flip flops??!!
Sorry but I'll go for the 25lb boots... even in my house. I love reading about your excellent adventure.

Mulu NP is for tourists with $
If you want cheap, short cave hike through rain forest, you went to the wrong cave. There are 2 small caves (Wind & Fairy cave$) outside Kuching, largest city in Sarawak. Mulu is deep in the jungle and anything is several times more expensive than Kuching, where Kuching is still more expensive than West Malaysia. Sarawak is for rain forest, head-hunters, longhouses and some old British era's buildings, however, don't expect cheap nice beach. There are a lot of beaches in Sarawak but don't expect the commecialized type of Thailand beaches. Make friends with the locals and get tips to plan for your trip. Many places outside Sarawak town areas are difficult to find an ATM for $. English is quite common in Sarawak, especially in government offices, banks, hotels and western style restaurants. Sarawak is just difference and .... Milo, is probably their most popular drink after coke.

Mulu - An Unspoiled National Park
I just came back from Mulu last week. Unlike the author, my experience was quite pleasant. Perhaps in part due to my travelling partner having booked the hostel within the park as opposed to "home stay". I think the prices in Mulu are higher than other more populated places in part due to its remote locations (12 hours boat ride or half hour by plane). Obviously, transportation costs need to be factored in when compared prices. Also, there is no grid in Mulu. As such, electricity has to come from generators, which consumes gasoline that has to be either flown in or transported by long boats! There is also no water supply in Mulu. As such, water is either from rain water or taken from the river. At the park headquater, they filter the water and add chlorine to it to kill germs. I am not sure what they do at various home stay. Other than some local vegetables and chickens, I think everything else has to be flown in or transported via long boats, water, beer, soft drinks, rice, noodles, ice cream, etc. As for caving experience, Mulu opens my eyes. Among the various caves, we like the Deer Cave / Lang Cave and the Garden of Eden Walk the best. It offers a variation of experience, from massive cave entrance to giant shower head with water dripping down just like a shower head at home to lush greenery, trekking along a shallow stream, up the hill to a secluded water fall where we had our packed lunch and jumped in for a cool swim! We also did the Stonehorse Adventure Caving for RM$135, which is not cheap. However, considering we have two guides among the five of us, I think the cost is reasonable. Throughout the whole experience, they watched for our safety and helped us get through many challenging places. They are so many turns withing the cave, I can easily get lost in it, which explained the reason why they don't allow anyone to go into the cave on their own and risk getting lost! Overall, I think Mulu is good for people who enjoy adventurous caving (and can afford to pay for the guide). Book ahead to get yourself a spot within the Park HQ or pamper yourself at the Marriott Royal Mulu resort. Relative to other places in Malaysia, Mulu is slightly more expensive due to its remote location. But, compared to more developed countries with much higher income tax rates, I think Mulu is still affordable. I recall being at Antelope Canyon in Arizona this summer, we paid US$40 per person to get into the Canyon for about 1 1/2 hours, which is a sightseeing tour. Mulu charges RM$30 for a week of entrance. While I was awe struck by how beautiful the Antelope Canyon is, I also felt pushed by bus loads of tourists from all over the world and not able to take pictures at my leisure. I never have that problem at Mulu even though our group stopped frequently to take pictures. Our guide was patient and never complained.