Kuching itself was described to us as a very clean, calm city, something that seems unthinkable in South-East Asia, where noise and chaos are always battling it out for prominence. However, it turned out to be true - Kuching is a very clean city, a well laid-out riverfront, well-kept lawns and a nice mix of colonial (British), Malaysian, Indian and Chinese influences. No need to say we checked out the sites that come with these cultural groups and had a sample of the food (Indian rotis - again!, barbecued fish with sambal (again!) and various nasi dishes (again!), all very nice though).
But Kuching was also a lot more 'obviously tropical' than the other places we had visited so far - always covered in clouds with regular daily showers (humid!), warm and the rainforest almost continuing into the heart of the city.
Enjoying our stay in Kuching, this was not the main reason why we came to Sarawak - the wildlife was. Sarawak is part of East Malaysia, two more or less independent provinces (which means more stamps in our passports!) that are situated on Borneo (this island also holds Brunei and the Indonesian Kalimantan). This part of Malaysia is renowned for its National Parks, mainly rainforest, that (still) cover large areas. Because of this, wildlife is abundant, for example it is is one of the last places on earth where one finds Orang Utans and the only place where one can see the Probiscis monkey. And these two primates where our target for the trip.....
To see an Orang Utan was in theory a fairly simple task - there is a rehabilitation centre where Orang Utans that are deserted by their parents or found in captivity, are being taught how to live in the wild. The centre is about 35 kilometres from Kuching, so nothing too difficult. Apart from the fact that March is still the 'fruiting season' in Malyasia, which means that there is so much food available in the forest that they tend to avoid the feeding places where they have to eat being observed by tens of tourists. The day before a mother and her young had ventured towards the feeding place, but we guess she must have been discouraged by the busloads of Japanese that poured onto the viewing platform, so she stayed in the forest when we were there. The tour buses were on a tight schedule, so the viewing platform emptied halfway through the session, but this didn't help - the Orang Utans still chose to remain in the forest. But, as we don't give up easily, we tagged on to a Park Ranger and walked the trails of the park, in search of the elusive animals. Unfortunately to no avail - so the first part of our mission was a failure, although the beauty of the forest made up for it a bit.
Well aware that Nature does at it wants, we set out to Bako National Park the next day. As this Park can only be reached by boat (when the tide is right, and even then the boat-ride is quite an experience) and we wanted to make sure we had enough time to increase our chances of seeing animals, we decided to spend a few days, to make it worth our while.
The accommodation can only be described as very basic, with brown water that is collected from the jungle streams, facilities that need a good clean and food that is verging on the boring (and that in Malaysia!?).
However, that is not what most people (including us) go there for, everyone wants to see 'wildlife'. And that request is almost fulfilled 'on demand' - between lunch and dinner on the first day we had seen a wild boar (during our stay we also saw his partner and their offspring), tens of little monkeys (macaques), several green vipers, pitcher plants (carnivorous plants) and Probiscis Monkeys (the males look like potbellied, big-nosed, grumpy old men), and that doesn't even include the animals in our room! Heartened by this success, we joined a 'night safari', which is nothing more than a guided tour through the jungle, lit up by a few torches. However, it is quite an experience, the jungle being full of noise and animals, such as frogs, snakes, bats, birds, geckos, stick insects, spiders in all sizes and fireflies.
The second day we spent walking a big loop through the park, a route that took us from 08.00 in the morning to 17.00 in the evening (we could have been back earlier if only Nicola would have managed to climb a rock with the rope provided!). By that time, we were both drenched - first from having a swim in one of the rock pools, then from the strain of walking in 30 degrees with 95% humidity, then from having fallen over on the waterlogged paths (JP's specialty) and finally from being caught in a rain shower. However, the scenery was worth the effort.
On our way back to Kuching, we evaluated this mission as accomplished - we saw the Probiscis, saw many more animals and did a great walk. So, all in all, Sarawak had shown itself from its best side. But, after the 'suffering' in the jungle, we were ready for some western luxury, and where else to get this in South East Asia then in Singapore.....
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