We were spoiled on our very first boat trip as, heading upriver we see animal movements stiring the tall grasses. The grasses in question were over 3 meters high, so all we could see was sawying tips, we didn't immediately know who was back there. But our guide told us, elephants, and lots of them. Sounds of branches snapping emerged just ahead of some proper elephant huffing and trumpeting. Our boat went a little further upstream and there they emerged from the grasses.
My heart stopped beating for just a moment as I took in the sight, making out a family of elephants with babies and youngsters huddled near. Our boat nosed itself into the mud between us and the herd. Once parked, we sat there and just watched the elephants going about their meal time. They were a little shy and looked away from us when they could.
On either side of our boat were other simmilar, slighty larger ones filled with folks who came to see these guys too. Soon there must have been 30-40 people in boats lined up in front of the elephants, but they didn't go anywhere, they just kept right on munching.
Back at the Kinibatangan Jungle Camp, we enjoyed cups of coffee as we tried to prevent the children from going on a hot chocolate binge. The camp stemps from a walking platform and dining deck on stilts. From the deck we watch as huge 4-5 foot long monitor lizards roam about the outer yard and under the deck on one side. These guys hang out here all day long. While some warn us not to go too close to the lizards, it is clear as we go anywhere near that they run away from us in fright already. They are looking for scraps of meat that the kitchen staff throw out to them from time to time.
I've never been this close to monitor lizards - not even at a zoo. In the zoo they are always protected by a wall and trench and a lot of space between them and us. In the \zoo, they appear lazy and docile. In the yard below, they are constantly moving around and keep within their group of 5, zipping off into the edges of the forest at any loud noise or approach.
By the second day, a storm stork appears in the yard as well. He's a rescue bird that was brought in with a broken wing and nursed to health for 6 months before being released. Now he has returned with a family and friends. While the other storm storks stay just at the perimeter of the yard, only Chico dares to come up to the deck. At the deck he scratches about, examining us closely as if we were very interesting to him.
I fall in love with Chico. His way of standing on one long leg. His calmness and lack of fear which make him seem slightly mroe vulnerable. When the staff ot the Jungle Camp see this, they offer to let me feed him. I'm handed strips of chicken which I walk down and hold out to Chico and he cautiously tiptoes forward and gingerly grabs the meat from my fingers. What a joy! Soon there are others behind me, including my own noisy little guys who all want a go at feedign Chico. Unfortunately, Chico's sense of self-preservation kicks in and off he backs, further and further until he is midway to the forest and there he remains for a long time until most everyone has gone back to their business.
As Chico gets closer again to eat some more chicken, he has new competition. A monitor lizard has noticed that there's tasty meat on offer and he too has come forward for some nibbles. Of course, Chico himself would make a tasty meal for this fat guy and once again he back off. It's so entertaining to watch the two of them do a little dance, eyeing each other up as one steps forward and the other back and then vice versa. Chico is no fool. He doesn't come forward again for the evening. Never mind, he's eaten plenty and its time for a nighttime boat trip down the Kinabatangan to search for crocs and other nocturnal creatures.
Now we've been on night time boat eexcursions in croc laden waters numerous times in the past year - Belize, the Peruvian rainforest. But this time I find myself more frightened. Maybe its the tiny size of our boat - really just a large motorised canoe. Maybe its the fact that our guide has a penchant for skimming the edges of the river where the big crocs hang out, where we had previously spotted crocs from a more central location. Or possibly its because of the number of creatures we spot, from 2 long pythons snuggled up in the branches to night owls and kingfishers out hunting. It feels as if the jungle is alive - well, of course it is, but it seems more loud and obvious here. I find myself gripping Ben's hand and shaking ever so lightly. I'm not sure I could say I enjoyed the excursion but I can't say it wasn't interesting.
So we return 'home' to the jungle camp and settle down with a drink on the deck. In the darkness, some others on the deck have spotted our nightly visitors, the wild bearded pigs that snuffle about the ground in our little outer yard. Like everything else here, these guys are a respectable size, maybe waist-height to me and chunky. They seem to trade schedules with the monitor lizards that depart as the sun goes down.
Unlike the monitor lizards, these guys are not so picky about what they eat and just love bits of bread that the boys are given to throw over. I walk down the side stairs to the outer yard for a better look. They are a little wary of me, but not as much as the monitor lizards or Chico the storm stork. They have a confident stare and are comfortable in their family group. One evening a baby joins them. It is a darker color, not the pinky brown of the big guys. When startled, they turn and nimbly flee in a tight formation.
Justin and I go for a solitary walk around the camp one morning. We are rewarded within feet of the camp perimeter with elephant tracks in the mud. Our feet can easily fit inside the tracks, which is a sobering sight. the jungle around us is quiet though, except for the sounds of crickets and other insects.
Back at the lodge, we read a poster describing the death a year ago of a young female visitor to the area that was gored to death by a young elephant bull. Apparently, she took him by surprise as she came upon him on a hike and it is thought that her closeness (maybe 30 feet) and possibly a camera flash caused him to lunge at her fatally. I didn't feel so much like just wandering about in the jungle on our own from that point.
A monitor lizard checks out this canoe while a maqaque looks on
Sam looking into the branches near the water to keep an eye on a baby monkey
The Kinabatangan Jungle Camp has a wonderful, cosy feel. It is not very big, so you get to know the other guests and staff well. The owner, Robert Chong, knows the local wildlife very well and is a great guide and knowledge base. The camp is built on his family property and has been extended a little bit over the years. His staff are very friendly and provide some of the most delicious food we've had since arriving in Sabah, Malaysia.
Each morning, we had 'school' for the boys. Without the internet, the daily schedule and curriculum was more interesting to derive. I think I may have actually enjoyed this more than our internet-based maths and literacy programs because it provided a good opportunity to feel around the edges of the boys' knowledge. I usually take Ben and Sam under my wing while Justin tutors Andy. We find Andy can cover a lot of advanced topics heading into Algebra.
A lovely lady named Dureen was staying at the camp with her son's small family. Doreen has spent a lifetime abroad and is currently planning on retiring in Malaysia after a recent teaching career in Nepal. We had some wonderful chats and our families got along very well.
We also met a group of English girls with an Indian background. They helped us with details for our upcoming trip to India and tried to cuddle Sam to death at the same time. Andy and Ben were great at games of Uno and Village Idiot and it's wonderful to see them easily chatting with others at the camp - they're getting to be experts at making new friends out of folks everywhere we go. Nowadays, they're all 3 always introducing us to new friends they've met and I find them engaged in card games, showing everyone around asia how to play new card games or solve a rubics cube.
Our evenings of lazy card playing and early morning boat trips came to an end as we neared the time to head to Semporna where we'll be diving off the Seaventures Oil Rig near Sipadan island. Off to new adventures again!!
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