YES, WE'RE STILL IN BORNEO

"What you lookin' at?"  The "fashion statement" above is not one of us. Promise.

We weren't really planning on coming here, at least not when this trip started three months ago. Now, we can't seem to leave. And no, it's not because we accidentally booked a flight for the wrong month (that hasn't happened...yet).

After the sharks in Sipadan, the pygmy elephants in Kinabatangan, and the jazz in KK, we figured we had hit most of Borneo's highlights. We were so wrong.

The latest natural wonder: the wildlife of Bako National Park. The place is a lazy-man's paradise for those looking to get up close and personal with some truly exotic and wild animals without really trying. Just an hour north by bus and boat outside of Kuching, the island's largest city (a fun, scenic destination on its own), Bako is home to herds of the typically-shy bearded pig, birds galore, numerous pit vipers, two types of flying lemur, and all kinds of monkeys that will stare at you, ignore you, and if you're not careful, steal a fried egg off your breakfast plate while you're watching (ask Liz. That actually happened).

Male proboscis monkey on a hot tin roof.

Silver leaf monkey eating a fresh bud.

During a short walk along the raised boardwalks of the park, you'll likely spot all the aforementioned animals, and even more with the help of one of Bako's knowledgeable guides. There are no cages or feeding times, but an abundance of fruit trees combined with safe habitat and long-ago established conservation areas (est.1957) makes the area around HQ a hub of animal activity.

While the sightseeing is incredible, the lodging  leaves a little to be desired. We slept in a four-bed dorm room that smelled like a group of monkeys had been locked in there for a week. Combine that with the 90 degree weather, and the daytime smell was enough to make you want to turn around and go home. But then you see a group of wild pigs walk by, and some monkeys jump around in the trees, and you forget about the smell (you actually don't, but it sounds nice, right?).

ABOVE: A baby bearded pig gives Liz's hand a curious sniff.


LEFT: Liz poses with a posse of bearded pigs just off the porch.

We liked the place so much, we stayed three nights to allow time to hike some of the many miles of well-maintained trails that venture up rocky slopes, over sandy plateaus and down to beaches as empty as they are stunning.

The pristine beach that rewards hikers after a two-hour trek from Bako HQ.

Enjoying the views and the water before heading back up the trail. 

This is a real sign at Bako National Park. 

This one is, too. 

         

PHOTOS ABOVE: giant black scorpion; snake eating a lizard;
Borneo pit viper; and a red dragonfly.

The sun sets over Bako National Park in western Borneo.

FROM OCEAN TO JUNGLE

A long-tailed macaque reacts when we tell him about our vast knowledge of Borneo's jungles.

Ever heard of the Kinabatangan River in Borneo? No? Well, we hadn't either, not until we read about it in a restaurant while trying to figure out where we should go the following day. [Note to self: do more research before visiting our next destination]

The Kinabatangan, Malaysia's second longest river, is one of Borneo's premier jungle attractions and is the place to go if you want to see animals in the wild. The area around the river is home to proboscis monkeys, hornbills, orangutans, red-leaf monkeys, macaques, lots of leeches, and if you're lucky, the rare pygmy elephant, among hundreds of other amazing creatures.

A baby pig-tailed macaque has some leaves for breakfast. 

It's also on the way to Kota Kinabalu, or "KK" as it's known, which is where we were ultimately headed.

While there were no buses to the river, a guy at the restaurant where we were reading said we could probably hop a bus to KK and ask the driver to drop us off at the "meeting place."

Liz asked, "What's the meeting place, sir?"

Restaurant man responded, "It's where the KK bus will drop you if you ask the driver. From there you try to find a ride to the river."

Of course! Being dropped off alone on a rural roadside in Borneo. Great idea. No danger of being eaten by wild animals here, certainly not in the middle of the jungle.

So we gave it a shot.

After three hours on the bus, the driver pulled off the road and said, "meeting place." We looked around and realized, he's talking to us. Out the window were only three roadside shops...and they were closed. We grabbed our packs, the bus pulled away, and we realized we may have made a mistake. Did we mention we're working on our planning skills?

Luckily, just before sunset, when the animals and mosquitoes were starting to feed, a local man and his wife stopped and agreed to haul us to Bilit, which was a 45-minute drive over rough, gravel roads, across small creeks, and through vast plantations of palm trees planted where dense jungle once stood. Side note: the oil produced from palm trees here is the blessing and curse of Borneo--while it's a leading export, growers have clear cut millions of acres of virgin forests and wildlife habitat, and more is disappearing every day. Learn more from this National Geographic story by our friend Mel White (sorry, Mel, can't believe we didn't read this and ask for your advice before we came!).

When we arrived at the "jetty" (a small pile of boards nailed together, floating on empty oil drums), the nice driver graciously let us use his phone to call a jungle lodge to send a boat to pick us up. Thankfully, one did.

Our stay at the "lodge" proved to be stunning. While we slept two nights on thin, twin mattresses draped with well-used mosquito nets, they were two of the more well-rested nights of our trip. The soothing, constant roar of the jungle surrounded us. Our palm-roofed hut overlooked the chocolate milk-colored river, which we floated down on guided boat trips at dawn and dusk, when the animals are most active. We took nature hikes in daylight and even after dark. Despite the shin-high galoshes we borrowed from the lodge, Kip finally got his first leech. He was so proud.

Based on the photos below, the lack of planning mostly worked out in the end. But for a few minutes there...waiting on the side of that road hoping for a ride to the river...we had our doubts.

Yes, those are really pygmy elephants behind the two American cuckoos. 

A hungry pygmy elephant grabs herself a breakfast of champions. River grass. Mmmm.

A male proboscis monkey. Write your own caption in the comments below. Note: kids visit this site.

One of Borneo's many species of leaf insects. Now that's some camouflage to be proud of.

A Rufous-backed kingfisher.

A rhino hornbill.