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Published: July 21st 2008
We have just returned from the most incredible experience in the rainforest at Kinabatangan. We stayed at a lodge on the river which is the longest in Malaysia and took part in several river trips, walks in the forest in day time and night time. The highlight was our last evening river trip when Nelson - our guide, found a solitary male orang utang chilling out in a tree on the edge of the river. He was about 30 years old, with the full leathery 'mask' and took absolutely no notice of us whatsoever. It was INCREDIBLE! He looked as if he had no cares in the world, he was perched in a fork in the tree, with lots of fruit growing around him, so no need to move much. Wow! ( have photos which I will try to post when I can find a free wifi.)
We also saw the pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, macaques, a curled up python resting in the tree above our heads! There was also a mangrove snake which is one of the most poisonous snakes there. They looked so peaceful - just like the birds that were sleeping in the trees on our night walk - little puffballs which didn't mind our shining torches at them. There are about 100 different types of bats there and we saw them sleeping in the trees, flying out in the dark and also diving into the dining area which provided the with lots of goodies to eat.
On the way back to Kota Kinabulu, we persuaded our bus driver to take us to the caves which are huge and have about 2,000,000 bats and swiflets living in them. That was fantastic - the largest pile of ordure I have ever seen and the game was to spot the largest cockroaches eating the droppings. The smell was somewhat pervasive and the wooden walkways very slippery!!
Feeling brave we got off the bus at stop 32 and waited for an express bus to return to KK. I didn't hum my waiting for a bus song so it was some time before we managed to get a seat. But the fruitmarket was excellent - mangosteens, and some rambutans make a delicious picnic lunch.
Today has been recovery time - swimming in the sea off a small island, in the warmest sea I think I have ever walked into - not a single flinching moment, it was bliss! Lots of sunbathing in the shade and reading books too. Nice and lazy.
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Tami
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Wow! What a wonderful post to read! It sounds as though you are experiencing what it would be like without "normal" civilization. I wonder if you could always live this way or do you enjoy it so much because of the novelty?