Den Semengoh Wildlife Reserve er en tolv mile drev fra Kuching og værd at turen, Borneo har smukke strande i de mere turistede destinationer i North, men attraktion for mig var ikke sol, hav og sand. I joined a couple of tours arranged by the Bermibeh Travellers lodge (Ewe Hai Street) . They started early, and not being much of a morning person I skipped breakfast, but this was offered to me gratis by the great people at the Bermimbeh hostel while I waited for the vehicle.

On the first trip I didnt see any of these fantastic creatures, just lots of gruesome photos of the damage they could do to you if you do see them and let them get too close. ‘If an orangutan touches you, you always go to hospital’, our guide as the reserve told us. These orangutans are being rehabilitated into the wild and if they dont need to come to take the food laid out for them, it’s a good sign, they are doing well. They are orphaned or injured or have previously been kept as illegal pets and the aim is not to tame them but to help them as they fend for themselves. On my first visit we waited and waited quietly (and as usual in a group of people, some not so quietly) in the woods but they didnt come.

My next excursion was to Jong’s Crocodile Farm, also a short drive away. The significance of the word ‘farm’ didnt really sink in at the time, but the crocodiles that are fed for the (fairly scarce) tourists are in huge emerald green pools. I had the place almost to myself once a small group of Malaysian sightseers had left. Its a tranquil leafy spot with crocodiles everywhere. Inside an enclosure a huge tailless beast languishes in a solitary pen, tilsyneladende blev han født på denne måde, og ville blive savaged af andre uden.

Jongs er en smuk og overraskende fredeligt sted, overvejer ting at gøre, er at vandre blandt de største og mest aggressive levende krybdyr.

De IBAN er stamme Dayak folk indfødte til Borneo, landsbyer og langhus i regnskoven er et beautful sted at besøge. Jeg kunne ikke hjælpe følelse gange, at jeg var i en menneskelig zoo. Tilsyneladende Headhunting er udfaset, men de tørrede kranier i spærene kiggede lidt for autentisk.

På mit andet besøg Semenggoh (disse ture Arent dyre, især hvis du bestiller dem på et sted som Bermibih lodge, snarere end et smarte hotel ligesom Pullman, og indgangen gebyret understøtter centret) guiden begyndte at sige "se, se, der ovre!’ in an animated Attenborouesque stage whisper. And there they were, these magnificent creatures.

Semenggoh Nature Reserve