03 - Nov 2008
Bewitching Borneo – The Tropical Rainforest Paradise
 The third largest island in the world, Borneo is surrounded by the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra in the west, Java to the south, the Sulawesi Island to the east and the Philippines towards the North East. Borneo is shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Indonesian part of Borneo is named as Kalimantan while Sabah and Sarawak are the two states of Malaysia that occupy the remainder of the island along with the tiny but rich country of Brunei.
  At least 15,000 species of flowering plants, 3000 species of trees, over 220 species of terrestrial mammals, and more than 420 species of birds inhabit this large island making it a biodiversity hotspot in the world. Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia standing tall at 13,435 feet (4095m) is the tallest peak on the island making Borneo the world’s third highest island as well. Also known for its extensive cave systems, Borneo has one of the longest underwater rivers (Clearwater cave) and also the world’s largest cave passage (Deer Cave). The endangered Bornean Orangutan is one of the 12 different primate species that lives in the rainforests here, along with a remarkable array of 8 different types of Hornbills being star attractions of Borneo. The Bornean Clouded Leopard is the largest carnivore on the island and only in 2006 the Clouded leopard of Borneo was classified as a different species than the clouded leopard found in China, Himalayas, and North east India etc. The Bornean Clouded Leopard is endemic to Sumatra, Borneo and the Batu Islands.
 Bako National Park and Mulu National Park in the state of Sarawak and Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and Danum Valley in the state of Sabah (Malaysia) were my destinations in Borneo which spanned over three weeks. Gautam Shah, my friend from Mumbai was my accomplice to Borneo and we had the services of a popular Bornean Photographer named Cede Prudente who introduced us to Kinabatangan and helped us with respect to photographing wildlife of this area.
 Gautam and I both arrived in Kuala Lumpur the capital of Malaysia after an overnight flight which spanned nearly 4.5 hours. We had a couple of hours to enjoy the facilities of the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) which people regard as one of the best in the world. Formalities like immigration was fulfilled and we had to board our connecting flight to the island of Borneo. We flew to the most populous city in Borneo called Kuching (Sarawak state) which spanned approximately 2 hours and was nearly a 1000 km (607 miles) flight. Our first destination was the Bako National Park near Kuching.
Bako National Park, Sarawak – Malaysia
 Established in 1957, Bako is one of the smallest national parks in Sarawak but probably one of the most interesting. Abundant wildlife, trekking trails, astonishing plant life, jungle streams, water falls, secluded beaches and amazing rainforest patches make Bako one of the most sought after destinations in Sarawak. The Proboscis monkeys endemic to Borneo are Bako’s most famous residents making it one of the best places to sight and observe these agile and athletic monkeys in various habitats like beach vegetation, cliff vegetation, heath forest, mangrove forest, mixed dipterocarp forest, padang or grasslands vegetation and peat swamp forest.
  Louis Jap, a 51 year old naturalist/guide welcomed us at the airport in Kuching and we immediately set out on our drive to Bako which took nearly an hour. We arrived at a jetty in Kampung village where we had our lunch and set out on our twenty minute boat ride to the park. The brackish water, the boat and Gautam’s company reminded me of my trip to Bhitarkanika especially after seeing a “Beware of Crocodiles” warning near the jetty. We reached the Bako National Park soon after that. The boat jetty at Bako was at least a kilometre away from the lodge. Immediately after our arrival we spotted a few Long-tailed Macaques that were hanging around the lodge area along with a robust Bearded Pig. A few tourists that afternoon gathered near the pathway to the Jetty and were seen observing something on the top of the trees. Both Gautam and I rushed to the scene and we were delighted to see Proboscis Monkeys very close to the road but on tall trees. I quickly grabbed my camera and positioned myself at a nice distance from where I could see the Proboscis cross the path by jumping from one side of the road to another. Almost like a ‘Superman’ the proboscis monkeys took a long leap and crossed the path. I photographed at least 4 such monkeys out of which one was a male and a few females and some babies as well.
 In the heat of the day, the best place to spend time is under the comfort of the ceiling fan and we ran to our rooms quickly to rest for a while. On the afternoon we walked up to the mangrove forest near the jetty and spent the evening sighting a solitary male Proboscis Monkey. The sunset at Bako seemed to be amazing with the beach hardly a few yards away from the lodge. We spent time gazing at the orange sky and the setting sun that evening.
 Even before our alarms could wake us up we heard plenty of twigs fall on our roof which suggested that the primates were on the move. Louis told me that I should probably walk a kilometre from the lodge to position myself near the mangroves where he thought the bachelor group would arrive. Seeing a male Proboscis monkey is a pleasure second to none and I carried my heavy artillery along and sat under a shelter awaiting the hefty leaf eaters. It was interesting to observe that the Proboscis only arrive during low tide and walk on the mangroves trying to reach out to fresh leaves. It was understandable that they would prefer walking on the soil to reach the mangroves which during high tide sinks considerably. They also feel safe and comfortable being on land than being on the sea water – Louis mentioned. However, Proboscis are excellent swimmers I realized when I saw at least a few of them dive in to the creeks and swim across to reach the other bank which was not accessible by means of jumping. I couldn’t believe my luck when I heard a male Proboscis call aloud and jump on the roof of the shelter used by boatmen. Careless of my presence, the Proboscis walked towards me and climbed a tree and started feeding on leaves just 15 feet away. Within no time a gang of his friends, members of the bachelor troop arrived and took positions all across the tiny mangrove area.
  For nearly two hours, I photographed and observed these funny monkeys which have a huge pot belly and the most funniest of noses amongst primates. The nose serves as a resonating chamber and works by amplifying their warning calls. When the animal becomes agitated its nose swells with blood, making warning calls louder and more intense. I also learnt that the Proboscis cannot digest ripe fruit and they only eat mangrove shoots, leaves, seeds and unripe fruits. Their digestive system is divided into compartments, with bacteria that digest cellulose and neutralize toxins from certain leaves. This lets the monkey eat leaves and remain in the forest canopy. The contents of their stomach weigh about a quarter of their whole body which is why their belly seems like a large pot.
 That evening, Gautam, Louis and I took a small boat ride to a nearby beach where we were the only humans. Louis and I climbed a small hill from where the view of the sea and the beach below was mesmerizing. We were on a small motorboat and we could sense the arrival of rain at a distance. We quickly got down the hill and raced towards the jetty near our lodge. A scary fifteen minute boat ride on the bumpy waves of the sea with harsh rain drops slapping our faces got us to the jetty. Both Gautam and I were completely wet and we hardly got time to react and wear our raincoats. We were busy holding our cameras and lenses making sure we don’t donate them to the rough South China Sea.
  From the safety of the shelter on the jetty, we could observe a small troop of Proboscis monkeys which were evaluating a move across the small creek. They were estimating the width of the creek and the height from which they have to jump in order to cross it. One bold female decided to jump directly in to the shallow creek and swim across to reach the other bank. A couple of other female proboscis followed the bold lady. It was amazing to see a monkey swim in the water. Meanwhile on the other side of the jetty, plenty of Silver-leaf Langurs were displaying their acrobatic skills just before sunset. We spent a few minutes watching them do the Tarzan act after which we rushed back to the safety of our dry room on the rainy evening. A hot water shower and a dinner consisting of rice with some raw vegetables was waiting to enter our bellies. I must mention that vegetarians in Borneo are going to suffer with lack of good Vegetarian food. People look at Asian Vegetarians with amusement if you insist that you'd eat “No meat, No Chicken, No eggs and No Fish”. They probably wonder and tell themselves “Basically no food?”
  The next morning, Silver-leaf Langurs were back on the beach and they entertained us for nearly three hours. Tiny babies, Mothers and males all joined the party plucking the sea hibiscus flowers from the beach and feeding on them. The babies of the Silver-leaf Langurs are born bright orange and within four months they start turning grey. For the first time I watched monkeys on the beach while they ran across finding different spots to feed on the fresh sea hibiscus. On every night we set out on the “Night walk” where plenty of strange and scary insects were waiting to be sighted. We spotted huge stick insects, a couple of Pit Vipers and Gautam even saw a Paradise Tree Snake on one occasion.
  Bako is a great place to sight the Western Tarsier we were told but we weren’t lucky as it rained on one evening and soon it was time to leave. We got back to the village on a boat and then we went to the city of Kuching for a late lunch and spent a night in Holiday Inn in Kuching. It was a contrasting difference in the accommodation. We even hogged pizzas that evening in the Pizza hut nearby. We had to get up early and fly to Miri in Sarawak from where our next flight was to the Mulu National Park. Bako has plenty of trails which people can explore and reach different kinds of forests in the national park. Photography on these trails seemed difficult as it is a narrow path with a lot of climbing up and down. I preferred to stay in the beach and near the mangroves. If I had more time, a non-photographic walking experience where the destination is another part of the island to a beach with virtually no people seemed quite interesting. I decided to keep that for my next visit to Bako.
Gungung Mulu National Park, Sarawak
  In the heart of the Bornean wonderland; the humid heat, flourishing plant life including thousands of ferns, mosses and flowering plants along with thousands of species of fungi thrive in this complex rainforest national park called Gungung Mulu. Recently declared as a UNESCO world heritage centre Mulu is spread over 50,000 hectares of equatorial rainforest being home to plenty of variety of animals including the world’s smallest mammal – the Savi Pigmy Shrew and also some of the largest insects seen on planet earth. Though home to plenty of mammal and bird life as well, sighting them in Mulu is quite a challenge. The park is most popular for various Caves that are still unexplored and famous caves like the Deer Cave and the Sarawak Chamber that is well known for being the largest underground chamber in the world. The Sarawak chamber is so big that it can probably accommodate up to ten Jumbo Jets inside it I reckon.
  Mulu is a very inaccessible area; the only practical way of getting to and from it is by air, mainly from Miri airport. It is possible to travel to the area by riverboat, but it requires a chartered long boat for the last part - and the whole trip by river would take around 12 hours to complete from Miri, while the flight takes only 30 minutes. We boarded a flight to Miri from Kuching and again a flight from Miri to Mulu that spanned less than 30 minutes. It was the shortest flight I have ever taken and before I settled down on the flight, our captain announced that we would be landing. Royal Mulu Resort the only place to stay other than the Park H.Q. was where we had decided to spend three nights. Very few flights land and take off from the Mulu airport which is right next to the national park. Not many people live here and everyone who flies to Mulu is usually a tourist. We reached the Royal Mulu Resort within ten minutes of our arrival. Royal Mulu Resort is a luxurious resort which is quite expensive. I must mention the cost of drinking water which is approximately 28/- Indian rupees for 500ml of water. (Provided one buys 6 bottles. Otherwise it is 42/- for a 500ml bottle)
Deer and Langs Cave
 Within a few hours of our arrival, we set out towards the Deer and Langs cave that evening. After a ten minute drive from the resort to the park H.Q. we obtained permission by paying for our park entry and we started walking towards the Deer cave. A young guide named Israel accompanied us who spoke good English and educated us about various things on the way to the cave. A distance of 3.8kilometers from the Park H.Q to the entrance of the Deer Cave was interesting with lush green forest on both sides of the walking path which was not on mud but a board (Platform) walk all the way till the caves. I was making fun that all the tree felling was to support such walking paths made out of wood all across such parks in Malaysia. It was the same in Bako as well to a certain extent.
  We reached an open area which had an interpretation centre with huge LCD Televisions which showed the bat activity inside the caves. We were amazed by the use of technology as we saw bats up close that was probably 50 feet high in the dark cave which we wouldn’t probably be able to appreciate through our naked eyes. Deer cave had a concrete path with limited lighting on either sides of the path to help tourists walk easily inside. Such unnatural lighting and path ways are present only in caves that are classified as “Show Caves” where anyone can enter and experience the caves. However, Mulu has plenty of caves for which one needs to have caving experience and be fit to be able to commute in dark and slippery and scary areas of the cave. Claustrophobia is something that should not even occur in one’s mind if he/she has to experience these caves.
 Deer Cave is supposed to have the largest cave opening in the world and nearly 3 million bats have made this cave their home. People who have seen the recent planet earth series and especially the “Caves” episode can better relate to the experience here. On the first evening, we were unlucky to have missed seeing the Bat exodus as they never got active and spent all their time hanging on the caves. We could see their inactiveness through the magnified Bat Camera Screen. We were disappointed to have missed the bats that evening and we walked back in the soaking rain. The eight kilometre walk without seeing the bats out in the open was quite frustrating.
The Bat Exodus Finally!
 After having seen the Clearwater Caves and the Wind Cave in the morning, we again carried our huge equipments and started walking again towards the Deer cave as we were desperate to see the bats in action. This time we didn’t buy tickets to enter the caves but we settled down in the opening of the cave expecting the bats to put up a good show. Gradually by 5 in the evening a group of at least fifty tourists assembled near us. It rained again and stopped by 5 and everyone was anticipating the Bat exodus. I set up my tripod and starting looking up in the sky for a while only to see the passing clouds and the hungry Bat Hawks and Peregrine Falcons who also seemed to be awaiting the bats which are their favourite food.
 Finally there was a group of bats that burst out of the caves and formed a circle above. Everyone sitting below remarked and expressed happiness to have sighted the first instalment of bats. Bats bats and bats emerged out of the caves forming amazing patterns in the sky circled around for a minute and flew like a huge snake in to the distant horizon. “Wow” “wow wow” was the most common exclamation used by most people that evening as they saw plenty of bats over their heads. After nearly twenty minutes the park authorities closed the gates signalling that it was time to leave. Thinking of the 3.8 Kilometer walk with a 600mm lens, a gitzo tripod and a Wimberley head along with a camera bag is a punishment for sure. But it didn’t seem like at that moment.
 The park Manager permitted us to climb a portion of the Deer Cave where we positioned ourselves next to the Bat Camera trying to sight them from a closer distance. We got lucky again on the third evening as we saw lakhs of bats emerge 100 feet above our head out in the open.
 After at least 50 kilometres of walking in the humid jungle I decided to spoil myself with a relaxing body massage and reflexology. Mulu also had some amazing trails called the Head Hunters trail and the trail to the pinnacles. But for that at least six days in Mulu had to be spared and it was not much of a photography trip anyway. It was time to move on to Miri and then fly to Kota Kinabalu, and again take a flight to Sandakan. Our next journey was to the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.
 We were fortunate to have the services of Cede Prudente, a popular Wildlife Photographer from Borneo. Cede met us at the Sandakan airport and took us to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary’s boundaries. Our plan was to visit the Sepilok Sanctuary in the morning and then drive to Kinbatangan Wildlife Sanctuary which was at least two hours from here. I didn’t sleep well that night as the next morning was very promising as I was scheduled to go on a walk to try and photograph the Rhinoceros Hornbill which was nesting in the area.
The Rhinoceros Hornbill treat
 Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary has a rehabilitation centre where orang-utans are rehabilitated and released in to the wild. This lush forest reserve is also home to plenty of birds and amazing wildlife like the Rhinoceros Hornbills. Gautam, Cede and I along with the Forest Ranger walked for nearly twenty minutes before sunrise. We found a huge tree where the Rhinoceros Hornbill was supposedly nesting. At least 35-40 feet away we hid ourselves in the foliage and set our tripods and cameras waiting for the most beautiful of all forest sounds I know that is the “Flutter” of the hornbill’s wings. Fortunately in less than twenty minutes we heard a huge flutter and a female Rhinoceros hornbill arrived on the scene. She looked around and then started regurgitating whatever she had swallowed earlier. I could clearly see some seeds coming out of her mouth and she presented the food in the burrow of the tree. That’s when I realised there was a chick inside the tree. I used my camera’s live view function and magnified the view by 10X times to clearly see a chick inside being fed by the gorgeous mother. Before I could see the result and make some adjustments on the camera on the hazy morning, the hornbill took off and never returned. I was a bit disappointed by the low quality result as it was very early in the morning. After nearly thirty minutes the father of the chick arrived on the scene and repeated the same act of regurgitating food and feeding the chick. This being the second opportunity, I was well prepared and I got better results than the previous occasion of these remarkable birds that were my prime targets on this trip to Borneo. Soon we drove to the Rainforest Discovery centre in sepilok to have a look at most of the rainforest plant life and trees and some bird life as well. We reached Sukau, on the banks of the Kinabatangan River by afternoon where we were going to spend 3 nights.
Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
 The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary lies within the vast flood plain of the Kinabatangan river - one of the longest rivers in Malaysia. The Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary is part of an important network of conservation areas in the lowlands of eastern Sabah. Together with existing Forest Reserves, a natural corridor of natural vegetation links the lower tidal reaches of the river to the endless Forest Estates in the upper catchment of the Kinbatangan river. With a rich array of unique habitats, a diverse wildlife fauna and a rich culture and history of the Orang Sungai (in Malay, river people): the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary is by far the most fascinating of natural protected areas in Sabah. Visiting this area can be the most amazing experience for any nature lover.
  One of the wonderful things of the infrastructure in Kinabatangan was the Boat which we used on our safaris. Apart from the boat that could easily accommodate us and our huge lenses and tripods along with a motor that could help us commute faster, we also had an additional motor that ran on Battery power. That meant the motor noise is minimum and we can easily approach birds and animals without scaring them. Using the battery operated motor, one can’t travel far or travel at a good pace but it is for the final touches of your safari experience where you need to approach a perched bird slowly and steadily. I just loved this set up and most of the pictures of Kinabatangan were possible only due to the modern boat we had.
 Within ten minutes of venturing downstream towards the mouth of the river, I spotted a small blue kingfisher and took some pictures of it to get in to the groove. For nearly thirty minutes on the hot afternoon we were floating on the Kinabatangan River without much activity until the “Moment of the trip” for me. Cede and I spotted a Rhinoceros Hornbill on the right side of the boat and we asked the boat man to stop. The gorgeous hornbill flew and perched on the edge of the river. Cede said – “Stand by” all three of us pointed our guns at the bird and there it flew – flutter flutter flutter. I was struggling to focus the bird in that angle when Cede who had stopped shooting said “Another” and 50 feet behind it was another Rhinoceros hornbill. I gave up on the first and started aiming at the second when Cede again said “Another”. An adrenalin rush and huge excitement over the next thirty seconds saw at least twelve different individuals which kept passing the river over our heads and Cede kept on shouting “Stand by there’s another” .... “Another...” “One more...” and so on.
  “Phew!!” I remarked and laughed out loud with sheer happiness. We couldn’t believe the opportunity we just had. That evening seemed crazy with a lot of hornbill sighting some at a distance, some so far away that they were tiny dots and some as close as this Dozen that flew past us. After sighting some extremely cooperative Egrets, Proboscis monkeys and Stork Billed Kingfisher we headed back to the lodge with a lot of smiles on our face. I never expected a boat safari here can be so rewarding and we still had at least six such trips on the boat at that point.
  Over the next three days; Gautam, Cede and I sighted tonnes of Hornbills, Egrets, endangered Storm Storks, Mangroove snake, Stork-billed Kingfishers, Long-tailed Macaques, Proboscis Monkeys, and the most common Oriental Pied Hornbills. On the second afternoon in the boat Cede sighted a huge Orangutan that was sitting on a fig tree overlooking the river.
  We spent nearly thirty minutes near the huge male who started building his nest for the evening. Orangutans move over the forest canopy every day and find new nesting sites at the end of the day. They build a temporary home to sleep at night and the next morning they start travelling again. On one morning we took a small creek in the river system to observe some bearded pigs and long tailed macaques. We also came across a basking Water Monitor that would never get upset by our proximity.
The Gibbon and the Buffy Fish Owl
  The next morning, we decided to take a drive to the upstream and we were lucky to spot a Buffy-fish owl in the day which was constantly looking at the river below probably trying to fish. We were as close as fifteen feet from the bird when we spotted it on the banks of the river. We soon used the battery motor and distanced ourselves and went trigger happy or rather trigger crazy I must say at the beautiful owl that is hardly sighted in the open during day. Meanwhile we constantly heard a howl in the background and it was of the endemic Bornean Gibbon. If I recollect the forest sounds I heard on this trip one of the most common and constantly heard call was of the gibbons those which were nearby (a mile or two when I say nearby) or sometimes those from the top of hills and gorges miles away. We soon drifted closer to the howls of the Gibbon and we finally spotted him on a tall tree. After a while, he stopped. We couldn’t spot him and while we were looking for him through our binoculars, yet another gibbon on the other side of the river started howling.
  It was confusing if he was on the right or the left but soon we realized they were on either sides when both of them started competing with each other. We stopped shooting and started recording their calls for a while. Finally one of the Gibbon got really hyperactive and started shouting louder and also jumping around the tree moving places every second. During his restless mad activity he jumped from a branch towards another tree while I caught him in mid air. Photographing Gibbons and Orangutans are extremely difficult as they never come down from the canopy and are always on the move. Though Orangutans are much slower than Gibbons they are quite hard to spot and photograph. On our way back to the lodge, a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills was caught sharing a banana between each other and perching on coconut trees near the Sukau area.
  One the last evening after dinner we headed out on the river at half past eight in order to spot some birds and animals in the night. We were very lucky to spot a pair of buffy-fish owl share a male which probably were in courtship. We also spotted a baby crocodile and a few other birds that were roosting. We also spotted the Oriental Pied hornbills roosting on their favourite perches. It was time to pack up and drive towards the city of Lahad Datu from where we were going to be dropped to our final destination of the trip – Danum Valley. In Kinabatangan we were extremely unlucky to have missed seeing the Pigmy Elephants which most travellers to Kinabatangan get lucky with.
Danum Valley Conservation Area
  Danum Valley is about 70 kilometers (44 miles) west of Lahad Datu, Sabah. It spans 438 square kilometers (170 square miles) making it the largest remaining area of virgin undisturbed lowland rainforest in Malaysia. Known as the world’s most complex ecosystems, Danum valley lies within the upper reaches of Sabah’s second largest river – the Segama. The area is quite hilly but not mountainous. The saddest part of coming to Danum is witnessing the Timber Concession area all across the conservation area where one sees plenty of logging trucks carrying huge trees that have been felled. Popular for its Clouded Leopard and Orangutan sightings, Danum also boasts about rare and endangered species like the Sumatran Rhino and the Pigmy elephants that live here. I was sure we wouldn’t see any after I checked with my guide as soon as we arrived.
  The only place to stay in Danum is the Borneo Rainforest Lodge which is a pretty upscale accommodation compared to similar destinations all across Malaysia. The Danum Valley Field Center is also a good place to stay which is let out to scientists, students and researchers. For regular tourists BRL (Borneo Rainforest Lodge) is the only place which is built at a strategic place of the conservation area just next to the Danum River. We spent five nights and six days in Danum Valley and this happens to be one of the best places I have ever seen.
  Seeing great pictures of the Orangutan on the internet, I had imagined a heaven out here where I thought photographing Orangutan would be extremely easy. Even Cede spoke very highly of Danum valley and a fig tree near the lodge that is surely a magnet to all kinds of creatures that come to feast on the fruits. However, Photography in Danum is extremely tough according to me and I realized that most of the Bornean Orangutans that i see on the Internet have probably been shot at the Sepilok Rehabhilitation Center as plenty of them gather for the feeding by the rangers there twice a day. Unusual sighting of Orangutants at eye level and in good light and may be even baby Orangutans is quite possible there. The set up of humans feeding orangutans didnt excite me much and my camera remained idle while i was at Sepilok. A Wild Orangutan can rarely be seen on the ground here and never in the open waiting to be photographed. It gives you a few glimpses and a few tiny opportunities that one has to steal.
  There are plenty of things for a nature lover to do in Danum. Amazing board walks to different areas of the park, a couple of hikes to the top of a view point from where one can sight the forest from a bird’s eye perspective, a few waterfalls with fresh and clear water, opportunities to sight the resident Orangutans of the area, the best place to shoot Maroon Langurs, the Gibbons, the night creatures like the Tarsier, Flying Lemur, Flying Squirrel, Civets, Bear Cat and some lucky people have even spotted Clouded Leopards in the region.
  We spent two sessions near a huge fig tree that was the only fruiting tree of that area when we were present. It was a tall tree with a lot of promise for the camera. One of the rarest of cats being the Bear Cat or the Binturong was the first great thing we spotted on the fig tree on the evening along with squirrels and the Rhinoceros Hornbills. Continuous calls of the Gibbon set an amazing background score to our entire stay in Danum.
  Night safari’s in Danum is extremely popular as it is the only way tourists can sight animals like the Flying Lemur and Flying Fox. We even spotted Malay and Palm Civets. Dennysius an educated and very well versed English speaking guide made our stay at Danum very memorable. With the help of Denny’s network and friends around we were fortunate to have sighted a few orang-utans of the area and also to have had firsthand experience of amazing insect life in Danum. Amongst some of the crazy things we saw I would rate a Moulting Leaf Hopper, a Sleeping Flying Lizard (Draco), A Lantern Bug shedding honeydew while the Cockroach fed on it, a Crimson Sunbird roost in the middle of a Coconut tree leaves and a Spiny Stick Insect that played dead to us as some of the best moments of the night walks here. We also saw plenty of beautiful frogs hang around the frog pond near the resort.
  Even after spending 18 days in the wild in Borneo, I must admit that I have seen a fraction of what this wonderland has to offer and this cannot be my last trip to Borneo. From crazy looking Monkeys to fascinating Hornbills, Scary snakes to weird looking insects, Humble Orangutans, Rarest of monkeys like the Hose’s Leaf monkey and the Maroon Langur, Animals like the flying lemur and the restless Gibbons, Borneo seems to be one of a place that is unlike any other. I would be kidding if I said I am going to describe Borneo in a trip report that spanned eighteen days. I would at least need 18 months in Borneo to see plenty of other things that I have missed. I haven’t even talked about the pristine Dive sites of Malaysia and a few other National Parks that I could not visit due to obvious reasons.
  By the way I promise to speak for hours about Borneo if you can buy me a Lime-Soda.  But in the interest of this trip report’s length, we shall stop here. Please accept my apologies for delaying this report a bit. After a long trip like this one, a few other personal obligations took precedence and I had to attend to those. I also beg your pardon for not being able to cut down text on this report. It is only proportional to the time I spent in Borneo. Please do let me know if you have any questions about Borneo.
 For an Audio Visual experience of Bewitching Borneo click here. I have spent a lot of time producing the background score and making the slide-show because of the orders from Little Anubhav, Delhi. I had earlier decided not to make the slideshow. Anyway, until next time - Flutter Flutter Flutter!
_________________
Cheers,
Jayanth Sharma
jay@wildlifetimes.com
Last edited by Jayanth Sharma on Mon Nov 03, 2008 3:19 pm; edited 8 times in total |
Cant wait for the full version. Wish you a very happy diwali.
eagerly look forward for this visit of yours.