I love having visitors to stay, and Papa T and I have been lucky over the last 2 years to have welcomed almost all of our family members here but my eldest sister JN had yet to visit us. So I was very excited when many months ago she booked her flights to Singapore and we then spent the intervening months planning what to do during her stay.
Two days after I returned from the UK she arrived and we spent the first few days exploring some of Singapore's top sights. First stop the fabulous Botanic Gardens...
we tried out the reflexology path; bare foot as suggested, parts of it were really painful to walk on!
we saw the fabulous collection of orchid plants
We toured Chinatown, the colonial district and on a particularly hot day visited Sentosa where we paddled in the South China Sea
It's almost obligatory to visit the Marina Bay Sands and marvel at the view from the top whilst enjoying a (very expensive) drink
but this time we also enjoyed a delicious meal at the top restaurant; Ce La Vie, after all it was a special occasion!
After 3 days in Singapore it was time for the three of us to set off for our next adventure; a week in Sabah, Borneo, searching for animals both in the jungle and on the river. After checking in at the airport we had time to visit the Sunflower Garden
We arrived in Kota Kinabalu just in time to visit the Sunday market. Papa T bought some duku fruits for us to share, similar to longan's and lychees they are very tasty
There were stalls with clothes, handicrafts, sweets and snacks and also sadly one selling puppies in tiny cages.
Another stall sold jewellery and pearls, I was really tempted to buy a string of pearls but decided against, something I later regretted.
Later on JN and I went for a walk, we took the path up to Signal Hill Observatory, the walk was pleasant enough but once at the Observatory we were disappointed as several tall buildings obscured the view of the sea, I didn't even bother to take a photo!
Returning down we found the Atkinson Clock Tower which is the oldest standing structure in the whole of Sabah, it was built in memory of the first District Officer Francis George Atkinson. The tower was made entirely of wood without the use of nails
The next morning we were up horribly early, 4am, to catch the first flight of the day to Lahad Datu on the East coast of Sabah where we would be beginning our jungle stay. During the flight we got a really good view of Mount Kinabalu which brought back memories of having stood on the top only 4 weeks previously
We were met and driven to Tabin Wildlife Sanctuary 2 hours drive away, the first half hour was on tarmac roads the remainder on a gravel track passing through an enormous palm oil plantation
Having been subjected to the terrible 'haze' in Singapore last summer I have developed a rather dim view of palm oil production and do my best to boycott palm oil products which is really hard as it seems to be an ingredient in almost everything from foods to toiletries, sweets and shampoo and is often 'disguised' under the title -vegetable oil. It was very interesting to hear what our guide and driver had to say about how financially vital this product is to Sabah and his claims that the majority of the local producers adhere to sustainable palm oil production practices. He also said that many wild animals use the plantations as their larders so having a plantation next to the forest reserve was not necessarily a bad thing.
Fruit waiting for collection JN finding out just how oily the fruits are
Within a few minutes of turning onto the gravel track we spotted several long tail macaque monkeys, a snake and the first of many Crested Serpent Eagles
and further on a Prevost's Squirrel
and near our destination we were very lucky to see a family of Bornean Gibbons. The gibbon is reported to be one of the world's fastest moving animals and therefore difficult to see clearly, let alone photograph. We watched the group picking and eating the fruits and over the next few days often heard their loud 'whoop whoop' calls from our lodge
Then we arrived at the wildlife resort set deep in the jungle but with its own pretty garden area especially planted with plants that attract birds, insects, butterflies and other wildlife. It's a lovely calm place and we were immediately made to feel very welcome
Our lodges were on stilts and overlooking the stream
where from our balcony we could sit quietly and watch the Serpent Crested Eagle enjoy a bath or hunt for fish
We spent the next three days with our binoculars almost constantly around our necks and cameras at our sides ready to spot whatever we could. We were taken on guided walks and drives during the day and also at night so had plenty of opportunity to see a huge variety of birds, insects and mammals and with our expert guide, Jessica's help learned to identify them correctly, not an easy matter especially with birds that fly past quickly and several look pretty much the same, at least to my uneducated eye!
This Crimson Sunbird was easy to spot and identify though, he visited the plants by the lodges each day. There was a suspended bridge over the river (a favourite spot for a Stork Billed Kingfisher to fish from)
and a large natural pool in the river that is known as Otter pool, sadly we didn't spot the otters during our stay but sitting quietly in the hide I watched a large Long Tail macaque wander past and this monitor lizard check the whole area presumably for something to eat
After lunch we prepared for a three hour jungle walk, we had been told that leeches are rife in this area so JN and I had bought some leech socks with us, I forgot to put mine on but JN wore hers over the next few days. During our stay in Sabah we never actually even came across 1 leech perhaps because it had been so dry, in fact it didn't rain the whole time we were in the "Rainforest"!
Along the trail we enjoyed seeing and learning about the rainforest environment and it's wildlife, we saw few birds or animals but plenty of evidence that they are there, like this elephant footprint below JN's hand, it was huge and I realised then that the local Pygmy Elephant is pretty huge
Of course it was steamy hot and tough walking, poor Papa T was suffering with his ongoing hip pain but bravely carried on
We eventually reached a clearing and the active Lipad mud volcano which provides a mineral salt lick for wildlife, the mud is also reputed to be good for the skin but we politely declined to have a face mask
Back at the lodge we were fed again and relaxed until it became dark when we were taken on a night drive. Using 2 spot spotlights we drove back down the gravel road looking for animals, at first we found nothing but then the glint of eyes reflecting in the spotlight and we clearly saw a Malay Civet eating his catch. Further on a Black Flying Squirrel 'flew' across a tree, a Brown Wood Owl was perched in his tree and a Colugo, also known as a Flying Lemur in another tree. Then most excitingly our guide spotted a Slow Loris, he was moving very slowly through a bush, these apparently cute little animals actually have a toxic bite so few predators go for them.
On the our return the guide caught more 'eyes' in the light which she confidently said was a Leopard Cat but I couldn't really see it
We slept well and were up before the dawn, after a quick 'first breakfast' we went for an early morning guided walk. It was lovely to see the classic view of Borneo i.e. trees shrouded in the early morning mist
Again it wasn't long before we saw lots of birds, Chestnut Munia's, White Crowned Sharma, Magpie Robin, Greater Coucal, Green Leafbird, a Dusky Broadbill,Crested Fireback and several Hornbill's including the Oriental Pied, Asian Black and Rhinoceros Hornbill, we were beginning to feel like proper 'Birders'
We had teamed up with 4 others and their guide and all of us were fascinated by the jungle and hearing how the plants and animals thrive or not. Below is a photo of us admiring a huge spiders web with a spider that camouflages itself by having a back that mimics a cockroach!
Only a few hours later (and after "main breakfast' and only half an hour's rest) we headed off in the truck for the rest of the morning on a game drive. We were all desperately hoping to find Orang Utans but our guides reminded us that they although in the area are rarely seen
Again we spotted many lovely birds to add to the growing list also some more Macaques and then another member of the group suddenly called out "Stop", she wasn't sure what she saw but the driver backed up the vehicle and there only a few feet away from us was a mother and baby Orang Utan
They spotted us but seemed completely unconcerned and the mum carried on eating and her baby carried on practising his climbing skills
In fact he seemed to be showing off what he could do as he moved up and down the branch sometimes holding on with 3 limbs, sometimes two and
briefly with only one arm
We spent about 20 minutes watching and marvelling at these fabulous creatures, possibly the most iconic of all the Bornean animals.
Leaving them in peace we drove on to the end of the track then trekked on foot to the Lipad Pool and waterfall.
Our guides assured us it was safe but I was the only one keen for a swim in the natural pool, although I did feel a little nervous as to what else might have been in there with me!
Luckily nothing bit, stung, poisoned or tried to eat me and it was very refreshing after our hot walk
We returned to the lodge, took our boots off and had lunch and time to relax, which meant bird watching from the open dining area whilst enjoying a cup of coffee
Then it was time for the spa, we were treated to a Tabin Rainforest Foot Soak made with a natural blend of herbs to relax tired muscles after our long jungle treks whilst letting the special volcanic mud face-mask nourish and improve our complexions, mm not sure that worked but it was fun to do
On our last evening at Tabin we drove to the end of the gravel track and waited for dusk before driving back slowly in the dark searching for the night creatures. Along the way we stopped and watched a mixed troop of Long Tail and Pig Tail Macaques, this lot did not seem too friendly
As the sun was setting a Rhinoceros Hornbill flew across the skyline-it was magical
The following morning we were able to have a much needed lie in before the journey back to Lahad Datu where we would be starting the next leg of our Borneo adventure, this time we would be staying on a river and hoping to spot wildlife from a small boat
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