Relaxed and rested after our stay at the beach and with our ears nearly back to normal we returned to Kuching revitalized and ready to explore all it had to offer. By day we checked out some museums and at night we walked along the river promenade enjoying nice sunsets and the views on both sides. We were also able to sample some wonderful Middle Eastern food at the Little Lebanon restaurant. We had mistakenly assumed there would be lots of Middle Eastern restaurant in Malaysia but this was the first one we saw and we were determined not to miss the opportunity. With Kuching conquered, it was time to go further afield so we got the bus to the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

The Center rescues animals that have been injured or captured by poachers and tries to reintroduce them to the wild. They are most famous for their work with orangutans and it is the best place in Sarawak to see them. The orangutans are wild so there is no guarantee that you will see them, but the Center set up feeding stations and chances are pretty good that they will show up, especially outside of the fruiting season. The 2 feeding times are at 9 am and 3 pm and, being optimists, we decided to go to the early one. Allowing for travel time, we had to leave Kuching by 7:30 am but when I got up at 6:30 am, it was lashing rain so we went back to sleep. A few hours later, it was still raining but not as hard so we decided to try to make the 3 pm feeding and luckily by the time we got out the door, the sun was out and the drying process had begun.

We got to the Center a little before 2 pm and had barely ventured 20 meters beyond the gate when suddenly this large shape cam swinging through the trees above us and was now walking on ropes 5 meters directly above us. The orangutan glided effortlessly along the ropes and then sat there, hanging and making faces at us. He pretended to fall, letting go of the rope only to catch it with his foot at the last second and there he hung as if waiting for applause. Keep in mind that this is a wild orangutan and he can come and go as he pleases. The six foot high gates are only there to keep us out, not him in. Borneo and Sumatra are the only places where orangutans still live in the wild and they are highly endangered. The words Orang Utan literally mean "People of the Forest" in Malay. The orangutan is the only member of the great ape family found outside Africa and is the closest relative to humans. Amie remarked that they resemble some of us more than others and she even felt they were better groomed than I so drastic
action had to be taken.

We were so excited to see the spectacle above us but it got even better as we heard a noise and the orangutan went over to its source where another orangutan was hiding and they sat there and talked like old pals. We then saw some other movement and a mother with her baby climbed down from the trees. The park rangers warned us to be careful of her since she was known to bite but that was not going to stop us from getting some good photos for the blog. At one stage, the mother walked along the path toward me, and while other people ran away screaming, I just stood to one side as she passed within a foot of me, baby in tow.

As we were enjoying spending time with our distant cousins, we were informed that feeding time was approaching so we reluctantly made our way to the viewing area. But now it began to feel like a circus as the tour buses had pulled up and the whole area was pretty crowded. We did get to see one big orangutan eat his fill but it was much better just to wander the grounds and avoid the crowds. We decided to head back to the main road and catch the bus back to town, being so thankful that we had witnessed these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.