Travel, Wine & Shoes

Up bright and early again and headed to Bako National Park to see the Proboscis Monkeys.

I travelled by bus and boat to get there. I took the red bus which was 5 Ringgit (1.50 CAD) because I’m trying to do this cheaply and the bus was nice. Comfy seats.

Once we got to the park entrance I paid for the boat ride (20 Ringgit each way) and the entrance fee (20 Ringgit). My boat driver was Bindi Bin Hamdan and he was very nice.

Note that on the way back the bus was not showing up so the son of one of the lady’s working at the entrance drove me back for 30 Ringgit. I’m not sure saving 8 CAD is worth all the effort of taking the bus.

I got on the boat with Bindi and he brought me over to the park. We passed by a village and men were out checking their fishing nets.

Bako National Park is a protected area with wildlife, trails, rainforest and vegetation.

I checked in and got some info on the different trails, bought water, bathroom break, etc, etc. The “Beware of Crocodiles” signs were starting to freak me out. Near the check in were wild boar and they aren’t the most attractive.

I saw both silvered leaf monkeys and proboscis monkeys. My pictures aren’t great because they were in the trees and I could hear them and see where they were, but it was hard to get a good picture.

The bigger the nose on the male the bigger the harem he has! Size does matter.

The park itself is beautiful, looked after and wasn’t crowded. The treks I did weren’t long, but there was a lot of scrambling. I was by myself for most of it and passed other people every now and then.

I loved the hikes and I was drenched when I came out of the rainforest. It was 35°C here today and it was a little bit too much for me with the humidity and hiking. I guzzled water and sweated it all out.

I do recommend if you come to this park to stay overnight. They have nice looking accommodations and dusk and dawn are best for seeing the wildlife plus you can do a night hike with a ranger.

Bindi took me back to the entrance and I came back to Kuching. I went to the Fig Tree Cafe and had the exact same Seaweed Fried Rice that I had yesterday. So good!!

I’m off to Brunei in the morning on Royal Brunei Airlines. The airlines are so different here. Friendlier and nicer and they don’t seem to be out to make every dollar they can. For example, I selected an exit row seat at no charge.

Brunei is a dry country which means no wine. My friend Nancy is baffled by some of the “vacations” I take and I’m sure she’s equally baffled that I’m going somewhere with no wine.

Happy Travels

Malaysia