On paper our schedule for the next couple of days looked way too busy to be physically possible to execute everything. Mrs Young had found a place to stay, the Myne Resort, which offered us a whistle-stop jungle adventure that also included stops at a couple of tourist hotspots too, all achieved in just a day and a half.
It looked impossible.
As informed, our driver Lok, was ready to pick us up at exactly 8:00am. Lok, an old’ish, short Chinese guy would be our guide for our entire visit and within 35 minutes he was pulling up in the car park at Sepilok, the Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre, to see the morning feeding and visit the orphanage. As we left Four Points hotel we felt sure we would be picking up other guests on route, but we didn’t, it turned out to be just us. Watching a short video on the centre’s work we followed the crowd in to the trees to feeding ‘Station A’ where at 09:50 a guy appeared with a basket of fruit, shinned up a ladder and tipped the contents on to the platform around the tree. We waited excitedly and as the minutes ticked by, tension was growing as we waited for the rush of Orang-utans to come down for breakfast.
Sadly, after thirty minutes, no Orang-utans had shown up for the free breakfast and people began drifting away. Lok nodded for us to follow him and we walked up to the orphanage to visit the young Orang-utans who were playing and feeding on a big wooden climbing frame. On the walk we spotted an Orang-utan nest high up in the branches and could see a tantalising glimpse of an arm hanging over the side, but sadly not the whole Orang-utan. Whilst watching the antics from the observation decks several other young Orang-utans appeared from the woods, swinging in on the ropes tied between the trees, making five in all. This was lovely to see and to witness their playful antics was delightful.
Happy that we had seen some Orang-utans we boarded our minibus with Lok advising us that it would be about a 90 minute drive to Myne Resort. Borneo has appalling roads. Perhaps appalling is not quite strong enough! Lethal might be more accurate. Roadworks peppered our route with most seemingly unfinished with both carriage ways sharing just one unfinished section of gravel track. Other sections were so bumpy it should have only been tackled in a 4×4 let alone in a minibus. Having been chucked around for 90 minutes Lok turned off on to a gravel track that bumped and wound its way down to a small car park in front of a large wooden building. Lok instructed us to check in pointing us up some stairs and reaching the top flight we suddenly saw the view on the other side of the building, a huge river bend with forest as far as you could see. WOW.
Ushered to a table with our name on we both sat open mouthed at the vista before as we checked in and then they served up our lunch.
After lunch we retired to our villa to meet our suitcases that had already been delivered. Unpacked and settled in, we joined a few of the other guests for our ‘walk’ to the tower, high above the resort and then on to the Merbau Tree, a hollow tree used by locals to hide their girls from the invading Japanese military. Not a walk for anyone that is not fit or used to walking as the first part of the walk is steep, very steep. Add to the tricky terrain the fact that the temperature is probably in the mid 30’s and you will soon be drenched in sweat. Once on top of the ridge though the view is astonishing an gazing out at the vista from the top of the tower is breathtaking.
Back from our walk we cooled off with ice creams and from nowhere tea and cake appeared and we got to meet a couple of other Brits also enjoying their stay.
Lok informed us that it was time for our first boat trip, so with life vests donned we joined a few other guests for a ride down stream. Whizzing through the forest in a fast boat stopping to look at the wildlife was incredible, something you only see on nature programs. Our pilot, whose eyesight was akin to that of a bionic man, was able to spot the smallest of creatures treating us to encounters with Macaques, Proboscis and Long Tailed monkeys, hornbills of all shapes and sizes, Kingfishers, Monitor Lizards, and even a Python sleeping in a tree. Each time he manoeuvred the craft so that we had a close up view. With the sun slowly setting we headed back for dinner again pausing to see families of monkeys grooming each other and birds nesting up for the evening. Simply amazing.
Once back at the resort we enjoyed a buffet dinner and a couple of beers all the while enjoying the setting sun and the ever changing scenery.
Mrs Young went off to our villa to enjoy a reflexology and salt scrub session while I stayed and chatted with Niki and Jon our fellow adventurers while watching bats circling overhead and through the building and catching sight of wild pigs coming in to the resort looking for food.
Our first day was simply stunning.
mrandmrsyoung 