The final zone is The Cavern. The Cavern, a 220-metre air-conditioned cave route inspired by the Mulu Caves in Sarawak, Malaysia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s one of Southeast Asia’s largest and most intricate cave systems. It was made possible through a collaboration with Sarawak Forestry Department. As you venture through the darkness, keep an eye out for some fascinating creatures including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, Soro brook carp, blind cave fish, cave racers, and Asian black scorpions.

Photograph: Mandai Wildlife Group

There are Cavern Ranger Talks. Also the Adventure activity: Wild Cavern Adventure explores the nooks and crannies of the cave where you’ll squeeze through tight spaces and navigate narrow tunnels. The Adventure Plus experiences - Critter Crawl - a 20-minute adventure. Armed with just a dim headlamp, a small group will navigate a 60-metre cave tunnel, discovering impressive stalactites, stalagmites, rock formations, and fossil imprints along the way. Booking is required.

photo Photograph: Mandai Wildlife Group

Photograph: Mandai Wildlife Group. Time Out 12 Feb

The restaurant

Singapore's first and only cave-dining experience, The Cavern, is operated by Tung Lok Group. The restaurant offers hearty grilled meats, vibrant shared platters, and a tempting mix of signature cocktails and craft beverages. And fret not, The Cavern is open to the public and accessible without entering Rainforest Wild Asia. This this unique new restaurant in Singapore is modelled after Sarawak’s Mulu Caves.

See Time Out, 12 Feb 2025.

Photograph: Cavern Restaurant

Photograph: Cavern Restaurant

Photograph: Cavern Restaurant

Inauguration of Leang-Leang Archaeological Park, Sulawesi

 VOI - Waktunya Merevolusi Pemberitaan 14 Jan 2025 had this article "Symbol Of World's Oldest Civilization In The Archipelago, Minister Fadli Zon Inaugurates Leang-Leang Archaeological Park". 

"The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, inaugurated the Leang-Leang Archological Park and the Prehistoric Image Information Center in the Maros-Pangkep karst area, South Sulawesi. This inauguration is a symbol of the Ministry of Culture's commitment to preserving cultural heritage, as well as affirming the position of the archipelago as the center of the oldest civilization in the world."

See article to read more.

Panching snail featured in book on extinction

" Lost Wonders: 10 Tales of Extinction from the 21st Century" by Tom Lathan et al was published by Picador in Sept 2024. It features 10 species that have become extinct since the turn on the 21st century. And one of those species is the Bukit Panching snail, from Pahang, Malaysia.

See more here.

Mulu ISCA conference 2024

 

The 2024 International Show Cave Association Conference will be held in Mulu National Park, 28 September – 6 October. There will be pre- and post conference activities and trips. See more on ISCA  Vol 24 July-Aug newsletter and Vol 25 Sept-Oct newsletter. This will be the first ISCA conference in SE Asia.

See more on ISCA.

And see Archives 2024 on my webpage for media links.

Sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur 2024

On 23 Aug 2024 an 8 m deep sinkhole suddenly opened in Jalan Masjid India, in Kuala Lumpur. A visitor from India fell in. A major search and rescue operation began but still hadn't found her 6 days later. The Fire and Rescue Department's scuba unit were involved.

Photo from The Star 26 Aug - 

27 Aug sniffer dogs were used to try and find the victim. "Two English Springer Spaniel dogs are being brought in to assist in locating the victim due to their excellent detection capabilities in the water.". And four people from Indian NGOs conducted religious rites to aid the search in finding the victim. Yellow chrysanthemums will be released into the river as a form of offering to the victim (The Sun 28 Aug). 

Meanwhile another sinkhole opened early on 28 Aug, about 50 m from the first one.

On 30 Aug, the 8th day, the efforts were to clear a backlog or 15-metre blockage. Later the search at the sinkhole was halted but will continue at the Pantai Dalam IWK sewage plant.

The search for the victim was called off on the 9th day, Sat 31 Aug 2024, The Star report. 

Niah Cave now a World Heritage Site

 In July 2024 the Niah Caves Complex in Sarawak, Malaysia, was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. See UNESCO page. 

There were many reports in the media. See my blog for links to some of them.

Gunung Kanthan monastery petition video

 Gunung Kanthan's Last Defence : Save the Monastery, Save Gunung Kanthan (For Petition).

The video has been reloaded on youtube and can be seen here.