Looking for Wildlife and Homelife on a Borneo River

Reading National Geographic Kids inspires my children to explore. In the same way that the original magazine got adults dreaming of adventures in faraway lands, the kid version has given my children a curiosity about the animals, landscapes, and cultures of our vast, diverse world.

Fisherman on the Santubong River, Borneo

When we boarded the boat on Borneo's Santubong River, my daughter was immediately enthralled by the wildlife photos lining the ceiling. Pictures of proboscis monkeys with their comical, Jimmy Durante noses stared down at us. Irrawaddy dolphins with their characteristic rounded heads and snub noses were shown frolicking in the water. Images of crocodiles glared at us, daring us to get a little closer. As the boat began to chug its way out into the river, she went on and on, telling me everything she knew about proboscis monkeys and their endangered status.

After a while, she paused for a breath and said, "Mama, we should go and see these animals sometime," waving her arm at the pictures

"Honey," I told her, "That's why we're on this boat. Those are the animals we're going to see!"

She was so surprised and delighted. The look on her face was akin to a preschool girl who has just been told she's going to DisneyWorld to have breakfast with all the Princesses. It was as if she had stepped into the pages of National Geographic. A world which had so far only existed on paper was suddenly about to become real.

We were going to see these animals in the wild. Of course, this can be a little trickier than seeing them at the zoo or aquarium. They aren't captive and waiting for you to come by to look at them. No, these animals are living free, and we needed a combination of luck and familiarity with their habits to find them. Luckily, we had a guide who knew a few tricks.

Waiting and staring, hoping to see proboscis monkeys.

Our first successful sighting was of some Irrawaddy dolphins. They are known to hang around fishing boats, so our boat would cut its motor and silently float whenever we came upon a fisherman.

"There!" someone would cry, pointing excitedly. The dolphins quickly came up out of the water and dove back down again. We would watch for a while before continuing down the river looking for more fishing boats to stalk.

Before you start scrolling down to see fantastic wildlife photos, I need to let you in on something. Photographing wildlife can be really hard -- perhaps even more difficult than taking pictures of uncooperative toddlers. Basically, none of my pictures turned out. All the ones of dolphins show nothing but water. I only got one photo of an animal the entire evening, and it was taken right as we were climbing on board.

Mudskippers are amphibious fish that use their pectoral fins to walk on land.

Yup, that's the sum total of all my successful wildlife photos. At least I have my memories...not that you can see them.

As we reached the mangrove forest, the boat took us closer to shore to look for proboscis monkeys. The key is to look for violently shaking branches. Night was approaching which is the time when these monkeys move from the inland spots where they spent the day back out to the river to forage for food. We spotted a few moving through the trees but never got the closeup look that we'd been hoping for. From what my friends tell me, we would have had a better chance of seeing them if we had spent the night at one of the Bako National Park cabins where the proboscis monkeys come crashing through the area every morning.

Fishing village on the Sanbutong River

For me, one of the best parts of our river excursion was stopping at a Malay fishing village. The brightly painted houses were raised up on stilts to keep them out of the way of rising water. Boats were tied up all along the shore.

The fishermen have returned home for the day.

This place is so remote that they are not hooked up to a power utility. Instead, the loud drone of gasoline powered electric generators filled the air as we pulled up. There's a small school to serve the younger children, but teens interested in getting an education had to go elsewhere for classes, only coming home on weekends.

Toddler boy hanging out the window over the water.

The lack of power and secondary schools made me realize how different my life was compared to this fishing society. After all, I had reached their village on a 3-hour pleasure cruise and was going to lay my head down to sleep in a lovely hotel in Kuching that night. The fishing families, on the other hand, did not have the economic means to travel this distance often. Their poverty keeps them isolated.

However, they do have the money for satellite television.

The evening call to prayer was just about go out as we landed, so most of the footpaths were empty as wandered through the village. In fact, we never saw a man the whole time we were there as they were off praying. I did see a Winnie-the-Pooh baby blanket hanging up to dry, though.

Wooden walkways between homes lead down to the river.

One little boy dressed up in his Friday finery. 

The fanciest house I saw in the village.

We only spent a few minutes walking around. I actually felt a bit odd taking photos, wondering what I would think if some stranger stood a few feet from my home taking pictures of it.

Sunset from the fishing village

As the sun began to set, we got back on board for our return trip. The guide shone his powerful flashlight at the mangrove forest's shoreline, sweeping its beam back and forth. He was looking for crocodiles whose eyes reflect the light, making them glow in the dark. My girl was the only person to see a crocodile (or so she claims).

We ended the evening cruise floating by a couple trees filled with fireflies blinking on and off. Fireflies are pretty much impossible to photograph in the dark from a bobbing boat. While I remember seeing fireflies on summer nights when I was a kid, this is the first time that my own children have seen them. I wonder if the fireflies are dying off in Houston, Texas as my parents still live in my childhood home, and the fireflies no longer flit through their yard.

All of us were quiet on the 40-minute van ride back to Kuching. It's excursions like this that make me fully appreciate all that travel can show my family. Wildlife transforms from being something we read about in books or visit in captivity to something that we see in its natural habitat. We're introduced to people whose society is physically located close to our own modern world yet remains so different from ours. We weren't just flipping through a copy of National Geographic. We were experiencing it in real life.


IF YOU GO:
We booked our tour through CPH Travel Agency. They picked us up from our hotel in Kuching in an air conditioned van and provided fruit snacks and non-alcoholic beverages on the cruise as part of the tour. The boat had life-jackets if you elected to wear one, even ones small enough for preschoolers. The cost was a little more than US$50 for adults and US$25 for children.

RELATED POST:
Don't Anger the Orangutans


This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox, "Oh the Places I've Been" on The Tablescaper, Sunday Traveler on Ice Cream and Permafrost, and Travel Photo Mondays on Travel Photo Discovery. Check them out form more around-the-world travel inspiration.

Thieving Monkeys and Tips on Handling Them

Crab-Eating Macaques on Monkey Beach

Traveling and living abroad changes a person. With each experience, you learn a little more about yourself. You uncover things you never knew. I, for one, have figured out that I don't like monkeys.

When I lived in Texas, I thought monkeys were cute whenever I'd see them at the zoo or on TV. Admit it. If you're one of my friends in America who keep Liking my monkey-related Facebook status updates, you probably feel this way, too. The closest I came to knowing someone with up close monkey encounters under her belt was my cousin who conducted psychological studies on whether monkeys and young children rationalize preferences.

Monkeys were adorable. I picked a Monkey Beach theme for my daughter's third birthday party. Little did I know that, one day, I'd live a short drive and hike from an honest-to-goodness Monkey Beach. Have I mentioned that I decked out her bathroom with monkey face towels, toothbrush holder, and bath rug? I loved monkeys.

My naive days before I had experience with wild monkeys
(That's a Rice Krispie Treat monkey covered in chocolate clay. Delicious!)

Then, I moved to Malaysia.

The first time we saw wild monkeys, we were at Penang's Youth Park wading pools. I can hear our squeals of excitement on the iPhone video we shot of them. Little did I realize that while we were filming our wild animal encounter, the other half of the monkey gang was going through my stuff. I glanced up to see them in my beach bag. They had my clothes in their tiny, simian hands. No way was I driving home in my swimsuit! Like a scene, reminiscent of Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina, I shook my finger and cried out, "You monkeys, you! You give me back my shirt!" Thank goodness they dropped everything.

Caps for Sale
A cautionary children's tale

A few weeks later, the park's monkey thieves got into my friend's purse. They had her cash out of her wallet, her credit cards, and her keys. Frankly, I think they're some sort of crime syndicate. They loot your bags, and the next thing you know, there are unapproved charges for bushels of bananas on your credit card bill. Luckily, my friend did not have to walk home with empty pockets since they dropped her belongings, too.



Tip: Keep your stuff zipped up in a bag too heavy for monkeys to carry off. 



Keeping backpacks guarded on Monkey Beach

Another friend stayed at the Club Med on the eastern side of Malaysia. She hadn't seen her husband in months, so they were in one room, and her girls were in the one next door. Late one night, she heard a knock. Her girls needed her! She threw open the door, but it wasn't one of her offspring. It was a monkey wanting to gain entrance.

Tip: Use the peephole to determine if the knocking is by friend, foe, or monkey.




At the Youth Park
The monkey went after the scooters when we told the kids to grab their shoes before the monkeys did.

When yet another friend's parents were visiting from England, she thought an outing at the Penang Botanical Garden would be nice. But she cautioned her folks about the monkeys. "Don't worry," said her mum. "I'm sure they wouldn't let them out of they were dangerous." Whaaaa?? No one "lets them out." They're wild!



When it saw me, the one on the right took an aggressive stance and looked ready to leap.

Tip: If you feed the monkeys, be prepared for them to throng to you. And ask yourself if that's really what you want.

These monkeys are clever. They know that humans equal food.

This one has just spotted my water bottle and is lunging for it.

While visiting the nearby island of Langkawi, my friends were dismayed to see how littered and trashy the jetty was. As they were getting ready to get back on the boat, their daughter bought a can of soda. One of the monkeys in the area saw the can and decided to have it. After being chased by the monkey for a bit, the girl decided she really didn't need the soda after all and dropped it. That monkey thief guzzled it down then tossed the empty can aside. Ah, that explains the trash. The Green Earth movement hasn't reached the monkey kingdom, yet.

Tip: If you don't want to share your food, hide it from the monkeys.

When I was at Monkey Beach last weekend, I got hungry and bought a bunch of bananas. Then, I spotted the monkey nearby. My thoughts no longer lean towards thinking that they're cute and a good decorating motif. Faced with a flesh-and-blood, wild monkey, my first thoughts are, "Oh man, I just wanted to sit and eat my bananas. Now, I have to hide it from the monkey." Cue resigned sigh. Did these thoughts ever occur to me in Texas? No! Like I said. Traveling and living abroad changes you.

Attempting to sneak the bananas past the monkey while it looks the other way

Tip: Taking a picture with monkeys crawling all over you at a zoo or sanctuary is one thing. Letting wild monkeys climb all over you is another matter. Is it really worth the risk of them biting you and having to interrupt your vacation for rabies shots?


But I still harbor some of my old affection for them. Don't you think these monkey pairs are sweet?

Dusky Leaf Monkeys at the The Tropical Spice Garden

 

 

Mamas and babies at the Penang Botanical Garden

Want more Travel Tips? Check out Suitcases and Sippycups and Walking On Travels for Travel Tips Tuesday.

The Hunger Games 2: Penang is Catching Fire

Dear Mr./Ms. Movie Location Scout,

 

I'm sure you were excited when the producers and director of Hunger Games approached you to scout out locations for the movie sequel.  (Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire spoiler alert) Why did you head to Hawaii? It's so "been there, done that... yawn." You should have come to Penang to film the Third Quarter Quell Arena scenes for Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire. Why? Let me tell you.

[Haven't read the book or seen the movies? Hunger Games is set in a dystopian future where teens are drafted from each district to engage in a battle to the death.]
 

1. You need an island, open water, and jungle.

Ta-da! Penang has all three. Every day when I look outside my window, I see a vast expanse of water with the hilly mainland in the distance. The jungle is everywhere. The national park on the northern tip of the island is perfect for all your running through the jungle scenes. We even have a big hill you can use.




You can't see the Cornucopia because it's behind me.
Finnick just rescued Peeta from the podium on the left.

Come on tributes. Let's form an alliance.

2. There's no need for the actors to pretend that they're hot and sweaty.

They'll already be that way. No makeup or method acting needed. Katniss's description of the heat and humidity in the Arena syncs perfectly with the constant stickiness I feel in Penang.

3. We already have evil monkeys.

At first, you think, "How cute! Those monkeys are just running around in the wild." Next thing you know, they are literally emptying out your friend's wallet and grabbing her car keys, threatening to run up into the trees with them. Penang also has a popular spot called Monkey Beach. Need I say more?



Thieving ruffians disguised as monkeys.

4. It storms like clockwork here.

I'm not talking about a gentle pitter-patter rain. I'm talking about a full-on, take cover now thunderstorm. You can see it sweep across the island, bracing yourself for when it hits. I've even heard someone say after school, "Here comes the 4 o'clock rain."

3:59 p.m. The sky is clear.

4:00 p.m. Watch the storm race towards you.

5. We have dangerous flying insects.

You think the mosquitos are just a minor nuisance, like the ones in Texas, until you hear all the ads on the radio warning about mosquito-borne Dengue Fever. After my debilitating bout with Chikugunya, I no longer open my windows for a breeze. Mosquitoes are why I was at my son's baseball game, contemplating the possibility that I'm contracting a disease while just cheering on the team.

6. Watch out for the fog.

Don't want to bother with special effects for the paralyzing fog spreading through the trees? Just wait for the haze that floats over whenever Indonesian or mainland Malaysian farmers decide to clear their land via fire. Visibility goes down while eye and lung irritation goes up.


Run away! Run away while you can! Here comes the deadly fog.

7. We have our share of scary monsters.

When I first visited Penang on my exploratory trip, I saw a very large — maybe 4-foot-long — reptile wandering on the beach. It was a monitor lizard. Then it sidled into the ocean, and I watched it undulate across the waves. I pray to God I never encounter it up close. I would send photos, but they have an unintentional Loch Ness monster feel to them.

And of course, there's the monstrously long reticulated python all the school kids petted until they realized it was still alive. It was just sleeping, not dead. The picture the teacher emailed parents shows about the 1st grade class lined up side-by-side along the length of the snake. My goodness, it was big! Plus, it had an interesting lump where it had swallowed a goose.

When my girl said, "Come and see the snake," I was expecting something much smaller.

It just looks dead but it's not
(until the next day when it ended up on the High School dissection table).

8. We've experienced tidal waves.

This one is actually rather sad. The same 2004 tsunami that devastated Thailand and Southeast Asia claimed 52 lives in Penang. Had I lived here at the time, I could have watched it roll in from my home's windows. The kids have had tsunami drills at school, and I praise the teachers for their preparedness. This is basically one of those worries that I compartmentalize and shut away in my brain.

9. All that Arena Food grows here.

No need to import large nuts, rats or shellfish. Penang has them in abundance.

10. Planes sometimes appear out of nowhere.

Granted, they don't just materialize out of thin air. But one fighter jet has flown by so close to the ground that I could look in its windows for just a second before it zipped away.

11. You'll just have to fake the blood raining down from the sky.

I really can't think of a parallel for this torture. Good for Penangites but bad for you, Movie Location Scout. Let's give those CGI people something to do.

Perhaps you want to film other key scenes here. I'm sure that if you spruce up some of the old British colonial mansions, they could stand in for the Victor's Village. The newly built Gurney Paragon mall could stand in for the Capitol.

Are you worried that diva-esque actors(or their celebrity pop princess girlfriends) will rebel at shooting in such a rustic location? Never fear. Penang is peppered with luxury resorts and eclectic boutique hotels where they can stay. Plus, the spa treatments here are so cheap that even the guy who holds the cue cards can afford to pamper himself. Everyone will thank you.

You should have filmed Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire right here in Penang.

With warmest regards,
Michele


I have yet to watch the movie, but I enjoyed the book. I swear that the entire time I was reading the Arena scenes in Catching Fire, I felt like author Suzanne Collins was describing Penang. Except, you know, she added in all the angst over someone being out to kill you. So all you Hunger Games fans, come out and give us a visit. See what living in the Third Quarter Quell Arena is really like.


This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox. Check it out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

Kuala Lumpur: Temples and Caves

Batu Caves is the type of experience that captures why I like to travel. It offered me a window into a world so different than my everyday life, and it ramped up my urge to explore other cultures.  Back in the 1800s, an Indian trader came across these limestone caves. Thinking that the entrance resembled a vel, the divine spear of the god Lord Murugan, he built a temple to this deity inside the cave. A few centuries later, the complex has grown and become one of the primary Hindu sites in Malaysia. Next month, over a million people are expected to attend the temple's Thaipusam festival which will apparently feature much mortification of the flesh.

The caves are a mere 8 miles north of Kuala Lumpur, and it makes for a quick 2-3 hour excursion, including the drive there and back. As we headed up the highway, something gold and glittering caught my eye in the distance.  Lo and behold, it marked our destination.

World's largest Murugan statue

This 140-foot-tall statue of Lord Murugan, a popular deity with Tamil Hindus, marks the beginning of the 272 stairs leading up to the Temple Cave.

Statues atop the entrance gate

We started ascending the steep staircase, grateful for the broad landings so we could stop and take in the views. We even had a little entertainment off to the side.



Bananas, chips, peanuts — pretty much anything would suffice

The first large cave had numerous Hindu shrines inside. It also had a couple chickens. Well, chickens and monkeys. Make that chickens, monkeys and pigeons. And people — I must not forget the people.

From the Temple Cave, you can take even more steps.

We decided to head up one more level and found that the next cave opened up to the sky. Monkeys scaled the almost vertical walls, using nothing more than thin vines to pull themselves upwards.

Inside the shrines, Hindu men and women were lined up for some reason. Perhaps a blessing of some sort? The man on the right was preparing leaves inside a bowl. Periodically, the man in the center of the picture would emerge from the room with another bowl and put a dab of its contents — ash, maybe? — on the worshippers foreheads. The solemn ritual brought to mind the same devoutness and prescribed motions of a Catholic mass. The people waiting in line reminded me of Catholics heading to the altar for communion.

Afterwards, we headed back down the stairs, skipping the Dark Cave tour and the museum-like Cave Villa. Following the crowd, I couldn't help stopping to snap a picture of the 50-foot Hanuman statue that stood over the entrance of Ramayana Cave.

Noble monkey

It was a fascinating experience that revealed to me how little I know about Hinduism and made me want to learn more. And all those stairs burned calories, too!  Something for the mind and something for the body. It's a win-win situation.

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