Sunsets and Beaches

The beach at Rasa Ria, at sunset

After my last visit to Sabah, I knew that it was one place I wanted to revisit.  We had gone to the Kinabatangan, to get a peek at animals of Borneo in their natural habitat, and spent a day or so in Kota Kinabalu.  But we had not seen the beaches which Sabah was famous for.

That was why we went back  It had been a busy few months at work and so, absolutely nothing was planned except a few leisurely days at the Shangri-la Rasa Ria.  I am glad to say that I achieved my objectives of wetting my new swimsuit, acquiring a tan, and getting more photos of young orang-utans.  There is a little nature sanctuary here where these young ones are cared for  before being sent to Sepilok when they grow older, from where they go back to the wild.

So no more talk, here are just some photos to remember this lazy lovely holiday.

Our lovely hotel room

Birds in the grounds of the hotel

By the Pool

Lounging on the day bed on our balcony

Last but not least, my favourite video of the orang utans.

More photos will be put up on Flickr, in due course.

Down by the Kinabatangan

The Kinabatangan river got its name, it is said, from the words "aki", meaning "grandfather" or "ancestor", and "batang", which means river in the local language ("na" is a linking prefix), hence "(a)ki"-na-"batang"-an.  Indeed, a name that befits the largest river in Sabah and the second largest in Malaysia.  The river runs through the Borneo rainforest - the vast ecosystem which is home to a diverse range of plants and wildlife.

We spent two days on and by the river, staying in a small lodge, Myne Resort, near Kampong Bilit.  The lodge was made up of a series of little villas and a larger, common area comprising the reception, bar, dining area and sundeck all in one.  It was situated right at the turn of the river, at the bottom of the "U" (photo was taken from above our lodge, which is however hidden from view).  Birds sing in the trees (only saw one bird though, a sharma bird), and wild boar come to the doorstep (we saw a pack of nine our second night there).  Indeed, I have not been this close to nature for a while.  And I found out that in the middle of the rainforest, there is really not much internet access available. Probably a good thing, too. 

We made a total of three river trips, two in the evening and one in the morning.  Our party comprised another group of six people (a couple and the parents on either side), two guides and of course the boatman.  The boatman clearly had spent his life on the river, and was the fastest and best at spotting animals.  The guides were quick too, able to glimpse the tiny, hardly-moving bird on the tree top or the snake in the middle of the tree when I was craning my neck and trying to see something in the middle of the bushes.  We were reasonably fortunate, in that we saw a fair number of birds and animals:

• crocodiles (including one baby crocodile)
• monitor lizards
• cat snake
• proboscis monkeys (I feel lucky to have caught a proboscis in mid-leap.  In general, unfortunately, my photos were taken from a distance in the evening light and so not very clear)
• one orang utan and baby (see last post)
• any number of macaques, including up close
• one elephant (sadly I only got a shot of its rear)
• hornbills (rhinocerous, great and oriental pied)
• kingfishers
• herons (many types) and the Storm's Stork
• birds of prey, including the oriental darter, serpent-eagle, brahminy kite

My photos of the wildlife can be found on my Flickr page. 

As mentioned before, wildlife spotting is not something I normally do.  But I savoured the anticipation of wondering what lay ahead, around the bend of the river, and thrilled with each new sighting of a bird or animal.

At another level, I was pleasantly surprised each time I got a fairly decent photo of a bird or an animal. This was the first time I brought out my new travelzoom camera, and I am glad I did because this was one trip where the longer zoom proved invaluable.  Of course, I have a long way to go before any of my photos make  it to any nature magazine.  It's tough, getting just the right angle at just the right moment.  But I did learn a few tricks, eg zoom in but give the animal room to move (there's a headless heron taking off in one of my photos, could hv been a great shot except for that); go for continuous shooting and KEEP the finger ON the button; and don't wait for the perfect shot JUST GO FOR IT!

Following our two days by the Kinabatangan, we made our way back to Kota Kinabalu by way of Sandakan - thus seeing both the current and former capitals of Sabah (or North Borneo, as it used to be called).  We found a bookshop, Borneo Books, in Kota Kinabalu - really an excellent resource (as is their website) for books on Borneo and indeed the wildlife of Southeast Asia.  This, followed by a nice breakfast of nasi lemak and Old Town coffee the next morning, made a nice close to this short trip to Borneo.

In the Land Below the Wind

I'm not really one for outdoor holidays, but nonetheless decided that it was about time for me to go visit the rainforests in Sabah.  I'd not been before to East Malaysia at all and was looking forward to seeing this very different aspect of Malaysia.  It was a short 5-day trip but one full of memorable experiences.  Of course, the highlight was the visit to Sandakan, including the visit to the orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok and the two nights spent in our lodge on the Kinabatangan, the largest river in Sabah and in the heart of the wildlife forest reserve there.

We started off with the visit to the orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok.  It is here that orphaned baby orang utans are taken, to learn the ways of orang utans and to be eventually released to the wild.  Baby orang utans need to stay with their mother for about 5-6 years, to learn how to climb, how to make nests, what are the good foods to eat, and so on.  Just like human babies, little orang utans who are separated from their mother (for whatever reason) are just helpless, unable to cope in the wild wide world around them. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to see the little ones close up as they are kept away from us humans and our germs. But we did make it to the feeding time, when the orang utans make their way to the feeding platform.  We watched as three orang utans (sadly, only three) swung gracefully, effortlessly, to the platform, to eat the fruit and interact with each other before going on their way.  The big bonus was the sight of the little baby orang utan, clutching on to its mother and looking oh so adorable.  What I did not expect was the presence of the little macaques, darting onto the platform to eat the fruit (after the orang utans had finished), and running quickly to and fro along the ropes leading to the platform.  And all this time, the orang utans simply continued doing their own thing, indifferent to the macaques' antics taking place all around them.

Sepilok is a well-kept, well-managed sanctuary.  The babies are kept in their nursery but as they grow, they are carefully moved out into the reserve, in slow easy steps.  Some go out and disappear forever, others come back regularly to feed.  Some females return with their own little babies - a sign of success indeed.  Visitors are asked if they would like to adopt an orang-utan baby (i.e. pay for its keep, they are an endangered species and definitely not allowed as pets).  More information about Sepilok, including on how to donate, at Sepilok Orang-utan Appeal UK.

After seeing the orang utans in the sanctuary, we were delighted when, the very next day, we managed to get a glimpse of a mother and her baby in the wild, on the banks of the Kinabatangan.  We were going down the river in our little boat, when suddenly our guide told us to look up in the trees.  There we saw the orang utan nest and next to it, swinging quicky away, the orang utan herself and also her baby.  It was a real privilege to see it. 

Hopefully, in the years ahead, the emphasis on sustainable development will mean that the precious rainforests will be protected and the orang-utans and all the wonderful wildlife of the region will be able to live in peace.

Lots more lovely orang-utan photos here.