Following the Footsteps: BORNEO 6TH NOV -11TH NOV.

Most people come to Borneo for a particular reason and that is to see the the giant Orangutan and the long nosed proboscis monkey which I believe are unique to this island.In Borneo there are tribes who use to live in their traditional way in the long house, which are basically bamboo houses interconnected with one another. However these days not many tribes people live in the traditional way and the visits to their villages are mainly for the benefit for the tourists and of course it is source of income for the tribes people so that they can buy motorbikes. Some of the tribes only have 50-100 individuals and are threatened with extension.
Kuching , the capital city is totally different to all the other S E Asia cities. The city is well spread out and unlike the other Asian cities it is very quite and not many people on the streets. The shopping malls are huge but there are no people in them. Also very few tourists compared to the other cities we have been to.
We went out into the thick dense jungle to see the Orangutan but did not have much luck in finding them in the wild so had to go the sanctuary where you are guaranteed to see them. They are Hugh animals and moving from tree to tree effortlessly. A very impressive sight.
It is the rainy season here so the trekking in the jungle was very difficult. The humidity was intense and unbearable, made worst by all sorts of insects bites and leches clinging on to you. We were forewarned by people who had already been there before so we were reasonably prepared for this. Leches must not be pulled from your skin if you get one, the trick is to burn them with a cigarette end and they will drop off. I had seen this being done in the movies and we were also told by the guide who obviously new all about the different insects, bird life and the various different plant and animal life in the jungle.
The track through the jungle was meant to be for a whole day but gave up after four hours as Rekha and the insects do not go together. On your won trekking in such places is frightening with all kinds of animal noises and the fear of snakes lurking in the trees.
The island historically has extensive rain forest full of bird species and all kind of different animals. The rain forest here is the only natural habitat of the Borneo Orangutan and the guide told us that in the rain forest , on a regular basis they discover new plants and animals that has never seen before.