China
17 - 27 October

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We arrived at Beijing Airport on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 16th. In our list of superlatives, I think that this airport will have to be the largest one that we’ve seen. It’s also new, modern and spotlessly clean. As per our usual procedure, we met our guide at the baggage exit, and our driver was waiting in the parking garage with the car. We were delivered to the Renaissance Hotel, a 5 star establishment near the center of the town. We spent the remainder of the afternoon resting and had Peking duck for dinner, known as roasted duck here.

Forbidden City Palace

17-19 OCT Beijing

Our first day of sightseeing was spent mostly in the Forbidden City. It’s truly a huge complex of palaces and buildings that were used by the Chinese Emperors from the early 1400’s up until the revolution in the early 20th century. Also on the agenda and in the same vicinity was Tiananmen Square, which is vast. We had lunch at a restaurant in an older neighborhood, specializing in Hunan food. As we surveyed the menu, Dave’s eye caught a menu item that truly freaked Renee out. It was ‘caterpillar fungus’. Now, we’re not sure if this means fungus grown on caterpillars or a fungus looking like a caterpillar, but we didn’t feel the need to investigate the issue further. Dave opted for a chicken dish, and Renee went vegetarian with mushrooms and walnuts (interesting pairing, there).

18 OCT Great Wall

Today was one of those landmark days when you’re just so fully aware of where you are and how special it is. We left the city for a visit to the Great Wall. We drove for about an hour and a half and took the cable car up to the top of the mountain. From there, the wall stretched to the right and left. We walked up and down the wall steps and paths for about 2 ½ hours, going from guard post to guard post. Each time we reached a new post, a new vista opened up that was a bit different from the last one. All in all, it was a truly memorable experience for us. Lunch today was at a trout restaurant. The fish was delicious as was a chicken entrée and an eggplant dish.

The Great Wall

From Ancient Engineering Feats to Modern Ones

Upon returning to the city, we visited the site of the 2008 Olympics. We saw the Water Cube and the Bird’s Nest. Both are such immense structures. We should probably point out that China has become a playground for some of the leading architects of the world. Some of their designs are controversial, but all are unique. We have seen some really interesting building designs here in this megalopolis.

Beijing is an extremely large, sprawling city. Other than Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, we’re not sure there is any real downtown area. Old neighborhoods are being replaced with towering apartment and office buildings. When you drive on an expressway, all you can see are these huge structures. It isn’t until you actually leave the expressway that you can see shops and restaurants and other accoutrements that resemble ersatz neighborhoods. The roads are in good shape; traffic is bad, but not so bad considering that about 20 million people live here and most have cars, now. When there is no breeze, the pollution hangs like white fog in the air. Automobiles contribute to the pollution, but we heard there is widespread use of coal in the power plants, which is also a major factor.

We finished up our tour of Beijing with a tour of the Summer Palace and boat ride on the lake adjoining the palace. The atmosphere was so hazy that good photos were impossible. We then went back to the older section of town and took a rickshaw ride in a traditional neighborhood called a ‘hutong’ and had lunch in a traditional Beijing restaurant. Later in the afternoon, we transferred to the airport for an early evening flight to Xian.

20-21 OCT Xi An

We had hoped the air in Xian would be a little cleaner since it’s a smaller city, only 8 million. It actually seems worse; the visibility is very bad. We started our day with a trip to the old city walls (600 years old). We rode bikes around the top of the walls. From there, we could look down and see the garden area surrounding the walls and the moat that’s part of the old city’s defenses. Xian was the beginning of the Silk Road in ancient times. Military and merchants set out from here with porcelain, silk, paper and other precious goods for trade in the west. At one point, they reached all the way to the Mediterranean.

Also in the gardens below were people doing early morning tai chi exercises. Everywhere we’ve been in the mornings, we’ve seen many groups of people doing the same. There is always music playing, and they are always holding something. Some hold paddles with balls and balance them in a way that when their arms move gracefully in all directions, the balls don’t fall off the paddles. Others use flags or scarves. It looks like a very gentle and graceful way to exercise.

Later, we saw a site that should be declared another wonder of the world—the Terracotta Army. The archeological site is divided into 3 pits, each with a building constructed over it. We went to Pit #1 first. It is the largest and most complete reconstruction that exists. When you look down into the pit area, a whole army of terracotta soldiers is looking back at you, all facing forward. As you peruse the faces, you notice that each is different and unique. This army is composed of the front line infantry soldiers. There are also horses and the remains of the chariots. When the emperor died, he was buried near here, and the purpose of the clay army was to defend him in death. While a farmer was digging a well in the 1970’s, he discovered the first clay head of a soldier. It was a few years later before he reported the discovery and excavations began. (Today, this farmer sits in the gift shop, shaking hands.)

We also toured the other pits. The armies there were arranged differently. In one, they were arranged ceremoniously. In another, there were archers and other soldiers, ones that would have been in the rear guard. This remarkable place is truly awesome and so worth seeing. Just comprehending the scope of the excavations takes some doing. Excavations and reconstruction are still taking place and will be for some time. Some areas are still covered over with dirt, because the original soldiers were painted in different colors. Once the pit sections are opened, exposure to the air fades the paint.

On the way back to town, there were many fruit sellers along the side of the road. They were all selling 2 items—persimmons and pomegranates. As we looked beyond the vendors, we noticed many persimmon trees laden with ripe fruit and in their midst, pomegranate bushes filled with fruit. This harvest is quite bountiful!

We rounded out the day with a dinner theatre performance. Dinner was composed of a specialty of this area—dumplings. All kinds of steamed dumplings were presented: chicken, pork, shrimp, fish, vegetable, scallops, and others. After the meal, we enjoyed a classical orchestral and dance performance. The music was written many centuries ago and has been performed ever since. For a dinner theatre, the quality of the performance was very high.

We started our second day in Xi An with a stroll down the streets of the Moslem quarter. For centuries, this city was the eastern point of the Silk Road trade route to the Middle East. Moslem Arabs made their way to this Chinese city and married Chinese. The result is Chinese Moslems living in a city neighborhood. They have preserved the Moslem way of life with hallal meat shops, fruit stands, shops and restaurants. There were stands upon stands of dates, pomegranates, walnuts, and many other things. It was fun to walk here and see the way of life in this area.

Before going to the airport for our flight to Cheng Du, we also visited the Wild Goose Pagoda (formerly a Buddhist temple) and toured a beautiful history museum. History in this city goes back to the bronze age, so there are many antiquities on display from the Bronze Period up until the Tang Dynasty in the 7th or 8th century. Next, we experienced the first real glitch on the trip. There had been a schedule change and our flight to Cheng Du had left 2 hours prior to the time we got to the airport to check in. As I write this, we are waiting for a very late flight, hoping to still arrive in Cheng Du in time for some sleep before our day begins tomorrow.

22-23 OCT Cheng Du Pandas, Pandas, Pandas!

Today was a special day. We were driven to the Cheng Du Panda Research Base where we spent the day as volunteers. We fed the pandas pieces of apples, cleaned their cages, then fed them more apples and panda cakes. Panda cakes are made daily of grains, milk powder, vitamins and minerals. The pandas love them and eat every crumb. They spend the night in secure indoor cages, but, during the day, they have outdoor enclosures where they can play, eat bamboo and sleep.

Pandas at Chengdu Research Center

There is a very active breeding program here to try to increase panda numbers. In the wild, at their lowest point, the numbers had decreased to about 1600. Today, it has increased to 2000. The reasons for the decline are the same that we have found all over the world—loss of habitat due to deforestation and increasing human numbers. When the pandas reach about 5 or 6 years of age, they are sent back to the forests to live and breed on their own. This facility is also the place where pandas are lent out to zoos worldwide. Any offspring produced are sent back to China. We toured other areas of the base, including the nursery, where several babies about 2 months old were sleeping in a crib. The panda base is a pleasant place for the pandas, as well as an interesting place for people to be educated and enjoy seeing the pandas. As we were able to have an up close experience with the pandas, we can say that they are such sweet, gentle animals, truly as precious as the stuffed toys we see for sale.

24-26 OCT Guilin

Well, we’re in Guilin, now. This city is smaller than the others we’ve visited. It’s famous for its scenery. Today, our visit consisted of Elephant Trunk Hill and the Reed Flute Cave. The Elephant Trunk Hill is a natural land bridge formation that connects to the river. Locals named it so because they thought it looked like an elephant with its trunk in the water drinking. It is very scenic and was made more so by the cormorant fishermen. The fishermen have 2 cormorants that are trained to dive into the water and bring up fish. (This feat is what they do naturally, except they eat the fish.) The training involves giving the fish to the fishermen instead of eating them. Hopefully, they get to keep some for themselves! The cave is a large limestone structure with lots of stalactites and stalagmites. Very pretty!

In the afternoon, we drove to the rice terraces where we spent the night in a charming Chinese lodge at the top of the mountain. The terraces, where rice is farmed, surrounded the lodge. We drove to a parking lot and finished the trip to the lodge on foot up the mountain for about 30-40 minutes. As we arrived, the clouds totally obscured our view. It felt like a wasted trip, considering the road we traveled snaking up the mountains and the uphill climb. But, after we settled in at the lodge, the clouds magically parted to reveal the stunning landscape. It was amazing! Rice terraces were visible in all directions as far as one could see. The rice had already been harvested, so the colors weren’t as vividly green or gold as they would have been a few weeks ago. We spent the night at the lodge and the next morning hiked for a couple of hours along the hillside and rice fields to enjoy the panoramic views.

After returning to Guilin, we strolled through the walking street and downtown park. The next another morning, we boarded a boat for a cruise down the Li River, another highlight of this region. The cruise is unique for the limestone mountains that rise dramatically on both sides of the river coupled with the bamboo growing on the banks, causing a uniquely beautiful oriental water scene. The cruise should have been all that I just described, but there were a few factors that made it fall short of expectations. First, the weather was heavily overcast, but nothing can be done about that. Second, the river level was so low, that instead of seeing the beauty of the water, there was only a small, shallow, barely navigable channel, the rest of the river presenting as gravel and sand. Next, this was such a popular tourist venue that there were so many boats in such a small area that it was impossible to photograph any scene without so many other boats in the photos.

We would have to make a few observations in summarizing our visit to China. First, we felt that there were many sights worth seeing here, and we have enjoyed them all. Secondly, from a tourist’s cursory observations, we have to think that the entire Asian economy (with a couple of exceptions) is growing at a very exceptional pace, much more so than western countries. There is an immense building campaign here, but, also, there are signs that maybe there is over building and a possible real estate bubble such as we had in our country a couple of years ago is beginning to materialize. Citizens ‘seem’ to enjoy the ability to travel, pursue careers, and live much as we do, but we don’t know what it is really like for them.

The tour guides are all very well versed in English, but seem very scripted. Once you deviate from the official tour language, there isn’t much to talk about, or they don’t understand what you’re saying. We did have a conversation with one person whose parents had another child after she was born. She was willing to say that her parents had to pay a big fine for having a second child; they violated China’s one child policy. We’ve observed parents with their children—most only do have one. But, we’ve seen little girls as well as little boys, and both seem equally well cared for and loved, so much so that they are overindulged. The children seem very spoiled to us. They kick and hit their parents, often putting their shoes in their parents’ faces. We’ve heard that because there is only one overindulged child, they don’t learn to share with others or socialize easily with other kids. We know that in the U.S., there is a growing issue with less people paying into social security and more people drawing it. The same thing could easily happen here.

One final thought as we jet off to Australia is this—I hope I never have to see another porcelain drain in the ground in a public restroom that has been labeled ‘toilet’ again.

Pictures: Due to the additional number of pictures we wanted to post for China, please view them at our photo website below.

E-MAIL: dcapouya@comcast.net
VISIT OUR PHOTO WEBSITE: http://reneecapouya.zenfolio.com

Mongolia
9 - 16 October

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10 OCT
After flying from Singapore to Beijing and spending the night at a hotel near the airport, we caught an early flight to Ulaanbaatar. Our driver and guide were there to meet us, and we set off on our new adventure, an 80 mile or so drive to Hustai National Park. Our guide is a very pleasant young woman named Mugu. She is a college student on break who is majoring in social work. Her English is very good.

Just how many shades of brown are there? Driving through the high Mongolian plateau to our first destination, we saw golden browns, beiges, buffs, tans, taupes, warm hues and cool ones, all blending and yet contrasting in the landscape. There were enough new earth tones to create a color palate of paint chips at the hardware store. There were many domestic animals—horses, cows, sheep, goats and horses. Mongolia is famous for its horses and horsemen.

We arrived at the park’s “ger” tourist camp in time for lunch. A ger is a round Mongolian felt tent in which the nomadic people live, and they also comprise the tourist camps. There are few hotels outside of the capital city. We were introduced to our ger, and the luggage was brought inside. It’s a comfortable tent with real furniture and a king size bed, just no bathroom. We’ll walk to the bathroom and showers. From inside the ger, we can hear the sheep, cows and horses roaming just outside. The land is unfenced for the most part, and the animals roam free.

A Success Story, We Think

In the late afternoon, we went for a game drive to try to see the famous wild horses of Hustai. The horses actually went extinct in the wild in the 1960’s. There were a few in zoos, however. Those horses, through a program, were bred and reintroduced back into their native habitat. They now number about 250 and are doing well here. The familiar name of the horse is the ‘takhi’. It is also known as the Przewalski horse. Their color is dun with dark markings on the legs, and they have a very short mane. The takhi is closely related to the zebra.

Wild Tahki "Przewalski" Horse

We set out in the vehicle and about 20 or 30 minutes later we spotted a small herd of 6 coming down the mountain to a water hole near us. We sat on the ground and watched and photographed the horses as they came closer to us. After awhile, a larger herd of about 8 came down to the water to drink. During the time we were watching the horses, a large herd of about 12 roe deer were on the crest of the mountain watching us. We hoped that they would follow the horses, and we could get a good look at them, but they were shy and veered off to another water spot farther from us.

NOTE:

Renee had previously filled out a questionnaire indicating that she was a vegetarian, because she was not comfortable with eating mystery meat that she knew would be served here in Mongolia. Apparently, the form was lost. We were all served the same 4 course lunch, the main course having meat (actually beef). But, during the conversation about meat, Mugu indicated that they eat all meats—sheep, goat, beef, horse, yak and ground hog. Of course, that made us feel better!

11 OCT
Today, we drove to another location called Karakorum. This area was the capital city of the Mongol Empire founded by Genghis Khan in the 1200’s. Not much is left now of the ruins, but there is a beautiful new museum that we visited that has artifacts and details the history from the Bronze Period onward.

After touring the museum, we visited a nearby monastery which was founded in 1586, making it the oldest one in the country. While there, one of the monks honored us by pouring a bowl of mare’s milk in a bowl and passing it around for us to share. Dave said it tasted like yoghurt and was thick; Renee wouldn’t actually know.

At the conclusion of the day’s touring, we went to our hotel. Most of the tourist ger camps, unknown to us at the time of booking, are closed for the season. So, we checked in at a local hotel. It was brand new, rather basic and spartan, but clean and neat. They weren’t going to turn on the central heating until the end of the month, so it was a bit chilly. The bathroom had small water heaters attached to the sink and the shower. The only problem was that no electrical outlet had been installed for the shower heater, so there was no hot shower that night.

12 OCT
Today, we drove to an area that featured sand dunes similar to the Gobi desert. The purpose of coming here was to ride a 2 humped (Bactrian) camel. As we were driving, it was raining a little, sleeting a little and snowing a little. We did ride the camels, but cut it short because the wimpy Americans didn’t want to be out in the bad weather.

After the ride, we visited the camel owner’s ger. He and his wife are true Mongolian nomads. They pack up their ger and move with the seasons. Right now, they are in their autumn camp. After the first major snow, they will pack up and move near a mountain, where they will receive the benefit of protection from the strong, cold winds that blow from Siberia. Renee thought she was off the hook when we were only offered some candy. But more treats were soon to follow. Next, was a bowl of camel’s milk that was passed around. Then came the real delicacy—a boiled sheep’s head, complete with the teeth still in it. The guide and driver were delighted and ate from the head. Dave tried it, too, having had to endure similar experiences in his military career. Renee’s excuse was a bad stomach (actually true). After the head, they had some soup that was boiling in a pot.


Interestingly, the ger has no windows, but sections of the top are left open for light and for the cooking fumes to escape. In the center of the ger under the opening is a metal stove that provides heat and cooking space. The fire is fed with dried dung from the animals. There is a raised platform bed on each side with room under for shoes and boots. There is a solar panel (yes, solar panel) outside that transfers energy to a battery that runs a light bulb and a TV. TV, you ask? Yes, there is a satellite dish outside, too. There are a couple of decorated chests that I think hold personal items. On top of one was a mirror and make up. The top of the other was home to a small Buddhist shrine. Water comes from a stream. As we were leaving, we noticed a goat tied up outside—tomorrow’s lunch!

We drove to our local hotel for the night. After seeing the room we were to be given and being informed that again there would be no heat and no hot shower, Renee brought up the idea of driving back to the capital to spend the night. It was just lunch time, and we would have the whole afternoon to make the drive where we could spend the night in a decent hotel. Both the guide and driver were amenable to the suggestion, so we did just that. We were there by 6:00PM, but the rush hour traffic meant that it took another hour and 15 minutes to reach the hotel.

13 OCT
After spending the night in a hotel that had hot showers, we toured the city to see the major sights (not too many). The architecture is a mixture of Soviet style buildings with some contemporary new glass office buildings. There’s a lot here that is reminiscent of a trip to Russia. Actually, for over 50 years Russia was an important part of Mongolia’s political life—they were a Communist country. Not just the architecture, but the buildings are painted the same colors that the Soviets used. Inside, there are the same decorative features. And, many of the buildings have the word palace attached to them, such as sports palace (an arena), wedding palace, etc. The state theatre looks similar to a copy of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In 1991, when Eastern Europe rid itself of the Soviets, so did Mongolia. They are now a democracy.

We toured Parliament Square where there was heavy security, and the police were motioning to us to stay back a certain distance. We saw several large SUV’s parked in front of the building and watched as reporters, cameramen, and politicos in dark suits emerged. Among and between them was Angela Merkel, Germany’s Chancellor. Renee managed to snap some distant photos of her with her entourage.

After lunch, we drove to Terelj National Park, a popular destination for Mongolians and tourists. We had the tour company book one of the only two 5 star hotels in the country for us there, and we had read that it was designated as one of the finest small hotels in the world. After checking in, we were simply stunned to see our room—about the size of a closet with a double bed pushed up against the wall, so we went back to reception to get the room changed. That was not a problem, but a decent sized room required an upgrade for which we had to pay. That night we ordered dinner, and we would give it minus 5 stars, really pitiful! The attitude seems to be one of just not caring about service. May be a holdover from the Soviet era?
14 OCT
Today, we toured a bit of the park and saw the ‘stone turtle’ natural sculpture that tourists come here to see. We also visited a huge (over 100 feet tall) stainless steel statue of Chinngiss (Genghis, to us) Khan on horseback, finished last year. The building upon which it sits houses a new museum. This statue is massive, gleaming in the sun with a bright blue sky behind it. It is a source of great pride to Mongolians, who view Khan as their hero.

Upon returning to the hotel, we made the obligatory horse ride; thankfully, it was uneventful. Our dinner was a bit more interesting, however. We had our meal in the hotel where the guide and driver were staying (next door). When we walked into the dining room, there was a group of about 50 people from an office having a party. They were eating, drinking, laughing, making speeches on a microphone and singing songs together. It was a raucous party, but we actually had no idea what was going on. As this noisy group was finishing up (at the tables, but probably not for the night), in walked a silent sandal clad procession of priests, nuns and laymen from an Orthodox Christian church who quietly took their seats at a table laid out for them for dinner. The contrast between the 2 groups couldn’t have been more marked. This was definitely an event where people watching was an event. In the midst of all of this, a young boy entered stage left wearing a spiderman costume and parading around as if either looking for a parent or pretending to be playing spiderman. It seemed by now that we were viewing an existential play of some sort but missing the playwright’s message. Tomorrow, we leave here, spend the night in the capital, and catch a flight the next morning back to Beijing, to begin our tour there.

To summarize, Mongolia is vastly different from any other place we have visited. The terrain is similar to the American west, and the nomadic people live a life that we imagine to be very similar to the nomadic native Americans living in the 1700’s and 1800’s. As in our west, the horse is such an important animal.

More and more people, however, are moving to the capital, Ulaanbaatar, to be educated and to look for an easier lifestyle. The city is a busy hub of activity with many people and cars. Unemployment is low here, and we were told it’s because no outsiders are employed to work here, only Mongolians, who will do all of the jobs. Mongolia is a young democracy, and in spite of growing pains, seems to be doing okay.

Postscript
Dave’s blackberry stopped working after being in a rainstorm in Borneo. Mugu happened to mention that her fiancé had recently earned a master’s degree in IT, in Australia on scholarship. When Dave told her about the blackberry, she said she could give it him to see what he could do to fix it. Within 2 days he had opened the unit, found water had leaked inside, thoroughly cleaned it and put it back together. It now works! He didn’t want anything for his service, but we had to reward his kind efforts, anyway.

Pictures: Due to the additional number of pictures we wanted to post for Mongolia, please view them at our photo website below.

E-MAIL: dcapouya@comcast.net
VISIT OUR PHOTO WEBSITE: http://reneecapouya.zenfolio.com

Borneo

27 September - 8 October

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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.

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