Sungai Kinabatangan is the name of the river where I spent three days on a wildlife safari. There were several boat cruises, and a couple of jungle hikes (one at night). But given the excessive rain that has been coming down, the hikes were almost knee deep in water and mud, and much of the wildlife was nowhere to be seen. I didn't really expect to see Borneo's pygmy elephants that were only recently discovered here, but we did find their two-month old tracks - this was the last time they were seen. And since the river was high, the crocodiles were also taking time out.

There were some highlights though, like getting close up to the proboscis monkeys. These are the ones with the long pink noses like the plastic one in the photo next to me in Tarakan, and they live nowhere else except Borneo. Unlike the macaques, they are a bit too shy to be photographed in the wild. There were some huge insects, particularly the big green bugs that were flying around, which were being hunted at night by large low flying bats that would suddenly round a corner and almost take your head off. If they hit you, they give off a pungent enzyme that causes temporary localized paralysis.

One reason for the slightly less frequent blog entries has been the more comfortable accommodation of late, which has been keeping me stationary for longer than usual. I loved the longhouse in a secluded deer park in Sepilok, so I stayed for four nights. It was enclosed entirely by mesh and wooden slats, with no curtains or shutters, so you really got the sense that you were falling asleep in the jungle. The crickets were very loud though, and a snake paid a visit to the balcony one day, which was spotted from the hammock below, where I spent most afternoons reading. My base on the river is called Bilit. On the opposite bank to the dirt track of a road, this village of wooden buildings sits on the edge of real wilderness.

Posted from Kota Kinabalu, 9th April 2011.