So… first thing’s first. We went from our beautiful five star resort in Tuaran back through Kota Kinabalu to the airport (where I easily took many pointy objects and large bottles of unlabelled liquid through customs and security) and then boarded our 17 minute flight. Whew, what a hassle that was. Sidenote: mom has questioned my use of the word “whitey” when used to describe people of Caucasian descent, so in true Malay they will now be called “Orang puthi” and subsequently, “Whitey Watch” will hereby be referred to as “Outrageous Orang Puthi Something Clever”.
So we arrive at the airport with no real direction on what to do and decide it would be best to just use the ol’ “hug a tree” advice and just sit around, hoping someone will come get us. We are rescued after a couple funny-awkward moments and are taken to the Sepilok Rest House, our accommodations for the next two months. The Rest House is pretty awesome. It’s a very open two-storey hostel run by four local twenty-somethings (Amoy, Aman, George and Carlos). The twelve of us volunteers share the five second-floor rooms. I’m sharing a room with the two Alices (Team AlleyKat!), one from North Carolina and one from Manchester. The Rest House is right next to the entrance to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and on the edge of the jungle (our balcony is about twenty feet from the trees). So, our room has…
-three beds
-two huge windows
-a huge double door onto the (wrap) balcony
-a desk with mirror
-a wardrobe (have yet to find Narnia)
-an air conditioner (that works)
-a washroom (complete with hot shower, working toilet, sink and two loofas)
-high ceilings
After we settled in we went for our first look at the orangutans! As tourists we went to watch the afternoon feeding which was pretty exciting. I had no idea that so many people show up to the middle of nowhere each day to see these little guys! At least a hundred at each feeding (10am and 3pm). The ‘tans put on a good show just climbing things and eating but I was kind of more interested in the days ahead when I would be working hands on with them. Then we went by the indoor nursery and saw more of the baby orangutans and then to watch a documentary made about the centre.
The next day we went on a tour of Sandakan, the closest town, about twenty minutes away. First stop was the Crocodile Farm. I don’t really know what to say about the farm except that it made my heart hurt and my face scrunch. I took a video so maybe I’ll try upload it on here whenever I find some wireless internet. We were taken there to see what many of the locals think of “conservation”. Basically that if it’s fed then it’s alive and if it’s alive it’s being conserved. Just no chance for any of these animals to ever go back into the wild.
Second we went to this really beautiful WWII memorial about a POW camp and the Death Marches that took place there. Only six survivors out of thousands were left to tell the story. It’s incredible what people can get away with if there’s no one left to speak. Aiya… this world is ridiculous. The rest of the tour comprised of a gargantuan Chinese temple overlooking the town and sea from a high hilltop, a Chinese graveyard, one of the gypsy water villages, an English Tea Room and the market. Lots of stares, but really friendly vibes too.
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