Cambodia's Unexplorable Caves - WildAsia

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Although Pol Pot and his regime have gone, their vicious mark on Cambodia and its people have not. Landmines riddle the countryside, closing off potentially wondrous and unexplored limestone caves. LIZ PRICE retraces the country's dark history.

Cambodia's Unexplorable Caves

Although Pol Pot and his regime have gone, their vicious mark on Cambodia and its people have not. Landmines riddle the countryside, closing off potentially wondrous and unexplored limestone caves. LIZ PRICE retraces the country's dark history.

Written by Liz Price on 10 Nov 2005 with 0 comments.

There have been few caving expeditions to Cambodia, the ones that have taken place were held mostly in the mid 1990's. This is simply because in the past it has not been very safe in Cambodia due to two factors. The first was the Khmer Rouge regime and the second is the number of land mines left from the regime which still litter the countryside.

 

Many people don't know much about Cambodia, but they have probably heard of three things, Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat and Pol Pot. Phnom Penh is the capital, one of the loveliest of French- built cities in Indochina. Angkor Wat is an incredible complex of Buddhist and Hindu temples, dating back from 802 - 1432. It was granted World Heritage status in 1992. Pol Pot was the leader of the Khmer Rouge and was responsible for the killing of millions of Cambodians and causing misery to millions more.

 

Prior to Pol Pot's arrival, Cambodia had much conflict between the national army and communist guerillas backed by North Vietnam and China, and then the US and South Vietnamese armies invaded half way through the Vietnamese War (1964-75). From 1975 - 1978 he led an insane regime. Pol Pot implemented one of the most radical and brutal restructurings of a society ever attempted. Its goal was to transform Cambodia into a Maoist peasant-dominated agrarian society. The Khmer Rouge took over Phnom Penh in 1975 and forced the entire population to march out to the countryside and undertake slave labour. Disobedience of any sort often brought immediate execution. Educated people, leaders and also minorities were targeted.

 

During this period hundreds of thousands of people were killed by the Khmer Rouge leadership, whilst thousands more died of famine and diseases. It is not known exactly how many people died; the estimates vary between one and three million. Thousands were killed in the "killing caves".

 

The xenophobic government was toppled in December 1978 when the Vietnamese invaded and installed a new government. The Khmer Rouge were driven into the remote forests where they continued guerilla attacks. A civil war then followed for the next 20 years. During this period the British government used Malaysian jungle camps to train guerilla fighters in landmine laying techniques. Thousands of mines were planted, along roads, in rice fields, in fact almost everywhere. Thousands more Cambodians died, from the fighting and from the landmines.

 

Peace was agreed in 1991 and King Sihanouk returned, having been crowned in 1941 (he abdicated in October 2004). However, the Khmer Rouge continued killing civilians until they surrendered in 1999. Pol Pot died in April 1998.

 

For much of the 1980's Cambodia remained closed to the Western world. In 1994 the Khmer Rouge resorted to a new tactic of targeting tourists, and 6 foreigners were killed in two separate attacks. So it is only really in the last decade that Cambodia has once again been attracting foreign tourists, and it is only in the last 5 years that it has been relatively safe to travel, from the point of view of armed hold ups etc.

 

However, the threat of landmines is still there. It is still very much advised to remember the golden rule "stick to marked paths in remote areas". The most heavily mined parts of the country are the Battambang and Pailin areas - this area also happens to have limestone.

 

An estimated 4-6 million landmines were dotted around the countryside. As many as 40,000 Cambodians have lost limbs due to mines. Cambodia has one of the world's highest numbers of amputees per capita, an estimated 1 in 275 people. Although the landmines are being cleared, there are still new victims. Therefore it is still not safe to explore many of the remote limestone areas.

 

© Liz Price - article may only be republished with the author's permission.

Caves and Karst of Peninsular Malaysia - WildAsia

http://www.wildasia.net/main.cfm?page=product&productID=1335&id=2
The register by Liz Price is 98pp, with photos and surveys, and lots of info on Malaysian caves. There are sections on a brief history of Malaysia, karst geology, statistics of hills and caves, archaeology and history of cave exploration, 19th century visitors to Malaysian caves, modern usage, flora and fauna. There is an index of the hills and caves.

Life and Death in Torajaland, Sulawesi - WildAsia

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Life and Death in Torajaland, Sulawesi

LIZ PRICE gets an unexpected invitation to witness a Torajan funeral rite in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and finds their culture and traditions very much alive.

Written by Liz Price on 11 Apr 2003 with 0 comments. Be the first!

In Tana Toraja, Sulawesi, I was chatting to a local man when he asked me to the funeral of his mother. Taken aback by this offer, as normally funerals are private matters reserved for family and friends, I politely refused. Yet he insisted, saying funerals are happy occassions and it would be an honour that I attend. I was in Torajaland, the centre of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The Torajan population are of Malay origin and came to Sulawesi many centuries ago settling around the town of Rantepao in what is now known at Tana Toraja. Although Islam arrived in Sulawesi in the early 17th century, the people still hold onto some beliefs of their forefathers.

What I knew of the funerary rites was limited other than they can last for several years. When a person dies, the body is placed in the back room of the house and is left there until enough money can be saved to give a decent ceremony so that the deceased can go to the next world. During this time, the deceased is considered to be sleeping and family members regularly attend to offer food and drink. The soul can only go on to the afterworld when the death ritual has been enacted. When it is time for the funeral, there is a procession around the villages so the departed can bid farewell to the living. Everyone gathers at the site for the celebrations, where bamboo pavilions have been erected.

The "Buffalo" in Toraja Culture

The first thing noticeable were the slaughtered buffalo lying in the centre of the pavilions. While startling from a western viewpoint, this is an important part of the funeral ceremony. As the relatives believe that the souls of animals follow the master to the next life, this accounts for the requirement of animal sacrifices at the local requiems. A strong buffalo is needed to carry the soul of the master on the journey to the afterworld.

In Torajaland the buffalo has long been the symbol of wealth and power. The more important the dead person, the more buffalo are slaughtered. In an attempt to impress, the family will slaughter as many buffalo as possible, and quite often this can cause financial ruin. In an attempt to end the practice, the Indonesian government has imposed a tax on each beast killed. As well, one buffalo has to be given to the tax collectors, and one to the church.

Funeral Rites

On the first day, the buffalo are slaughtered in the field. This is considered to be the moment of death of the "sleeping" person. I was only too glad that the beasts had already been killed. The carcasses were laid on the ground and the heads had been placed in a line. Nine heads were displayed. This meant the family had saved up a large portion of their income. Each buffalo cost up to two million rupiah (approx. $400 CDN).

The departed are said to preside over the ceremony and therefore the coffin is situated on a high platform constructed around the house at one end of the field. This was actually right next to the hut where I was sitting. The coffin and trimmings were decorated in bright red material. The children from the family were standing near me, each one dressed in their traditional attire.

The guests began to file in, forming a procession, firstly going past the tax tables. Each group of guests carried offerings tied to a bamboo pole: live animals such as pigs, food or drink. The pigs were killed out of sight at the back of the houses. Each group of adults were led in by the children of the deceased, and the visitors were taken to another hut for tea and cigarettes. I had actually taken a box of cigarettes as my contribution. This procession went on all morning. I was given some local palm wine, and drunk it out of a long piece of bamboo before lunch. This was rice on a banana leaf, with some of the barbecued meat, washed down with more tuak.

After lunch, The remaining buffalo carcasses were beginning to smell having been lying in the hot sun. Each carcass was skinned and butchered, and meat was being auctioned off, and the people were leaving with their share of meat tied to a piece of string. These procedures continue for anything from one to seven days. For entertainment there are buffalo, cock, and kick fighting.

Burial Day

The following day would be the actual burial and the body was being put in the family crypt in a stone grave. There are three methods of burial for the Torajan people. The coffin, plus any possessions which will be needed in the afterlife are placed either in a cave grave, a stone grave or a hanging grave.

There are many caves in the surrounding limestone hills, and for most people the coffin is placed just inside the cave entrance. The wealthy often have a stone grave carved out of the rocky cliff. This costs a considerable amount as it takes a specialist many months to chisel out the tomb. In some cases the hole can be large enough to accommodate the whole family. Sometimes the entrance is sealed with a metal or wooden gate, otherwise it is left open.

A carved effigy of the deceased is made and placed on the wooden balcony built on the rock face. These statue or tau tau look down over the land, and offerings are put in their outstretched hands. The tau tau are one of the most photographed sights in Sulawesi, and pictures appear in all the guidebooks. Unfortunately, theft of the statues by souvenir and antique collectors has become a major problem.

The third burial method is to hang the coffin by ropes and suspend it from the cliff face. This is known as a hanging grave. After some years the ropes inevitably rot and the coffin falls to the ground below. Coffins of babies and children are hung from trees.

All these types of burial mean that valuable farming land is not wasted by space taken up for cemeteries. It is a very scenic area with green valleys and rice paddies dominated by limestone hills. But it is the Torajan houses which provide a spectacular setting in this serene landscape.

The wooden houses are built on high stilts, and have large curved roofs. These roofs are said to resemble ships or buffalo horns: ships to represent the means of transport by which the settlers arrived, and horns because the buffalo is an important animal linking man to his ancestors. All the houses point north, the direction from which the settlers came. Opposite the houses are smaller replicas which are used as rice barns. Both the houses and rice barns are intricately carved, and are further decorated with buffalo horns. It is good to see that these Torajan people have not lost their culture but still practice it today.

© Liz Price - article may only be republished with the author's permission.

Travelling to Sulawesi:

• Travel advisories exist due to civil unrest, protests against UN action.
• Visa Requirements: 60 day stay without visa
• Currency and Costs: $1 CDN= 5000 Rupiah (rp). Exchange rates fluctuate wildy and travellers are advised to carry credit cards and US cash (when no ATMs available). Large denomination bills ($100) get better exchange rates. Most purchases require bargaining but look to your conscience before applying this too stringently. Tipping is generally not expected. Budget rooms can be found from 15 000 rp; meals from 5 000-10 000 rp.
• When to go: Travel is possible year round. It's hot and wet during the wet season (October to April) and hot and dry during the dry season (May to September). The best time to visit Indonesia is from April to October. Monsoons can make travel difficult in remote areas and affect underwater visibility for diving/snorkeling.
• Getting around: The interior roads on Sulawesi are in dubious shape. Mountain rpads are often clogged by mud and rockslides. When traversing the island, allow plenty of time and extra days. Air-conditioned buses to Rantepao are advisable as it is a long trip: six hours from Pare Pare; nine hours from Ujung Pandang (Capital). The Pelni ship from Maumere (Flores) to Ujung Pandang only goes once every two weeks on a Friday night. Avoid deck class; pay the extra for cabin class, you'll be glad you did. Flights from Ujung Pandang to Denpasar (Bali) cost 555,000 rupiah (note: allow extra days for flight cancellations). Merpati airlines gives 25% student discounts on flights (require copies of your ISIC card).
• Health risks:Dengue fever, giardiasis, hepatitis, Japanese encephalitis, malaria, paratyphoid, rabies, typhoid. Check with your doctor/travellers' clinic for prophylaxis/immunizations.

Cave Hunting in Sumatra - wildasia

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Amidst the rice fields and Minangkabau villages of West Sumatra a little-known limestone range provides more adventurous spelunkers with a unique caving experience. LIZ PRICE joins an expedition to the humble town of Lintau Buo and experiences bird's nest collection up close.

Cave Hunting in Sumatra

Amidst the rice fields and Minangkabau villages of West Sumatra a little-known limestone range provides more adventurous spelunkers with a unique caving experience. LIZ PRICE joins an expedition to the humble town of Lintau Buo and experiences bird's nest collection up close.

[published on WildAsia 8 Aug 2003]

"Hello mister". "Dari mana, mahu pergi mana?" These were the greetings we got every time we walked anywhere in West Sumatra. It is customary of the Minang people to greet each other as they pass by, so we were greeted accordingly. And being foreigners meant we were even more of prey to the local people. It became a standing joke each morning and evening as we walked to breakfast and dinner, as they knew perfectly well where we were going, but they would still ask, and then laugh. Sometimes they would even answer their questions themselves. At least they are happy people.

We were a group of mat salleh and went to this non-tourist area of West Sumatra to look for caves. This spelaeological expedition was from France, and I was the only English person in the group. Despite the bad press reports Indonesia has been receiving recently, this part of Sumatra is certainly very safe and we encountered no problems at all. We were made all the more welcome as they seldom see foreigners in the small town of Lintau Buo, situated south of Batu Sangkar and Payakumbuh.

The French team has been going regularly to Sumatra throughout the 1990's. This was my first expedition there and many of the locals looked and me at said "baru sampai" as they knew I was a new face on the team. They really made us feel welcome. The Minangkabau people are Muslims whose traditional homeland is the highlands of west-central Sumatra, from where they have spread out to other parts of Sumatra. And of course they are also found in Negri Sembilan, which is the centre of the Minangkabau in Malaysia. In Sumatra they are also called Orang Padang after their provincial capital. They have a matrilineal system whereby inheritance passes through the female rather than the male line. They take their name from the unique architecture of their buildings where the roof sweeps up at each end like buffalo horns or 'minangkabau'.

We rented one such building for the duration of the expedition. It was an old wooden house with a horned roof, in fact it had three sets of horns. It was a fine old building. Nowadays throughout the village people are constructing new modern houses, but they don't destroy the old ones, they just build around them. Many of the houses have ponds at the back, fed by small streams. These are a place for washing, and soon the expedition members were a familiar site as we washed our dirty clothes after a hard days caving.

To get to the caves we used the public oplets (small minibuses) or else hired a van and driver if we wanted to go off the beaten track. We were soon a familiar sight as we trekked up the road to the bus terminal laden with our bags. The locals were often commenting on how we walked everywhere, whereas they themselves would go by motorbike. The oplets were quite a tight fit for the larger sized Europeans, with knees and legs crushed by the seat in front and no room at all to stretch out. Our bags invariably went on the roof.

The limestone hills around Lintau form one large range, which provides quite a scenic backdrop to the picturesque rice paddies and rustic buildings. We often had to trek long distances to the caves, sometimes crossing rivers on route. It was interesting to see that the paddy fields are irrigated by a series of bamboo water pipes, and the river is lifted to these pipes by means of paddle wheels made of bamboo and rottan.

Many of the caves are fine, river caves, with huge passages and beautiful stalagmites and stalactites. And the caves are long, one was 7km in length, another was 5km, another 4km. Many are home to the sarang burung, the collection of which is big business. Unlike the birds' nests in East Malaysia which are high quality white or black nests, the Sumatran ones seemed mossier. But nevertheless is a big industry looking after and collecting the nests. Therefor in order to enter many of the caves we had to get permission, either from the police or else from the Koperasi which manages the caves. Quite often we would be accompanied by guides who wanted to ensure that we wouldn't steal the nests. There wasn't much chance of that, when we saw the flimsy bamboo poles and the rickety wooden ladders the collectors climb in order to reach the nests. It was terrifying. These locals are fearless, they often cave barefoot and climbing these poles is like a Sunday stroll to them. In one cave we came across four wooden ladders which were each about 8-10m high. We climbed these with little problem, although everyone was rather scared. We then entered a huge chamber, and in front of us a ladder disappeared down into a black nothingness. It turned out to be 70m deep! It was a wooden ladder held in place by two ropes on either side, and when one of our members pulled on one rope, it broke. Most of us chickened out at that point, although three of our team went down using their specialised caving ropes. The two nest collectors meanwhile climbed down the rotting wooden ladder - I guess it's a common feat for them.

Most of the birds nests are situated high up in the roof of the caves, and we often heard but seldom saw the swiftlets as they flew back, navigating in the total darkness by emitting a series of high pitched clicks. They have only one main predator in the cave apart from man. And surprisingly enough, this is not the cave snake which is often found in caves, here in West Sumatra I only saw one cave racer during the whole expedition. This predator is the huge egg-eating cricket, (a cavernicole Rhaphidophora). It a large and robust and the adults predate swiftlet eggs and young chicks. It climbs the walls in order to reach the nests. However this cricket has one predator that I know of, as I saw one hapless one being eaten by a large huntsmen spider. Needless to say this was also rather big - arachnophobes beware!

I only had one unexpected close encounter with the fauna, and that was when I was standing thigh deep in water holding the end of a surveying tape. I felt something brush my bare leg and assumed it was the end of my belt, but when I looked down, there was a snake curling around my leg. I surprised myself at how fast I could move through deep water to get away. Normally I don't mind snakes in caves, as the cave racer is harmless, but this snake wasn't a racer, and I didn't stay to find out what it actually was!

During our three weeks in the field we were able to explore and survey several fine caves, but once again ran out of time before we could finish everything. Locals often told us of caves they knew about, and which may connect to other caves, some we got a chance to look at, but others will have to wait for a future trip - we shall return!


© Liz Price

Bantimurung - Butterflies & Blue Pools - wildasia

http://www.wildasia.net/main.cfm?page=article&articleID=237
Bantimurung in Sulawesi, Indonesia, has caves, cascades and butterflies

Bantimurung , Sulawesi

Bantimurung - Butterflies and Blue Pools

In Indonesian language, Bantimurung means "getting rid of sadness." Befitting its name, this slice of paradise in Sulawesi boasts intriguing caves, cascading falls and exotic butterflies. Cave specialist LIZ PRICE revels on her little discovery.

[published on Wildasia 11 Sept 2005]

[Stolen and published on Indonesia and World Tourism News February 26th, 2007
http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/news/2007/02/26/bantimurung-butterflies-and-blue-pools/]


The pool was such a milky turquoise colour that it didn't seem real. It reminded me of the blue school uniforms worn in Malaysia, although was slightly paler in colour, as if mixed with milk. The water flowed out of the pool like a blue ribbon, through a wooded gorge and then plunged 15m down the Bantimurung falls. Once it reached the bottom of the waterfall it had lost its blue colour. Unfortunately it was dry season so there wasn't much water, and the rocks supporting the waterfall were hardly covered. The bottom of the fall was a sea of people; it was a Sunday and this area is very popular with Indonesian day- trippers.

About 45 km north of Ujung Pandang the Bantimurung waterfalls are set amid lushly vegetated limestone cliffs. Bantimurung is crowded with Indonesians on weekends and holidays, and at other times it's a wonderful retreat from the congestion of Ujung Pandang. Ujung Pandang (Makassar) is the capital of Sulawesi, the octopus-shaped island of Indonesia. To get to Bantimurung from the city, we took a bus for Maros. We were a group of cavers from England, and the youngest of our party, a fair- skinned lad, attracted the attention of several local girls on the bus. They all giggled and urged each other to talk to our friend, much to his embarrassment. We found all the Sulawesi people to be very friendly. They are a mix of Makassarese and Bugis Muslims, and Christian Minahasans.

Before the bus reached Maros, it stopped, and we were told to get off. We were a bit puzzled and were wondering what was happening, then someone shouted at a microlet driver. We were bundled onto this, and without saying anything, we were taken to Bantimurung Waterfall Park. I suppose it was obvious to the locals where we wanted to go. The road passed under a giant concrete monkey, which was waving with one hand and scratching its head with the other. Maybe it couldn't decide whether to welcome us or not. Apparently this 6m tall statue is of a lutung, which is a black, long-tailed leaf monkey indigenous to Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

The road actually ended at the park, so we paid the driver, and then entered the park, paying a small admission fee. That was when we realised we had made a mistake by coming at a weekend, as there were people everywhere. We headed straight for Gua Mimpi, or Dreaming Cave. Bantimurung lies at the southern end of a limestone outcrop which houses a series of caves and rock shelters. There are many caves, but Gua Mimpi is one of the best, and is equipped as a tourist cave.

We followed the signboards, crossed the river and walked around a section of the hillside and then up a series of concrete steps which led to the main entrance of the cave. The cave consists of one long passage, maybe 500m long, and is full of stalactites and stalagmites. Some are white in colour, others varying shades of cream, yellow and brown. In addition some look like large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There is a wooden plank walk all the way through the cave, so presumably a river covers the floor in the wet season.

We came out at the smaller backdoor and being curious, decided to look round. We ended up scrambling over a lot of bamboo, and then found a small track which led to another cave. This cave wasn't very extensive, so we turned round and battled with the bamboo, before re-entering Gua Mimpi. We walked back through the cave to the main entrance. As we emerged, several Indonesians asked to have their photo taken with us. I suppose they don't get too many European visitors to this area. To the left of this entrance is another cave, Gua Istana Toakala. There was no plank walk in this cave, but we went in, and again it had some great stalagmite formations. The cave ended in a stal blockage. Presumably these two caves were once part of the same system.

We went back down to the river and followed the right bank up to the waterfall. Several times we were stopped and had to have our photo taken with the locals. Steep steps lead up the side of the tufa waterfall and onto the gorge with the blue river. It reminded me of the Bei Shui river which flows through the Jiuzhaigou Nature Park in Sichuan province in southern China. It must be the tufa which gives the milky blue colour.

The pool looked inviting but no one was in the water. All the water was resurging from a cave. We were curious so went in to have a look and found a dry passage above the water. However the cave was very short and we soon popped out on the other side. There was another beautiful blue pool, with the water seeming to come out of yet another cave.

We made our way back downstream, and followed some steps which led up to another cave. Here some enterprising men had lanterns for hire so we went in to the cave, but it was quite short and nowhere near as nice as the two caves we had explored earlier.

The Bantimurung Nature Reserve covers 1000 ha. There are many other caves in these cliffs but apart from the scenery the area is also famous for its beautiful butterflies. The naturalist Alfred Wallace collected specimens here in the mid 1800's. Among the butterflies that he caught was the Papilo Androcles, one of the rarest and biggest, with a tail like a swallow. Today entomologists still come here to look at the butterflies and other insects. It is certainly a beautiful area, with white falls and bright butterflies. Nowadays Bantimurung is a protected area, but there are still kids besieging visitors with beautifully coloured butterflies as souvenirs. The best time to see living butterflies is when the sun appears after a rain shower. They form a riot of colour as they fly from one shrub to another.

According to a tourist leaflet, Bantimurung means a place for getting rid of sadness (membanting kemurungan). It would be difficult to be sad in such a beautiful place.

Access to the park:
Take the bus to Maros from Sentral station in Ujung Pandang (1 hr). From Maros take a minibus to Bantimurung (0.5 hr.).

© Liz Price - article may only be republished with the author's permission.

Some 19th century visitors to Malaysian caves - Acta Carsologica

Published on Acta Carsologica. Vol 31, No 2, 2002.

Malaysian caves have been known to man since prehistoric times, when they were used as shelters, campsites or places of refuge. The oldest remains found in Peninsular Malaysia are a human skeleton dated at 11.000 years old. But it wasnot until the 19th century that records appear of caves being visited, generally by European visitors for recreation, curiosity or research. Research generally began in the 1880's, mainly by British colonial officers stationed in Malaya. The caves at Batu Caves were "discovered' and made known to Europeans in 1878. This article lists some of the visitors and describes some of the early research.

Cave fauna in Malaysia & Thailand / Acta Carsologica

Published on Acta Carsologica (2004)

Cave fauna in Malaysia & Thailand


Tropical caves of southeast Asia are often home to a wide range of cave fauna, ranging from microscopic invertebrates through to snakes and bats at the top of the food chain.. This food chain is dependant on the bats. Larger mammals, such as porcupine, goats and elephants may visit caves for shelter or food. Animals such as bats are useful to man, whilst the nests of cave swiftlets are harvested and fetch high prices on the market. Studies on cave fauna began at the end of the 19th century in Malaysia and Thailand.