14 August 2015 - Semenggoh National Park, near Kuching, Malaysian Borneo

We kept the car that we rented together with Patrick & Rebecca of s/v Brick House today so that we could attend the meeting for the rafting safari that we signed up for yesterday. However, since the meeting wasn’t until 2pm, we made good use of the car by first visiting the Fairy Cave. Patrick & Rebecca had been there already, but we wanted to see it too.

It was a very cool cave, but I don’t know if Fairy Cave is an appropriate name for it. I’ve been to some caves that have amazingly delicate formations & lots of crystals that sparkle in your flashlight beam. This cave was quite large, & although it had some lovely formations, I think one of the most striking features was an entire slope of beautiful ferns growing in the sunlight from the opening. So I think Fern Cave would be a better name.

The boys were extremely thoughtful & offered to go to the rafting meeting while Rebecca & I took the car to return to Semenggoh orangutan reserve to see more apes. This was my third visit, & I wasn’t tired of watching them yet. There was only one at the feeding area today, but we got to see him swinging thru the trees along the jungle path for about half an hour after he’d eaten several bananas & yams & played with a coconut. Seeing him moving thru the forest was really cool. They have such incredibly long limbs. He would bend trees right over with his weight, sometimes swinging his foot like a kid on a swing to get enough momentum to reach the next tree or vine. He’d move a lot of branches & make quite a racket as he swung thru, but then as soon as he stopped moving, he completely disappeared, despite his auburn color. In the sunlight, their fur simply glows.

Since we’d only seen the one orangutan thus far, it was really surprising when a mother & her son walked right thru the open areas of the compound. The ranger told me the son is about 7 years old. Apparently the youngsters are dependent on their mother until about 9 years of age. They climbed down from a tree together & began walking toward the edge of the forest, he with one hand on her shoulder, his front pressed up against her back, walking right in step with her. She walked with her hands on the ground, while he, with her support, walked upright or with just one hand on the ground. Although they are not as graceful on the ground as in the trees, they walked like this for a long way, moving easily in synch, looking as though they do it all the time.

We were also lucky enough to see a mother & 2-year old baby in a tree at the edge of the forest. Yay! They hung out directly above the lingering crowd of 30 or so people, watching us as much as we were watching them….

It’s just such an incredible experience seeing the orangutans up close, not behind bars. And it’s difficult to stop taking pictures because they’re so wonderfully photogenic!

We picked up Patrick & BB at the Municipal Building, then headed back toward Kuching. We had seen a festival being set up along the river in town & wanted to see what it was about. It was called a Kooperasi Festival, with many booths displaying food & souvenirs from cooperatives around Malaysia. Every booth with food wanted us to sample their goods, which were largley fish- or shrimp-based snacks. There were also tour companies from around Malaysia with maps & tourist information, as well as displays of dancing, basketweaving, and other crafts.

There was a stage with music & speeches going on, & when we found a table at a restaurant with a view of the proceedings, we sat down for a drink & a bite to eat. Unfortunately, the music soon became too loud & karaoke-like, & chased us off after we’d finished eating.

It was a long drive from the city back to our Santubong River sanctuary, where our boats waited for us, but it’s nice to be anchored in a place with such a beautiful view of the mountain we plan to climb, & such a peaceful environment. I wonder if there are any orangutans in the forest around that mountain….?

says ADR