Well, my week and a half in Borneo is up. I'll be flying to Bali by way of Kuala Lumpur tonight. I spent 4 days in Bako National Park, which was gorgeous and lots of wildlife! The journey there was a bit bumpy. It started with an hour bus ride to the boat dock. Unfortunately, this was a very old bus that swayed to and fro as we inched our way down the road. I was soon overcome by motion sickness, but mercifully, was able to hold it in until we exited the jalopy. Nothing like puking in a squatty potty in the middle of Borneo! Unfortunately, we still had a 1/2 hour boat ride to look forward to! Oh and the pictures and warnings about man-eating crocodiles did nothing to ease my queasiness! Only 97 attacks since the 1940's the sign informed me. Along with a breakdown of types of attacks and fatal vs nonfatal were pictures of crocodile victims. Oh yeah, it gets better. Next I came across a picture of a giant croc, belly split open and human legs hanging out! This was not going to be a pleasure cruise. As we sped down the river and across the South China Sea, I had visions of giant crocodiles pulling me into the water.
Alas, we finally arrived at the Park intact although still quite queasy. It was only 10 am, but the sun beat down unmercifully. Oh, and checkin wasn't until 2 I was informed. All I wanted was a bed and for the world to stop spinning. It was not meant to be. So I hung out in a shelter by the sea for 4 hours, swatting away the various tropical insects that wanted to suck my blood. But the scenery was gorgeous! And wildlife everywhere. I'd already seen quite a few monkeys and some wild pigs. Oh and plenty of insects! So I didn't do too much my first day, but was ready for an epic hike the next day! Unfortunately, about 2 hours into the hike, storm clouds appeared and I decided to turn around. It was really coming down by the time I reached camp (well, it is rainy season in the rainforest). And thank God I turned around when I did. I heard from a couple other hikers that they got caught out in the storm and the tiny streams had morphed into thigh-high rivers within minutes.
The weather remained calm for the rest of our stay, although so hot that you melted just sitting there. It's maybe 90 degrees here. I got in some great hikes and saw lots of proboscis monkeys, macaques, birds, snakes, butterflies and the always present wild pigs. My last morning in the park, I was enjoying a nice breakfast with another hiker when this cheeky macaque, baby clinging to her belly, had the audacity to climb up to the verandah, jump on our table and steal my hard boiled egg! The nerve! I hit the intruder, but to no avail. She quickly made off with her prize while I stared glumly at my empty plate. Well, I reasoned, she had a babe to feed. To the victor goes the spoils!
