Monkey Monkey Turtle

We tried to get a room at the Mayfair Motel, this is the place i stayed last time in Borneo, but the were full up. We stayed the first night at a spot down the road. The next day we were able to slip into a room at the Mayfair. The Mayfair is a great place. The beds are comfy, there are hot showers, each room has a big flat screen TV and DVD player and there are a ton of movies to borrow and watch. The best part of the Mayfair is the old Chinese guy that runs the joint. We call him 'Mean Dad' I know he means well, but he only knows how to talk to you in a pissed off stern way. "WHERE YOU GO TODAY" I think we are going to go to see the Orangutans. "YOU TAKE BUS 71, 2RINGET, YOU GO NOW!!!" I was looking for a movie and decided on 'Bullitt' Mean Dad said "YOU ONLY CHOSE ONE MOVIE!" " YOU SPEND 20 MINUTES TO CHOSE ONLY ONE MOVIE, TAKE TWO MOVIE NOW!!"

We took bus 71 to the Orangutan Sanctuary to see the Orangutans. I had been there last time i was here, but this time was better. We were a little early and the ticket booth was closed, but sitting on the railing in front of the booth was a adult Orangutan. We learned later, that she had been rehabilitated and released into the wild, but had come back because she is lazy and wants to be fed instead of finding her own food. She was very cute and photogenic. We bought tickets and walked down to where they feed them. I guess they rehabilitate ones that have been found as pets and then slowly release them back into the wild. They put out food, and eventually the Orangutans wander deeper into the jungle and stop coming back. Only two came back to feed. Two females, both with new borns. The were so fun to watch. They were feeding them bananas and sugar cane. Along with the Orangutans there were some little Macacay monkeys that would come around. The Orangutans being bigger would scare the monkeys away and if the monkeys got too close, the Orangutans would even shove them away. One of the moms eventually grabbed three sugar canes with her one foot and another two in another foot, two in one hand and one in her mouth and swung away into the trees, i guess she was not into sharing. I was wearing sandals and felt a little pinch on the bottom of my foot. When i looked down there was a leach attached to my foot. The are not dangerous so i let him hang out there till he filled up and dropped off by himself with a full belly of foot blood. They inject an anti coagulant so my foot bleed a lot but it eventually stopped.
Then next day we the bus a little further past the Orangutan Sanctuary to the Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. I had seen them last time in the wild, so i came with the idea, that since they would be feeding them then it would be more like seeing them in a zoo and therefore not as good. It was real good, there were some 80 or so that would come in out of the trees to feed and the looks on their faces and mannerisms were so funny to watch. They are like old fat men, sitting with their legs spread, one hand on their knee eating and looking around with their big noses bouncing. We sat and watched for some time. There were also plenty of Silver Leafed Monkeys that were being fed long string beans, the people that worked there let us feed them too. The monkeys would fight and run up and snatch the bean right from your hand.
Josh and Lori headed out on their way back to KK and then onto Indonesia. Ann and i booked a night at Turtle island to hopefully see turtles nesting. We took a bus to the dock and then rode a boat an hour or so to one island. If you know the story about the 3500 British and Australian POW's that were housed at Sandakan during WWII. Four of the only six POW's that escaped and lived hid for a while on this island thanks to the help of some local fishermen. We had lunch there and walked around through the village. After lunch we took a 20 minute boat ride, is some scary seas. I wasn't scared, because i have seamanship in my blood, but the two Czechs and Ann were a little scared. The waves were pretty big and the boat driver was going way too fast. We reached the island and spent the day on the beach and snorkeling in amongst some milky water and dead corral. We had dinner and then sat around waiting for it to get dark. On the island is a Turtle hatchery that has been there since the 50's. Turtles come every night to lay eggs. The eggs are collected and placed into specially dug holes, where they are monitored, When they hatch they are then released into the sea. We were able to watch one turtle lay eggs. I guess there were a bunch on the island that night, but they only allow you to see one. This is a good thing because along with Ann and i and the two Czechs there were 40 other old Dutch and Germans that came running up and encircled the turtle. She layed a few eggs, buried them then slowly moved off, she would stop and plop out a couple of eggs, and repeat. One of the Rangers said this is a bad sign, and that the turtle felt disturbed. Naturally all of those eggs that did not go into the nest would have not made. I guess since Tourism pays for the program, then the must right off one turtle a night, to be disturbed?? We also watched 45 newborns get released onto the beach and into the see. These guys were so cute and fun to watch scurry into the sea.

Ann flys back to the State tomorrow from Sandakan. I am back in KK today and do not know what i am up to tomorrow?

diving

We went to the airport in KK since Anns luggage was not delivered during the night. Her bag was sitting down in the lost luggage office. So grabbed it and flew to Tawau. At the airport in Tawau we hitched a ride with a fancy hotel bus to Semporna, that is the little beach town where all the Sipidan dive operators are set up. We struck a deal with Uncle Changs Diving and spend a night in Semporna. That night on the way to get something to eat, outside on the corner there was a guy set up grilling fresh chunks of tuna. We ordered up some delicious fillets grilled with butter and garlic, some little egg rolls, and calamari. We took our $4 meal into the next door bar and joined it with a couple of beer. Easily the best meal in Malaysia.
The next day we took a 40 minute boat ride out to Mabul Island. Uncle Chang has a backpackers lodge out there amongst the local fishing village. A bunch of shanty shacks up on stilts over the water. We got there and had breakfast, all the meals are included, geared up and went out for our first three dives. We saw many big sea turtles. The reef has been hit pretty hard by fishing and there is too much trash floating in the water, but we still saw plenty of good stuff. When diving you are taught not too touch anything, coral, fish sea turtles. I was a little bit taken a back when our dive masters would prod and poke with their little sticks, of course with the prodding and poking they uncovered some cool stuff that we would not have seen otherwise.
There is a funny little drum kit that someone made out of five gallon buckets and water jugs, the stands are all bent and welded rebar. They dragged that out along with an electric acoustic guitar and one of the dive masters and another couple of guys rocked out all night. Most of the workers are Filipino and have come down illegally. With them they bring pints of rum, if you know the know or are in with the in, you can acquire a pint of rum for $3, and it is good rum at that. I did not drink too much because i knew we would be diving Sipidan the next day and i wanted to be clear in the head.
Sipidan Island is protected from fishing by the government. The island is very small but the reef extends out pretty far, it is known as one of the healthiest reefs in the world. You hit the water and you are in complete awe. It is hard to explain, within just a couple of meters (we speak metric underwater) there are 50 different species of marine life and coral. The sun was shining that day so the colors were vivid. It is like swimming in a fish tank. Whenever the dive master sees something interesting he will tap his tank with his prodding and poking stick to get your attention. it was a non stop orchestra of 'tink tink tink' The gov. only allows 100 people a day to dive Sipidan, and no one touches, prods, or pokes anything. We saw tons of turtles, turtles that you could swim right up to, or that would gracefully swim with in centimeters of you. We dove Sipidan the next day and it was just as good, but you could tell that a storm was on its way in. That night it poured down rain and has not let up until last night. Six days later. Ann was getting sick and durring her second day in Sipidan decided not too dive any more, because you can't dive with a head cold without causing permanent ear damage. She sold her last three dives in Mabul to a cool Swiss guy, so he and i and the dive master hit the water outside of Mabul Island for our last day of diving. It was raining and a little cold, but you could still see plenty of good stuff under the sea. After my last dive we headed back to the mainland and got pelted by rain the whole way home. Josh and Lori had left the day before, and we were going to meet them in the town of Sandakan. Ann and i Spent the night in Semporna and then hoped a bus back to Sandakan the next day. Our bus trip to Sandakan was fine until about 20 miles out, when the bus stopped behind a line of traffic. It took a while for us to understand what the driver meant when he said " Bridge is out from rain, you can wait here till tomorrow or the next day or walk" Wait here, like in the bus for two days????
walk 20 miles in the pouring down rain, and what cross a muddy river that is strong enough to tear down a bridge?????
"No" he says" there are mini busses on the other side and you can cross the river, maybe up to your knees"

Ann and i were both a little warey but we started walking. less than a mile, we came across the problem, it was not a bridge that got washed out but the entire road, It had to have happened a while ago since there were police directing traffic and a tractor down in a hole where the road used to be. We tracked through the mud and jungle and crossed the little river of mud, maybe up to my shins. The hardest part was not slipping in the mud on the way down to the little river. Every one was walking, We were the only foreigners around and everyone thought it was funny that we were out. I was the first to venture across then set my bag in the mud on the other side. There was a little Malay who i helped by grabbing his bag then i told him to climb up on my back and i would take him across. Instead of climbing he jumped up onto my back, i was not ready for this and the momentum got me going through the river a bit too fast, i did not fall, but i hit the muddy bank on the other side, mudded up my shorts as the guy jumped off safely, then he grabbed my wrists and pulled me up. Everyone around was laughing and Ann was wishing for her camera. We got ann across and then hiked up the other side to where a mini bus was waiting. In Sandakan we found a decent priced hotel, and took a well deserved long hot shower. The next day we hooked up wit Josh and Lori and moved into their hotel. It is the same place i stayed last time i was in Borneo. It is owned and run by a very anal and stern Chinese guy. The rooms are great, air-con and big flat screen TV's with cable and dvd player. There are a bunch of DVD's to chose from. You must leave your key at the counter, then upon arival back in your room after being out in town, the beds are made, all your stuff is organized. my ipod is placed neatly on the counter with the headphones cord wrapped up with a rubber band, a rubber band that was never on there before, my clothes a neatly folded. Everything in the lobby is labeled and overly organized. It is actually kind of nice after being in the mud and the rain, to have everything clean and organized