Mar 25, 2011 Looking for a real Blade Runner city? Visit Kota Kinabalu. High tech, illegal immigrant workers, street life, rain.
Tabin Wildlife Resort. No wi-fi.
Borneo Rainforest Lodge.
Mar 12, 2011 A young Japanese couple is silently staring their open laptop in the lounge of the Borneo Rainforest Lodge. A massive earthquake. It’s raining.
Mar 12, 2011 Night of The Geckos & Flying Ants. Rain persists. The world is black and beautiful, and life is plenty. Good night, Sabah.
Hong Kong
Jul 13, 2012 Chinese women want to have pointed chins, achieved through bone surgery. China Daily.
Jul 13, 2012 Ocean Park has launched a polar adventure w/ over 100 animals from both the Arctic and Antarctic.
Jul 14, 2012 Eyewitnessing from Novotel Citygate: Tung Chung Cable Car runs empty on 7-8 AM. The rest of the day there’s a queue.
Jul 14, 2012 Hotel complimentaries not used: local calls, in-coming fax, local outgoing fax, pressing (2 pieces), shoe shine.
Sabah, Maleysian Borneo
Jul 16, 2012 Since 3/2011, Tabin Wildlife Resort has improved roads, built a suspension bridge over the otter river, and installed wireless.
Jul 17, 2012 Harsh calls from above. Black Hornbills. “It’s like Angry Birds, the cartoon y’know” says Mohammad and flashes an irresistible smile.
Jul 17, 2012 Rich wildlife thanks to fig trees in fruit. Gibbons & Orangutans are many, and both have babies.
Jul 17, 2012 Irrigation channels of palm oil plantations are home to small fish. Much appreciated by Collared Kingfishers.
Jul 17, 2012 The amount of elephant dung on the road raises hopes of seeing the animal outputting it.
Jul 17, 2012 Water Buffalo tracks are fresh. So is the round heap of gleaming excrement. Female w/ a young. Hoofs of F sink more than those of a M.
Jul 17, 2012 July 15th: heavy rain 3:30-6 PM. The amount of water in Lipad rose to flood levels, licking the first River Lodges.
Jul 17, 2012 4-5 different species of Hornbills easily seen. Wonders of nature: awesome shape, mighty aviation skills, top charts sound.
Jul 17, 2012 Tabin soundscape: Green Imperial Pigeons’ deep two-syllable call. Somewhere in the house, a Barking Lizard yelps like a sleepy dog.
Jul 17, 2012 Mammals of last night’s dusk drive: Red Giant Flying Squirrel; Leopard Cat; Yellow-throated Marten; Common Palm Civet.
Jul 18, 2012 A House Gecko drops on the table, curls its tail in slow motion – and is gone. Lunch as usual.
Jul 18, 2012 Malay Weasel is 50 cm of orange speedyness w/ a white head. Inhabits a hole under the restaurant. Fav meal to Jerdon’s Baza.
Jul 18, 2012 Last night in a hammock on the Mud Volcano tower. A nearby fig tree attracts dozens of Hornbills + a Binturong (1pm). Mud: wild pigs.
Jul 19, 2012 Mohamad points to his left leg. “Pig-tailed Macaque bit me when I was a boy. They’re nasty.”
Jul 19, 2012 Macaque families live near the road that runs between Tabin and the plantation. They like oil palm fruits, and eat only the best parts.
Jul 19, 2012 Few things in this world are more touching to watch than an Orangutan mom with her 2yr old baby, swinging high in the canopy.
Jul 19, 2012 Stephen, the father of nature guiding in Lahad Datu, was w/ us in 2011. Age 50+, he still works at Tabin. “I’m an old man”, he claims.
Jul 19, 2012 A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo includes 33 species of squirrels. No wonder. Squirrel density is surprisingly high.
Jul 19, 2012 On the cuteness scale, a Plain Pygmy Squirrel has a high position. On the acceleration scale, too.
Jul 19, 2012 Cicadas are underrated as vocalists. That said, the singing marvels of tropical Asia do differ from the high vol ones of the Americas.
Jul 20, 2012 In March, a juvenile Clouded Leopard came to the lodge. Walked the walkway. Gnarled to the startled staff for goodbye. True, saw pics.
Jul 20, 2012 Behind a curb, a slender, light-colored figure emerges, leaps over the road w/ one gracious jump. Yellow Muntjac aka Barking Deer.
Jul 20, 2012 “Sad sky”, says Mohamad. Overcast.
Jul 21, 2012 At 7 PM, behind the HQ of the Wildlife Dept, near Tabin, a big family of Hose’s Langur aka Grey Leaf Monkey. Much awaited!
Jul 21, 2012 Mom is drowsy. The baby in breastfeeding is all white. The greyness increases by the age. A full gradient hops&leaps around.
Jul 21, 2012 The shape of the head and the facial colors of the Langur are striking. Forest fairies as perfect as they can get.
Jul 21, 2012 8 AM we pass the gate of the Rhino Project. Under the fence, the feet of the new (since Dec) female! Feeding time.
Jul 21, 2012 Didn’t know that rhinos speak. This one gives loud, short, high-pitched mows:”Who’s the guest here, eh? Snappy with the freakfast!”
Jul 22, 2012 Deepest night. Then: shrill beeps of a smoke detector. What? Where? Wait – this is not home. It’s a cricket.
Jul 22, 2012 “I know one word in Swedish: hackspett”. Now Mohamad, who speaks multiple languages, knows also one word in Finnish: tikka.
Jul 22, 2012 The Bornean Rhinoceros is a sub-species of the Sumatran Rhino. Only few left because of those that call themselves human beings.
Jul 22, 2012 The rhino couple here will be moved to the core area in 2015. The older female wasn’t fertile. Sadly, she is also blind now.
Jul 22, 2012 It’s proved to be very difficult to get rhinos to breed in captivity. Recently, one Sumatran gave birth at a mainland zoo.
Jul 22, 2012 The color of water in Lipad has changed. After the flood, for four days, it was cafe latte. Now it’s more like green tea.
Jul 22, 2012 8 AM. On top of a tree stump, a Crested Serpent Eagle is eating a King Cobra. Pulls out the guts. The body of the snake crumples.
Jul 22, 2012 Great Argus calls somewhere near the road. “Never seen one”, tells Mohamad. Someone has ‘cos there’s a drawing in the bird book.
Jul 22, 2012 They say that June is the best month to see Gibbons. For a Finn, that’s unfortunate; most beautiful time at home.
Jul 22, 2012 For me, durian ice cream was meat in zero temp. Couldn’t make it. Mohamad smiles. “Tasty. Sometimes we make durian porridge”
Jul 22, 2012 Above the bed on the wall, a dying Barking Lizard clings head down on one foot. On the bed, remains of a cricket. Death by poisoning?
Jul 22, 2012 25 cm, clay-colored, big eyes in a big head, long legs and tail. Handsome. Carefully, we carry the lizard outside on the porch.
Jul 22, 2012 In the morning, the body is limb, eyes half-shut. The suction surface of the toes is still strong, though.
Jul 22, 2012 Ants are already there. With some effort, we pull the toes from the wooden floor, and push the body over the edge.
Jul 22, 2012 No drive without a Monitor Lizard or two, size M or L. “Godzilla”, says Mohamad and tries to keep an earnest face. Can’t.
Jul 22, 2012 Thu-Sat: crisscross dusk driving in the far corner of the palm plantation. Tracks and rumors of an elephant herd of 40 individuals.
Jul 22, 2012 The plantation is surrounded by an electric wire fence, trapped onto wooden poles. To enter, elephants first push down a pole.
Jul 23, 2012 Huge, round tracks in the mud. Stomped grass and bushes. Dung in various phases of decay, pushing tiny white mushrooms.
Jul 23, 2012 No matter how pygmy in elephant measures, the Bornean is still big. Young bulls become easily agitated. A camera flash is a no-no.
Jul 23, 2012 The local elephant has a much longer tail in proportion than its African cousins. The tail almost sweeps the ground.
Jul 23, 2012 When Stephen encounters an elephant, he raises hand to salute&shouts:”Eli!” It works. “I’ve been 6 years in Tabin. They remember me.”
Jul 23, 2012 Like macaques, civets and rats, elephants are after the oil palm fruits. This particular time though, they are somewhere else.
Jul 23, 2012 Colugo is an animal that science has hard times to find the right twig in the tree of species. There’s nothing quite like it.
Jul 23, 2012 The oddest part in Colugo is the mouth. Definitely a non-rodent. Upper jaw: 0 front teeth. Lower: comb-like kind-of front teeth.
Jul 23, 2012 Its gliding membrane is ridiculously big. Yet Colugo weighs less than the heaviest of Giant Flying Squirrels.
Jul 23, 2012 In Sabah forests, Colugo is fairly common. Hard to spot though because it’s mostly nocturnal. Brilliant camouflage unhelps too.
Jul 23, 2012 In the flashlight, Colugo looks like a magician wrapped in an oriental cape. Slowly turning neck, it reveals a pair of big, moist eyes.
Jul 23, 2012 Tropical nights are a playground for flash-o-holics. Novelty in Tabin is light with an aspheric lens. No spill, just spots. Unreal.
Jul 23, 2012 9 AM on the road. Pungent smell of rotten meat. With a lazy lizard gait, five Monitor Lizards approach the target in the bush.
Jul 23, 2012 Jet plane shaped Blue-throated Bee-Eaters abound. In 3/2011, they dug nest holes in the sandy helipad of Borneo Rainforest Lodge.
Jul 23, 2012 The secondary forests in Tabin were logged 40 yrs ago. A reminiscence of the past: tall, pale Menggaris trees. Hollow -> no value -> saved.
Jul 23, 2012 Menggaris is called a honeytree, and for a reason. Protruding from the trunk, high up, just below canopy: sweet yellow swollen cakes.
Jul 23, 2012 Monitor Lizard’s saliva is infectious. Mohamad tells about Swedish research investigating it. Medicine for heart attacks? To check.
Jul 25, 2012 After Tabin, Borneo Rainforest Lodge in Danum Valley said Hi! w/ a downpour. “3 sunny days in July so far”, told Denny.
Jul 25, 2012 6 AM, out of thick mist, the silhouette of the forest starts to become discernible in patches. They seem to hang loose in mid sky.
Jul 25, 2012 Above, curled up around a vine, a motionless pale green Gray-tailed Racer. “When he’s there, the Agama Lizard is not “, laughs Denny.
Jul 25, 2012 Orangutan mom & 2yro baby eating figs. Her 3rd. 6 yrs ago, in the age of 5, the 2nd one was attacked by a Cloud Leopard.
Jul 25, 2012 It happened one night. The cat came and made an attempt, but the baby managed to escape.
Jul 25, 2012 In the morning, it was found on the ground, injured. The vet is in Lahad Datu. 3 hrs. The baby died during the drive.
Jul 25, 2012 Autopsy revealed claw and bite marks in the neck. They matched with Cloud Leopard. The first reported incident of its kind.
Jul 25, 2012 To gather Orangutan research data in the field means e.g. that its morning droppings need to be located and hurried in the fridge.
Jul 25, 2012 One Proboscis monkey was briefly spotted here last week. Danum Valley is not its usual habitat. Prefers swampy areas and mangroves.
Jul 25, 2012 A hawkmoth beauty flew around the lights last night. 10 cm, dark blue head&body, orange wings w/ irregular, big black spots.
Jul 25, 2012 The Original Bugshirt trousers (made in Canada) are 10yro. Only 1 mosquito bite! Now the grotch seam is giving up.
Jul 26, 2012 8 PM. Sambar Deer tiptoe from the outer circle of shadows to the inner. A small group grazes around the riverside cabins.
Jul 26, 2012 Denny explains:”They like young shoots. 2-3 days after trimming.” Can deer count? Maybe they just do a daily status check.
Jul 26, 2012 Denny, the guide on our 2011 visit too, is a great personality. He is also a trained technician. Special field: refrigerators.
Jul 26, 2012 At noon in the Insect Corner, a small tree next to a light pole in the service area. Many green and brown leaves look suspicious.
Jul 26, 2012 Several species of moths, among them an uncommon Moon Moth w/ spurs twice as long as its body.
Jul 26, 2012 Longhorn, Scarab and Rhinoceros beetles; 15 cm Mantis (green & brown); 10 cm, pale tree frog; etc.
Jul 26, 2012 Every morning, Denny checks the tree. “Sometimes the Orchid Mantis is here. It’s either pure white or pink. Green eyes.”
Jul 26, 2012 Long-tailed Macaques do not share. When a bird lands on their branch on a fig tree, they shake the branch to scare it off.
Jul 26, 2012 Binturong (Bearcat) is here. Reason: figs. It’s not a bear nor a cat. Muscular and agile, it rummages through the trees.
Jul 27, 2012 Violin beetle. Jaw-dropping. Body length 10+ cm.
Jul 27, 2012 Like a bow hopping on a string, “tok tok tok tok trtrtrtrtrt” of the Yellow-crowned Barbet adds classy nonstop audio to a day.
Jul 27, 2012 Giant Squirrel IS big. “When moving, the tail is held out horizontally but when sitting it hangs vertically” says the book. True.
Jul 28, 2012 Scorzio. An A/C’ed hide to film butterflies and lizards would be cool.
Jul 28, 2012 In the forest, eating fallen figs, a dark tree shrew. Hind part of a squirrel, front not. Once, tree shrews were classified as primates.
Jul 28, 2012 Canopy walkway. On a branch, a small penguin-like bird in a white collar and pink underparts. Black-and-yellow Broadbill. A Danum dandy.
Jul 28, 2012 Helmeted Hornbill is the Great Macaw of this side of the Pacific. A genuine superstar, it draws all attention. Stupefying.
Jul 28, 2012 Head still spinning, a Bornean Banded-Pitta sits still in the palm of a Danum guide. “Not the first time it flew against the kitchen window”.
Jul 29, 2012 Most of the leeches here are Tiger Leeches. Big and colorful. They hang on vegetation, about 1 m high. Above or under leaves.
Jul 29, 2012 When warm, blood-filled objects pass by, they activate at once like a muscle.
Jul 29, 2012 Denny likes to tease leeches. Waves his hand an inch above a whole colony so that it twists and turns. “Spooooky!”
Jul 29, 2012 As a road block, leech socks, strapped tight under the knee, are a must. Also, the shirt sleeve needs to be tugged into trousers.
Jul 29, 2012 Only 1 bite so far. The leech sat firmly on the throat. Left w/ the help of some balm. A little bleeding for 1-2 hrs.
Jul 30, 2012 1,5 hr standstill up in the Canopy Walkway. The dusk comes closer. Last bird flights, first bat flights. Night shift.
Jul 30, 2012 In torchlight, the ground is a twinkling carpet of tiny diamonds. Lost by a Brunei Sultan? Not these ones. Spiders.
Jul 30, 2012 Soft calls like from a woodwind instrument. Surely a tree frog. “Thought so too. But no, it’s a leafhopper”, says Denny.
Jul 30, 2012 “And what EXACTLY are we looking for?” A teenage boy in Buddy Holly eyeglasses turns his back to Orangutans and yawns.
Jul 31, 2012 Borneo Rainforest Lodge is built on a wooden platform that rests on wooden pillars. Everything wobbles. Like a mild heart failure.
Jul 31, 2012 Hardly any family w/o an iPad or two. eReaders also frequent. Many ppl seem to have a rather bad net addiction.
Jul 31, 2012 A Finn. Earns his living by playing poker. Travels. Knows best Africa and Southern America. This trip: Indonesia & Malaysia.
Jul 31, 2012 “In Indonesia, language is easily a problem. English is rare.”
Jul 31, 2012 For gorilla tours, he recommended Rwanda & Uganda. If time is an issue: Rwanda. The forest is the same in both.
Jul 31, 2012 “Uganda is good, was there for 4 months. Old cultural norms still rule. If you brake them, say you steal, your ppl will punish you.”
Jul 31, 2012 “Kenya is different. Can’t go out after dark. Unsafe.”
Jul 31, 2012 Japanese rubber boots: the leg part is soft, fastened up under the knees w/ laces so boots acts also as leech socks. Clever&stylish.
Jul 31, 2012 7 AM. A long-legged bird runs over the path. Giant Pitta. Denny:”You know the Japanese guy w/ a long lens? He’s looking for this.”
Jul 31, 2012 A big brownish leaf falls down and starts to – fly? Denny runs after it, excited. Atlas Moth! One of the biggest moth species.
Jul 31, 2012 The wingspan must be over 25 cm. “2 yrs ago I saw a female this big”, Denny says, pressing wrists together and opening palms.
Jul 31, 2012 “Dead and without head, but I took a picture after all”, he grins.
Aug 1, 2012 Red Leaf Monkey is a funkier version of the Grey Leaf one in Tabin. Fur of hip orange hue, a face mask of dark rubber.
Aug 1, 2012 The baby is born white. Later it turns yellow, and finally the reddish orange of the parents. A big group is a colorful lot.
Aug 1, 2012 Last year we spotted one yellow grown-up. It’s a morph.
Aug 1, 2012 “150 yrs ago the River People blow-piped them”, tells Denny. Some groups are so scared it’s hard to think they aren’t still hunted.
Aug 1, 2012 Denny shows a scar on his finger. “As a scout boy, I once grabbed a Slow Loris. Easy. But its teeth were sharp and it didn’t let go!”
Aug 1, 2012 After dozens of night drives and walks in 2011-2012 both in Tabin and Danum Valley, still no Slow Loris. Maybe we’ve been out too early.
Aug 1, 2012 This week, the Moon has been full and the sky clear. A semi-day. Night animals prefer no Moon.
Aug 1, 2012 From new leaves, Loris makes a nest the size and shape of a volleyball. It’s for daytime rest, and is in use for a longer time.
Aug 1, 2012 The dry season is definitely here. Much later than normally, they say. Except the heavy downfall of the arrival day, no rain.
Aug 2, 2012 Machetes slash and swoosh. Both sides of the main road are being cleared of vegetation. “To see animals better”, explains Denny.
Aug 2, 2012 A few steps down the hill, cutting has revealed a hidden treasure. Denny stares. “I had NO idea there’s a pond. All these years!”
Aug 2, 2012 The same evening, at the dusk walk, Denny rushes to the pond like Carter to the tomb of Tutankhamon.
Aug 2, 2012 Torchlight sweeps through darkness, cuts slices left and right, stops. “Yes!”
Aug 2, 2012 There are two Wallace’s Flying Frogs. Their limbs are so big and full of web that the frogs seem unsure what to do with them.
Aug 2, 2012 A Field Guide to the Frogs of Borneo declares that this one is “the original ‘Flying Frog of Borneo’ “. Be aware of cheap copies.
Aug 2, 2012 Denny has met the author & his team. “They tried to get a photo of the flight. Well, the frog did fly, but photographing failed.”
Aug 2, 2012 Scientific methods are plenty. “The trick was to gently poke the frog into its stomach. But – it only worked once.”
Aug 2, 2012 From Tree Frogs, Four-lined and File-eared have been the most common ones on this trip.
Aug 2, 2012 A sudden sound blast of “HONK!” by Bornean Horned Frog is there. Unlike March 2011, the frog itself hasn’t shown up.
Aug 2, 2012 2011 Denny guided us to its place: under the massive generator of the lodge.
Aug 2, 2012 There it sat, in constant humming noise, by a tiny pool of water with few grasses as decoration, looking gloomy.
Aug 2, 2012 Orangutan droppings under a fig tree. On&in them, different species of dung beetles. Denny:”In my home village, they still roast these”
Aug 2, 2012 Beetles here don’t transport the dung but eat it on the spot.
Aug 2, 2012 BTW I’m told that in the public M WC, the 1st thing you see, attached on the wall, is a futuristic urinal that glows faintly in blue.
Aug 2, 2012 Small print on the top of the appliance: Electric hand dryer by Mitsubishi.
Aug 2, 2012 A Long-legged Centipede is a marvelously creepy nocturnal insect. Like a langoustine, or a lamp by some hot interior designer.
Aug 2, 2012 The gibbon families here are well known, studied and documented.
Aug 2, 2012 For 10 yrs already, Denny has assisted a Japanese gibbon researcher. Findings will be published in 2013. Congratulations!
Aug 5, 2012 On top of the food chain you can relax, especially if you are young & mom serves you. That’s why we had time to watch them, the cats.
Aug 5, 2012 “Let’s move on to find a Flat-headed Cat”, Denny jokes. The usual 3:30 PM departure time was hot & dry. It’d stay like that until 5.
Aug 5, 2012 Our last dusk walk. Denny had outlined the plan in the sand by the Danum River. The idea: to scan forest edges by small rivers.
Aug 5, 2012 Slow as Loris, we walk the Segama trail. For 1 km, it runs flat along a river. At the end is a bridge. We cross, and turn back.
Aug 5, 2012 On this side, the terrain is undulating. At times, the river bench falls down sharply. Tree roots protrude from the ground.
Aug 5, 2012 6:05 PM. On a tree trunk by the trail, a little higher than eye-level, a 10+ cm cicada makes several modest tries to start the engine.
Aug 5, 2012 “t–tr-trr-trrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRROooRRrrrrrRROOOOOOOOr- -” My ears! The Six O’clock Cicada is a power station on wings.
Aug 5, 2012 When the sky is clear, the cicada is punctual. On cloudy afternoons, it may start up to 2 hrs earlier. On misty mornings, around 7.
Aug 5, 2012 The penetrating, metallic sound was once a sign to field workers: time to go to work; time to return back home.
Aug 5, 2012 For us it says: prepare for darkness. It’ll be here in 30 minutes. Headlights? Torch? Mosquito repellent?
Aug 5, 2012 Night comes. So does the next river. We turn to follow it, towards the Canopy Walkway.
Aug 5, 2012 Denny goes first, I’m in the middle, J behind me. Denny and I spot it roughly the same time. A very clear eye-shine. Low.
Aug 5, 2012 Must be a civet, I think. Funny though that the eyes stay fixed. Civets are usually active and restless.
Aug 5, 2012 We have just climbed a few meters, and come to a gap up on the bench. On the left, the river. On the right, forest. Ahead: a mammal.
Aug 5, 2012 Rule 1: always carry binoculars. My headlight gives just enough lumen. The animal has a roundish face, so it’s definitely not a civet.
Aug 5, 2012 In the dark, reasoning is blurry. I recall having wondered for a painfully long time: what’s an animal with a cat’s face?
Aug 5, 2012 Denny turns to me, pulls away the bigger torch from my hand and darts forward, whipping the light oddly.
Aug 5, 2012 Now, in normal situations Denny is politeness itself. This was serious.
Aug 5, 2012 Imagine a domestic cat w/ exotic patterns and you’ll have a Leopard Cat. In Tabin, a common sight. Hunts rats in the palm plantation.
Aug 5, 2012 Last year in Tabin we met also a bigger, darker and more uncommon feline: a Marbled Cat. Long furry tail. A cool beast.
Aug 5, 2012 So what was left? Flat-headed Cat, Bay Cat, Clouded Leopard. About the first two, very little is known. The last: uncommon to rare.
Aug 5, 2012 This cat turned its head and moved away from the flickering light show made by Denny. It headed towards the river.
Aug 5, 2012 When it left I could see part of the back. Big patterns. The cat was probably the size of a medium-sized dog.
Aug 5, 2012 Hectic moments of was-that-all? And then: another pair of eyes! Even more lower down, on the other side of the gap.
Aug 5, 2012 This cat was lying on the ground, behind a tangle of dead branches.
Aug 5, 2012 It dawns on me why Denny does not hold the light steady. He plays with the cat! Tries to keep it interested, not to leave us.
Aug 5, 2012 The juvenile Sunda Clouded Leopard didn’t leave. We filmed it about 15 min. Had to stop there so as not to disturb it too much.
Aug 5, 2012 Denny whispers:”The mom is probably hunting monkeys.” I hope it was lucky. We didn’t see her.
Aug 5, 2012 Later, Denny tells us that during some night drives, members of the family have been seen. Never the whole family together.
Aug 5, 2012 Wikipedia states that the first documented filming of this animal was done in 2009.
Aug 5, 2012 “Pity I didn’t look carefully when it yawned”, says Denny. In proportion to the skull length, no other living cat has longer teeth.
Jul 18, 2016 The dominant male Broboscis monkey makes a spectacular jump. The entire foliage of the landing tree shakes and shivers.
Jul 18, 2016 To this, his harem produces a short, soft, downward sigh. A unison sign of admire? More like “Take it easy” tells Eric, the guide.
Jul 18, 2016 There are ~20 members in the group. Half a dozen adult females, most of them with a breast-fed, dark-faced baby. Several youngsters.
Jul 18, 2016 The slightly crouched, round-bellied figure of a Broboscis, quietly sitting up on a tree, is surprisingly human.
Jul 18, 2016 Nature documentaries don’t give justice to the slender limbs and elegant colouring of this primate.
Jul 18, 2016 Big males don a dark brown back. Down by the waistline it switches abruptly to light gray. The same up on the shoulders. A furry vest.
Jul 18, 2016 What documentaries modestly frame out is the bright red, constantly erected penis of Broboscis.
Jul 18, 2016 Eric tells how recent research has shown that Broboscis’ diet includes highly toxic leaves that increase the body temperature.
Jul 18, 2016 The theory has it that the penis acts as a cooling mechanism, just like the nose.
Jul 18, 2016 How do females manage then? By urinating frequently, they say.
Jul 18, 2016 The 4 m tall, upright, wooden saltwater crocodile in a Sandakan roundabout was right. Animals of that size swim in Kinabatangan.
Jul 18, 2016 Today, downstream Kinabatangan is 100% muslim.
Jul 18, 2016 Earlier, when animism still prevailed, it was a no-no to wash mosquito nets and aluminium utensils in a croc river, tells Eric.
Jul 18, 2016 Not to splash in water was a practical piece of advice, wrapped in religious dogma to make it sink.
Jul 18, 2016 Only three weeks ago, a croc had snapped a man who was net-fishing while standing on the shore.
Jul 19, 2016 The relationship between villagers and elephants is a mixture of healthy mistrust and respect. “They call them nini, grandmother.”
Jul 19, 2016 Elephant whereabouts are transmitted via a WhatsApp group. A bigger herd is further up, somewhere midstreams, we hear.
Jul 19, 2016 The Kinabatangan River area is divided btw 10 lots/villages. Abai Jungle Lodge, one hr boat ride from Sepilok, is in lot 1, Abai.
Jul 19, 2016 Back from the dinner, a medium-sized figure on the shadowy hand rail of the bungalow.
Jul 19, 2016 Slowly, it rotates its head. Ear-tufts, yellow eyes. Buffy fish owl.
Jul 19, 2016 By night, lodge lights attract insects, particularly moths and beetles.
Jul 19, 2016 One night on the porch floor: 25 beetles of the same species. Black, 1 inch, dung beetle like.
Jul 19, 2016 Next morning: 0 beetles. The fish owl had eaten them all. True story, witnessed it grab one.
Jul 19, 2016 During the night, meowing. The owl? No (house cat) but the occasional, 1-2 sec cry in a feline-like pitch, that’s the Buffy fish owl.
Jul 19, 2016 There are troubled waters around Borneo. In the N, the South China Sea; in the NE, the Sulu Sea.
Jul 19, 2016 The Philippines have a “dormant claim” on N Borneo, as a said successor state of Sultanate of Sulu.
Jul 19, 2016 The southernmost islands of the Philippines are only 50 km away. Steep, misty silhouettes on the horizon.
Jul 19, 2016 The XL size red bill of a Stork-billed kingfisher looks like lipstick gone crazy.
Jul 19, 2016 Within the splendid family of tropical kingfishers, this species stands out also due to its size. Common here.
Jul 19, 2016 “Striking…remarkable” An adult Black-and-red broadbill is hyped also by books. Unforgettable? Dunno yet but oh boy, the colors!
Jul 20, 2016 Eric (Irix) Rolando has worked 14 years as a guide at S I Tours.
Jul 20, 2016 When BBC was filming here the last time, Eric was one of the guides whose duty was to find the animals.
Jul 20, 2016 The toughest one was Clouded leopard. How to get one in front of a camera trap?
Jul 20, 2016 The trick that eventually worked was a rabbit in a cage above the path.
Jul 20, 2016 The rabbit was fed, so eventually it pooped, the poo landed on the ground, the smell brought the cat, and the camera got the cat.
Jul 20, 2016 “However, BBC’s code of conduct doesn’t allow a bait, so the camera trap footage was not used.”
Jul 21, 2016 From Abai, one hour boat drive upstreams on the latte waters of Kinabatangan brings you to lot 2, Sukau village.
Jul 21, 2016 Here, at Sukau Rainforest Lodge, a familiar face: Engeri Stephen Etin Sahya aka Stephen, the father-figure of Sabah naturalist guides.
Jul 21, 2016 In March 2011, we spent 10 d w/ Stephen at Tabin Wildlife Reserve. The highlight of the visit was a Marbled cat.
Jul 21, 2016 In my early days of nature travels, I wouldn’t have the nerves to see the innards of Gomantong (Black) Cave.
Jul 21, 2016 A limestone cave with gothic dimensions, its walls are a tapestry of long-legged centipedes and red cockroaches. Rats skirt by.
Jul 21, 2016 In the animal kingdom, these three rank high on the list of the least adored species.
Jul 21, 2016 Cockroach fobia (I had)? This is the place to get rid of it. Nowhere else will you see them so much & so near (mind the hand rail).
Jul 21, 2016 Around, tens of thousands of small swiftlets fly i/o of the cave while even more numerous bats rest in dark lumps high up.
Jul 21, 2016 The wooden boardwalk is slippery from bird guano, bat droppings, and other unspecified biomaterial delivered from above.
Jul 21, 2016 “They brush it every day”, laughs the guide who escorts us through the cave, pointing to interesting objects with his torch.
Jul 21, 2016 When the sun sets at 6, the bats start to fly out.
Jul 21, 2016 They all use the same hole in the ceiling, so when you stand outside watching, it looks as if the hill was emitting smoke.
Jul 21, 2016 Against the evening sky, the puffs of bats linger like a celestial snake. Here and there, a raptor tries its luck.
Jul 27, 2016 2,5 hr drive from Lahad Datu to Danum Valley. The road was in better condition than in July 2012. Also, more elephant dung.
Jul 27, 2016 “Looks like a lone bull”, says Sayeh and examines the roadside damage including a flattened metal sign. ‘BEWARE OF ELEPHANTS’, maybe.
Jul 27, 2016 Four years ago, a few things were different at Borneo Rainforest Lodge.
Jul 27, 2016 Now, trees w/ ripe fruits are much harder to find. Figs -> animals. “One tree is eaten very fast. Mammals, birds…they all come”
Jul 27, 2016 The rainy season has been drier this year. Pro: less mud, fewer leeches & mosquitoes. Con: vegetation a little less lush.
Jul 27, 2016 In February, one of the backbones of the Canopy Walkway, a tall, white-trunk Menggaris tree, was hit by a lightning.
Jul 27, 2016 The tree was damaged, and cut down. To find a replacement is a project of a big scale, in many ways.
Jul 27, 2016 Denny Alouysius is not here atm. We miss him a great deal, but look forward to days w/ Sayeh.
Jul 27, 2016 Wi-fi has become a scarce resource. Now consumed not only by all guests but also by the staff.
Jul 27, 2016 Back in 2012, every other guest had an e-reader. Now, I’ve seen none.
Jul 27, 2016 Tu-tuk tu-tuk-tuk. In the canopy, a Blue-eared barbet repeats its dry call “with rather mechanical quality” as the book puts it.
Jul 27, 2016 In Kinabatangan, early afternoon rain was a norm. Here, you cannot be sure when it falls. But fall it will.
Jul 27, 2016 6 PM down by the Danum River. Thunder still far, but clouds are already present, looking suspicious.
Jul 27, 2016 In a grandiosely loose formation, a fleet of a dozen Rhinocerous hornbills. One by one, they land on a tree by the shore.
Jul 27, 2016 
Time to turn on the lights, and step into the jungle. 
First
and then 
until past midnight.
Jul 27, 2016 Next morning. A wet, hungry and alert Barred eagle-owl in the mid-storey.
Jul 27, 2016 Compared to our eagle-owl, this one is half the size. Horizontal ear-tufts like eye-brows.
Jul 27, 2016 In daylight, pupils are big, black, bottomless.
Jul 27, 2016 “We don’t see this species every month”, says Sayeh, “so some birding groups leave a bit disappointed.”
Jul 27, 2016 Rain has given an extra boost to Danum. Sound is deeper, rapids livelier. Waves are licking the outskirts of the lodge helipad.
Jul 27, 2016 A 2 m long Monitor lizard steps into the water, swims deeper, switches to a rigid log mode, and drifts down the river.
Jul 27, 2016 In the far corner of the area where the houses of staff & researchers are, behind the football field, grows a durian tree.
Jul 27, 2016 On the second lowest branch, leaning sideways against the trunk, sits a male orangutan.
Jul 27, 2016 In the left hand he holds a spiky, half-eaten, unripe durian fruit. Green outside, pure white inside.
Jul 27, 2016 The right hand is around the trunk. In the right foot, the orangutan grips another fruit. He is prepared.
Jul 28, 2016 An audible CRUNCH. Jaws chew. Slowly, a white lump emerges from between the lips. Without much further ado, the lump drops.
ul 28, 2016 Orangutans appear slow but they move effectively. One swing, and the all-reddish-brown animal is out of sight inside all the green.
Jul 28, 2016 “They are a bit shy”, Sayah whispers. Orangutans try to avoid facing a lens. Few secs is OK, more not so. They just turn around.
Aug 2, 2016 The fig tree trembles. It’s 7 pm, and yet another night walk around the premises to find a Slow loris.
Aug 2, 2016 Loris stays low, in few meters, and the eye shine is big and steady.
Aug 2, 2016 In the flashlight, a black furry head with long white whiskers, small round ears edged with white. Like an arborean seal.
Aug 2, 2016 First, the Binturong just stares the light, temporary blinded, but soon hunger wins.
Aug 2, 2016 Thanks to its prehensile, muscular tail, this “largest living species of the Viverridae” reaches figs on the tip of the branches.
Aug 2, 2016 Later that night, a lone upright figure on a stone by the shore of the Danum River. Motionless, watchful.
Aug 2, 2016 Buffy fish owl is fishing.
Ilmestynyt alun perin Facebookissa.
Eric “Irix” Rolando on yksi S I Toursin oppaita. Nelissäkymmenissä, perheessä vaimo ja kolme poikaa. Korrekti, fiksun oloinen, englanti erinomainen. Takana 14 vuotta luonto-opastusta Sabahissa, Malesian Borneon pohjoisessa maakunnassa.
Irix on sabahilainen tribaalinimi. Eric on annettu myöhemmin, kouluiässä. Käyttökelpoisempi yleisnimi.
“Yes, I have googled”, hän vastaa nopeasti kun ryhdymme vihjaamaan käyttöjärjestelmistä ja Silicon Graphicsista. Emme taida olla ensimmäiset nörttituristit.
Ensimmäisiä hänen tapaamiaan suomalaisiakaan emme ole. Olympia järjestää tänne seuramatkoja. Viimeksi väkeä oli ollut Oulusta. “I respect your citizens. There was a man without legs. We had arranged four people to assist him but he said No, thank you. He even did tough trecking.”
Kinabatangan-joki kiemurtelee – kaikkien jokien oletusverbi – lounais-koillissuunnassa halki itäisen Sabahin ja lopulta pullauttaa ruskean lattekahvivetensä Sulu-mereen. Matkalla on kymmenen kylää, jotka on kätevästi paitsi nimetty myös numeroitu juoksevasti eli asiayhteyteen sopivalla tavalla. Alajuoksusta päin aloitetaan, 1-10.
Virran mukana kulkee paksulehtisiä vesikasveja lauttoina. Niissä paikoissa missä lautat sattuvat pysähtymään, alkaa saman tien juurtumisoperaatio. Tehokkainta se on kuroumajärvissä (oxbow lake), jotka kasvavat hissukseen umpeen.
“All of these are introduced domestic plants gone wild”, sanoo Eric ja putsaa kiikareitaan.
Swarovski sponsoroi S I Toursia niin kuin monia muitakin luontomatkailutoimistoja. Yrityksen webisivulla lähes jokainen opas on kuvattu hymyilevänä, vihreät Swarot kaulalla. Sama rintakuvaformaatti, sama paita, sama tausta. Kuin futaajilla ikään. Eric on niitä joilla ei Swaroja ole, ja ehkä siksi valmistajan merkki onkin jätetty kouran sisään, näkymättömiin.
Ericissä on tekniikkafriikin piirteitä. Kiikarit; kaukoputki jonka okulaarin eteen on viritetty pokkarikamera; järkkäri; Samsungin älypuhelin; putsauskalusto uutta mallia; tukeva reppu.
Tavaralla on hintansa, mutta luonto-oppaat tienaavat kohtuullisen hyvin kaikkialla.
Abai Jungle Lodge on tunnin venematkan päässä Sepilokista, jossa S I Toursin päämaja sijaitsee. Maja on sikäli väärä termi, että tilat ovat veden päällä, paalujen varassa seisovalla laiturimaisella rakennelmalla, jolle en tiedä suomenkielistä sanaa. Jetty englanniksi. Sokkeloinen rykelmä asumuksia ja yrityksiä. Julkinen ja yksityinen lomittuvat.
“This is the oldest water village in Sepilok”, kertoo Eric ja esittelee miten bisneksen kasvu näkyy konkreettisesti. “See that small room there? That’s where it started.” Nyt yrityksellä (joka on samalla toimitusjohtajan koti) on oma telakka erikokoisille moottoriveneille, huoltotilat, keittiö, hulppea ruokala, punttisali, privaattitilat – ja pienen lätkäkaukalon kokoinen ja näköinen allas puolillaan vettä.
Vettä sotketaan jatkuvasti parin kevyen luokan perämoottorin antamalla energialla.
Altaassa ui laiskan oloisesti puoli tusinaa arapaimaa, maailman suurinta makean veden kalaa. Kuin miniatyyrikoon sukellusveneitä. Komeasti punaisena välkehtivä, helttamainen pyrstö, jota kala liikuttaa elegantin laiskasti sivuttain kuin krokotiili. Omintakeinen tylppä pää.
Arapaima on Etelä-Amerikan lahja maailmalle. Lähes loppuun kalastettu, sekin. Guyanan matkalla meille kerrottiin, että paikallisella väestöllä on kalastuskiintiö, muilta se on rauhoitettu. Rauha on kuitenkin suhteellinen käsite.
Se jäi epäselväksi, mitä arapaimat tekevät Borneossa. Muuta kuin uivat S I Toursin altaassa, siis. Eric tosin viittasi johonkin suunnitteilla olevaan paikkaan, jonne ne on tarkoitus vapauttaa. Ehkä jokin uusi liikeidea.
Altaan reunalla on kyltti DON’T PUT YOUR HAND IN THE WATER.
Abai Jungle Lodgella on monta valttikorttia. Yksi on kylän läheisyys. Abain parikymppiset pojat ovat rento ja tehokas henkilökunta. Toki myös edullinen. Viritetyllä pärinäveneellä pääsee minuutissa joen yli kotiin. Tytöt tekevät kotitöitä, Eric kertoo.
Toinen on luonnon läheisyys. Majat on ripoteltu puoliympyrän muotoon metsän keskelle lähelle jokea. Milloin vain voi nähdä mitä vain, koska luonto pääsee liki. Metrin korkeuteen rakennettu puinen boardwalk, joka yhdistää majat ja ravintolan, loiventaa city-ihmisen viidakkostressiä, mutta lisää siihen yllätysmomentin: päivittäisen ukkoskuuron ja tasaisen lämmön yhteisvaikutuksesta lankuille muodostuu tropiikin mustaa jäätä, eloperäistä töhnää joka näyttää vedeltä mutta on liukastetta.
Kolmas on kokki. Ruoka on hyvää, mutta lisämausteena on kokin toimenkuva ja persoona. Hän on aina paikalla auttamassa nuorta henkilökuntaa ja pitämässä mielialaa korkealla. En ole ennen ollut paikassa, missä matkalaukun kantajalla on kokin essu päällä. Lodgella on myös operatiivinen manageri, vaitonainen taustahenkilö joka kulkee paperipinon ja taskulaskimen kanssa.
Neljäs on homman pyöritys. Se toimii. Turisteja tulee ja menee. Monet vain syövät täällä lounaan matkalla seuraavaan kylään, Sukauhun, joka on Kinabatangan-turismin pääpaikkoja. Ne jotka jäävät, viipyvät yleensä vain pari yötä. Trafiikkia piisaa ja varsinkin ruokailut ovat kiireisiä, mutta asiat sujuvat koska tilat ovat avarat ja palvelu pelaa. Ja jos on erikoistilaisuuksia, kylän kundit ja kokki muodostavat pop up -bändin, joka soittaa, laulaa ja tanssittaa yleisöä.
Niiden viiden yön aikana, jonka vietimme Abai Jungle Lodgessa, kolmena iltana oli honeymoonereiden juhlintaa, kahtena jopa tuplat. Tämä tiesi lukuisia ylimääräisiä kakkukahveja.
Tunnin matkan päässä ylävirtaa on em. Sukau. Siellä ollaan jo, mekin.
DUTY FREE! DUTY FREE!
ONE THIRTY-TWO!
Danumin laaksossa aamupäivä on kääntymässä kohti lounasta. Istut hotellin päärakennuksen seinättömässä ravintolakerroksessa, kuuntelet lintujen sanomisia ja yrität päästä verkkoon.
Eteisen lattialla lojuu epälukuinen määrä varvastossuja, sandaaleja, lenkkareita ja bootseja. Joku on liikkeellä hotelleista tutuilla valkoisilla kertakäyttötossuilla.
Saman eteistilan seinien ja katon gekkotiheys on iltaisin noin 3 per neliö. Kaikki ovat vaaleita talogekkoja, mutta kun astuu ulos puiselle kävelysillalle, lajikirjo kasvaa heti; metsän gekot ovat kirjavia, yleisväritys tumma.
Samassa sydänalassa läikähtää. Taas.
Näinkö se alkaa? Tässäkö se nyt sitten oli?
Ei. Ei kammiovärinää, vaan kanta-astuva turisti. Pitkät lattialankut resonoivat jännittävästi. Kokemus on opettanut, mihin ravintolan pöytään ei kannata istua.
Alapuolella, maan tasalla, on meneillään logistinen operaatio.
Vajaan 40 hengen kiinalaisryhmä (tai Taiwanista? Hong Kongista? en ole varma) tekee lähtöä 2,5 tunnin ajomatkalle takaisin Ladah Datuun. Korkeintaan kymmenvuotiaita lapsia puolet, toinen puoli aikuisia, lasten vanhempia lähinnä. Seitsemän 4×4:sta ja kaksi pikkubussia on parkattu sinne minne mahtuu, laukkuja nostellaan sisään. Itse kuljetettavat ovat maksamassa ravintolalaskua, näpsimässä viime hetken kuvia, yrittämässä ottaa kiinni vielä yhtä kovakuoriaista, juoksemassa vielä tämän kerran ravintolan päästä päähän. Oranssiin puolitakkiin ja vaaleisiin housuihin pukeutunutta, paljasjalkaista henkilökuntaa seisoo siellä täällä. THANK YOU THANK YOU BYE BYE.
Sen verran mitä ulkopuolinen ymmärsi ryhmän tekemisistä, oltiin kahden päivän luontoleirillä.
Kiinnostus kaikkeen ympärillä etenevään tai lojuvaan oli aivan valtava. Sitä havainnoinnin, ihmettelyn, jakamisen ja valokuvaamisen määrää! Kohteen ympärille muodostui saman tien tiivis ja äänekäs kimppu katsojia. Eikä innostus suinkaan laantunut yhden valokuvan ottamiseen, vaan se jatkui ja jatkui kunnes pienimmät ja/tai hitaimmatkin pääsivät lähietäisyydelle luonnon ihmeestä.
Ennen illallista käytiin läpi, mitä päivän aikana oli nähty. Show & tell muuten paitsi että oppilas seisoi ujosti hymyillen vieressä kun opettaja näytti siniseen vihkoon tehtyjä lyijykynäpiirroksia ja hauskutti yleisöä. Sitten taputettiin.
Sellainen vanhan tyylin palautesessio. Kaikilla oli elektroniikkaa mukana viimosen päälle, mutta oppitunnin välineistö oli perinteinen, ainakin tällä leirillä.
Ne muutamat piirrokset, jotka näin (kiikarilla baarin puolelta) olivat oikein mainioita: isolla viivalla reippaasti hahmoteltuja kuningaskalastajia ja orankeja.
Niitä ryhmän yhdessä kokemisen huippuhetkiä, joita me muutkin pääsimme todistamaan, olivat 20-senttinen, punajalkainen hepokatti ja kuuluisa kello kuuden kaskas, jolla on kokoa ja näköä. Edellinen lounaalla, jälkimmäinen illallisella.
Kaskas lensi esiin pimeästä. Se päristeli valoista sokaistuneena pöytien ympärillä kunnes törmäsi koristeena olevaan saviruukkuun. Yksi opettajista heitti saman tien lautasliinan sivuun, juoksi kaskaan luo ja otti kiinni.
Tästä alkoi dokumentointirupeama, jota kesti ainakin puoli tuntia.
Taskulamppujen kiilat halkoivat pimeää, kännyköiden ja täppäreiden loistetta, kiljahduksia kun kaskas oli päästä karkuun. Seuraavaksi sitä kuvattiin uusi kierros, tällä kertaa tiedemiestyyliin valkoista lautasliinaa vasten. Sekä ylä- että alapuolelta. Lopuksi kaskasta saivat pitää kädessä kaikki jotka halusivat – jokainen näytti haluavan – ja totta kai tämäkin valokuvattiin.
Kun joskus jäi kuvaamaan jotakin pikku juttua ravintolan seinällä, lattialla tai puutarhassa, välittömästi alkoi selän taakse muodostua jonoa, odottamaan kuvausvuoroa.
Heitä tulee ikävä. BYE BYE NOW.