How I love this song!
Part 2: Nature Lodge Kinabatangan
[See part 1 below]
After Kapalai... From Semporna we were driven back to the Tawau airport where we took a short flight to Sandakan, another necessary overnight stop. At least the town was less shabby than Tawau, and for a budget hotel the room was surprisingly decent. We got there early so we had lunch, took a walk, took a nap and had dinner at the hotel's waterfront restaurant where we had a surprisingly good fresh fish.
The next morning a driver from the Nature Lodge Kinabatangan picked us up. For the next three days I was bathed in a batter of sunscreen, insect repellent and sweat. And more insect repellent. At least it proved mostly effective.
First, we stopped at the
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. They rescue orangutans either orphaned or kept as pets and work to re-release them back into the wild. A volunteer spoke briefly about the efforts. It should be an opportunity for a sure sighting of orangutans relatively up close because there are scheduled feeding times at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. At the 10:00 feeding we attended, a crowd gathered on a platform in the reserve and two workers waited on another platform with a bucket of bananas and a bucket of milk .
It was slightly disappointing that only two orangutans appeared for the free breakfast, one with a baby attached. They also appeared shy to the curious onlookers and they hardly faced us. In the short time they ate, maybe ten minutes, they still demonstrated remarkable human-like qualities. (Orang utan means 'man of the forest') One took almost all the bananas out of the bucket in search of the perfect specimen. They are just fascinating, and I wish I got to watch them longer. They disappeared back into the trees quickly. I suspect that such intelligent animals have learned to simply wait a few minutes after the crowds have gone and then come to eat the food left on the platform without all the gawking. Wouldn't you?
After a long drive and then a quick boat trip across the Kinabatangan River we arrived at the lodge. Here, our accommodations were simple but adequate: an individual "chalet" with twin beds, windows with screens, and a ceiling fan that sounded something like a helicopter. We did have our own bathroom, but that didn't guarantee that we always had water. They get water from the river and then boil it and treat it before delivering it. I suppose the system shuts down at night because we never had water before our 6 a.m. river cruises (I know - again!!) but it was flowing again by the time we ate breakfast. We had the same deal here, three meals a day, never quite hot, never that good but got the job done.
We were grouped with the same six or so people for the three day's activities. There were a couple of young men backpackers from Bristol, England who were friendly. They had the cheaper rooms with bunk beds and without bathrooms - they wanted to know if our rooms had air conditioning. No, sons, we're sweating and eating the same grub as you. We just paid a lot more to not have to walk outside to a bathroom.
Soon after arrival we took our first afternoon river cruise. Our guide on all our adventures, Aziz, was extremely knowledgeable on the local wildlife and he was fun to listen to, but I'm not sure he spotted anything that some other guide didn't spot first on the river. Not long into the first cruise we spotted our first orangutan. O.k., we spotted another boat in which everyone was looking up at an orangutan.
We sat patiently and quietly staring upwards into the green foliage to spy a spot of brown moving through them. They're quite elusive; I never would have located it myself. They know when they are being watched and they aim to put on as little show as possible, so naturally they are difficult to spot. They can remain still for hours. Even from a distance it was a thrill to be so near to the world of the orangutan. They are only found in Borneo and Sumatra. Just when we thought we were lucky to see one, farther down the river we saw another (another boat of people looking up where we soon followed). The second was higher up and harder to see, but it was there. Soon I was inspecting every shadow high among the treetops.
Aziz told us the forest had been generous to us that day. Indeed, we also saw two monitor lizards, the second largest lizard after the Komodo Dragon. We saw some Proboscis monkeys, but I could hardly tell what they were because they were so high in a tree. We saw a crested serpent eagle, a large bird of prey. I was proud of myself for spotting long-tailed macaques on the muddy banks until Aziz said we would see plenty of those. Still, I saw them first!
There's another animal we had the hope of seeing, but I knew it was only a possibility not a probability. The Borneo Pygmy Elephant, a species unique to Borneo, also shares the jungle real estate. Aziz told us that they had been seen earlier in the week, but he got reports that they had crossed the river to the side where the lodge was and had gone inland, so we would not likely see them along the river. In fact, he was concerned they were too close to the lodge for our jungle treks. The lodge itself has an electrified fence around it so they no longer approach it. I find that a little sad because their time-honored paths are becoming off-limits and their roaming space continues to vanish as the forests have been nearly depleted and palm oil plantations cover the formerly vast jungle.
After dinner, we pulled on some rubber boots, armed ourselves with flashlights and set out on a night trek. First I was hesitant considering the countless things with countless legs there must be in the jungle at night. Then I started to think it would actually be uneventful and kind of boring. It was fortunately not boring nor did anything creepy come too close. Aziz pointed out a couple of scorpions in a tree knot. I missed them, thankfully. We saw a serpent eagle sleeping on a tree branch and not far away on another tree was a serpent. I don't remember what kind of snake he said it was. Someone asked if it was poisonous. He said, "Mildly." We also saw a tiny frog and some other resting birds and not much else. No elephants.
Our next river cruise was at 6 the next morning. Nothing too eventful. After breakfast Aziz led us on a trek through the jungle to an oxbow lake. I don't know why, but we tore through the jungle as if in a race. It's not that easy keeping your footing in the mud either, with branches snapping back at you and roots tripping you up. The lake looked a lot like the river. Aziz caught a couple of fish for his lunch with a stick, nylon thread and white bread bait.
Oh, the trek back to the lodge... it's something I could have done without. It wasn't fun. Wasn't anything like fun. First of all, Aziz got lost. He took a wrong turn somewhere and never found the right way after that. He was reading markings on trees, yet he kept making more fresh marks with his knife at every turn. We couldn't figure out the logic because if he or someone else takes the same path, wouldn't they get lost if they followed those markings if we were lost when he made them? And it was hot. Jungle hot.
Then there were the leeches. Yes, I was aware of their existence beforehand, but I tried to block
Stand by Me from my mind and bravely trek on. I think we did alright on our speedy passage to the lake but on the winding way back we ended up standing around a lot more while Aziz went wandering in search of revealing marks that would lead us home. I randomly lifted the flap of my pants pocket and the first leech I saw was right under the flap. I was just relieved it was not on flesh. The next one I saw was on Paul's shirt. He flicked it off. The next I saw was on the back of Paul's arm and I boldly plucked it from my beloved's skin before it did damage. We watched as the guide passed his hand over a few of them on a leaf and they waved along with his hand like magnets, following the scent of blood.
We heard, in my opinion, eerie, music coming from across the river. I think it was a mosque's call for worship, not sure. It probably helped us because we eventually found ourselves at the edge of the river, and fortunately modern-day jungle trekkers carry mobile phones. Aziz finally gave up and called the lodge for a boat to come get us. I'd say 'rescue' us but that sounds too dramatic. Though I was about to eat one of the backpackers. We tried to show some humor but it was so just hot and we just didn't feel like roasting in the jungle for so long. The boat picked us up and then we could see that we had gone past the lodge while lost.
I peeled my socks off once we returned from the three hour tour... the three hour tour. I had blood on my sock and near my ankle. Paul thought I must have got cut but I knew I didn't because I had big rubber boots on and nothing had been irritating me inside them. I examined closer and saw that it was a small hole surrounded by a circular mark. Leech. I didn't freak out, probably because I didn't witness the act or the swelled culprit behind it. The ones we didn't see were the ones that got us. Yes, us.
We ate lunch and just as we got up from the table, I noticed a big, fat leech at the table where Paul had been sitting. It was obviously full. Paul searched around his body but we didn't see any signs. Once he removed his shirt, the site of the leech's lunch couldn't be missed. Right above his ribs he was quite bloody. The crazy thing is how the bite is painless, yet the wound just keeps bleeding. He asked why I thought this whole thing was a good idea again. Cause we like monkeys?
We were relieved to be back in the boat that afternoon for the next cruise; leeches can't leap that far. Without a word, Aziz took off at high speed down the river without stopping to look for anything. After about twenty minutes traveling we saw other boats idling, and we realized there was word of elephants in the area and we were on their trail. We waited; we hoped. Nothing materialized. For such large creatures, they hide themselves well. We turned back in the direction of the lodge and cruised slowly. Aziz asked for the forest to show us something. Then we saw a boat in which everyone's eyes were fixed on the tall grass, and his request was honored, as if our hopes conjured the beasts.
She was hardly visible at first, but you could hear her. You could hear the grass rustling, hear her low pitched rumbles. Gradually her shape and color grew distinct. Elephant. She was such a sight. She was joined by another that we could mostly hear but not see. We watched until she vanished into the grass again. We thought that was our prize for the day and then we followed the sound of snapping grass to a male around a bend in the river. Before we knew it, we had hit the jackpot. Some were in clear view and some partial, but there were many. From the sounds and the movement of the grass, we could estimate at least a dozen elephants, maybe more. They were about 30 feet away from us, peacefully snacking on the grass and bathing themselves with dirt. One had a baby next to her.
We stayed and watched as long as we could but rather than the elephants leaving us, we had to leave them. We had gone so far and searched so long that it was starting to get dark. As we turned toward home an ominous black cloud loomed ahead while the sun sank behind us. The sky was brilliant and wildly colored. We knew what we were in for, but everyone was intoxicated from the elephant sighting. We almost made it before the clouds burst. The drenching rain, crackling thunder and electrified skies felt somehow the ideal finale to the whole experience. By the time we ran up the steps from the jetty to the dining hall the sky was black and the rain was pounding. We lost power for some time until the generators kicked in. Everyone remained until things calmed. Everyone was buzzing with memories of elephants.
At the end of the day even the blood loss was worth it. I love elephants. They have been my favorite wild animals for a long time. It was such a gift to see them in their natural environment. Their image remains in my imagination. I can still hear their gentle sounds and their thrilling trumpets.
Our last adventure was one more early morning cruise. This time we saw Proboscis monkeys that were much closer than the first time. I got to see their true shape and color and movements. They are so odd looking yet endearing at the same time. I enjoyed watching them.
After breakfast we departed the lodge and we made one last stop at a place called Gomantang Caves. I had read that there are hundreds of thousand bats there during the day. In the evening they swarm out and swiftlets (birds) swarm in for the night. These are the birds of bird's nest soup fame. Harvest time had just passed but workers were still guarding the cave because the nests are worth a fortune.
I noticed that ours was the only car on the road to the cave. I did read that the cave is covered in guano - the word for bat poop - I don't know why bat poop gets its own word, and that guano is a breeding ground for cockroaches so to skip the cave if you're squeamish. Why did we proceed? I don't have an answer to that one.
There is a forest reserve leading to the cave and we got to see another unexpected wild orangutan (barely) and a few red leaf monkeys which were cool. There was one other couple who went through the reserve and into the cave ahead of us. They returned while we were still looking at the monkeys and their talk was quite animated. I guessed later that they took one step in the cave and stepped right back out. Like sensible people.
We were warned it would be slippery, but nobody warned us about the smell. I don't know if I have words to describe it as it was like nothing we've smelled before. This won't be accurate, but the closest I could get in description is strong, stale coffee breath mixed with ammonia. It made our eyes tear. It was a short walk on a platform through the cave but not short enough. The bats were mostly on the ceiling which was very far away, but the cockroaches were everywhere. I just tried to look straight ahead and not touch anything. Once we came back out, the guide mentioned that it's not very popular with tourists. Really? Check bat cave off the list. Interesting to see; no need to ever see or smell again.
We were dropped off in Sandakan where we had hours to kill before our flight to KK. We revisited the same waterside restaurant before going to the airport. Our hotel in KK was conveniently located so it was only a ten minute walk to a waterfront area with some bars and restaurants where we were able to grab dinner. We flew from KK to Hong Kong the next morning. It felt good to be home and properly bathed.
Borneo was an uncommon, magnificent experience. Really, there were two distinctive experiences within one trip, each with its own outstanding features. There were labors included, but it was a soul-satisfying alternative to the ordinary, well worth the journey.
Well, Paul has been asking me if I've finished
Borneo: The Book. Sorry for the length, but I didn't want to leave anything out.
I have no idea how to work with video just yet, but I included a quick clip below (if you're playing the music you might want to stop it).
