Jungle Jungle Everywhere

Hornbill siesta
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Desperate to see an Orangutan in the wild we started a 3 day jungle adventure.

Before going into the jungle we visited Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary. It was pretty similar to the one near Kuching but we didn't see as many Orangutans. We watched a film there about the work the sanctuary does with the orangutans and the gradual rehabilitation process that injured or captured orangutans have to go through before they can eventually be let free again in the wild. Pretty amazing!

No shower for 3 days then!

Tree snake going for a swim
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We caught a bus to Uncle Tans where we had lunch before heading off in a minivan with our fellow junglers to the Kinabatangan river. From there we got a boat to the camp. The boat ride itself was great. We saw Hornbills, lots of Macaques and Proboscis monkeys and a couple of huge Monitor Lizards.

We were dropped at the river's edge and had to put on wellies to wade through the mud to the camp. The camp itself was extremely basic but thats what we were expecting. It consisted of open wooded huts with a mattress on the floor cover by a (much needed) mosquito net and that about it! No shower for 3 days then! The jungle was so hot and humid we were constantly sweating too. Lovely!

IMG_5497
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The camp is run by a bunch of young guys from the village on the river. They really made the experience what it was. They were so friendly and knowledgable about everything.

That night we went on a boat ride along the river. It was a really mellow night, very starry. We saw lots of sleeping birds (including a very colourful Kingfisher) and monkeys in the trees.

Up early the next day for our morning trip on the river. The animals are most active early in the morning and early in the evening. We saw lots of monkeys and birds but unfortunately not the orangutans, crocodiles or elephants were we were hoping for.

Kingfisher
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After breakfast we headed out for a guided walk in the jungle. We got very hot and very muddy. The mozzies were out in force too! Our guide pointed out loads of different vegetation. We even got to taste some of the flowers and berries that he found (obviously only the edible ones). We searched all the places where Orangutans had previously been spotted but they were all hiding from us! Ben did manage to get leached though!

Back at the camp a naughty Macaque had got into our hut and stolen some biscuits from the couple we were sharing with. Then when we were in the eating area one jumped down from the roof, opened a cupboard and stole a can of condensed milk right in front of everyone. They are so bad!

Easy there
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The afternoon was spent lazing around the camp as it was too hot to do anything and the animals aren't very active at this time of day (apart from the Macaques)

Early evening we went on another boat ride. The river is so different at different times of day. It felt really alive. There were so many birds and monkeys around. It was amazing just to sit and listen to all the different sounds they make. The sunset on the river was beautiful too.

We pulled up by a group of Macaques in a tree. After watching them for a while we realised they all seemed to be doing their business. I swear they were trying to hit us! luckily they missed!

IMG_5448
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We had dinner at the camp before heading out on our night walk in the jungle. It was pitch black so we all had to take torches. We were taken through knee high mud and our wellies kept getting stuck! Our guide was great. He found a huge scorpion which he was handling without a second thought even though he has been stung several times in the past! No way we were going to do that! We also saw loads of frogs and spiders including a huge tarantula! At first we didn't realise how on earth he could spot them but we were shown to put our torches up to our faces and shine it around. There were loads of little spiders shining back at us from everywhere we looked.

Sunset on the Kinabatangan River
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Everyone stayed up that night playing stupid drinking games. Was pretty funny.

We decided to get up early (despite the sore heads) and do another morning boat ride the next day instead of doing our own walk which most people chose to do. For the first half hour or so we were seeing more of the same animals and birds which were still great to watch but where were the Orangutans??? Then it started getting a bit more exciting. We saw a couple of large crocs in the water and a huge snake up in a tree. Cool. And then, there he was, a wild Orangutan up in a tree. We only saw him for about 10 seconds before he hid in his nest but it was really quite amazing. We clambered off the boat and up the muddy river bank to try and spot him again but he was gone. Off into the jungle where they belong.

Sunset
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A great experience but boy did we need a shower after it!