Badly's photos with the keyword: swiftlets

Borneo0511

14 Aug 2006 230
At Gomantong Caves where men climb up to collect swiftlet's nests for bird's-nest soup. Note the coiled ladders See where this picture was taken. [?]

Borneo0515

14 Aug 2006 210
The entrance of Gomantong Cave. The brown stuff on the floor is bat and swiftlet poo, several feet thick. The nest harvesters could sell it for fertilizer, but they leave it because it makes a soft landing when they fall off their ladders. People live in here all year round, to protect their bird's-nest interests. On a good day in the nest-harvesting season, one collector can gather 10,000 ringgits (£1500) worth of nests. And yes, it stinks.

Roaches

14 Aug 2006 203
Lovely cockroaches on the wall of Gomantong Cave. They live on the droppings of swiftlets and bats and, presumably their carcasses.