Supreme Hotel Kuching

... in balance. How we didn't capsize is still a mystery to me. Not that it would have mattered anyway. We were soaked from an hour and half of being in a tropical downpour. By the way, that was the first rain this entire trip for me that was more than just a sprinkle overnight.

After the boat was stabilized we had to endure the stink eye from nine Malaysians the whole five minute crossing. Somewhere close to the end of the ride my ...

... I shout through to the kitchen area that I am leaving and have left the key on the side...'leaving already...no one has ever left after such a short time?!'...'yeah, alive' I think to myself!! I use the all to common story of 'meeting my friend at the airport' and off I go!!

Wow it's hot out here and its barely 9am!! Sweat dripping off my face I wander round looking for...ummm anything really!! Where are the ...

... lot to see, as they had crocodiles, bears, deer, owls as well as some animals you don't often come across like porcupines and bear cats.
Amongst the five or six Oragutans was baby Ali who had us in hysterics with his baby antics and who seemed to love all the attention we gave him, only leaving briefly to look at adult 'Peter' across the path and the big daddy Orangutan on the feeding platform.

The park would maybe have redeemed itself a bit in our eyes ...

... the visibility was completely gone through depth of water combined with the rain the day before that affected the visibility in general. It took about half an hour to get out to the site not far off from a rocky shoreline on one side of the island. On the way James pointed out the village where he was born, the salt water croc up in the mangrove swamp and the Brahminy Kite circling the water. In I went with my snorkel and immediately started to feel exposed ...

We took a guided tour to Semenggoh orang utan rehabilitation centre today. Matang widelife centre is about 90 minutes from Semenggoh, this is where orang utans who have been rescued or handed in are initially trained for release into the wild. At Semanggoh they are classed as semi-wild as some still return to be fed by the rangers. Most of the ou here have been taken away from people who kept them as pets and more have been bred and many have been ...

... which was great. There is a daily shuttle bus from Holiday Inn that drives to the village and brings you back to Kuching (can't remember the cost but seemed reasonable). We did another day trip to Bako National Park (the oldest national park in Sarawak.) I didn't feel that one day was enough as there are great trails. However, we weren't sure of the level of accomodations so we opted for one day. ( I ...

... buidling, the James Brooke residence, Fort Margherita (no joke!), the obligatory crocodile (tiny specimen) and sightings of the water taxis that crisscross the river.
The afternoon, however, provided a much more memorable trip - the Semenggok Orang Utan Wildlife sanctuary. Orang Utans are difficult to spot in the wild and we didn't want to see them as tame cuddly exhibits as seen on the recent TV diary. This sanctuary has a thriving population ...

From Kuching we went for 2 days to Bako National Park, which is famous for the large amount of wildlife they have there. Hopeful that we would see some, we booked ourselves a jungle cabin and set off on the bus. At the river, we had to take a boat for about half an hour which took us along the coast past lots of forest and mountains. We were a little annoyed that the boat cost 45 ringgit (9 pounds) for the whole boat, which can take ...

... of the Fort was to protect Kuching against invading pirates, as it is perched upon the banks of the Sungai Sarawak River. Admission to the fort is free, and it is easily reached from the other side of the river via a small rowboat style ferry for 0.40 RM per person. The fort is not very large, and it only took about 30 minutes to explore, however it did offer some nice views and picture taking opportunities. After taking a quick walk by the new Sarawak ...

... recuperadas de la mochila). Antes de dejar al barquero, quedamos con él para que nos recogiera al día siguiente de vuelta.

En la oficina del parque nos informaron de que las habitaciones se entregaban a partir de las 2 pm así que dejamos las mochilas en un cuartito y nos fuimos a desayunar en la cafetería (unos apetecibles platos de arroz con huevos fritos, salchichas, patatas y cafés con crema de leche).

Sobre las 11 am, con el estómago lleno y agua renovada en las botellas ...