WHAT a day!
Today was a truly memorable day. I fulfilled a goal and had an adventure.
We had an early start for the morning cruise. By 6:30 we were on the boats to see what we could find.
A crocodile!
The first real thing was a tiny bronze-backed snake. I have no idea how the boatman saw it in amongst the reeds. It’s non-venomous. Now I know why snake beans are called what the are. It was just as long and thin.
An egret. I love how they always look so clean. Remember how the guide in Arnhem Land last year said that not even crocodiles would eat them, because they’re nothing but feathers and bones? 😂
We saw another stalk billed kingfisher. I like these, because even I have a good chance of spotting them.
Female black hornbill.
Long tailed Macaques.
Black and Red Broadbill. We were on our way back to the lodge for breakfast when one of us asked if we could stop at the nest again. We’d see it, but the bird flew away when we approached, so no one got a photo.
It turned out that the timing was perfect… not a minute later, someone in the boat yelled out “Otters!”
The boatman instantly jumped off the gas and swung the wheel. We reversed past a clump of reeds that was in the way.
“Even the boatman is excited!” said Sarah.
The boatman wasn’t the only one. Ever since I missed out seeing wild otters at the floating village in Canada, I was keen to see them.
I never dreamed I’d see wild otters in Borneo. What a wonderful surprise.
“It’s very rare to see otters on the riverbank,” said Sarah. “Usually, they stick to the swampy areas further inland.”
The other boats crowded around us. Sarah started making a squeaky/ chirping sound to keep the otters where we could see them.
They were so curious. They kept poking their heads up over the riverbank to check us out. I kept craning my neck to see more of them. We were mirroring each other!
Finally Sarah said, “Take your last photo. My mouth is getting tired from calling!” So we left them.
Honestly, I can’t believe how amazing my life is.
Otters in Borneo!
After breakfast, we had a trip to the Gomantong. Cave. As we were waiting for the boats, David heard a ‘thump!’ as something hit the ground from up a tree.
“Is that a snake?” he asked. The jury was out, until it moved its head when he walked up to it. It’s the same sort of snake as the one we saw in the reeds earlier, so now you have a clearer look at it.
We put on our hard hats, donned our disposable gloves and set off for the cave. You wouldn’t believe that this hill is completely hollow, would you?
I wasn’t expecting much from this tour. We were warned about the stench of the bat guano, which can be so strong that people take one step inside the cave and change their minds about going any further.
There’s the possibility of getting peed on by a bat or a swallow, which made some people I saw wear rain ponchos over their clothes.
That all didn’t bother me much. I’ve always had a bad sense of smell, and if I got peed on, we were going straight back to the lodge so a change of clothes wasn’t far away.
What did bother me a bit was the cockroaches.
Disgusting, dirty things. They make nests in the guano and then swarm all over the railings, the steps and the walls of the cave. Sarah issued us with disposable gloves so we could use the handrails. The steps were somewhat slippery from the droppings.
But it was worth it. Video taken by Elizabeth.
I didn’t find the guano smell too bad, but then again, if I could smell it clearly, then it must have been strong.
The cave itself was spectacular.
The caves were discovered by foreigners in the 15th century,when Chinese traders discovered the birds nests in here. They are still harvested today.see the long ladder? A few men brace the bottom while one brave soul goes up to collect the nests.
“Geese, you’d want to make sure you had your mates down there holding you up!” said Gary. “Imagine if you owed someone money??”
They weren’t wrong about the cockroaches. The place was full of them. I’ve never been more glad to be wearing gloves.
You wouldn’t want to lean against the wall for a rest. I wasn’t expecting constantly moving my feet because I didn’t want one to start crawling up my leg.
But, as I said, this place was worth it.
It didn’t take long for us to walk the circuit. I was in the front group, as usual, so I missed the drama of when a local woman who was in a hurry, tried to push past some of our group on the slippery stairs. She slipped, fell on her back and cut her arm open.
Imagine. Not the sort of place where you want to be courting an infection. Someone dabbed her cut with tea tree oil, but she left with her back and bum covered with bat, swift and cockroach poo.
Stay safe, people!
After lunch we had a few hours to spare before the next boat trip. I thought I’d spend the time blogging and reading, but instead I had a solid two hour nap. I must’ve needed it.
As I left my cabin to get to the dock, I glanced at the sky. “Hmmmm, looks like rain,” I said. I wasn’t wrong.
As we were enjoying afternoon tea, the rain began to. Soon, ‘thunder, bolts of lightning’ joined in.
We would be out on a body of water in the middle of a storm. What could possibly go wrong?
Eventually, all but one of us set off. I had a rain poncho on, under my life jacket, and I was sheltering my precious phone near my chest, where I hoped it wouldn’t get wet.
The likelihood of seeing anything was low, but we all had hopes of spotting the Pygmy Elephants. FOMO is a powerful thing.
The rain was bucketing down. I absolutely hate getting rained on.
This proboscis monkey looked as though it felt the same.
I wasn’t taking pictures of everything we saw, because the rain was getting very heavy, the light was dark and I love my phone. But when a Hornbill is silhouetted, you take the shot.
Would you believe it? As we were all snapping away, its mate flew up!
After 5his coup, Sarah asked if we wanted to go back now. We didn’t, so off we went again.
This time, we turned up the river where the elephants are sometimes seen.
The rain got heavier. I tucked the poncho around every bit of me I could reach, lowered my head and let the rain fall. The boat would stop if anyone saw anything was, I reasoned. It’s not as if I ever spot much. I’m very unobservant.
I wasn’t taking pictures correct. The boat slowed to a stop. I shook the water from my poncho hood and saw this family of long tailed macaques crossing the river.
This one was showing off his acrobatics, walking upside down nearly the whole way.
Sarah told us that we were turning back now, after we took photos of these wet monkeys. The rain was getting heavier and the animals would be hiding away.
The three boats sped back towards the lodge. I was in the last boat.
We were zipping along, me hunched over under my poncho, when our engine died. No coughing or spluttering… it stopped dead.
I waited for it to start again. Nothing. Meanwhile, the other two boats were merrily heading over the horizon.
The rain poured down. Elizabeth tried to call Sarah but she had no reception. The boatman got through to her voicemail and left a message. As this is happening, the boat is quickly heading downstream.
The rain start3d to ease up, so I emerged from under the poncho. I decided people needed cheering up.
“So who are we going to eat first if we don’t get rescued?” I asked. Then I realised.
“Shit. It’s going to be me. All of the rest of you are married.”
“Aw, maybe we should eat the youngest person. They’ll be tender,” said Gary.
I looked around at them. I was well and truly screwed.
“That’s me,” I said.
They laughed. “It’s not looking good, Frogdancer!” said Ken.
I fished out the little whistle attached to the life jacket and blew it.
“We’re SURE to be saved now!” I announced.
We swept around the corner of the river and the place where the boats would come was lost to sight. It was amazing how quickly the river was moving.
When a boat swung around the corner, we cheered. “I told you the whistle would work!” I said.
A rope was quickly slung between the two boats and off we went. All was going well until the rope snapped.
Just as we were about to head off into the wide blue yonder again, another boat turned up and positioned itself beside us. We made a mid-river transition from one boat to another.
Then we were off again.
The rain had stopped and the ride home was lovely. At least, it was for me. Ken has straight into a puddle of water on his chair, so he wasn’t all that comfortable.
“At least it isn’t warm, Ken!” said Jenny.
I’m ending the day very happy to have seen otters in the wild, and to have survived my almost certain brush with death. 😀
Tomorrow we leave the lodge and head back to civilisation.
Dad joke of the day:
Why should you never date a baker?
Because they’re too kneady:
My goodness! What a sequence of events!