It was time to hit the jungle. We had spent enough time relaxing in comfort at the Holiday Inn resorts and I felt it was time to get our hands dirty, or at least our shoes. The ones that have been sitting in our backpacks for the last 4 months, only coming out when we fly, to lighten the load and have our bags squeeze in under 15 kg (32 lbs). One of the easiest places to get into the wild is Bako National Park, less than 2 hours outside of Kuching. We had to take a bus and then a short boat ride as there are no roads leading into the park. Amie wanted to do a day trip but I was able to talk her into an overnight stay as I felt we would need more time. We were able to book a room through the information center in Kuching but it was pretty basic with just some beds and a fan (no bathroom inside) but what do you expect when you’re in the jungle?

Actually, this was not our first foray into the wild as when we got tired of sitting around at the beach I was able to talk Amie into doing a 2 hour trek around a mountain at Damai Beach. As per my usual, we set off at the hottest time of the day and by the time we even got to the trailhead, we were both hot and a little cranky. That trail started off on a nice wooden platform but soon gave way to a lot of climbing over tree roots – all of which looked like a nest of snakes waiting for their next victim. Of course I wasted no time and eagerly raced along the trail looking for all the jungle had to offer. It didn’t take long before we were both covered in sweat and one of us was not happy but she struggled on and after 2 hours we returned to civilization both feeling happy with a sense of accomplishment. Even though we saw nothing larger than a squirrel (although some of the insects came close), we enjoyed the walk.

From the start, we knew that Bako was going to be different and before we made it to park headquarters, we had already seen a few monkeys. By the time we made it to our room, we had added a snake (a small one) to the list as well as another 10 monkeys. We were talking to the Dutch couple next door when we saw a large troop of monkeys approach. One of them came right up to the railing where we were standing and stole a canister of Pringles that were left sitting on a table by another family. The monkey made his way up a tree and was soon stuffing his face with the best chips money can buy.

It was pretty hot out so we wisely waited until later in the afternoon before starting out on our first hike. Amie wanted to tackle the shortest hike (about 30 minutes) but I pushed for something a bit more adventurous and soon we were sweating up a storm as we made our way along the trail, stopping every few seconds to try to see what was causing all the rustling in the trees. The trail was quite tough in parts and at times we had to use both hands to pull ourselves up or help us down. It did not take us long to see what was making all the rustling and honking sounds as we watched some monkeys swing through the trees. To our amazement, these were proboscis monkeys, which are the ones with the funny noses, not the cheeky macaques that are all around the park HQ. We were walking nearly an hour when Amie said “enough” at one pretty steep area. She had not been feeling well but I felt the exercise would make her feel better as it did at Damai Beach but it was not to be [Editor’s Note: Right, like exercise in 95 degree heat and 80% humidity when I already had a temperature of 101 was going to make me feel better!]. I knew we were close to the end of the trail so I ran ahead and was rewarded with a great view of 3 proboscis monkeys on this deserted beach before heading back to Amie. We made good time going back and saw more proboscis monkeys, the best being very close to the park lodging, just sitting in a tree watching us watch them. That night as we finished dinner, a big (wild) bearded pig came right by the canteen before walking off as soon as the cameras came out.

The next morning, my hiking partner was still feeling under the weather so I set out alone on a walk that was reported to take 3-4 hours. It had been raining most of the night and the trail was a little slippery but luckily someone had left a walking stick at the start of the trail. I’ve never used a walking stick before but I found it quite useful and I was making good time. I thought it would take about 3 hours but I finished the circuit in less than two. Admittedly I did not see any wildlife since I used the trail as a personal time trial and probably scared them away. I stopped only once to take a picture at a lookout. The trail was tough and had me short of breath a few times but with the Mrs. waiting for me back at the lodge, I wasn’t going to let the lack of air slow me down. It was only once I got back to the park HQ that I saw my first wildlife – another bearded pig was walking around the buildings and, after missing the photo opportunity the night before, I made sure to get a picture this time around.

If you are in Sarawak and looking for wildlife, Bako National Park is not to be missed. The accommodation suits all budgets and they serve good cheap meals at the canteen. They also sell beer at the best price we found outside of a duty free zone (although we did hear rumors of 3 ringgit beers in Kuching).