Answer me this: why would people want to eat soup made from swiflet bird nests which are built from their saliva!? They are considered a delicacy and pay well so the Malay risk their lives scaling the stark sides and treacherously vaulted roofs of these limestone caves to harvest them. I will never look at tom yum goong soup the same again!
The cave, as most caves are, was rather dark and odorous with a strong uric acid stench. There were small bats sleeping in dark corners, plagues of cockroaches rustling over the dung-covered floor and of course swiftlets darting in and out. The volume of excreta on the boardwalk throughout the cave threatened to cause me to slip at any moment. If you wait till dusk you will be rewarded with witnessing the huge swarms of bats migrating from the cave and circling the sky before commencing their nocturnal hunt.
Given that the cave has been used for commercial extraction it wasn’t in pristine ecological condition but the lighting and colossal volume of the cave still made it an impressive sight. Shafts of lights enter from both ends of the cave as well as from an eroded skylight throwing an eerie glow about the place and cast a spotlight on secret gardens. The dense jungle around the cave is also habitat to some giant leaf plant species and adorable baby red leaf monkeys. The rabid-looking dogs that hang around the cave entry are less adorable, but braving them to experience the cave is definitely worth it.
