Documentary filming in Merapoh caves

From 19-24 Feb 2013, KL Motion Picture Company were filming a documentary for part of the Save Merapoh Caves campaign. Called Misi Merapoh, the object was to portray the Merapoh caves, to show how beautiful and interesting they are.

The first day was shot in Gua Tahi Bintang. With the filming lights the cave looked even more spectacular.

The colours and the bedding showed up clearly

In the evening we went to Gua Seribu Cerita. This is the cave with many rock drawings.

The next day we went to Gua Hari Malaysia. On the way to the cave we found an elephant jaw and leg bone.

Filming in the cave was very slow and we got totally wet in the low section. We all got very, very cold (hard to believe we were in Malaysia!). Also the cold wind from the waterfall made it worse, so we went as far as the first waterfall, then left.

Protecting the camera from drips -

and there were many drips -

On the 3rd day of filming we went to Gua Jinjang Pelamin. We filmed in the entrance, then had a lunch break before going straight to the Twin Towers.

We put a rope on one of the climbs, and this is the "3 man belay"!!! -

Filming the guano which is home to many cockroaches -

I found the bones of a cave racer. See more on xxx.

Other inhabitants -

 Scorpion, and spider with egg sac

A Bufo toad, and a dead fruit bat -

The next day we went to Gua Air Mata Dayang and Gua Kolam Biru. The guys constructed a raft to enable the cameraman to go across the lake and into the cave. I swam this a couple of weeks earlier.

Juki also had a look underwater

Filming at Kolam Biru -

On the final day of filming, the object was to record the team looking for a new cave. We went to Bukit Tekong as Seni knew of a cave in a part of the hill we hadn't yet looked at.

 It was a nice area, with lots of flora such as Monophyllaea, Begonias, ferns etc. We named on cave Gua Tekong Taman from the garden outside.

Inside was a skin from a King Cobra, 

There were also some bones, possibly porcupine -

I also saw a cave racer, it was the largest one I've seen in the Merapoh caves -

The cave had several entrances and an upper level. Looking down on the entrance from the upper chamber -

Next to it is Gua Tekong Terowong, which is a tunnel through the hill and is about 30 m long. Inside were the bones of a wild boar.

And a few toads

Tunnel back door -

At the back of the hill we only found one short cave, named Gua Tekong Jodoh.

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See my blog of the finished film, Misi Merapoh, it was shown on RTM TV2 on 21October 2013.
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© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission