Blogs from Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary, Sabah, Malaysia, Asia - page 3

Our 24 hour stay in the nature town of Sandakan Sabah Borneo was quite eventful. Before we had a chance to get acquainted with the wooden paths joining the buildings of the Sepilok Jungle Resort, we were caught in a torrential downpour that was so loud we had to yell in each others ears like we were in a noisy bar. Since the wooden walkways over the river and jungle were not covered we booked it back to our room. We got completely soaked but it was so fun! Especially when the lighting lit up the sky exposing the jungle. Orangutan in Malay means ‘man of the forest.’ The word man was used because orangutans share 96% of their DNA with humans. The Sepilok Sanctuary offers a lot of information about orangutans and their battle with ... read more

Borneo! The past 2 weeks in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo) have been our best yet. We are now extremely tired and have spent far too much money but it has been completely worth it! From the depths of the ocean  to the highest peak we have seen some incredible sights and some amazing wildlife, it really has been unbelievable! We have so much to tell you and so many pictures to show, so we will split Borneo into 3 separate blogs: 1. Orangutans and the mighty jungle 2. Sipadan diving 3. Mt Kinabalu  ......... Enjoy! Orangutans!!!!!! The first stop on our route was Sandakan, a town on the east coast close to Sepilok where the Orangutan rehabilitation centre is situated. The town itself didn't have that much going on but it did have an amazing seafood restaurant ... read more

Just in time to see the wild Orang Utans getting fed. Everyday at 10am & 3pm. Well, there was only one, they got out of a cage, (someone confimed that to me the next day) and send him up on the platform, so the tourist won´t be dissapointet. Of course I was, I didn´t like this kind of show. So we decidet to do a little jungle walk in the park. It was quit difficult, because it was very wet and muddy. But we still wanted to do it, it´s only 1100m. While walking in front of my parents, I felt something on my femoral (Oberschenkel). It was a Leech (Blutegel)! I snipped it away and told my parents, so they´ve been warned. But only acouple of meters later they´ve had enough, my dad had two ... read more

Occasionally I go to Sandakan, more out of necessity than out of choice. And when I was sitting in a street cafe there the other day, looking at the scruffy surroundings, the rubbish in the street, the run-down apartment blocks, I was thinking how amazing nature is in comparison to man-made structures - nothing in nature is wasted, nothing is ill-conceived, everything is perfect just as it is. And I remembered a quote by John Burroughs, "I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” So it’s not surprising that I prefer to spend my days off exactly there – in nature. I may go for walks on my own in the forest around Sepilok, where I encountered red-leafed monkeys recently and spent ages following them, trying to ... read more

Ringo is young and handsome and he likes Mimi. And it was looking promising for him - until Miskam arrived on the scene. Mimi was smitten. Miskam is big and good looking and all Ringo could do was trying to pull his girl away from this new rival. Miskam made it clear he was not impressed and Ringo retreated in humiliation. But for whatever reason - and against all expectations - Mimi had a change of heart and the last I saw of Mimi and Ringo was the two of them huddled together, holding hands.... This may sound a little like a teen-soap but it was just what was happening on the orang-utan platform one afternoon. And although we should not interpret animal behaviour by comparing it to human behaviour, it seemed quite understandable to everyone ... read more