The last day of our Rainforest trip was not in the Rainforest but a drive to the Gomantong caves. These limestone are home to thousands of bats and several species of swiftlets which build their nests high up on the cave walls and ceiling. These are collected twice a year to produce Bird’s Nest Soup. This area is allegedly the best managed birf’s Nest collection are in the world. They are collected by erecting flimsy rattan ladders which are manoeuvred by ropes tied to the ladders and pulled and guided by people on the cave floor. Scary work but hats off to David Attenborough who insisted on going to the top when he filmed here - not on the ladders but on a special hoist - to film the bats. The amount of guano in the caves meant the stench was overpowering - or it would have been to those who can smell - lucky me eh?
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