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Published: March 5th 2008
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In the jungle, the mighty jungle...for those 80's fans amongst you ;o)
Monday morning i.e. 3rd March, the Guide Papa Bear, from touring company Narsalis Lavartus (which means Proboscis monkey), picked me up from the Sepilok Jungle Resort and we went down the road to see the orang-utans, our closest animal cousins! Had to spray insect repellant before we got in there as the apes can easily grab bags etc and the insect repellant is poisonous to them. I also put my bag in a locker so they weren't tempted. We set off and I got a good view near one of the rope entrances they use to swing on, to get to the feeding table. We didn't see the big male orang-utan (Mr G), distinctive by the large cheek pads, which the dominant males can develop after 20 years, but we did see a lot of ape antics as you can see from the photos. It was really brilliant. The animals are in a huge protected reserve, they were rescued when their mothers were killed, for example. They are free to come and go in the reserve. The macaque monkeys turned up on the feeding table to grab the
rest of the bananas after the orang-utans left and there was a cute baby one. Papa Bear had told me that if I see a macaque monkey on the walk-way, not to start smiling and laughing as the animal can see the baring of teeth as a sign of aggression and a tourist in one of his groups a few years ago got badly clawed in the face.
I was then joined by Rosanna, a lady from California, and we were driven about an hour to a cafe where we picked up 3 swedish travellers. Then we went about another hour to the River Kinabantangan, where we had to take a 3 minute boat trip to get to the Nature Lodge Kinabantangan where we were staying. The boat felt quite safe and secure (I'm not a great swimmer). I was hoping to see an estuarine crocodile (average length 5 metres), but unfortunately, as it's still rainy season, the water was too high to see them. We were met very warmly by the crew in the lodge. There were communal showers (single sex) which were open topped and I was feeling rather nervous, then I was shown to the lovely
Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehab Centre
Guide called Papa Bear, on the way to see the orang-utans new chalet that Ursula had booked for me. Hurrah, thanks Ursula, the relief! which had it's own bathroom, complete with hot shower. I like the jungle mixed with a few comforts if you see what I mean. We were then taken out for an evening river cruise. When we got back we had a delicious meal with rice, green beans, chicken curry. Then we went out for a 45 minute night safari. Thanks goodness I'd had a present of a wind-up torch from the VOPS team, thanks VOPS, rather essential for not tripping over logs and getting leeches off clothing in the dark - we picked up a few small leeches each, but got to them before they found our skin and attached. I had a shower in my own lovely bathroom when I got back. I put the light on in the chalet and listened to my ipod for about half an hour. Then I heard something flying around outside trying to chew it's way through the wood to get in. That was quite creepy. It made a really loud sound and so seemed quite large. Anyway, I turned the light off and it went away after 5 minutes.
Phew.
Tuesday 4th March, I got up at 5am to get ready for the river cruise. I put the light on and the flying, chewing thing was back making a racket. We went out at 6am for the morning cruise, it got light at 6.15am. Luckily they had hot coffee in the lodge before we went out, or else I would have been a bit grumpy! Anyway, I think we decided that my visitor was probably just a large moth. The morning cruise was very pretty and refreshing, followed by breakfast. Then I borrowed some leech socks from one of the suedes leaving that morning (stops the leeches from getting to your feet). We set off in wellington boots on a 3 hour jungle walk. I must say, it was a lot of mud and leeches, with a few sightings of creatures. It was also very hot, sticky and hard-going. I was a bit narked by the end. I wouldn't have minded stomping around in mud bogs (some of which were quite deep and difficult to walk in, nearly lost my boot a few times) if we'd seen an elephant, but we only saw month old elephant dung. But
Here comes our closest animal relative!
We share 97% the same dna with the apes known as orang-utans (meaning Man of the Forest) heh, I guess you can't order in wildlife. What I hadn't realised before is that Malaysia has the smallest type of elephant in the world (has big ears like an african elephant though). I had a shower when I got back and after lunch, we were taken across the river and about 30 minutes drive to the Gomantong Caves. The place where David Attenborough had gone, last year I think (it was on tv), where the swiflet birds create (very expensive and sort after by the chinese) edible birds nests from their saliva. There are two different kinds black and white. It's owned by the Government and some talented people risk their lives by climbing a rope ladder up to the top of the cave to harvest the nests. Well if I wasn't put off by tasting the edible birds nests before (the chinese put them in soup), I certainly was after I saw the state of the cave. I can describe this as a truly unique experience. The sound of the birds twittering and squaking is what you notice first, then the stench of the huge pile of guano (bat and bird droppings) in the middle of the cave
Ape Antics 1
It's not a monkey :o) hits you. You walk up on the walkway, which goes all the way round the edge of the cave, which gets treachorously slippery with all the droppings falling from the ceiling (I'm sure they cleaned it for David Attenborough), next you notice the bright bronze coloured cock-roaches running all over the walkway and all over the guano in the middle. You can look up and see the birds and some black and white things on the ceiling of the cave which must be the nests. Anyway, inspite of visions of us slipping off the walkway and being hurled head first into the poo pile, we all managed to get round. In the evening I chilled out in the lodge, gave the night safari a miss and we chuckled at the next group of people coming in covered with leeches!
Wednesday 5th March, left the nature lodge this morning. Am now in an internet cafe near the town of Sandakan, for the best value deal of the year so far, internet use for 2 ringets an hour! Thanks for all your comments so far folks, I will do my best to answer them. Am off at 9pm tonight to catch
the plane back from Sandakan airport to Kota Kinabalu airport. Then it's off to Sydney tomorrow.....
I have had a wonderful time in Malaysia, I definitely recommend a visit, the people are friendly and helpful and Collette's family very kind and there is some lovely scenery and wildlife. I would like to come back again and go snorkelling at Sipadan Island, one year, in the not too distant future.
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Claudia
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Oww! Congrats Amanda, it looks like a gorgeous place to stay instead of being at Trafford House!