Borneo
Wednesday, July 19th, 2006June 15 – July 8, 2006
Kota Kinabalu was bigger than expected and definitely more developed. It was drizzling when we arrived with no reservations for Mt. Kinabalu NP. But we had our ripped-off Lonely Planet (picked that up in Kolkata) which directed us to a particular building for the reservations office. The building was right but the office had changed names: no wonder we could not reach them via internet or by phone. That’ll teach us. There must be a more updated version of the Malaysia guide, as none of the phone numbers have worked so far.
Luckily for us the office merely changed names, not addresses and soon we were off, trudging down the road to the share mini bus stop, where we caught the bus to the park, no trouble. At Mt. Kinabalu NP we stayed at the Hill Lodge #5 and ate at the dining room in the Visitors’ Center, half a km away. The park had numerous trails off the main road up to the gate and power station. The trails ran along streams or the river, or climbed hills to a view. The temperate forests on the mountain were lush, subtly lit due to the canopy cover and held more species of oak than any other forest in the world.
The top of the mountain was visible only in the mornings until about 9 or 10, then it would cloud up. We experienced rain each afternoon. Kinabalu might peek out again in the evenings, after the rain, but all you could see of it would be the lights at Laban Rata, the hostel where all the climbers are required to stay on the first night of their ascent. We did not have reservations for that hostel so were not able to climb to the top, despite getting on the cancellation list. On the third day we climbed 3.5 km past the gate, almost up to Layang Layang, before the rain started, which made birding difficult. That’s when we started down.
Howie should have a bird list for the mountain. We tried staying an extra day but it was such a rigamarol that we decided to move on to Poring Hot Springs, which is also a part of the Mt. Kinabalu Park complex. Instead of 3 nights here we ended up staying 5. Howie says the forests here in Borneo are as interesting as the Amazon because of the variety and ease of observation of critters, not to mention the birds. We have to check out the light bulbs at night because the moth varieties are museum quality. Then there are the beetles, butterflies and many little mammals which we call squirrels, tree shrews and other rodents.
One day we took a walk outside the park and for RM 20 ($6+) a little boy led us through a private scrubby bamboo thicket and showed us a rafflesia in its 3rd day, already starting to blacken. These parasitic blooms last about a week and smell of putrescent flesh to attract pollinating flies. It wasn’t the largest specimen on record (2 ft in diameter) but it is the largest flower in the world.
The hot springs are Japanese style, in groups of 4 tubs with a hot and cold tap each. Two people fit well in each tub. These are open 24/7. There are tubs in cottages that one can rent by the hour and there is a water slide area for the children. The Rock Pool is supplied by water from the falls nearby and very refreshingly cold. At first we thought we’d just do the trails as the hot tubs were always busy but once we felt the temperature of the water in the pool, we decided that a warm soak would be a good idea. This is where all the climbers end up after coming down from Kinabalu. They are awakened at 3 a.m. to climb to the peak in the dark and usually get down by 1 pm. Busloads show up around 2 so that’s when we avoid the tubs.
Kipungit Waterfall is a 10 minute walk from the hot springs area but from there it’s an hour and a half climb to Langanan Falls. Of course it took us about 5 hours, birding along the way. To add an element of delay, we discovered leaches half-way there, so we needed to stop and check for the bloodsucking hitchhikers every time we looked for birds. Later in the soaking tub we found that I had 4 pricks and only one that bled on to my sock. Howie had 3 but no bleeders. There must have been at least 10 varieties of leaches. But the climb was worth it. We saw a beautiful trogon family bathing in the creek and the falls were majestic. We had the trail all to ourselves (wonder why).
We worried about getting the bus from Ranau to Lahad Datu, knowing that the shuttle we needed to catch left LD at 3:30. We caught the express bus for Tawau and after lunch switched to another bus that got us to the Danum Valley Field Center office in Lahad Datu by 2 pm, time enough to cash travelers checks and pick up batteries for the tape deck. On the way to the forest I saw an Orang Utang in a tree, about 2 miles from the compound.
We stay at the Resthouse (shouldn’t it be Guesthouse?) and there has been only one other birding couple here, from England, the Eatons (I think). The researchers and their students/assistants have their own quarters or stay at the hostel, where we could have bunked, too. We took a night drive with Sarah and Allan; saw mammals but no birds. Haven’t really birded together, which is okay as on our evening walk together, it turns out she was quite the chatterbox. Keen birders, though.
The trails have been jungly to the max: crawling w/ leeches, muddy from the frequent rains, quite hilly and most frustratingly, dense with lianas and trees that birds are difficult to see. Climbing up and down the hills, trying to avoid touching anything that might support a leech, getting clammy w/ sweat and Howie’s in heaven. On day one I had about 38 suckers, the next day almost 60. The forth day I had single numbers: it didn’t rain at all the day before. Got great looks at the pitta (black headed, I think) but didn’t have the scope, so alas no photos. Food’s plain and there’s plenty of it. Some of the time I opt to leave the hunt and take a proper hike, get the heart pumping. Getting extra pounds not working out enough (slow walking does not get my metabolism going).
A 45 minute drive away in the same forest complex brought us to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, our big splurge (part of the silver anniversary celebration). It is still in the Danum Valley but in a different sector of the primary forest that has never been logged. There is research being done here, too, but it’s mostly for tourists. Saw Ron and DollyAnn’s name in the guest book: they were here at the end of May.
Birders will love the place and Howie would like to return with a bunch of his birding friends. We ran into the Tropical Birding group led by Sam Wood. They were a great bunch and we traded information. (We went with TB to Cameroon on a recce trip about 5 years ago.) There are canopy walkways and many trails. We saw the endemic bristlehead twice already. (This is the bird we were looking for 115 ft off the ground, in a tree at DVFC – Howie tried for 3 mornings and had no success.)
We have our own little unit, which is connected to the others by elevated boardwalks. We were supplies with a guide (whom we ditched after a day) and thrown in are morning walks, evening drives and tubing on the Danum River, which flows rapidly by the lodge. Did I say it is a 5-star resort? (Not at the level where they supply you with wifi and your own plush bathrobe, but great buffets and we have had our first g&t in weeks.) Everyone we know would love this place. I’d even suggest it for any of our numerous family or high school reunions! We actually saw a flying squirrel fly last night on our night drive.
Extreme weather made it impossible for the next connection to be made so our plans were up in the air for access to the Kinabatangan River basin. Fortunately, Howie bumped into Ian Sinclair while birding at Poring; he suggested we contact Robert Chong, who runs the Kinabatangan Jungle Lodge on the river. He’s the guy who can deliver the Bornean ground cuckoo. We successfully made contact with RC and stayed with him for 4 days (one at their Sepilok Labuk B&B) and Robert, who is a master of bird mimicry, and was able to call in the cuckoo, hooded pitta and rufous kingfisher, using a variety of hoots and whistles. (Jalscha Meisen Passant – cuckoo photo) I swear he was having more fun than we were.
This was a great area for primate observation. We twice found orangs in their nocturnal nest that is built fresh daily. Another prize was our first proboscis monkeys, a mature male sports a nose Jimmy Durante would have coveted. Gibbons, macaques and langurs were seen as well. A night float had us watching a hunting flat-headed cat on the river bank. We missed the elephant movement, but their signs were everywhere, including the electric fence needed around the camp.
Rhinocerous hb
While at at the KJL we ran into the Savage brothers from Vancouver; we had met them earlier at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge where they sent over a bottle of red when they found out we were still celebrating our anniversary (by going to the fancy lodge). They were 2 of the five people who floated down the river on innertubes at the lodge and Richard the Younger was the alligator boy: he connected 2 plastic garbage bags with duct tape and wore them as a sack so as not to get wet on the float. Naturally it didn’t work – he’s too tall (6’4”?) and it only succeeded in making him so unmaneuverable that he was capsized by the first little riffle and had to be ‘saved’ by their guide, Donny. Ian the Elder laughed so hard and so the rest of us (two guys from Holland and me) joined in; we were sorry no one brought a camera.
At KJL, the Savage bros were with us for the first day and as soon as they left it rained. They were a ray of sunshine, those two. After that, though, it was clear sailing. They missed THE cuckoo but saw a lot of birds (most birders would kill for) and maybe caught the bug (Ian, anyway).
Howie would walk in the surrounding secondary forest during lunch, which was always so hot, even thought it was right on the river. Mostly, we took the little motor boat to find the birds, crocks, primates and other wildlife. The water was café au lait brown and crocodiles would sometimes be sunning themselves on the shore but would slip into the drink as soon as we approached. Robert told stories about some Japanese tourists he had who witnesses a crock attack a bearded pig foraging on the shore – cut it in half. They didn’t understand why they could not collect the pig pieces to be roasted. A few days before we got there a man from the village was killed by a crocodile while fishing on the banks.
Flew back to Kota Kinabalu (business class for the first time and were treated royally – the cheap seats were sold out and we did not want to wait for the next flight and it was only RM 35 more anyway). Once we arrived we booked ourselves into the resort on Manukan Island and once again got the plushest accommodations there but what the hey, we were still celebrating the silver.
Our ‘room’ was like an apartment unit without a kitchen. The first floor had a sitting room, dining room and bathroom. The upstairs was the bedroom with a balcony. We watched Italy beat Germany in that room. The water of the South China Sea is easily 40 degrees warmer than the Gulf of Maine. Snorkeling didn’t require body suits, unless one needed sun protection. We swam around for a couple of hours in the morning after a quick walk (bird walk for Howie, which brought his trip list up to 200+ or -) on the jogging path.
That same day found us on a plane with Tony Fernandez, head of Air Asia, the budget airline we have been using whenever possible. Tony (we are on a first-name basis, yes) made his way down the aisle, talking to everyone, listening to complaints, accepting complements and trying to answer everyone’s questions. When he heard that we are living in Cambodia, he informed us that soon there will be a Cambodia Air Asia (they already fly to Phnom Penh), which can only mean cheap (like the $10 from PP to Bangkok) flights to many Asian cities.
Took a cab to the train station when we got to KL (though Tony suggested the bus: we were pressed for time). The train had comfortable berths and we slept through the night and woke up in Singapore, where Annie from the Backpacker Hotel approached us with a brochure. Her place was in Little Italy and convenient for the metro. We recommend her place but make sure you have earplugs.
We found Singapore to be the least Asian city, aside from the people all around. In the one day we spent there we visited the botanical gardens and shopped at our friend Bee Choo’s bookstore, Nature’s Niche. We were sad that she and Morten were out of town. Other friends we would have visited were away too, so we played tourist and walked all over Orchard Road and Chinatown. Found the Art Museum, which is free from 6 pm on Fridays. Early the next morning (July 8th) we flew Tiger Air to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Randall & Ulrike
Karen Nielsen