We are exhausted. We were up at 5.30 to meet our guide who had another surprise in store for us!! Another mother who was just making her way back down the beach. It was brilliant because it was day light and we were able to see her properly and spend time with her as she dragged herself back to the water. Our guide got a big tip!!
We had breakfast and then an hour speed boat back to mainland Borneo. We were picked up at the jetty and taken straight to the conservation centre to see sun bears, orangutans and Proboscis monkeys.
I loved seeing the sun bears and orangutans, the centre is built into the rainforest and they rehabilitate pet bears and orangutans when they have been badly abused or malnourished. They have 40 bears at the moment and are slowly trying to get them back to living wild, they don't feed them regularly and the bears are in a massive enclosure full of rain forest where they can forage for their own food.
The orangutans are treated and quarantined before being freed, they are also watched and trained to fend for themselves independently. They have a feeding every morning at 10am for the orangutans but only those that still need support show up. In some ways you don't want them to come because that means they are coping on their own.
They also look after about 15-20 baby orangutans that have been left orphaned, volunteers spend time with the babies teaching them how to hang and swing, once they have the basics they are also left to go off but alway have the safety net of coming back for food and to be checked on.
The P monkeys were different and I felt more uneasy about seeing them. They are only found in Borneo and are the largest of the monkey species. We went to private land and paid to see the monkeys being fed, they don't like sugar so they are fed with beans, cucumber and pancake. These were wild monkeys and they came from miles away and slowly arrived to get their lunch.
I didn't like that we were encouraging wild monkeys to take food from humans, it makes them tame and also breeds a whole generation of monkeys that don't know how to find their own food, they rely on being fed. Feeding happens 4 times a day and the monkeys really weren't afraid of us, before I knew it they were in amongst us helping themselves to food. Maybe I'm over the top but I wouldn't voluntarily touch a monkey but so many tourist do, it amazes me. One woman was teasing the monkey with some beans and I was just waiting for him to bite her!
We had a quick lunch and then drove 2 hours to arrive at our accommodation for the night, we are staying in a riverside lodge. It's hilarious, it's absolutely stunning but Edd and I are out of our comfort zone completely. As we were checking in they were taking photos of something and I stupidly asked what, 'just a poisonous snake'.
Edd and I have agreed to accompany each other to bed at night because we're both scared of what we may come across on the way to our little lodge! We are staying in a little wooden shack and we have both checked that there are no holes or gaps that anything can crawl in through!! There's something scuffing around on our roof as I type!
We had a river cruise from 4-6 this evening which to be honest was tough for me, the heat is incredible and on a boat you are very exposed. I felt really ill half way through and was so desperate to cool down. We saw lots more monkeys which were great to see in the wild but not as close or clear as they had been this morning.
We got back at sun down and had dinner in the communal area which is full of moths, lizards, bats and other insects flying around but at least it's well lit. There was an option of a night trek but I have been over doing it and just needed somewhere cool and an early night.
I think we're both scared of the idea of a night trek anyway!! I don't know what's going on outside but there are lots of squeals and screams in the dark so I'm sort of pleased I'm snuggled up under my mozzi net!!Another 5.30am start for an early morning cruise! Hopefully not as hot this time!
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