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Expedition to collect ants at the Mount Mulu (by Dirk Mezger): Part 1
After just one month of busy preparations in Germany I departed on 10th March 2019 to Borneo. It was a long journey from Frankfurt to Kuching with stops in Doha (Katar) and Kuala Lumpur (West Malaysia). In the evening of the 11th March, I finally reached Kuching, the State capital of Sarawak. This city with a current population of more than half a million people is situated along the banks of the Sarawak river and has a history dating back into the 19th century with many beautiful historic buildings being found in the city center.
The next morning I went to the Forestry Department to pick up the research permit. After that, I was busy organizing all types of equipment I will need for the ant collecting expedition like canvas bags for the transport of soil, a lamp for the nights in the forest camps or some small shovels to collect the soil. Therefore, I was running through shopping malls, department stores and supermarkets until Thursday evening.
On Friday morning (15th March), I was almost done with organizing the material and there were left a few hours to kill, so I decided to visit Santubong National Park to get a very first glimpse into the splendid nature of Borneo. This is one of the few areas in Borneo where the tropical forest reaches the shores of the South China Sea. It was so great to be in the rainforest again!
Copyright 2019 Dirk Mezger and Martin Pfeiffer