Into the Jungles of Borneo

Megan and I ventured into the wild lands of Borneo during the Hari Raya Haji long holiday.  Borneo was unlike any place we had visited in Southeast Asia.  Borneo’s natural wildlife and indigenous cultures are quite unique.   For our trip, we based operations out of Kuching, the capital of the province of Sarawak.*

The exotic wildlife

Borneo’s wilderness is exotic and fascinating.  The island’s separation from mainland Asia has allowed wildlife to evolve in unique closed environments.  Consequently many animals found in Borneo are found nowhere else in the world.  A great example is the Probiscus Monkey.  The Probiscus Monkey has to be one of the uglier members of the primate family.  They have a strange fat body, bizarre coloring and a weird nose which makes them seem almost alien like.  They live in small groups high up in the trees where they feast on fruits and leaves.  We encountered a number of these creatures up close while staying at Bako National Park.

The unfortunate looking Probiscus Monkey

Bako National Park is a protected reserve on a peninsula in Sarawak.  We stayed there for two days and one night in order to see lots of exciting wildlife.  The lodging at Bako is quite humble and gets ripped on at Trip Advisor “Far and away, this is the absolute worst accommodations we have had anywhere. We have been to 64 countries, traveled backpacker style. We are not all that fussy, but these accommodations were disgusting.” and "Before I'm misunderstood I spent a week living in a jungle before coming here and am not unused to insects, cheeky monkeys or "roughing it" but honestly you're better to tent it than to stay here.", but the nature elements more than compensated.

The humble accommodation - not great but not the
apocalypse of crap that the reviews warned of.

The Park is home to 7 different ecosystems, 3 primate species, lizards, reptiles and 150 different species of birds.   We hiked for 7-9 miles each day through jungles, mountains, and grasslands to deserted beaches.  Along the way we spotted numerous monkeys, bearded boars, carnivorous plants, and much more.  The smells and strange sounds of the jungle were intoxicating.   At one point one of the macque monkeys made a kamikaze style run at Megan to grab her ice cream.  You gotta watch out when you are in Borneo!

Megan crossing the waterfall on a treacherous bridge.

An example of the rough terrain we hiked through

Looking out across the South China Sea.  At the end of the
land mass you can see the landmark Sea Stacks.

At night the rangers lead tour guides back into the jungles to see the wildlife in their nocturnal state.  We came across a Wagler's Pit Viper, the 3^rd most poisonous snake in Borneo.  We saw frogs whose croaks could be heard for miles away.  We saw a beautifully colored Kingfisher bird sleeping the night away.  We also ran into bats, tarantulas, spiders and florescent mushrooms.   The tour provided tons of night time thrills.  As a bonus we had two amateur photographers competing for the honor of being “that guy”.  They both took about 10 pictures and 7 minutes for every animal we saw, no matter how insubstantial the creature.  Megan’s patience was worn to the point where she referred to one of them as Mr. DSLR.  A note to Mr. DSLR if you ever read this blog: ‘We get it dude, you have a nice camera.  In the future can you please take just one picture and stop blinding the animals with your obnoxious flash?’

After Bako we took another trip to Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to see Orangutans in their natural habitat.  Despite the inclimate weather (our first time with bad luck in any of our trips), we were still able to see 3 Orangutans feeding.  These animals were amazingly graceful, coordinated and human-like.   The way they shook the trees as they floated from branch to branch was impressive.  Orangutans live solitary lives and are endangered, so it was truly an incredible experience being able to see them in the wild.  Megan and I made sure to leave a good impression in case Planet of the Apes ever becomes real. 

Orangutans in Borneo

The Culture of Borneo

Like many of the countries in Southeast Asia, Borneo is a melting pot of diverse ethnicities and religious beliefs.   What’s different is that Borneo has a fascinating indigenous population.  The Dayak are tribal people who dominated the island until colonization in the 1800’s.  They previously lived in the jungle areas of the land and had extremely different beliefs than the cultures of mainland Southeast Asia.  For example, the Iban people practiced head hunting which was the decapitation and then proud display of enemy human heads.  The people were also impressively interested in body art.  Many of the males had intricate tattoos in painful places.  The tattoos and body modifications are still observed by their modern descendants.  Megan and I learned much about the indigenous cultures during a stop at the Sarawak Museum.

Megan underneath human heads in a replica Iban longhouse.

The City of Kuching

The City of Kuching kept us busy for a couple days.  Right near the Sarawak Museum were other nicely curated museums on Art, History, Islam and more.  They provided hours of intellectual stimulation, especially the exhibit on different funeral and death customs.  Kuching also offers a nice riverwalk, a variety of souvenir shops and pretty good restaurants.   In terms of local food, the Sarawak Laksa was most excellent.  It was sweet and a bit spicy, not sour like Penang Laksa.

Kuching’s only disappointment was it’s dead nightlife scene.  Megan and I twice explored the city at night and all we found were a few empty bars.  The best place to relax and grab a drink was our Hostel Bar which was themed after an Iban Longhouse.  For a couple nights we enjoyed a few drinks and good company there.

Conclusions:

Borneo was an adventure.  The crazy wildlife, the exotic cultures and the interesting city of Kuching provided great experiences.  Kuching is a great base of operations for travelers interested in exploring the natural and cultural elements of Malaysian Borneo.   Travelers shouldn’t expect a rapidly growing cosmopolitan city like Ho Chi Minh City or somewhere in Bali.  Nevertheless it works as a solid base.