THE COOKING MONKEYS: CHEFS FROM THE JUNGLE

You hope to see many exotic plants when trekking in the virgin rainforest.  My fellow travellers and I came across these.  At the top is the protected but familiar exotic pitcher plant, in Malay periuk kera - monkey cooking pot! Perhaps not so exotic but more frightening because this plant eat up insects that fall inside it.  Carnivorous plant, so be careful.  A real big one may swallow big animals.  The second photograph is real exotic; real wild orchid and friendly too as it grows near to the ground.  The third photograph is a giant fern.  I have not seen it before.  A real giant and real exotic this one.  It is harmless too.

Have a camera will travel really. I  brought along the new Nikon Coolpix, very light and easy to use.  But there many models in the market to shop for a camera for travels.

CHILDREN OF THE RAINFOREST: A JOURNEY ON THE LEARNING CURVE

After a lunch of wrapped Bario rice, jungle ferns and sardines at about 12pm we continued with our jungle trekking. It was cool and fresh even in this tropical afternoon. After meeting the young Japanese man with a camera and a young Czech couple, we now met school children, about 15 of them. They were student of the Bario Secondary School, a government boarding school from the children of the rainforest in the middle of Borneo.

GLOBAL TREKKING FRIENDS: A Japanese

In the rainforest jungle of Borneo I expect to see dracula of the rainforest, the leeches, snakes, hornbills, big trees and exotic plants. I least expected to meet people from other countries except for the strange German guy.
Soon after we started our trekking, an hour of so later we met with this Japanese young man walking alone along the jungle road with the friendly camera. I brought along my Nikon Coolpix camera that can take more than a thousand shots some you could see them here. Preserve and share your memories and sceneries.
This planet of ours is really just one global village. Let us be friends and live in peace.

DRACULA OF THE RAINFOREST

These se are the draculas of the rainforest, the leeches or pacat. Now you will appreciate our football socks (panty hose is even better). Trekkers cannot escape from these sucking animal, so the next best thing is to prevent them from getting to your skin, especially your legs. The other parts of your body seem to be safe. Short sleeves shirt, t-shirt is okay. In my case, however, it could crawled upto my neck like the real Bulgarian dracula (I have read the bestselling novel, The Historian). The crazy German from Munich wore only shorts and stingy socks. Malaysians even treat the dracula with Dunhill cigarettes, sprinkle the tobacco on the socks and shoes. Who are more crazy in going trekking? Both the German and Malaysians are all crazy. That German guy is Berhard. More crazy things in the next postings.

SWEET FRESHNESS: Trekking in the virgin rainforest of Borneo

I DID IT!!! Trekking from Bario to Bakelalan. This is for real. I have actually walked from Bario to Bakelalan for three days and nights from the 7th February to 9th February 2008. Our guide-porter, Ridi , a trained guide, told me that the stretch could be considered Level 1, very tough but I enjoyed the walked. I was with two other colleagues and each has a porter.

There were leeches, of course; scarry but harmless unless they crawled into forbidden places. No snakes. But I met a young Japanese strolling alone; a couple from Czech Republic; returning school children and an American couple at the end of the journey.

A German guy we met at the lodge joined us part of the journey who has been travelling in Asia for twenty odd years. I will tell the full story of my adventure in the next postings soon with pictures too.