My Orang Utan Diary
So as if the jet-lag/exhaustion wasn’t enough I’d foolishly booked an early flight on Wednesday to take me across Borneo to Sandakan. I know, I’d not heard of it either. Anyway the reason for the freakishly early trip was to visit a place I’d seen on TV many times - Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary. Back in London when I was booking the 7.40 flight it seemed like a fantastic idea, of course that was before I knew my hotel was nearly an hour away from the airport and that even on domestic flights they still want you there 2 hours before, and that’s why I was on my way at 4.15 (am!).
I’d done some research and looked into booking a tour of the place, but as a lone traveller the cheapest I was quoted was 600 MR (over £100) to take me to Sepilok and Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. I have to wonder if there is one single species of primate anywhere on this planet that doesn’t have it’s own sanctuary. I wasn’t that aware of Proboscis Monkeys to begin with, let alone realise they were under threat too. Still, having seen a photo of them in the hotel wildlife reserve yesterday I decided I wanted to check them out too, if only to see if the raging hard-on the one in the photo has was an exception or the rule!
Anyway, in the spirit of adventure, I decided not to be fleeced just because I have no friends, and landed at Sandakan Airport with only the vaguest idea of where I was going. I knew I could get a bus to Sepilok from the town centre, so I asked a friendly airport employee how I got there. She told me that for 35MR I could get a cab right to Sepilok. Well now £7 sounded a lot better than £100 and it was already scorching hot, so I paid my cash upfront and jumped in a cab.
A note here about the flight, it was officially the teensiest, tiniest, cutest little plane I have ever flown on - and I have flown on a few including the one that induced my birth! I am a fearless flyer, but when a plane this small cuts out on the runway and we are told we need to hang on for the maintenance man, even I - the Amelia Eyreheart (sp) of Ladbroke Grove - get a wee bit antsy. Anyway, half an hour later we were giving take off another go. Phew this time we made it!
So my later arrival in Sandakan was another factor in taking a cab. It was gone 9am and I knew they fed the Orang-utans at 10.0, so time was of the essence. My driver knew this too and he got me there with time to spare, bless him. I handed over my dosh 50 MR plus a 10 MR “camera fee” and then dashed to the lockers to dump my rucksack. You can’t take them in with you incase a monkey swipes it. I should be so lucky! I quickly doused myself with Deet, and then made my way into the bit of rainforest we humans are encouraged to penetrate. The viewing platforms were pretty packed, and there were loads of kids there. How lucky are they? Imagine being five years old and your parents take you to Borneo to see monkeys? I never even got to Disneyland!
Anyway, this whole rehabilitation thing seems to be a roaring success, because unlike the gazillions you see on Orang-utan Diary, there were three. Yep three. They didn’t even have a show-off one like the hotel’s nature reserve! I was more than a tad disappointed I can tell you. What’s worse was the three that were listlessly nibbling at bananas where scared off by a tribe of little Leaf Monkeys who came down for the leftovers.
When we got back to the main compound there was a mini-bus there who was taking people to Labuk Bay to see the Proboscis monkeys. It was a 30 RM round trip, plus the entrance fee of course. Anyway I jumped in. I was like a monkey junkie, I needed a decent fix of primate, those three were like monkey methadone, eg not as good as the real thing, but better than nowt.
About 45 minutes later we pulled up at what looked like a scrap yard. We got out of the bus to pay, and with the fare it was 100RM - dearer than Sepilok - there’d better be some serious monkey action for that kinda price!
We then got back on the bus and were driven into the heart of this patch of land, where they had a kind of lodge. Shoes were removed and cold drinks purchased, then it began.
Suddenly the area to the right of the lodge was overrun with Proboscis monkeys! Wow they really are quite magnificent creatures! And yes, all of the males were very happy to see us three women visitors!
The one that joined us, whilst looking the fiercest, was apparently the tamest. He had six fingers on one of his hands and that marked him out from the rest of his bachelor tribe apparently. It sure helped him keep a tight grip on that bread he was so fond of!
The ‘green beans’ came out and soon the lodge was over-run with Silver Leaf monkeys. I’d met a bunch of these sweet little creatures last time I was in Malaysia, I love how their babies are bright ginger so that they don’t lose them in the bush!
We spent a good while here watching these little beasts up close. Sometimes they appeared to be studying us as intently. Maybe not, maybe they were just wondering why we didn’t have any food for them!
Then I got back on the bus to go back to Sepilok for the afternoon feeding session. One of the girls on this trip said she was there yesterday afternoon and that’s when the mothers come with their babies. Oh I do hope so!
Before I went back into the jungle there was time for me to have some food. There’s a little cafe there and I had the most delicious noodles with prawns. Then it was time for the ‘video’ - the same one I’d seen at my hotel yesterday, the one we’ve all seen with the wheelbarrow-load of baby orang-utans, the one thing you don’t actually see when you come here sadly!
I totally get that the idea is to rehabilitate these creatures and get them living back in the forest away from us nasty humans, but I really, really wanted some ‘face time’ with one of them! I mean, you can cuddle live tigers in Thailand for God’s sake!
Anyway, after the film, off we all trooped into the forest, to feeding platform A and it was just heaving with the Leaf Monkeys! They are not shy of humans at all and I was able to get up close to quite a few of them. No cuddling though!
Then it began, one by one they came. The mother Orang-utans with their gorgeous little babies! How brilliant that these, who were once orphans were now raising babies of their own? It made me feel a bit emotional I have to admit!
By the time the feeding session came to an end, I was exhausted. My lack of sleep the night before and the intense heat and humidity here in the jungle got to me. I decided not to take a trip into Sandakan town, and instead headed for the airport where I checked in for my flight and promptly slept for an hour in the departure lounge.
What an amazing day!
I’d done some research and looked into booking a tour of the place, but as a lone traveller the cheapest I was quoted was 600 MR (over £100) to take me to Sepilok and Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. I have to wonder if there is one single species of primate anywhere on this planet that doesn’t have it’s own sanctuary. I wasn’t that aware of Proboscis Monkeys to begin with, let alone realise they were under threat too. Still, having seen a photo of them in the hotel wildlife reserve yesterday I decided I wanted to check them out too, if only to see if the raging hard-on the one in the photo has was an exception or the rule!
Anyway, in the spirit of adventure, I decided not to be fleeced just because I have no friends, and landed at Sandakan Airport with only the vaguest idea of where I was going. I knew I could get a bus to Sepilok from the town centre, so I asked a friendly airport employee how I got there. She told me that for 35MR I could get a cab right to Sepilok. Well now £7 sounded a lot better than £100 and it was already scorching hot, so I paid my cash upfront and jumped in a cab.
A note here about the flight, it was officially the teensiest, tiniest, cutest little plane I have ever flown on - and I have flown on a few including the one that induced my birth! I am a fearless flyer, but when a plane this small cuts out on the runway and we are told we need to hang on for the maintenance man, even I - the Amelia Eyreheart (sp) of Ladbroke Grove - get a wee bit antsy. Anyway, half an hour later we were giving take off another go. Phew this time we made it!
So my later arrival in Sandakan was another factor in taking a cab. It was gone 9am and I knew they fed the Orang-utans at 10.0, so time was of the essence. My driver knew this too and he got me there with time to spare, bless him. I handed over my dosh 50 MR plus a 10 MR “camera fee” and then dashed to the lockers to dump my rucksack. You can’t take them in with you incase a monkey swipes it. I should be so lucky! I quickly doused myself with Deet, and then made my way into the bit of rainforest we humans are encouraged to penetrate. The viewing platforms were pretty packed, and there were loads of kids there. How lucky are they? Imagine being five years old and your parents take you to Borneo to see monkeys? I never even got to Disneyland!
Anyway, this whole rehabilitation thing seems to be a roaring success, because unlike the gazillions you see on Orang-utan Diary, there were three. Yep three. They didn’t even have a show-off one like the hotel’s nature reserve! I was more than a tad disappointed I can tell you. What’s worse was the three that were listlessly nibbling at bananas where scared off by a tribe of little Leaf Monkeys who came down for the leftovers.
When we got back to the main compound there was a mini-bus there who was taking people to Labuk Bay to see the Proboscis monkeys. It was a 30 RM round trip, plus the entrance fee of course. Anyway I jumped in. I was like a monkey junkie, I needed a decent fix of primate, those three were like monkey methadone, eg not as good as the real thing, but better than nowt.
About 45 minutes later we pulled up at what looked like a scrap yard. We got out of the bus to pay, and with the fare it was 100RM - dearer than Sepilok - there’d better be some serious monkey action for that kinda price!
We then got back on the bus and were driven into the heart of this patch of land, where they had a kind of lodge. Shoes were removed and cold drinks purchased, then it began.
Suddenly the area to the right of the lodge was overrun with Proboscis monkeys! Wow they really are quite magnificent creatures! And yes, all of the males were very happy to see us three women visitors!
The one that joined us, whilst looking the fiercest, was apparently the tamest. He had six fingers on one of his hands and that marked him out from the rest of his bachelor tribe apparently. It sure helped him keep a tight grip on that bread he was so fond of!
The ‘green beans’ came out and soon the lodge was over-run with Silver Leaf monkeys. I’d met a bunch of these sweet little creatures last time I was in Malaysia, I love how their babies are bright ginger so that they don’t lose them in the bush!
We spent a good while here watching these little beasts up close. Sometimes they appeared to be studying us as intently. Maybe not, maybe they were just wondering why we didn’t have any food for them!
Then I got back on the bus to go back to Sepilok for the afternoon feeding session. One of the girls on this trip said she was there yesterday afternoon and that’s when the mothers come with their babies. Oh I do hope so!
Before I went back into the jungle there was time for me to have some food. There’s a little cafe there and I had the most delicious noodles with prawns. Then it was time for the ‘video’ - the same one I’d seen at my hotel yesterday, the one we’ve all seen with the wheelbarrow-load of baby orang-utans, the one thing you don’t actually see when you come here sadly!
I totally get that the idea is to rehabilitate these creatures and get them living back in the forest away from us nasty humans, but I really, really wanted some ‘face time’ with one of them! I mean, you can cuddle live tigers in Thailand for God’s sake!
Anyway, after the film, off we all trooped into the forest, to feeding platform A and it was just heaving with the Leaf Monkeys! They are not shy of humans at all and I was able to get up close to quite a few of them. No cuddling though!
Then it began, one by one they came. The mother Orang-utans with their gorgeous little babies! How brilliant that these, who were once orphans were now raising babies of their own? It made me feel a bit emotional I have to admit!
By the time the feeding session came to an end, I was exhausted. My lack of sleep the night before and the intense heat and humidity here in the jungle got to me. I decided not to take a trip into Sandakan town, and instead headed for the airport where I checked in for my flight and promptly slept for an hour in the departure lounge.
What an amazing day!
Labels: Travel
posted by JoJo Smith at Wednesday, November 03, 2010
2 Comments:
Intense.The Proboscis monkeys are just amazing looking animals. I would love to do some Monkeying around with you, seeking them here seeking them there....*jealous*....
They're kinda pre-historic looking to me - the Proboscis monkeys I mean - I could happily spend the rest of my days visiting monkey hotspots around the world!
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