FROM FARAWAY PARIS: Sandrine Peculier and Gilles De Paoli (right) taking a short break.
MIRI: Efficient land transport, in particular, is an integral part of the tourism industry, without which precious time would be wasted by tourists new to the place.
This is especially so in Sarawak where natural attractions are located far from the city, some only accessible by water-based transport.
Tourism is made possible by efficient public transport such as a bus network for tourists to move around with ease.
The Borneo Post Adventure Team (BAT) took the opportunity to visit Lambir Hills National Park yesterday, a mere half an hour’s drive from Miri City.
ENJOYING A TERM BREAK: Students from Miri Teaching Training College with Mohd Irwandy (left) and Mohd Fawwaz from Pahang (right).
ENTRANCE TO LAMBIR HILLS PARK: The journey to discover nature starts here.
Jungle Bridge, image from data file BP
EDIBLE?: Wild mushrooms growing on a broken tree trunk.
JUNGLE TRAIL: The trek made easier with steps of planks and earth.
INVIGORATING: A small waterfall in the national park.
Cruising on the slightly busy Miri-Bintulu Road in the mid-day yesterday, passing through green forests with small villages on both sides of the road, was soothing to our jaded eyes.
According to the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), this modest 6,952ha park has one of the world’s most diverse forest ecosystems.
Shielded from the fiery sun by the canopy of lush tropical rainforests, we strolled along the trail, listened to the orchestra of calling cicadas, chirping of birds, and roar of water.
A French couple we met in the park confided to us that they found it quite difficult to get to this national park.
“We took the express coach but it does not provide us with a timetable, which will be troublesome later on,” Sandrine Peculier said.
“I don’t know yet how we are going to get back to the city. We will check with the park’s office later or perhaps we could hitch a ride.”
Sandrine told us about her bad experience with the taxi service when they landed in Miri last Sunday, as the driver was unable to locate the hotel they were to stay in. The couple had earlier been in Kuching.
Gilles De Paoli, a police officer, pointed out that they met some police officers in Kuching whom he found very friendly.
Sandrine and Gilles intend to visit Niah National Park, Mulu National Park and Bario Highlands in their three weeks of escape to Borneo.
“We are in Borneo mainly for the nature. We will be going to Sabah after this. We would like to climb Mount Kinabalu,” Sandrine said.
A group of students from Miri Teachers’ Training College said they normally visit the park on a day trip to picnic and relax by the waterfalls during the school break. Latak Waterfall, one of six waterfalls in the national park, is the target of most day-trippers because of its short 20 minutes’ leisurely walk and easy trails.
Mohd Irwandy from Bintulu encouraged people to visit the park as it is not too far from the city, and praised the conservation efforts of Sarawak Forestry Corporation.
“Latak Waterfall is the nearest with a bigger natural pool. We enjoy taking a dip in the cold water,” the 19-year-old said.
Over the years, the government has put much effort to lure tourists by improving tourism products and air connectivity. Now that the industry is growing fast, it could be time to rethink the role of transport in the tourism industry, as well as make significant improvement as aspired under the 10th Malaysia Plan.
Transport affects the growth of the tourism industry, so should bring holidaymakers to their destinations in good time.