Exploring Gunung Tapang Batu & Gunung Moi

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Last Saturday (March 17, 2007) I planned to "conquer" the giant rock of southern Sarawak - Bukit Tapang Batu.....but I failed to reach the summit. It's very short hill, probably around 500 feet only, so I didn't bring water & worst, I didn't bring parang (machete) to clear the path which is covered by bushes / grasses taller than me.

I picked the wrong trail & when I found the right trail, I only managed to reach the shoulder of the hill. This rocky hill is very steep & slippery & if I failed to find the trail built by the local, it is impossible to reach the summit. As I was completely exhausted & almost dehydrated, I had to surrender & plan to conquer this hill again & to find out whether the summit area got any interesting orchids or pitcher plants in the near future.



The giant rock , Bukit Tapang Batu:






Pitcher plant, Nepenthes mirablis found abundantly in the foothill:






The baby staghorn fern. (Platycerium sp.)

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The following day, I joined Robert & other photography friends to search for the rare Nepenthes veithchii in a remote area near Gunung Moi.


Gunung Moi.





We have to drive pass a big oil palm plantation where the road is not suitable for a normal car to drive through. When we reached the end of the road inside the plantation, we had to hike for at least 1 hour on the abandoned logging road. The road in this logging area is worst than the one inside the plantation and there is almost no shade at all as all the big trees are gone (Thanks to the logging people!).


Driving cross a bridge.



The whole area is a disturbed Kerangas forest, but I can see that there are undisturbed forest at the higher ground on the hill. We didn't go up to the hill, but only searching for Nepenthes veithchii near the foothill area. We didn't find N. veitchii. The largest population of pitcher plant in this area is Nepenthes ampullaria.



A river in that area:





Walking on the old logging road. It is hot & dry over here.

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This terrestrial orchid, Bromheadia finlaysoniana is found abundantly here.





Nepenthes rafflesiana (upper pitcher)






Nepenthes rafflesiana (lower pitcher)

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90% of the pitcher plants in this area are Nepenthes ampullaria. Most of the pitchers are either green or spotted green colour. However, I was shocked to find a spotted red coloured pitcher.....it's very rare over there:




Nepenthes x hookeriana also found a lot over there....this one below is the upper pitcher:





And this one is probably Nepenthes rafflesiana cross with Nepenthes gracilis (?) :





The unopened pitcher of Nepenthes rafflesiana cross with Nepenthes gracilis (?) :






The almost rotten pitcher of Nepenthes rafflesiana cross with Nepenthes gracilis (?); the mouth is very small like N. gracilis:

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More photos; here:

http://www.ibanorum.netfirms.com/tapangbatu.htm