So I began my holiday in true Elise fashion. Disorganised, running late, and moderately hung over. Forgetting to take my camera out of my checked luggage I arrived in Kotu Kinabalu in a state of pure panic, to discover thankfully it had not been stolen, but the lense had been damaged. With my hopes of finding a camera shop in the middle of the jungle fairly slim, I managed to find a solution that made it seem like some sort of filter, as apposed to a broken lense. Night one was fairly uneventful. Dinner with mum and dad on the waterfront, introductions between myself and Rachel and Jane, travelling friends from New Zealand who are incredibly witty, hilarious ladies, and then back to the hotel to bunk down in a room with my China travel buddy, Chrissie, for a 4am start. Day one; intense. After a quick 6am flight to Sandakan we met our guide, Jacky (pronounced Jaykay), and headed straight to the orangutan sanctuary. We made our way through the jungle at a leisurely pace, and encountered our first furry friends after just a few minutes. The two playful primates, approximately 5-6 years old according to JK, were swinging from the trees in an affectionate embrace, well aware of the onlooking homosapiens and quite possibly intentionally showing off. Moving into the viewing platform for the outdoor nursery, the second stage of rehabilitation, we watched as the 2-4 year old orangutans fed, played, and generally made mischief for their carers.
The whole experience was not as hands on as I had hoped, however understandable as this beautiful endangered species are prone to many bacteria and infections. Despite this, the animals do have free reign of the sanctuary after being released from the nurseries and the walkways are by no means enclosed, and so at the open feeding platform as I turned to tell the irritating woman that breathing down my neck was not enough of an invasion of privacy, she had to touch my behind as well, I realised the woman was gone and it was actually a cheeky primate who had brushed past me whilst making his way down the path. Throngs of tourists moved sideways to let him through, and he ambled away without a care in the world.
After a few more orangutans helped themselves to the piles of fruit, a cheeky long tailed maraquec decided to join the party. Although only small, these monkeys are quite aggresive, and even the 100kg+ male moved away with extreme caution.
We had an hour to ourselves before departing the sanctuary, so decided to take a quick look at the sunbears, also endangered and the smallest species of bear in the world. Making themselves at home high in the trees, they’re not so small, with adult males still reaching up to 60kgs.
They do what most bears would do in 38 degree heat and 90% humidity. They sleep, and occasionally snack. Almost like an oversized black koala but slightly more active.
We loaded ourselves back on the bus to make our way to our accomodation for the next two nights. A beautiful lodge in the middle of the jungle, two hours drive from the city and then only accessible by a 5 minute boat ride. It’s quaint, simple, and the perfect place to forgot about the real world. No wifi, no phone reception, and jungle as far as the eye can see. My idea of heaven. Plus the added thrill of accidentally leaving your shoes outside and the possibility of monkeys stealing them in the middle of the night.
After settling into our lodgings and a simple yet delicious buffet lunch, I took full advantage of our short break and had a nap before setting out again. An hour and a half boat ride through the surrounding river systems ticked off a number of things on my bucket list.
- seeing elephants in the wild
- Seeing orangutans in the wild
- Seeing a baby monkey (or 20)
Borneo is home to approximately 1,500 Pygmy elephants. Less than half the size of the African elephant, but still probably twice my height, they’re a delight to watch. An entire herd consisting of adult males and females, as well as at least 4 babies, fed on what the locals refer to as ‘elephant grass’ along the river bank. Two wrestled amongst the long grass, while the babes looked to their mothers for inspiration on what to eat. They were breathtaking to say the least. Entire groups of maraquec monkeys could be seen throughout the treetops, with young ones practicing how to jump from one branch to the next, constantly aiming for further reaches and not always making their intended destination, recalculating at the last second to grab hold of a lower branch.
The others spotted a baby crocodile, and although it was gone before I realised, I’m not exactly sad as they’re one of the few animals in this world that make me genuinely terrified.
A large male orangutan had made himself a nest at the top of one of the trees, and we thankfully spotted him before he lay down to rest, invisible to the jungle below. The fact that these beautiful creatures can still exist in the wild gives me so much hope, as they not only share 93% of our DNA and are so important in learning about ourselves, but are such gentle beautiful creatures that this world would surely be at a loss without them.
We had dinner at the lodge, with Jane pulling out the selfie stick to ensure she captured every moment and preempting each one with the exclamation of “selfie time! Everybody snuggle!” And a loud chorus of happy birthday directed at myself and Rachel.
Tired to the point of nauseasness I decided to stay back for the rest of the night, while the others departed on a nighttime wildlife spotting cruise, dad with high hopes of seeing a clouded leopard,
although promising he would go on the same cruise twice so I didn’t miss out
