ABOVE: Ficus kochummenianagrowing along the coast at Santubong near Kuching. The ripe fig fruits look very similar to Ficus spathuliifolia but the leaves with sunken side veins and a prominent drip tip indicate that this can only be Ficus kochummeniana.
The blue mountain in the background is Gunung Santubong (810 m asl) seen from Kuching. Santubong is a forested peninsula that juts out into the south China sea about an hours drive from Kuching. Due to moisture laden winds from the sea which are forced upwards as they approach the mountain the water condenses and forms an almost permanent smoky cloud cap at the top of Gunung Santubong.The Santubong Peninsula viewed from Damai beachDamai Beach Resort at SantubongDue to an almost permanent “vortex” or mini cyclone which sits just off the SW Borneo coast during the Musim landas (wet season between November to April) Santubong and Bako hold some of the highest rainfall records in Borneo with an average of over 4m per annum.