Borneo conjures up images of steamy jungles, murky rivers, smoky longhouses and head-hunters with blowpipes. But you would be surprised, neigh shocked, if you found yourself in, let’s say, Kutching, Sarawak. The first thing you would notice as your legs uncramped from the munchkin sized seats on the AirAsia flight from Johor Bahru is the ultra-modern airport. And despite the fact that you are still in Malaysia you must pass through customs and immigration.
Kutching itself was indeed steamy and raining, and most likely always is. The town, which sits on the Sarawak River, couldn’t possibly be in Borneo! Landscaped parks along the river promenade lead to shaded streets, historic buildings, market stalls, restaurants and high rise hotels. The 3-star Harbour View Hotel has several stars more than we require but rather than search around for a cheap place late at night we suffered in luxury - for one night before moving around the corner to the Fata Hotel where the smaller room, dearth of stars and lumpy beds are more our style.
Orangutans are found only in Sumatra and Borneo and they are one of the main reasons we came halfway round the world. We hope to see them in the wild later on in Kalimantan but to hedge our bets we went to the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre near Kutching. Thirty-four of the hairy orange apes have been rescued and live on the preserve much as they would in the wild. Generally there is plenty for them to forage in the forest but some still drop by for free eats in the morning. We saw six today including a mother and her three-month old baby. Unlike chimpanzees, orangutans spend all of their time in the trees hanging by their long arms and sometimes by their toes. The chimpanzees we saw at Ngambe Island on Lake Victoria will never be able to be released into the wild because they wouldn’t be accepted by another troop but orangutans are solitary apes and the future for these guys looks brighter.
