Finally, wildlife ...in Borneo

We wouldn't really be able to use the folding bicycles much in the jungle terrain of Borneo, and the extra weight and bulk would cost us a bit of freedom. So, during a stopover on our way to Borneo, the friendly policeman with a machine gun pointed us to the post office -about a mile walk outside the airport. We took the opportunity to mail our bike suitcases home. It was wonderful to have the bikes with us until now, and it was a bit sad to see them go.

One of our main objectives in Borneo was to see the Orangutans. And so we were very pleased that our first stop was the Semengoh Orangutan Preserve, where we saw half a dozen orangutans coming out of the forest: first hearing something distant high in the trees, then after a minute seeing some closer branches swinging, and finally watching the Orangutan as he made his way from tree to tree towards the platform with food (the forest there does not contain sufficient fruit to support the population without some supplementation). Before arriving, I was worried it might feel a bit like a zoo because of the feeding platform, but I was transfixed watching a juvenile climb up a vine and make his way from tree top to tree top. He would swing the trunk back and forth with his body weight until he could just reach the leaves of a neighboring tree. Then he'd reel the branch in until he had something substantial, and finally let go of the original tree. Watching this beautiful and effortless display, I was fulfilled. [video I took of the process]


Eileen's favorite day of the entire trip was nearby Bako National Park. Walking along a path in the jungle you can sometimes focus on the ground too much - where you put each step. When I looked up one time, I found myself face to face with a large Proboscis Monkey at eye level sitting on a branch just 6 feet away. I nearly walked right by him, and he was watching me calmly to see what I would do. He was the most bizarre creature I have even seen, yet somehow almost human too. I would have been only mildly surprised if he said "oh, hello there."


Both the Proboscis Monkeys and the Silver Leaf Langurs we saw next would have been right at home in a Dr. Seuss story: Absurdly long-nosed or pointy-headed characters. We watched a troop of about twenty Silver Leaf's making their way thru the jungle. At a break in the canopy they had to drop to the ground to cross: Some bold, and some timid (dragged along by the mother's hand - very human).


The third kind of primate we saw that day was the long-tailed Macaque - called "Naughty" Macaques locally. One tried to steal the water bottle from the backpack I had momentarily set on the ground. When I ran to shoo him away, he didn't back down surprisingly. The size of a small dog, he came after me with some aggression. I put up the sole of my boot in a kicking motion to back him off, but he simply hissed at me and bared his teeth ...and then came at me again. It was a bit scary because of the disease his bite might carry (e.g., Rabies). It was a battle of wills, and I had to get more aggressive with the little guy to back him off finally.

Bako also contained the most wild jungle - just what we'd expected from Borneo: giant trees, hanging vines, tree ferns, spiky palms, exposed roots, mud, and giant boulders. In addition to all the primates, we also spotted a deadly green tree pit viper and a wild boar.

Accessible only by plane or boat, we traveled next to Gunung Mulu, the largest cave system in the world. It contains the largest single chamber and largest passage, which is big enough to fly a 747 through. You may have seen parts of it in the "Caves" episode of "Planet Earth." We were in awe as thin streams of water came down in apparent slow motion from the roof hundreds of feet above.

After proving our agility in an intermediate cave (with snakes and spiders), they took us to the "Clearwater Connection," a 5 km long trek underground that includes a section of the longest underground river in the world. Most of the journey was walking, but there were roped sections to be climbed or descended and three small "squeezes." One of the squeezes was so narrow my chest would not fit through ...until I exhaled completely and forced myself between the rock walls (a tense moment). Another squeeze took the form of a chimney whose vertical walls were only twelve to eighteen inches apart - we entered from the side, about 20 feet above the exit hole at the bottom. It was too narrow to "fall," but also too narrow to bend your arms or knees to find the next hold. Reaching the underground river was the highlight for me. It's pristine waters provided a chance to rinse off all the cave muck (guano) and to cool down (caves here are hot and very humid inside).


Our next destination in Borneo is Sipidan, another top ten SCUBA spot!