I Went to a Rainforest... In Borneo!

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So today was the day I'd be heading off into the rainforest. We were up pretty early, I went in the shower room which consists of a shower (as you'd expect) that isn't working as there hasn't been any rain for quite a few weeks, so a couple of pans of cold water was as good as it was going to get. I opened the door and there was THE BIGGEST cockroach I have ever seen in my life just sat on the wall. I called Eric to the rescue, he promptly ran off and shouted for Gatzam to sort it! Problem averted, so I went for my shower. Then it was time for breakfast the Malay Village way, fried noodles with really hot spicy chicken, sticky rice cake that was bright green, peanut butter pancakes and coffee. After getting over the idea of eating spicy noodles at 7 in the morning it was actually really good.

After breakfast we chucked some water and swimming gear in a bag and set off. Instead of trekking through the rainforest for 4 hours as planned, to get to the best trail we took a boat up the coast and went into the rainforest from the beach, the area we went into is a national park and there is a sea turtle hatchery there. We registered when we arrived and were literally the only people trekking in there as nobody really goes, I assume it's because it's so far out of the way from anywhere.

I was so hot in my trousers and shirt before we even set off, I started to wonder if I could deal with the heat and humidity... Pretty much as soon as we entered the rainforest we saw a monitor lizard running into the trees and a few minutes later 4 or 5 macaques way up in the trees - the tree coverage was too heavy to get any photos though. We continued deeper into the trees treading carefully and quietly to try and listen for any gibbons or hornbills that may have been there. A few times we heard breaking branches in the distance and the call of the gibbon and hornbill and waited to see if we could see anything mostly to no avail. We had heard a hornbill in the distance and then it flew right overhead. I was so surprised just how big it was. For some reason I'd expected them to be quite small... They definitely aren't! We continued walking through, over streams, big rocks, massive tree roots and a few steep inclines we started to head back toward the coast so we could walk back to our start point along the beach and get some much needed air. Quite frequently throughout our trek we just stood still to listen and the sounds were phenomenal and certainly something I won't be forgetting for a very long time. I found the more we stayed still the louder it all seemed and then suddenly realised that I'm actually in the middle of nowhere, in a rainforest with only one other person, in Borneo!! Just as we were about to set off again, Eric spotted a giant squirrel up in the trees, it then jumped from one tree to another. A fleeting glance, but happy I saw one. We walked down to the beach after we left the rainforest to see if we could see anything in the trees on the way back and found pig tracks and monitor lizard tracks. A little further down the beach we found sea turtle tracks that were a couple of days old. After 3 1/2 hours trekking we sat down and grabbed some sandwiches we had taken with us and then I went for a quick dip in the sea, it was so nice to have a swim and cool down, the sea was pretty rough so I didn't stay in for too long. I have never been so hot, sweaty, dirty and stinky in my whole life as I was in the rainforest, but, I absolutely loved every second of it! After a shower at the beach and a chill out we made our way back to the other side of the beach for our boat journey back and to Bang's Bar and a well deserved can of 7Up where we saw Alley, the cross eyed Siamese cat, he's so cute!

Everyone I've met in the village has been really nice and I'd say a little bit intrigued by the 'white person' especially some of the kids who've been a bit shy. Eric told me earlier that the chief is really quite old and sick and he's going to retire and his son doesn't want to move from the city to become chief, so there will be an election for the new chief in the near future. Unfortunately, I didn't get to meet him, a shame as I really wanted to.

In the evening we had a BBQ with a few members of the village, everyone at the house piled in to get everything ready, I helped with a lemongrass, tapioca leaf and ground dried anchovy dish which goes really well with rice. A few of the men barbecued beef, chicken and fish prepared by Eric the previous day. Once everything was ready, we all carried dishes down to the shelter by the sea, all armed with a torch. A few of the other villagers came by to share the copious amounts of food and in traditional style we sat on the floor and ate dinner with our fingers. Eric went through the protocol for eating with fingers - who knew there were proper rules for this! All the dishes were passed around, there was loads of meats and accompanying dishes - anchovy and avocado salad, the lemongrass and tapioca leaf dish, which should be mixed with rice and went really well with spicy chicken and loads of things I didn't have a clue about, but I tried. There was loads of fish, chilli sauces and fruit to eat.

All the villagers were having a great time and so was I! I have to admit, I was a little nervous initially, but, they were all so nice and friendly despite them not speaking English and me not having a clue with Malay! We had a fantastic niget and what an experience it was for me to do that. I felt incredibly honoured to be there with them all. Once we'd finished and cleared all the dishes away, I headed to Bang's bar for a couple of cans of beer listening to the waves crashing on the beach just next to us. A brilliant end to what had been a fantastic day and one I will certainly remember for a long time to come.

The following morning, we were scheduled to leave the village behind at 9 am. I'd struggled to sleep the night before and decided earplugs might be the way forward. The earplugs were so good, I slept in and when my morning wake up call came at 8 all the banging on the door in the world wasn't waking me up and Eric thought I was dead!! By the time they'd woke me up, I was running late so a quick get ready and super fast breakfast of spicy noodles with fried chicken and cake and coffee and it was time to pack and run. Whilst I was packing Gatzam came and gave me a present which was so cute of her and totally unexpected. I said my thank yous and goodbyes and was then accompanied down to the sea to get in the boat and head back. The boat ride back was ok, a little bumpy toward the end and we were told to put life jackets on just in case as the sea was a little rough. We unloaded the boat and my driver was waiting for us ready for the drive back to Kuching.

Back at my hotel, I had what can only be described as the best shower I ever had! After 3 days of chucking pans of cold water over myself, it was definitely well needed! A quick turnaround and back out for lunch of traditional Sarawak noodles with fish, chicken and pork, I have to say it was pretty good. The rest of the afternoon and evening I had to myself so I tried a bit of geocaching in the afternoon, but, couldn't find the 2 I set out to find, but, got eaten alive by the mosquitos so I gave up and just chilled out at the hotel.

Over the last few days, I've experienced so much and it's been better than I could've imagined. I've eaten food I would never have dared to try and loved it all. Here's hoping the rest of my holiday is as enjoyable. Tomorrow I'm off to Bako National Park for some more rainforest trekking and wildlife spotting, I'm already excited!

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Photos

A Little Rest
This was the most beautiful place we came across in the rainforest

The After Shot!
The last few hundred metres on the beach

Some of My Host Family
For once in my life I look tall!