Back from Borneo

[wickedglass]

I've been pretty quiet lately, reason is I was in Borneo. I'm back now, I thought I'd share some pics.
Our Route into Borneo was by aeroplane from Kuala Lumpur into Sandakan in the northeast of Borneo (Sabah) and on the first day we'd secured a boat into a jungle camp on the Kinabantang river. The camp comprised of some huts with thin foam mattressing on the floor and mosquito nets, a raised walkway (flooding is not uncommon) and a larger open hut to eat. For three days we ranged the river and surrounding jungle for wildlife and the proliferation of animals was amazing. Anything from tiny crabs (in the middle of the jungle, smaller than your pinky nail) to Orang Utans (swinging through the trees right above our camp).
Being in the jungle may sound just like being at a relaxing spa resort, running natural water, Turkish baths, aroma therapy, mud baths, fine dining in an exotic atmosphere ... but considering that the running water is the river (brown from recent floods), the banks of same said river so soft that you literally sink up to your knees into the mud, the steam bath is all around you and you can't escape it, the humidity there at this time of year is incredible ... and I'll leave you to your own imagination as to the aromatherapy
Yup, the jungle was an amazing place, and all these discomforts went largely unnoticed when hiding in the bush to spy on an Orang Utan and when cruising up the river in our boat to find a good place to throw our nets for some of those delicious freshwater prawns.

1. our camp
2. large male Orang Utan near our camp
3. Heron on one of our night forays
4. long tailed Macaque
5. Proboscis monkey ... named aptly for its large ... ahem .... nose

[ginkgoglass]

Thanks for sharing the pics; they are fantastic! The last one is hilarious too.
I think you should name him Randy.

[wickedglass]

1. Kinabantang misty sunrise
2.intrepid froggy
3. mud bath
4. we caught freshwater prawns ... and ate them ... yummmmmmmm!
5. gibbons are strange spidery creatures, this one was carrying her bub around

[gmkcpa]

I gotta tell ya - your Borneo info put a big smile on my face. Glad you had the opportunity and took it.

[wickedglass]

1. this giant (12" + ) is highly toxic, the locals say that it takes 1000 medicines to cure if you get poisoned
2. this one is a lot friendlier
3. and so is this one
4. can you find the frog in this?
5. and a cheeky wild man

[wickedglass]

1. nightly visitor to our hut, with all this humidity the camera had occasional problems autofocussing ... dammit, give be back my analog SLR and Kodachrome ...
2. the hornbill is sacred to the local tribal people
3. here is us in our own private steam bath
4. little kingfisher near our hut
5. leaving the jungle camp ... aaaaaw

at this stage we didn't know where our journey would take us next ...

[Sue in Maine]

I just watched The Medicine Man with Sean Conary the other night and this is so remnicent of that movie. I can only imagine how it must have felt to be standing there.

Fantastic pictures.

Sue

[vetropod]

Looks awesome!!! I want some of those bugs for pets

[patezd]

Originally Posted by Beast Master

Looks awesome!!! I want some of those bugs for pets

I'm sure some of them will be crawling out of your torch soon! Can't wait to see them!

[dragonart glass]

Lucky you! Thanks for sharing.

[LampworkbyLori]

Ugh! I really don't like that 12" guy!

[Over the Moon]

Awesome pics ... thanks for sharing!

[midniteburner]

Originally Posted by LampworkLori

Ugh! I really don't like that 12" guy!

yeah, he gave me the willies!!!

gorgeous pics though...

Sara

[Torched Art]

Wow, how fun. Thank you for sharing. What an experience.

[clan tabby]

And you are wearing - what? - rubber boots??? I can understand the why, but in that kind of heat & humidity, I would probably be equally dead from swollen, overheated feet than from snakebite.

Great pics! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful travels!

[Mr. Smiley]

So nice... glad you got eyes full of beauty. Can't wait to see the work you put out now!

[Otter's Flame]

Wow... that is totally amazing!!!!!! Thanks for sharing!!!! WOW!!


Otter

[Rose Leslie]

Amazing trip. WOW that is a trip worth a life time. Beautiful. Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

[wickedglass]

thanks for the replies, this trip was a lot of fun, here's some more!
We'd met an Aussie traveling with his 9 year old daughter who had rented a car and not knowing (plan?What plan?) what we were going to do next, we took his offer to hitch a ride with them across to the other side of Borneo to Kota Kinabalu. On the way we were trying to find an ATM which would accept our bank cards ... at which point (and only because we'd been living on the cash we'd brought) I realised that instead of bringing my Credit card, I'd brought my teller card, which didn't work in any of the tellers I tried when we finally found some ... gaaaaah ... fun in the sun! It was ok, coz Laurie had her's, but I kind of felt a bit helpless not being able to get at my own funds ... you know how it is. Near the ATM was a street hawker selling delicious chicken bits on sticks, so being the intrepid culinary freak that I am, I bought us some and they were awesome!
We ended up stopping at a place called Poring Hot Springs for the night, being off season, we got a 14 bunk dorm room all to ourselves for about $15, our friends the geckoes keeping the insects at bay and lulling us to sleep with their sweet little barks.
The morning brought two unforeseen delights!
At this point I feel compelled to mention that Laurie's late mother visits us on every holiday. Somehow, and believe me it's freaky, wherever we go she invariably manifests as a rhino beetle (that's my story and I'm sticking to it), so we have a photo of Laurie kissing rhino beetles all over the world ... Queensland in Australia, the jungles of Peru, the streets of Kobe in Japan, and now in Borneo, too.
And the other;
Having talked to one of the staff at the lodgings, we found out that a friend of his had a very special flower growing in his jungle garden, known to produce the largest flower in the world, it is also the stinkiest, attracting flies which it uses instead of bees for dirty stinky flower sex!!! It was also named after me ... the Rafflesia arnoldii! After going on a harrowing 4x4 track for about half an hour in this guy's little family car (something like a ford laser) his friend met us in a proper 4x4 drive and off we went into the jungle. Another half hour-or-so (I never wear a watch) we finally got to a hammock strung up between the trees. He informed us that he'd slept out here last night, by the flower, I'm assuming to protect it. His piece of jungle was GORGEOUS!


1. Driving driving driving ... Mount Kinabalu in the distance .... actually very distant ... it's a huge mountain, 4000m high

2. unidentifyable chicken bits on a stick ... delicious

3. the inevitable appearance of the rhino beetle ... just unbelievable how this always happens

4. another day, another jungle

5. beautiful, clean and clear, potable water ... sweet

[wickedglass]

1. the first evidence of the Rafflesia arnoldii ... a small bud, just a little bigger than a football

2. and around the corner, there she was ... aphrodite herself, voluptuous, succulent, beautiful ... but slightly stinky ...

3. and after everyone had admired and photographed and amired some more and left, I lingered behind ... and was rewarded!

4. and rewarded some more

5. and this is the Rafflesia gang with our guide in his backyard

[wickedglass]

1. we might look like we're looking into the camera in that previous shot, but it was difficult to keep your eyes off all THIS is going on behind the camera!

2. it breaks my heart, but no matter what you say, nature is the most amazing artist, humble me could never dream of dreaming up anything as fine, elegant and beautiful as this

3. or this

4. or this

5. or this ... all anyone could ever attempt is a pale illusion.

[clan tabby]

Incredible stories, awesome photos. Thank you, again, for sharing your wonderful adventures. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[wickedglass]

good morning (I'm guessing it is morning for most of you and I'm hoping it's good for all of you)
here's a little intermission from the travel pics, I'll post some more (unless you're getting sick of me writing a little Borneo travel blurb here).
hopefully one of these pics will put a smile on the start of your day ... we took them at different stages of our journey, but I think they go well together under the heading of funny and strange.

1. Agro Bank ... customer service with a frown

2. Cham Chuan Kee Fried Chicken CCKFCWTF???? Pure halal goodness!!! It's really delicious!

3. the kind of tow trucks that are used for mopeds are ... well ... other mopeds. Just when you thought that three guys alone on a moped is a feat they go and add another moped on top!

4. It's one of those nights, you had too much to drink, there's a helicopter spinning inside your brain and Dead Kennedy's song "too drunk to f***" keeps regurgitating itself inside your skull, your girlfriend is soooooooo angry with you coz she wanted some of your booty on this oh so very special night and you're driven to despair ... well, despair not, trusty friend, for along comes the perfect answer for the perfect finish to the perfect night ... apparently steeping crocodile penis (see arrow) in hot water for a nice cup of dried penis tea is god's gift to drunks!!! You can kiss your Dead Kennedy good bye, coz after drinking that you're sure to have a Live one! I didn't try this one however, I never get that drunk...pic taken at a local medicine market stall.

5. Here's my favourite, it's a nice healthy soft drink ... Kickapoo Joy Juice ... how could that not make you happy??

[FiredDesires]

Been enjoying your travel log & pics......this last set of pics, hummmm....top left pic (penis pics) looks like dried up seahorses! don't let Kimberly see this...and the bottom guys? look like dried up sting rays, or plecastamuses (aquairum cleaners) and if the "original joy juice" really doesn't make you joyous? the name should! lol......thanks for sharing, keep them coming..

[HWCGlass]

wow. thanks.