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Hello, Borneo

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In September, Kim and I went on a trip that we've dreamed about all of our lives.

Little Rascals Wild Man of Borneo

 "Wild Man of Borneo," Little Rascals 1933, google image

When we were children, Kim and I grew up watching The Little Rascals television show. One of the most memorable episodes is about a "wild man from Borneo" who chased the Little Rascal gang around saying "yum, yum, eat 'em up!" (He was actually wanting their candy, but the gang thought he was after THEM!). As kids, we were terrified of the wild man from Borneo...Kim remembers hiding behind the couch! That was the first time I heard of Borneo, and that episode forever gave me a hankering to visit the place where these "wild men" existed. 

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This is the "wildest" man of Borneo that we saw. Our guide Bedley lives in Borneo and his ancestors were part of the headhunters tribe who were known as very fierce warriors. He is quite proud of that legacy, but the last recorded head-hunting incident was back in the 1960s, long before Bedley was born. Many of the artifacts in this antique shop had human components (hair and teeth) incorporated into them.

 

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Borneo is the 3rd largest island in the world, located between the Thailand/Vietnam peninsula (upper left) and Australia (lower right corner). Borneo is the name of the island, but 3 different nations have states there. The southern 75% is part of Indonesia, the tiny nation of Brunei borders the South China Sea, and the rest of the shoreline of the South China Sea and Zulu Sea is part of Malaysia. That Malaysian portion is where we were on this trip.

 

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Traveling to the exact opposite side of the world was uneventful but very long. From the time we left home until we arrived in Kuching, Malaysia, 42 hours had passed. We flew from Indianapolis to Atlanta to Los Angeles to Singapore to Kuching. That Singapore leg was 17 hours in the air...the longest flight I have ever been on. Thankfully we were flying business class and our seats converted into lay-flat beds, so that helped a lot. But however you slice it, it's still a LONG way to Borneo from Sulphur Springs, Indiana!

 

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We were surprised at how modern Kuching is. I took this photo from our hotel room.

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The name Kuching means "City of Cats," so lots of cat statues around and a heavy Chinese influence.

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It was time for the New Moon Festival, so the city was lit up with extra decorations.

We spent a couple of nights there, recovering from jet lag and getting acclimated to the intense heat and humidity.

 

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We took a boat to a nearby Bako National Park for our first wildlife excursion in Borneo...

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Some cool fiddler crabs...

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A "flying" (actually gliding) draco lizard...

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Our first sighting of silvered langur monkeys...

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My own pet monkey... :)

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More fiddler crabs...such vibrant blue colors!

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Palm trees against blue skies makes me happy!

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A troop of silvered langurs came down to feast on the flowers and pods along the ground, making for some great photo ops.

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Their babies are born orange, and gradually turn gray over the next few months...

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Hi Cutie!

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Nice ride!

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There are lots of wild boars running around...

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...which are very destructive and a nuisance.

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This is a colugo mother and baby. They are also called flying lemurs, but they aren't really lemurs and they don't really fly (glide instead).

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Before we left Bako, we got our first glimpses of proboscis monkeys. But we'd see plenty of them later...

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Our first snake...green pit viper...

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Scenic boat ride back to the dock...

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Along the way were these structures in the water...they were frameworks for fishing nets for local fishermen.

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A beautiful start to a destination we've dreamed about for 60 years...

...Hello, Borneo!

 

Comments

Rajasthancab

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