All showered and fresh we headed upstairs to the club level for a ridiculous breakfast spread -thanks to my cousin Joan Miller! Where do we start...? Well there was an assortment of fresh juices including pineapple, orange and watermelon juice (why haven't we thought of this before??). There were these tiny little dessert cups of something that looked like oatmeal but was whiter with pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top- I decided to give it a try. How to describe it...let's see: Imagine partially cooked ground oatmeal that was sweetened with condensed milk and served cold and that is basically what this was...can't say it was my favorite but it wasn't half bad. Next we tried a traditional Malay food which our waiter "Tommy" informed us is enjoyed throughout the day in Malaysia. Now this was really good...it is basically a semi spicy potato curry. Tommy (I'm quite doubtful this was his real name) asked if it was too spicy for us because some of the other guests had complained...we told him it was actually pretty mild and he thought that was pretty funny. It's too bad we have to catch a flight in a few hours because this guy was really nice and continued chatting it up with us while we indulged on croissants, eggs over easy and café Americanos with steamed milk. He said he hopes we come back to visit KK again because he would like to show us around his town...and he seemed pretty genuine. We got the sense that most of the people who come through this hotel (and the "club level" guests in particular) are a bit arrogant, high maintenance and demanding of all the comforts of 'home' wherever that may be. The Hyatt did a pretty good job appealing to the masses but we wouldn't have minded a more authentic Malay experience...
And onward to Lahad Datu...we went downstairs just in time for our teksi driver to pick us up for the airport. Fortunately the mix up with flights was taken care of (although we are pretty sure that if we hadn't discovered the mix up it we may be spending another night here) and we were all set for a 9am flight to the eastern coast of Sabah.
The check in process ran smoothly and we soon found ourselves at the gate. Our personal guide met us there at A9 and introduced herself as "Mitch". She was wearing black cargo pants, hiking boots and an official 'Borneo Tours" shirt. Her hair is shoulder length, tied back in a loose ponytail. She would- for the next 6 days at least- be at our beck and call.
We boarded the small aircraft and despite such a short flight I somehow managed to fall asleep. I'll blame my fatigue on Brian not letting me ever sleep in! We landed and found ourselves at a tiny airport where the baggage guys actually used hand trucks to move the luggage from the plane and then piled them up on a counter for their respective owners. Outside we met 'Mr. Man'- our driver who threw our luggage into the back of his pick up truck and then drove us across the street to the bakery to grab some lunch to go. Mitch treated us to a variety of Malaysian pastries- including cheese bread (which was a cross between a sugar donut and a long white bread roll with a slice of kraft melted on top...) potato curry filled pockets which were very good and much spicier than this mornings variety.
We drove through heavy traffic in the small town of Lahad Datu at first...with political posters and signs adorning both sides of the road and school children spilling out of school and huddled at bus stops. Girls wearing smock like uniforms with head scarves and boys wearing clean white shirts and dark pants. We soon entered the protected area known as Danum Valley and the landscape changed dramatically. The road narrowed and was filled with rocks that bounced up and hit the truck on all sides...I was sure the next one would come right through the glass but fortunately it didn't.
Dense forest surrounded us on all sides with trees towering over. There were also a few scary bridges we had to cross on the road to the lodge...and when I say scary I mean, scary. I mean, like 2 extra long planks of wood with chain linked fencing material to form the sides over a moving and very muddy river. Mr. Man seemed to gun it right before we hit the bridges-I couldn't decide if I was relieved about this or if his actions were actually justifying my fear that the bridge wasn't strong enough to support our weight?
Three + hours later we turned a corner and arrived to the magical Borneo Rainforest Lodge...a structure supported on stilts literally in the middle of nowhere. We were greeted by smiling women dressed in green polos and khakis who handed us cold scented washcloths (was it jasmine?) and refreshing clear drinks that tasted (surprisingly) like coconut sticky rice...lemongrass and pendant (sp?) leaves. They placed green garlands of pendant leaves (I suppose the rainforest version of the jasmine welcome garlands we saw in the city) over our heads and asked us to remove our shoes to enter the main lodge. We walked up a ramp to the second level open air lobby which boasted rich teak (and shaky) flooring and furniture to match with large linen pillows in a multitude of colors and giant woven lanterns hanging from the sloping ceiling...swaying gently in the breeze. A woman handed us our room key and led the way down the elevated wooden boardwalk to our cabin which was at the far end on the left. She removed her shoes before entering (a sign of respect in Malaysia).
We were pleasantly surprised to enter a spacious airy and bright cabin complete with wide french doors that opened to a small patio overlooking (you guessed it) jungle. Teak was the common theme with hints of bamboo slatting off the bathroom and bedroom. We had a hot water heater (can't really imagine needing it) electricity, a ceiling fan and even a refrigerator! Can't really ask for much more in the depths of the jungle! We nodded our approval and she left us to getting settled...
We changed into our "Bugs Away!" Clothing (we are such nerds but couldn't pass up the appeal of clothing already doused with premetherin repellent so we didn't have to apply it ourselves)...and after taking our second dose of Malarone, we sprayed a healthy layer of 30% DEET on any exposed areas -special thanks to family friend Jeanne Trout for sponsoring our mosquito repellent and prescriptions as a shower gift!
We were now jungle ready. We headed back up to the main lodge for our first guided walk through the rainforest. But first we had to purchase leech socks. We have been reassured time and again that leeches are harmless but we'd just as well avoid them entirely if at all possible. The "leech socks" were nothing more than one size fits all very thin and plain Christmas stockings that tie at the top- in a variety of colors. I went with grey to match my pants and Brian chose navy blue. We would late discover that the lighter color the better when it comes to leech socks- there's a helpful hint for the next time you go on a jungle trek!
The group assembled (8 in all) with Mitch and our Borneo guide Mike (that makes remembering names easy) we just as we were about to start walking, a sudden and violent thunderstorm ensued. Let me take a moment to recount a conversation we had along the way...Did I mention that earlier Brian had asked about orangutan sightings and how many we could expect to see and Mitch replied with "oh they are rare, can go days without seeing any at all"...?!?!?!?!........what?! With all the planning for this trip it never once occurred to me to ask how many sightings we could expect! Now that we've traveled halfway around the world Brian's going to come up with the good questions?! Really Brian?! So we waited 20 minutes (for the rain to let up) and needless to say, we started the walk with deflated expectations.
First it was a simple path, a slightly elevated boardwalk of sorts made of slats of wood covered in some kind of metal wire -presumably to prevent slipping on the slick wet leaves. It was hot, extremely humid and a rumbling of thunder could be heard every so often, seemingly just above us. The air was thick with the smell of...rainforest I suppose. A complex mix of fresh, dead and wet leaves, healthy as well as rotting tree bark, gently fragranced flowers...water...and DEET. Lots of sounds could be heard all around us yet no wildlife was in clear sight. Mike talked about the different trees...the presence of ebony, he said, is an indicator of 'primary' or 'virgin/original' rainforest. Buttress trees have wide root systems but go no deeper than 30 cm yet could reach hundreds of feet high. Every single tree was covered top to bottom in ferns or moss or a combination of both. We rounded a corner and the path took a more authentic turn...melding into one of more tree roots and a piece of wood here or there for reinforcement. Mike pulled a small leech off his leech socks and demonstrated how easy it was to remove them to the group. I inspected my socks- thankfully still leech free.
We came to a viewpoint just as we heard a very loud clap of thunder above us. I waited patiently for the strike of lightning that would surely come next and knock down one of the towering trees on us. Fortunately this didn't happen. Mike and Mitch laughed and told us that it was just God re-arranging the furniture. I found it amusing that halfway around the world, here in Malaysia, the same stories my grandparents used to reassure me as a child were also being relied upon here.
We continued along, my brain unsure whether to keep my neck cranked back to see the tree tops for a chance to catch an orangutan or if I should keep my eyes on the ground to avoid falling flat on my face. Fortunately I didn't have to debate for long because Mike received word on his walkie talkie that a mom and baby orangutan were spotted just behind us!!! How on earth could we have missed them I wondered?? We quickly and as quietly as we could...and there they were, nestled up in the tree top, baby clinging to the mom and she moved slowly from one tree to the next stopping to eat along the way and letting the baby wander about just alongside her. It was really really amazing, I can't believe they just "live" here! Brian swopped into high sports shooter gear and the click click click of his shutter was going a mile a minute. I tried to capture a few shots but was too much in awe just watching that I doubt I got anything good...
But we were super excited to have seen not just one, but a mom and baby orangutan on our first walk! Maybe the heat, humidity and swarming bugs will be worth it after all :)
- Posted from abroad using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Lahad Datu,Malaysia
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