This is Day 5 of our road trip. It started well. We'd had a good night, and were treated to a nice sunrise:


The plan today, as the weather was promising to hold fair, was to go to Similajau National Park, just up the coast from Bintulu. We'd intended to visit in 2022, on the way back from our Miri trip. But covid sent us scurrying home early, so it wasn't to be.

The official website really talks it up: "Imagine 25 miles of golden beaches on the South China Sea, fringed with whispering casuarinas and coconut palms. You do not have to imagine it; you can see the real thing at Similajau National Park with its long, deserted sandy beaches, geological formations and rainforest treks."

On offer are boat trips and a variety of trails, and we spent some of yesterday evening figuring out what we'd like to do, and -- particularly -- how Tern-appropriate the trails might be. But as we searched for information on that, we started to notice warnings from travellers to the effect that the park is actually closed at the moment...

Really? Only a few days ago -- 29 April, to be precise -- the New Straits Times carried an article telling us how wonderful it was: "As you plan your next adventure, consider Similajau National Park for an unforgettable experience amidst nature's splendour. Whether it's leisurely strolls along pristine beaches or exhilarating jungle treks, Similajau promises an escape into the heart of Borneo's untamed wilderness."

Confusing.

But we're not that far away, we thought to ourselves. We'll go along and take a look. So this morning we gathered all our stuff -- shoes, socks, rain ponchos, snacks, water -- and set off.

And sure enough:



Now, I hate to criticize Sarawak Forestry. I know resources are tight, and the area they administer is humongous. It's not an easy remit. I get that.

But surely it wouldn't cost much to put a notice on the website about the current accessibility of the parks? It's the sort of thing some ranger's kid could do in return for a bit of pocket money. It's not the first time this has happened to us, after all. We twice rolled up to Matang Wildlife Centre, only to find it closed (again with no indication to that effect on the website).

Anyway, there was nothing we could do. So we headed back towards town, passing some of Bintulu's industrial facilities en route:



We stopped off for a walk at Millennium Park, which -- though not a patch on the real nature of Similajau -- turned out to be very pleasant.






So that was nice, but a compensatory visit to The Coffee Code was still necessary for equilibrium to be fully restored:


The Spring mall is just down the road from our apartment, and behind it there's a little sea-facing promenade (which will be a much longer promenade once all the bridge-building is complete). Here you can log the progress of said bridge (to continue the tradition of previous visits), and watch the boats going by, before heading back to the mall to try out Chagee, and shop for the evening.






So, it was a nice day. But it wasn't the day we'd hoped for. And, judging by the comments on social media, many others have felt equally disappointed.