Borneo
27 September - 8 October
______________________________
For about 42 years, Renee has wanted to travel to Borneo. Why, you might ask? In September of 1969, she flew over the island enroute to Australia for a vacation while working in Vietnam during the war. As the plane traversed the island at over 30,000 ft. altitude, she looked down upon a land that was heavily forested with occasional smoke coming from the ground and the mountains. It appeared to be a primeval wilderness, (probably complete with head hunters), that was begging to be explored by an adventurous traveler.
Shift now to the present. Borneo is a large island that belongs to 3 countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, the latter country is where the ultra rich sultan lives in the lap of luxury. We’re in the Malaysian part of Borneo—the northern part, in a province called Sabah. Most of those forests are now gone, given over to agriculture. Palm oil plantations dominate the landscape and are an important part of the economy. The city of Kota Kinabalu, where we flew in from Singapore, is a modern city with modern buildings, modern cars and traffic jams, and the ultimate symbol of contemporary living—the indoor shopping mall. What a difference 40 years can make!
27-28 SEP
We flew into Kota Kinabalu and were met by a driver and van to take us to our resort. We didn’t realize that the resort was almost an hour drive from the city. We had booked Shangri La’s Rasa Ria Resort as a prelude to our safari, and it has to be one of the most gorgeous and beautiful resorts we’ve ever stayed in. Just when we thought it didn’t get any better than Singapore, there it was. The resort has its own 3 kilometers of beachfront, 2 pools, several restaurants and bars, our private hot tub spa on the balcony, and on and on. It even has a nature reserve with rescued juvenile orangutans that are cared for by trained staff. Luckily, we had 2 nights to enjoy this resort.
29 SEP
This morning we were met by the driver and our guide at the resort and transferred to the airport for a 50 minute flight to a town called Lahad Datu. The guide accompanied us on the flight and will be with us through the duration of the safari, the exception being that he doesn’t go with us to our island retreat at the end. We picked up a new driver in Lahad Datu, and together with the guide, headed out to the Danum Valley Conservation area. After 2 hours of driving, we reached the Borneo Rainforest Lodge and had a late lunch. As we were finishing lunch, we could hear thunder and the threat of rain. We were preparing to go to the room before getting caught in the rain when the lodge guide stopped us to say he had a surprise for us. The afternoon walk would have to be cancelled due to the impending rain, but we should go with him right now to see the surprise, which was at the end of the boardwalk. There in a tall tree was a huge male orangutan eating the leaves and fruits of the ficus tree. In addition to the orangutan, there was a family of rhinoceros hornbills eating the fruits, too. It was almost like the important animals we came here to see were in one tree together right as we arrived. We didn’t know for sure if we would be so lucky to see an orangutan in the wild; they are so endangered. And the hornbills are such spectacular birds, we felt lucky to see them, too. Of course the foliage and the huge size of the tree didn’t make photography easy, so we don’t have good photos, yet! But just seeing them through the binoculars was great.
"Abu"
30 SEP
Today’s highlight was a night walk where we were able to see and photograph a Western tarsier, a tiny, cuddly looking nocturnal primate. If you’ve ever seen a gremlin-like creature, this is it! It has huge brown eyes and long fingers and sits clinging to the tree. We also had a day hike, which was difficult to get through. First, the weather here takes heat and humidity to the ultimate level of discomfort. Neither of us have ever known anything this uncomfortable. We’ve had some really hot, humid weather on the trip, but this is unreal!
Tarsier Nocturnal Primate
Second, we’d known about the leeches before we came. They are inhabitants of the rain forests of Southeast Asia. Here in Borneo, there are 2 types: the ground leech which senses body heat or vibration (or both) and gets activated when you walk in the forest and then leap frogs onto your legs. Then there is the tiger leech, so called because it has stripes like a tiger. This species of leech hangs from leaves, and latches onto you if you come close to the leaf. They commonly suck blood from your neck or head, or wherever they want. The first thing we did was to buy leech socks at the lodge. They are covers that fit over your socks and go to just under your knees where you tie them, hoping to deny the leech a way to get into your feet and legs. Consider that you already have hiking socks and long pants on; now you’re adding another layer of clothing to this already extreme heat. Next, you have to wear long sleeves and a hat for protection from the other leeches. When we finished our afternoon walk, we came back and took off our boots and leech socks. Renee felt something on her thumb. A big leech must have been on the sock and catapulted onto her hand. She flicked it fast and screamed for Dave. By the time he got there, it was dancing across the balcony sofa. He wrapped it in tissues and then flushed it. Their means of locomotion is like somersaulting head to tail, and they can move fast. In the lodge info, it states that if you get “leeched”, you are entitled to a blood donor certificate. Hope we don’t get one of those. They are apparently harmless, and they fall off if you spray them with mosquito spray.
NOTE: “Everybody has a story.”
We were talking to our guide, Chris. Dave asked him about his family. His father’s parents came to Malaysia when China expelled the Christians from the country. He mentioned that there is a large population of ethnic Chinese Christians here in Sabah, because many came here. When his dad was old enough to marry, he wanted to marry a local girl from a tribe. The tribal chief wouldn’t allow it, because his dad wasn’t a member of the tribe. So, another member of the tribe adopted him, so he would be a member and could then marry his sweetheart. By the way, at that time, the tribe engaged in head hunting. (I knew the head hunters would somehow be a part of the Borneo blog!)
1 OCT
We took a hike this morning before it got hotter (can’t say hot, because it’s always hot). We hiked on a trail along the river and saw many leeches. It rained last night, so they were quite active. Most were small in comparison with the one on Renee’s sock yesterday, though. So, we walked and flicked them off when they jumped on us, and generally tried to avoid them. Eventually, we came to the canopy walkway. We walked high above some of the trees and saw a few birds. It was a beautiful view from up there. The rainforest trees here are the tallest tropical rainforest trees in the world, unbelievably so.
Another Note
When the trip was planned, a graph was made to determine the best time to visit all of these places to avoid the wet seasons. But somehow, at each location, the wet season has either started earlier or lasted longer or the information obtained was just somehow not accurate. The day we flew to Borneo, a cyclone had hit the Philippines, just north of Borneo. The tail end of the storm caused trees to come down in Kota Kinabalu. Here in the rain forest (where logically you have to expect rain), we’ve been getting a thunderstorm each day in the late afternoon or evening. And when it rains, it pours! A thundering tropical downpour occurs.
2 OCT
In the afternoon, we left the lodge and traveled to another area—the Kinabatangan River and a new resort lodge. On the way, we made a stop at the Gomantong Cave near sunset. As we parked the vehicle, we saw millions of bats flying out of the cave. (This feature is the main attraction of the cave.) We walked to the cave, and along the way saw an orangutan that was settling in for the night in a tree nest. As we approached the cave, the bats were thick in the air and more and more kept flying out in interesting formations. They were small bats that feed on insects and fruit. As we entered the cave, the smell of bat guano permeated the air, and the cave was full of it. We also saw a flimsy bamboo ladder and realized that this is one of the caves where birds’ nests (from swifts) are collected from high up on the walls and sold for bird nest soup. The harvesting was finished for now; in season, the ladders are climbed and so are ropes hanging from upon high, a very risky endeavor indeed.
The interior of the cave was straight out of a horror movie. The first thing we saw were millipedes, not just any millipedes, but these babies were over a foot long and bright red, with a myriad of undulating legs carrying them swiftly along the boardwalk we were walking on. Next, our eyes alighted on cockroaches, millions of them on the walkway, on the walls, everywhere. It appeared they were eating the bat guano, but we don’t know for sure. There were little crabs in the water and a long legged species of millipede on the walls. We carefully made our way on the slippery, bat guano covered boardwalk around the cave, and although we had witnessed an interesting phenomenon, were glad to leave. We arrived at our new destination about 30 minutes later, just before dinner.
3-4 OCT
Our new lodge features boat trips on the river to see wildlife. It’s the only safari lodge anywhere that we’ve ever stayed in that has air conditioned rooms and flat screen TV. Other than those 2 items, it’s not as nice as the last lodge. For one thing, we have to climb 6 flights of stairs to get to our chalet.
We’ve taken the morning and late afternoon boat trips up and down the river. There are some birds, but most are high in the tall trees and difficult to see and photograph. There is an abundance of monkeys, most long tailed and pig tailed macaques. The monkey that really stands out and is the most fun to watch is the proboscis monkey. It has a really long nose, a Jimmy Durante type of nose, especially the males of the species. They are also not easy to photograph, because they are constantly moving in the dense forest canopy high up in the trees. On our last afternoon, we really got a treat when a herd of Borneo pygmy elephants was spotted. We rode in the boat to go see them near a clearing on the river bank where they were eating grass. Although called ‘pygmy’, they are still sizable, about 8 feet tall.
5 OCT
Today, we moved on and went to the renowned Sepilok Orangatan Rehab Centre for orphaned and abused orangutans. We were able to view 2 feedings of the orangs that have been released into the centre’s wildlife preserve. When the animals are first released into this halfway house type of environment, they are still semi dependent on humans. So, they are fed by the staff. As they become more independent, they fend for themselves and eat wild berries and leaves in the forest’s trees. In the morning, only a couple of orangutans showed up, but in the afternoon, more came in, including a mother and baby. The baby clung to mom as she swung from tree to tree and on the wire set up to facilitate feeding on the platform. At one point not far from us, the baby was released to sit on the wire, too, and we got some good photos of both of them. The most touching part of the experience was watching the tender love and care that mom had for baby. She shared baby with a couple of the other orangutans who handled it with tenderness, also. At one point, an orang showed up that mom must not have liked or felt some uncertainty about. She took baby away to a safe distance and bared her teeth to the newcomer.
In the evening, we walked back over to the rehab centre for a night walk on the boardwalk. Normally, the centre is closed; however, we were fortunate in that our guide knew one of the center’s Park Rangers and arranged for access and a guided night tour into the park. Among the highlights were 2 green vipers and a small nocturnal primate called a slow loris. We also witnessed the flying squirrels gliding from tree to tree. They climb up one tree and glide to another one, then repeat the process again to feed. Another tree that was fruiting contained hundreds of flying foxes which are large bats. They were squealing, feeding and fighting. Most all of these animals are not seen in very many places, so it was a rare treat to experience this. Tomorrow we’re off to an island called Lankayan for a couple of days rest and relaxation before the next part of the journey.
6-7 OCT
We’ve finally found paradise! After a land transfer to the town of Sandakan on the north shore of Borneo, we boarded a boat for a 1 ½ hour ride to a beautiful small island (Lankayan) with white sand beaches and a coral reef right outside the chalet. We have snorkeled among the colorful reef fish and swum and just enjoyed the water and relaxation that this type of environment fosters.
Last night at 9:30, there was a knock at the door to inform us that a green sea turtle had dug a nest and was laying eggs. We walked down the beach to witness this rare treat. The sea turtles lay up to about 100 eggs in the nest. Since this island is a protected wildlife area, everything is controlled. After the turtle lays the eggs and returns to the sea, the conservators dig up the eggs and relocate them to a protected area. When they hatch, they are taken to the beach where they quickly head for the water. We’ve been told before that only about 1 in a 1,000 hatchlings will actually survive to adulthood, so although the programs to preserve the populations might be considered interference, it seems they need all the help they can get if they are to survive. Humans populating coastal areas have been the main obstacle to their success.
We’ve enjoyed the rare treats that Borneo has offered, and tomorrow we’re off for our next adventure - Mongolia. To get there we head back to Singapore for an overnight and then an early flight to Bangkok and on to Beijing, where we will stay for the night and take an early flight to Ulaanbatar.
Pictures: Due to the additional number of pictures we wanted to post for Borneo, please view them at our photo website below.
