That’s all, folks!

Return to England looms. We’ve spent the last few days in Koto Kinabalu exploring the local markets; browsing the cavernous buildings full to bursting with crafts, bamboo goods from baskets to bracelets, admiring the spectacular sunsets.

The Borneo transport system is still a mystery, but we’ve jumped on and off variously numbered minibuses and found the public beach for a peaceful paddle and a picnic under the shady trees. Saved ourselves a fortune on taxis and had our own sightseeing tour-though we did have to flag one down when the midday heat defeated us yesterday and the task of finding the right bus/ fighting for a space in the tightly packed minivan in the 40 degree heat was too much. An appropriate time to treat ourselves to tourist travel!

The mainland beach is in sharp contrast to the translucent seas of the marine park islands we visited during our first stop here. There on the coral reefs were the crystal clear waters and pristine sands. Here more resembles the English coastline! But the islands are heaving with people and we craved solitude after our wonderful stay in Sepilok/Sakau, so it suited us, a quiet oasis away from the city.

Tonight I shall pack up for one final time. I am eating and drinking my fill of Asia, papaya, mango, coconut, Durian, sticky rice, pandon flavoured everything, oh I shall miss the food so much!! But I am bringing back so many memories. (and so many photos (!) so if anyone wants to see more, let me know…..)

I have had such a wonderful time travelling through SE Asia. Thanks so much to everyone who’ve helped; a special mention to Beverley Wakeford Brown and Andrew for invaluable advice on Borneo; to Hank and her family/friends for their hospitality in Vietnam; to Martin and Gemma for their support in Cambodia. Thanks also to the many with whom I’ve shared friendships along the way; Heather in Laos, many too numerous to mention. And to all those total strangers whose kindness has saved the day on so many occasions!!

One final photo of the sun disappeared below the South China Sea. Farewell Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and last but not least, Borneo. Good bye, adieu. I shall never forget you.

Sakau 9/10/11th April

We’ve been staying in the village Sakau deep into the rainforest on the banks of River Kintabatangan. Our lovely guest house is run by a delightful multi generational family who have given us the most memorable time of our trip! By sheer luck we’ve been the only people there, so for three days and two nights they have taken us out on the river continually to spot everything from tiny cave swallows the size of my little finger to the (large!) pygmy elephants; from sunrise at dawn to sunset and late night cruises, so fantastic-the guides know the river like the back of their hand, it’s amazing!

Here’s a just a brief selection of sightings:
Hornbills-assorted, e.g.  Pied Hornbill/Wrinkled Hornbill (or as I’ve always called them, the Toucan!)

Black and Yellow Broadbill 

White Bellied Sea Eagle
Lesser Fish Eagle
Large Green Pigeon
Brahminy Kite Eagle

At night when the birds are sleeping, the boat creeps so close we were within touching distance. See pic Stork Billed Kingfisher 

Beautiful kingfisher 

Chestnut Crested Yumina 

We were an invisible presence, a privilege to have a rare glimpse in this alternate night ‘world’.

At dawn our small boat tucked silently into the bank and we sat watching families of long tailed macaques, tiny babies peering at us as they tried-and often failed-to climb the tree branches.

 The sun slowly rose above us lifting the mists and revealing the green lush forestry, truly terrific.

Birds sailed above us; see pic of Oriental Darter drying its wings in the dawn light, diving down into the green reflecting waters for his breakfast.

Proboscis monkeys gazed down at us as we drifted along, short tailed macaques (in their separate troupes, they don’t mix with the long tailed variety!)  hopped about above and below, water monitor lizards the size of crocodiles slithered out of our path.

The journey from Sepilok to here took hours, especially with an (unexpected) diversion enroute to the Gomantong Caves. Borneo’s cave system famous for bird nest harvesting-the locals still climb miles into the cave roofs by rope as the Chinese pay vast sums for this delicacy-but was worth every single minute-the elephants were the icing on this delicious cake, the most wonderful trip!

Back to Sandakan yesterday, spent the day touring the town’s highlights (Agnes Keith’s house, POW memorials) before a late night flight back to a hotel in Koto Kinabalu. Now back in civilisation, we have internet, a kettle, shops-and humans rather than animals for company again!

Water Elephants !!

Highlight of Sabah; A herd of pygmy elephants swimming across the wide deep river Kintabatangan in the setting sun.  So incredibly beautiful to see these gentle creatures move so gracefully across the waves; the photos as usual speak louder than words-I can’t do justice to this wonderful experience.

One by one the herd of 80 plus emerged from the trees and edged their way slowly, but oh so gracefully, down the muddy river bank, sinking into the water until only their backs were visible. Then in they went to form an floating elephant ‘chain’.
As they swam their trunks arched out of the water, spraying fountains high into the air, then they dipped down again in their procession to the other side.

Trumpeting echoed through the forest as adults helped their young into the water, harsh cries calling from those already over encouraging the rest to take to the water.
Climbing out on the high bank was harder than going in, and the first to eventually make it up the muddy surface crashed loudly into the forest to carve out the trek.

 Those following formed a ‘splashy’ chaotic ‘queue’, pushing one another up the steep sides to join their leaders, offering down their trunks to link the ‘chain’ onto dry land, gathering around to help the baby and the youngsters across in safety.

For over an hour Paul and I sat in our little boat in silence, the guide/boat driver as entranced as we were-this fantastic sight is even rarer than seeing the herd grazing on the banks!  We’d already been on the water for hours watching them, and had been about to turn back in the setting sun when the mass crossing started-so incredibly fortunate to be just in the right place as the right time.

Once on the other side this herd will disappear for weeks as it will trek inland around the palm estates until it reaches the lake. The rainforest is home to many different herds but seeing them is unusual and seeing the swim is wonderful-everyone at the lodge we stayed in was so excited, by the time our boat returned news had got back and we were greeted with happy smiles by villagers so delighted for us!!

Leader of the Pack

Going In!!

Mother and babies: You can do it!

We’ve been staying in Sakau, on River Kintabatangan for  three days and two nights, in a small guest house, dawn, sunset and night cruises each day in remote  Northern Borneo, so much fantastic wildlife every day and every night.

Sepilok 7/8th April

Wow.  What a truly amazing place!  Marvellous memories of wildlife/scenery to treasure. As in Mulu, the photos tell a better story than I can here of what we’ve seen whilst staying miles from anywhere on the edge of the rainforest by the Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre and the small Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre.

Hard to describe in words the incredible moving experience of seeing these glorious animals in their natural habit. A unique insight and a privilege worth every moment of the discomfort of the humid 40degree heat/mosquitoes/etc!

As the orang-utan pics show, we’ve had superb ‘shows’ from  numerous ‘show off’ members of their ‘community’, all ages, plus a mother and baby, the youngsters, the elder statesman; during the two days we’ve been here we’ve watched them for hours, staring in awe at their antics.

Peek a boo

I'm the King of the Swingers

Just hanging...

A bizarre, absolutely riveting sight in the late afternoon quiet; the pregnant orang-utan decided to give one of the youngsters a lesson in sex practices!! The staff/volunteers were as captivated as we were-this being known but rarely seen!! Whilst the animals, ‘having fun’ was a common, if always hilarious, sight this unusual twist was certainly a moment to treasure!

The Forest Edge Resort where we’re based is just that-forest edge! So our chalet has intermittent water pressure, iffy power and a very persistent collection of insects, bugs, moths plus varieties of bug which it is thankfully too dark after sunset here to identify (bar the debris dropping down, which I don’t look at too closely!).

But we can sit on our peaceful high veranda and stare out into miles of rainforest, spotting colourful birds/butterflies, fireflies sparkling at night, listening to the sounds of the jungle. The nearest town is a 30/40 minute drive away (Sandakan); here, apart from the centres, there is only a collection of forest research units and very limited accommodation. Expecting the unexpected in this wild space is my modus operandi now, I had the privilege of a rare sighting of the usually very shy Giant Squirrel simply by being in the right place at the right time!

The Borneo Sun Bears, the smallest species of bear, only found in this area, put on an incredible show for us one morning, performing tricks, playing with their feet, rolling around on their backs-again words fail me but the photos should do them justice…

Hello!

Is it empty?

Since arriving in Borneo we’ve seen fantastic wildlife, once we’d adapted our vision stick insects bigger than logs appear, bugs bigger than mugs, loads of lizards-this forked tongue monitor lizard sneaking around the rubbish bins has obviously found a taste for cooked food!

Stick Insect

A N Other Bug

Monitor Lizard

Sabah seems to have more vicious animals than Sarawak. The mosquitoes here are feasting on me, they adore my natural citronella and positively devour my ‘tropical strength’ Deet, so nothing works and now red bumps dot eclectic patterns from my feet to my face.

And today I encountered two more particularly annoying forms of wildlife a) the human variety and b) jellyfish.  Both during a trip out to the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, a collection of five islands off the coast here, a Mecca for divers and an oasis escape from the city heat.

The human variety (a rare mutant, humans on the whole being friendly, honest and genuine, in my experience) was the ticket agent. The ferry terminal here is chaotic, a heaving mass of humanity, with few fluent English speakers. We brought what we understood to be a genuine ticket, only to find ourselves left behind on the jetty, minus transport, when everyone else left enmasse!

At which point I had a full scale tantrum. Which did the trick. Magically seats were found for us on a just departing local ferry and within minutes we were sailing over the choppy waters of the South China Sea to the translucent blue seas and coral reefs of Mamutik Island.

We still have no idea what happened but decided not to worry about getting back and enjoy the gorgeous day, settling down on a shady table under the coconut palms. Off into the beckoning warm waves I dived, floating happily in the warm shallows…until nasty nips from nasty wildlife number two, jelly fish, introduced another type of ‘sting’!!  Luckily not too bad, but enough to ensure I ran back up the beach as fast as I’d run down.

We paddled, explored the inland jungle walks, stalked the foraging monitor lizards, admired the glistening coral reefs and the vast shoals of fish, and generally relaxed away from the dust of the city.

Luckily a crew member from a ferry company sought us out on the sands to explain the boat number and procedure for our return (we must stand out even more than we realise as the island was busy with weekend day trippers). This to our surprise was just as we were told, so our castaway fears were ungrounded.

The boat trip back went via other islands and past the Filipino stilt villages which line Gaya Island. Locals here warn against visiting this island and blame the high incidence of street crime/begging on their presence, but our boat crew were Filipino and lovely so who knows?

There certainly is an ‘edge’ to K K which I did not sense in Kuching, the dark alleys lined with street dwellers look dangerous especially at night, the beggars, especially children, are everywhere, there are considerably less English spoken/understood, but there is also a fascinating depth of sights/sounds here due to the multi ethnic, multi layered, community.

Tomorrow we leave for Sandakan-again by plane, this is the world’s third largest island and distances are phenomenal. Watch this space.

The pinnacles of Mulu disappear into the mists and we bid a sad farewell; moving on to Sabah, the Eastern side of Borneo. Surreally, as we had to ‘transit’ in Miri, the 20 or so of us had to run off the plane, up into the terminal, queue for immigration, and run down again, within 10 minutes, leaving everything on board, the engines still running…now that was a weird requirement. Especially as Miri is still in Sarawak, so not even in this new state!!

Arriving late at night in a noisy city after the total silence of Mulu felt intrusive; hard to adjust to the hotel sounds/traffic noise, but also good to have wi-fi and be back in touch with the outside world…our room has a fantastic view of the city (we‘re ‘up’ market’ at last, hehe) and there is a fair amount of wildlife even here (butterfly sitting on the path). We walked up the hill to the observation tower watched by troupes of monkeys; I shall miss their constant Asia presence in England.

view over the rooftops to the South China Sea from our hotel room

Local Butterfly

The evening promenade along the waterfront to sit admiring the spectacular sunset over the South China Sea, refreshed by the sea breeze, is great fun . There are enormous markets here with everything/anything, from the steaming food courts (accompanied by the enormous rats!) fruit, fish-the fresh fish from the sea fills the air with a distinctive aroma, dried goods, Chinese spices, you name it you can buy it here. There are cavernous halls of souvenir stalls, handicrafts, and a massive night markets. Before my final flight back to England, when at last my baggage allowance will be generous, I shall shop here in earnest!!! But for now I am content to spend time ‘window’ shopping.

Sunset over the South China Sea

Glorious!

Post storm morning sun brought out the most amazing butterflies! I’ve never seen such phenomenal colours or such enormous wingspans, or the sheer quantity of diverse designs. Wandering up to the Paku waterfall on our own Paul and I saw so much wildlife, lizards drying in the heat, stick insects lying on the path, dragon flies flashing across the waters as we sat admiring the falls in the shady banks.

Butterflies

Lizard

Stick Insect

Paku Waterfall

And later today a truly wonderful experience. The unique sight of the bats in their full glory pouring in their millions out of the Deer Cave spiralling into the sky. On our final evening we finally got to see the entire ‘show’-the waves of bats on our first evening had been moving enough but this massive outpouring reduced me to tears of joy!

Even more so because it was unexpected-yet again the evening rainstorm had descended-but we sat in the downpour peering up at the bat hole anyway, and then suddenly the bats poured out of the cave mouth, millions upon millions, a black continuous ribbon streaming up the rocks and out into the sky.

I have never in my life seen anything like it! It took 30 minutes before the bat river drew to a close; leaving us totally exhilarated. A wonderful end to a wonderful stay, Mulu is such a special place; I shall always treasure the memories of this visit.

Sections of the Millions of bats on their evening exodus

Clearwater Caves

Longboat ride along the river today, sitting low in the canoe skirting rocks, trees, rushing rapids, into a local village to peruse the ‘morning market’ of traditional handicrafts and visit the longhouse; now a modern monster of a building as the older wooden style ones had apparently burnt down-though I suspect the lure of comfortable housing may have played a part!

extension half built thanks to ‘restoration’ fund!

The guides here fall into two ‘camps-those from these villages along the river and those who live in the staff quarters arriving with science backgrounds-both equally knowledgeable but very different; those native to Sarawak are keen on the myths and legends of the forest, whilst the others are intent on providing an in-depth intricate biological/geological insight into every aspect of the park.

Riverside village

My favourite fable came from today’s boat ride ‘storyteller’ guide, who recited the fairy tale of the Lady Cave looming over the trees. The name originates from a centuries old fable of a beauty spirited away by demons. When the local villagers saw her stranded in the cave the men agreed that whoever rescued her first could marry her. Alas one, fearing himself too small to be the hero, killed her with a blowpipe so no one else could have her. A strange twist to the tale. In 1977 explorers entered the high ledge to discover ancient bones of a lone female. So who knows??

The Cave of the Winds and Clearwater Cave were another breath taking wonder in this fantastic place. Entering through the cliff face the cave ceilings disappear out of sight, the rushing water in the gorges below caught in our torches, black ‘nothingness’ in endless space.

Our group of 8 walked in silence gazing at the fascinating stalactites and stalactites, the sharp needles of karst rocks, the cotton like string worms hanging from odd edges, we were cooled by the gently wind swirling through, drawn in from the cave mouths above and the river far below as we gazed in awe at the inspirational unique spectacle.

Inside the caves

We emerged blinking into the sunlight several hours later clambering down to the jetty via the 500 odd steps into the cave mouths, only to find the sun rapidly disappearing into tropical storm. The rain descended in a sheet, a black waterfall!!

Our boats were sinking under the weight of the downpour, boatmen bailed out enough for us to set off back before the journey became impassable; the water rose with amazing speed, the rapids we easily navigated earlier was now coming over the sides, drenching us as we cowered in the bowels of the tiny vessel; yet again the true meaning of ‘rain’ forest became stunningly clear!!

 Later we set off for our own unguided night walk,  spotting bizarre wildlife –no bats again due to the heavy rain, but we had great fun exploring by torchlight in the setting sun.

Evening - Local wildlife

Sunset over the rainforest

Mulu 30th/31st March

A beautiful cloudless day to leave Kuching (see Paul enjoying a final doze by the pool!).

Last moments by the pool in Kuching

 We clambered aboard the tiny propeller plane for our flight to Mulu national park, a 90minute hover below the clouds so a superb view of the Borneo coastline, rivers, forests-and deforestation!

Rivers meandering

Scenes of deforestation

The landing strip here is in a field by the park entrance, so the handful of us in the little plane climbed out, dodged the propellers, waited for the pilot to unload our luggage from behind his seat, and boarded improvised ‘cash in hand’ taxi service run by local villagers for the five minute journey here.

Please pass me my bag

It then took longer to check in than to get here; turns out most people come via agency bookings, so us independent souls confuse their system, but luckily for us our booking and the end result matched, apparently a result!! Their online system is, um, basic..

But the park truly is magnificent! Impossible to describe the sheer scale of the Deer Cave; the largest cave passage in the world. It took my breath away! The vaulting roofs are black with millions of bats, hence the nightly ‘show’ where the colonies stream out of the cliff face to forage for food.

On our first evening the bat colonies streamed in ‘wavy wisps rather than the more impressive continuous spiral, but still a tremendously moving sight as they poured out of the cliff face in the setting sun.

Evening Bat exodus

On our second day we swayed over the trees in the high canopy walk in brilliant sunlight, peering down above the dense forest, slowly edging our way along the primitive rope bridges spanning the massive trees, stopping to stare down through the foliage to the river far below. No monkeys then, but later a trope appeared high on the cliff face, illuminated against the limestone rock, shinning down the tree roots to feast on berries in the branches.

Exploring the Deer Cave and its much much smaller neighbour the enchanting glistening limestone palace Lang Cave took us from the heights to the depths of the park floor.  The sunset hours coincided with a sudden tremendous rain/thunderstorm so the bats remained inside, and I can’t say I blame them! We, on the other hand, got incredibly wet!

But walking in the pitch darkness along the 3 km boardwalk back from the Deer Cave to park hq/our bungalow it was as if we were the only humans here; a magical hour with lightening streaking across the night sky, fireflies flickering around us, snakes slithering past us caught in our flashlights-one holding up his frog ‘supper’ proudly in his jaw, and the only sound, bar the rumble and clap of thunder, that of frogs/birds/rainforest whispers.

There is total silence here now at 9pm on our second day, everyone is bedding down for the night, people and animals alike. The park is quiet, we’ve had our own  (required) guide for the caves/canopy walk as there are currently more staff here than visitors, their individual attention which has been incredibly informative and helpful; our cave guide insisted there is a spiritual feel to this park and I have to agree, the sheer scale of everything defies description.