38,000 BC or thereabouts

Some thirty eight thousand (38,000) years ago some humans existed in the vast island of Borneo.

This was way way before Jesus or Mohammad or Krishna etc. but way way after dinosaurs lived on the Earth.

Some of these humans were wondering around in the virgin rain forest in this nice tropical island and while walking one day, they came across this big hill.

The tribe leader said, "Hmm, let's go explore this hill, we have nothing better to do with our lives but climb hills and look for dark, damp, smelly caves."

And so, they climbed what is known as Batu Niah and decided to live in this dark, damp and smelly caves.

I went to Batu Niah or Gua Niah for the fifth time in two years yesterday. And despite the nice ramps, boats, walkways, torch lights, Nike shoes and decent clothes, I was close to collapsing with exhaustion.

So, imagine these folks some 38,000 years ago, no faith or God to pray to, no torch lights or lamps (don't even know if fire existed at that time), no Nike shoes, no clothes. And yet they decide to go through dense virgin rain forest, up a hill, into a dark, damp, smelly cave to start their lives there.

What the f..k were they thinking? In my logic of all senses, there are only two possibilities these people decided to live such a harsh life. They were either a evil, notorious bad clan and were running away from a mob of people who chased them away or they were good people being chased away by bad, evil, notorious people.

Nya yin song, mata kaji smanyi shen (from Ali Baba Bujang Lapuk) and the cave doors open.

38,000 years later, people throng to these caves, nearly collapse in exhaustion, nearly have a heart attack just to see what was all the hype 38,000 years ago, what were these cave dwellers painting on their caves, how and why did they carry all the boats all they way up into the cave and so on and so forth.

Take care and be well.