BORNEO: I’m currently literally in the wilds of Borneo, Malaysia, enjoying wildlife encounters

I’m just currently midway through a 17-day trip to Asia, featuring some eco-tourism in Malaysian Borneo. That’s the northern bit of the island, comprising Sarawak and Sabah. It’s also where the Sultanate of Brunei is. The south is part of Indonesia.

Aside from catching up with some old friends in Kuala Lumpur, the purpose of our trip is to see the inhabitants of the wilds of Borneo. And we have done that in spades!

Pygmy Elephants

Our most amazing encounter so far has been with 46 Pygmy Elephants crossing a small river. They then re-crossed and walked/swam along the bank before climbing back onto land. It was so exciting. These creatures were magnificent, and to see them en masse, as a herd, was awe-inspiring and a little scary. I mean, these elephants might be classified as pygmy, but they still weigh tons.

At one point, a passenger, wearing an orange jacket, stood up, and one of these gentle giants fixed him with his gaze. Our guide ordered the passenger to be seated immediately. No one wanted an inquisitive colossus to take an interest in the occupants of our dinghy!

This herd of Pygmy Borneo Elephants had not been seen for a while, so given there are only about 2,000 of the species left in Borneo, seeing 46 of them all together seemed pretty special. Adding to that, while dozens of tourist boats had gathered at the initial sighting of the herd tramping through the forest, and even more at the initial river crossing, for the recrossing, only two boats had guides canny enough to stay in wait. Thanks, Mason!

Orang Utans – in the wild

Early the same day, while completing a nature walk along a boardwalk at the back of our resort, one of our party detected movement up in the trees. Expecting it to be another member of the macaque family, we didn’t pay much mind until we could see the distinct red fur of an orangutan or ‘Orang Utan’.

I spell it as two words, since that is how it is expressed in Malay. The Malay words ‘orang,’ meaning ‘person,’ and ‘hutan,’ meaning ‘forest.’ That translates to ‘person of the forest.’

Our small band of tourists was soon joined by the entire guest and staff content of the resort to watch mother an baby play in the trees

2PAXfly Takeout

This is one of the joys of travel. Having extraordinary encounters with nature.

Pictures never do the encounters justice. Neither do videos. Being in the presence of these magnificent creatures is unmatched. It makes you feel small. I’m not just referring to the tonnage of the pygmy elephants or the hand span of an orangutan, either, which incidentally can be 215 cm (7 ft). I’m talking about these creatures making you contemplate that there is intelligence outside of the human brain. Thought and emotion that is not merely human. Worlds that don’t just centre around us.

Nature is humbling.