Swinging with the Orangutans!

Semenggoh Wildlife Centre

Thursday 3^rd March - Arriving from Singapore around 10.30am, we hopped in a taxi to our hostel – the 40 minute journey costing just £5. Having settled in at the hostel we journeyed off in search of a bite to eat, to try the local specialty ‘Laksa’ (noodle soup) that Bindi, our host, had recommended. Beforehand, however, we realised we had left our camera in Singapore and to say the least we weren’t the happiest for the remainder of the day. Fortunately however, we do have other cameras with us. Following lunch we wandered around Kuching in order to get our bearings, and after a brief visit to the museum, which wasn’t the greatest, we came back to begin deciding what we wanted to see whilst we were in Borneo.

Just one of many

Since we had a week, we decided that we would definitely have to see the orang-utans at Semenggoh Wildlife Sanctuary, which was famous for its rescue of wild orang-utans in distress whether it be from injury, illegal capture or orphanage. Thus, on our second day we ventured to Semenggoh in the afternoon, and we were not disappointed to say the least, it really was an incredible experience. Although it is called a wildlife sanctuary it is infact a natural rainforest and the orang-utans are classed as “Semi-Wild” as they can either feed from natural berries and fruits in the trees, or come down to the feeding areas where the centre gives them various nutrients.

Mother and Baby

When we arrived there were no animals in sight, however gradually noises appeared from within the forest and the trees started swaying and they began to appear one by one, some with babies gripping on for dear life as these incredible animals showed off their natural beauty. We saw about 10 orang-utans of varying ages and a mother and baby came up really close which was cute. Following that, we ran for the bus a good 1.5km away in the heat of the day (as they only come once every 90 minutes) and whilst bright red in the face and dripping with sweat met an English couple, Dave and Sue, who we instantly got on with as they had also travelled to a number of places we were due to go to.

Mother and Baby sharing a bunch of bananas

The next morning we decided to wake up early and visit the sanctuary again as there are only two feeding times during the day – 9am until 10am and 3pm until 4pm – to see whether there were any different behaviours as well as to try and spot the big famous male, Ritchie. Unfortunately the morning viewing wasn’t as impressive as the day before and it was overcrowded – although the activity from the orang-utans we did see was interesting. During the afternoon we went to Dave and Sue’s rather swanky hotel that they invited us to so that we could relax by their pool and use the gym (first bit of exercise for a while apart from our run for the bus). In the evening we opted for our first fancy meal in Asia at a place inaptly named ‘Junk’ where I had a stunning lamb shank, lush!

Night Scene from the Sarawak River looking over Kuching

As Sunday arrived we headed to Bako National Park, again meeting up with Dave and Sue. Upon arrival we immediately realised we had run out of cash, in the middle of nowhere, at which point I thought it be appropriate to ask whether there was a cash point near – to which Dave found hilarious. As we had to take a boat to get fully into the park, D&S kindly paid for us in the form of an IOU, and we eventually arrived and set off to tackle the incredible and vast rainforest. Following the first of two hikes, we returned to the mangroves where we had started in anticipation of seeing the Proboscis Monkeys which gather amongst the mangrove trees. Since this is one of the only places in the world where these incredibly odd looking creatures are found, it was quite a privilege to see them, and their strange noses, in their natural surroundings. Following a second walk which lasted for 3 hours we set off for Kuching, along with Dave and Sue, who having had to spend the whole day trekking with us, as well as help subsidise our days misdemeanour, invited us to have dinner with them at a seafood hawker centre on top of a car park, aptly named Top Spot! They kindly paid for our dinner (“poor backpackers” but yes we did pay back our IOU) and then we all headed out to a bar to watch the United vs. Liverpool game…probably not worth mentioning really given the result.

Proboscis Monkey - Bako National Park

Dave and Sue on the boat to Bako

The last few days were spent on an overnight trip to a longhouse tribe deep within the jungle surroundings. The trip itself was somewhat disappointing as the tribe did not seem at all interested in the fact that we had come to visit them, and it was made less exciting by the fact that it was just the two of us and our guide who didn’t really speak to us, however we did try to make the most of it and it was fascinating to see 24 families live in one Longhouse. Our final day was spent with another visit to Semenggoh to say our goodbyes to the orang-utans before setting our sites on Cambodia! 

Pure Luxury: Our 4 Poster Bed complete with Mosquito Net

5 Star Bathroom Facilities

"Can we come back next week, I just love it here!"

P.S. I know I said how bad the longhouse trip was, however we feel the pictures help to set the scene! 

If the boredom doesn't kill her, there's always the rice wine

Our enthusiastic hosts...especially the one on the right :s

At least we came back with something to remember from the trip

"What is your best price?"

So far, Asia has been a world away from Australia. From dead dogs (sadly frozen to death in the Cameron Highlands) to pig carcasses on the back of mopeds, we’ve seen the lot. 

Arriving late on at Singapore’s rather luxurious airport from Perth we decided to hop in a taxi to our hostel in Clarke’s Quay.

A Swanky Singapore Street Sweeper

The next day we went for a rather lengthy walk to

Orchard Road

before jumping onto a bus which gave a tour of the city. Having stopped in China Town for a bite to eat we were offered to try fish head soup by a couple of locals which we reluctantly accepted and it wasn’t too bad (although we only actually had the tofu part). Afterwards we fell into a trap and purchased our first goods – a new camera lens for $185 rather than $495 he had originally started at. The rest of the day was spent visiting the botanic gardens before heading on a river cruise both in the day and at night (following Chicken bhuriyani and naan for dinner, £7.50 between us).

Singapore Night Scene

Since our bus ticket lasted two days and included transport to Sentosa, a beach Island on the South of the Peninsula, we headed there for the day the next day. A visit to Waterworld followed by a trip around Fort Siloso – Singapore’s only remaining war camp from the Second World War.

Soph Having Been Splashed by a Sting Ray

Finding out our hostel was fully booked for our final night in Singapore, we moved next door where even though the day before we were promised a room, they had no space. Following much persuasion as well as them trying to transfer us to the Red Light District instead, a room miraculously came available…Having wasted a couple of hours at the hostel we set off for Chinatown for a walk around the various stalls before the heavens opened and thus were ‘forced’ to stop for a beer. In the evening we set off to Singapore’s Night Safari which successfully attempts to recreate natural living conditions for the animals including a pack of lions as well as tigers and elephants amongst others.

Soph's Malaysian Hair Cut

Waking up early in order to get to the airport in time for our flight to Kuala Lumpur we boarded the underground during rush hour with our huge bags where following a couple of changeovers we eventually arrived. That afternoon the heavens mightily opened and we were forced to seek refuge in our hostel before heading out into the infamous Chinatown markets in search of a new backpack as mine had split during the flight. The remainder of the evening was spent pampering as we both treated ourselves to £5 and £7 hair cuts which lasted for at least 75 minutes and included a head massage, followed by foot reflexology which cost £5 for 40 minutes – talk about value for money!

Our Foot Reflexology

Our hostel, by the way, was in the Chinatown district of KL, and since we had booked a 12 bed dorm, we really didn’t know what to expect. On arrival earlier in the day it didn’t take long to realise that infact the 12 bed dorm had been transformed into a 16 bed. It was not until the next day however we noticed them moving a bed from another room, and yes, it was being moved into ours – much to the annoyance of one lad, whose single bed was transformed into a bunk bed, thus turning it into a 17 bed dorm.

The Petronas Towers at Night

The remainder of our time in KL was spent looking at a number of sights including the Petronas towers as well as the Skytower before heading to the Cameron Highlands the following day.

Arriving in the Cameron Highlands following a 5 hour VIP bus journey (a business class type coach for an extra £1) and we felt that we had arrived in the real Malaysia – away from the hustle and bustle of the city atmosphere. That night was spent in the main town trying some of the local delicacies including some glorious Chicken Satays.

Satays Being Cooked in the Street

Having booked a tour on arrival the previous night we headed out to see the infamous ‘Boh’ Tea plantations – and admittedly the scenery was fascinating. With tea fields stretching for miles across the hills we went on to the factory where we got to see how it was made and try it – yum, tea always a favourite of mine…not!

'Boh' Tea Fields

At this point I mention that I say we booked a tour, however there were only 4 of us, of which the other two – mother and son were only doing a half day, thus it was us and our guide Bobby for the remainder of the day as we went to numerous different stops along the way, including a Mossy Forest, a Strawberry Farm and a Chinese Temple. A whole days entertainment for just £16 each; it’s staggering when we think back to what such a trip like that would have cost in Aus or NZ.   

The Mossy Forest

Heading to Penang the next day on another 5 hour bus journey, we arrived around lunchtime. Not forgetting that on our departure from the Cameron Highlands we sadly saw a dog which had literally frozen to death as since it was 6,000 metres above sea level, temperatures would plummet to below freezing at night.

Once in Penang we spent most of our time wandering the tiny streets, as well as sampling some of the infamous local cuisine as Soph had sting-ray. As we only had a couple of days before we were off to Singapore we didn’t have chance to see or do a lot however on the second day we did go to Batu Ferringhi – more of a Spain type area with big hotels along the beach etc. That evening we roamed the markets where I bought myself an Emporio Armani wallet – real of course, whilst Soph bought a few little bits of pieces along the way – these are the points at which we were constantly asked, “What is your best price?” At which time we both threw any number way below the asking price.

Me and Soph

Leaving Penang and arriving in Singapore just over an hour later, we headed back to the hostel we had previously stayed at before heading to the zoo in the afternoon. On arrival we were forced by the over-exuberant staff to make various poses for photos they wanted us to buy – “now thumbs up…now huggies, you two have huggies.” Although the night safari had been impressive, the day zoo offered a lot more; our personal favourites being the incredible white tigers. Aside from the animals themselves, there were also a number of animal shows, which to be honest, were not as good as they dragged on…and on…and on. Eventually we headed to Little India where we recreated our first night in Singapore with a Buriyani and Naan bread, of course cheap as chips!

The next morning was another one of those mornings, 5.30am wake up in preparation for our 8.30 flight. Once at the airport, I opted for a Burger King, and not the breakfast choice (a fully fledged burger and fries – instant regret), whilst Soph went for the healthier banana bread and an iced latté – how blasé! Aside from Soph nearly forgetting our passports we arrived in Borneo a couple of hours later!

Australia in a Nutshell - Part II

February 6^th – Arriving in Airlie Beach at 7am following a ten-hour coach journey an ever larger group of us headed to our hostel in search of a comfy bed to catch up on some of the sleep we had missed out on, on the coach – this was not helped by the fact that the only person on the whole coach to have a reading light on for the majority of the journey of course was sat in front of us. The remainder of the day was spent rebooking our Whitsundays trip (cancelled due to Cyclone Yasi) before heading out for a few drinks in the evening with Steph and Mark.

February 7^th – McDonalds breakfast…lush followed by watching the Superbowl with Mark – a Green Bay Packers fan (who happened to win!). The afternoon was spent by the lagoon since swimming in the sea was prohibited due to deadly jellyfish! In the evening we hit the town for a girl’s birthday in our dorm – Rachel.

February 8^th – Day 100 – Moved our bags into storage before setting off on the Atlantic Clipper for 2 Days and 2 Nights of fun and frolics. Following a brief safety talk (where Soph modelled the life jacket). The views over the Whitsundays were incredible as the sun set before the drinking games began. Following various types of games our team eventually won (winning us a chocolate bar each…wooo!). The remainder of the evening was spent drinking goon with “the three Danes” before nipping in the ‘hot’ tub - which was actually a cold, saltwater tub.

February 9^th – 6-30am wake up call, always one of the nicest following a late finish, however by 9 we were looking over Whitehaven Beach – one of the only pure silica sand beaches in the world. In the afternoon we went snorkelling before having a go at diving which was absolutely incredible. With such clear waters, both the coral and thousands of fish was an incredible site. The evening was again awash with various games, however this time the lads had to dress in ladies clothes, kindly provided by the tour guides.

February 10^th – Another early wake up call and me and Soph were off diving again. This time both the coral and types of fish were different from our previous and we were introduced to Elvis the Napoleon Rasp fish. At about 3 foot long, he was the tamest fish we’d ever seen. The remainder of the morning was spent jumping into the sea in our rather funky Stinger Suits (due to the nasty killers in the water) before heading back to land for the evening return party.

February 11^th – Took the bus from Airlie Beach to Cairns…the small matter of 10 hours, however we did see some of the devastation from Cyclone Yasi – especially present in Cardwell. Arriving so late, we checked into our grotty hostel before meeting up with Mark, Steph, Troels, Bjorn and Mikael (the 3 danes). That evening we ended up sleeping in their hostel room as it was far above what ours had to offer.

February 12^th – Waking up at 11.30 – our first lye in for months – we set off on trying to arrange a few activities with Mark and Steph and eventually booked a day trip to Cape Tribulation followed by a day on the Great Barrier Reef. After lounging around Cairns Lagoon for the remainder of the afternoon we headed to the Casino in the evening. As Troels was a big Man Utd fan, we spent a couple of hours watching the Utd – City game, and what a goal I have to add. With us and the Canadians not wanting to spend too much me and Soph came back $30 up, unlike the Danes who between two of the three lost $500 – citing the reason that it was their last night in Aus and there was nothing to lose – except for the matter of $500.

February 13^th – Me and Soph spent the day at the Daintree River with Mark and Steph. Quite a relaxed day going along the river, seeing a few croc’s – very much baby crocs, although the pictures make them look somewhat larger. In the afternoon we went on a forest walk where the most excitement that came was licking an ant’s bottom – described by our wacky driver as similar to the shock of a battery but the taste of lime – different to say the least.

February 14^th – Valentines Day and it was again ourselves, Mark and Steph who opted for a day on the Great Barrier Reef snorkelling and scuba diving. This diving was different from the Whitsundays as there was a far more extensive coral, although due to the recent cyclone the water had become somewhat cloudy. On our return we went out for a meal before packing ahead of our flight to Perth.

February 15^th – The morning and early afternoon was spend in search of a kangaroo steak as we had realised it was our last opportunity to realistically do so. The reminder of the day was spent on a flight to Perth to visit my long lost family who I hadn’t seen since 1991! Typically was the case that my uncle (Dad’s only sibling) was at sea and not due to return until a week after we left.

February 16^th – 20^th – During our time in Perth we spent much of it with my various relatives as Soph enjoyed evening manicure sessions with my cousin Michelle’s daughters as well as time in the pool during the afternoons. It was noticeably hotter on the West Coast of Aus, and following a couple of days in Perth and a visit to Freemantle Prison, much of our time was spent shaded away from the intense rays!

We did have chance to see a couple of friends as one of Soph’s coursemates, Danny, had come over to work for a year, as well as Kevin Percy who moved over after Sixth Form. On our final evening we went out to the incredible Berswood Casino with Michelle and Claire (my cousins), where having come out even we went to an Irish pub to dance the night away.

Although only a brief stop in Perth, it was a strange feeling saying goodbye to those I didn’t really know beforehand. However, we did feel like we got to know everyone pretty well. My auntie Linda did a grand job whilst we were there, waited on hand and foot, even when we offered to help we were ejected. Overall a strange but satisfying feeling meeting those I knew little about before. 

And so, Australia ends with pastures new ahead, and first stop – Singapore.

So, overall we managed to:

• Meet an aussie with a proper accent
• Try goon
• See England retain the Ashes
• Surf
• Eat kangaroo meat
• Get caught up in Australia's worst ever floods and one of it's biggest cyclones...wooo!