Saturday 21 December. Off to Bako
I was up reasonably early to have breakfast and catch the 09.00 bus to Bako. I verified with the hotel that the bus stop was still correct and went and waited; and waited; and waited. After 35 minutes I gave up, as did a local man who was also waiting for the same bus. Luckily, the hotel's transfer service was available and we headed off to the terminal. From there everything was plain sailing, although the particular boat driver I got - Nomas - was a bit of a tearaway and by the time we arrived I was almost as wet as if he'd actually capsized the boat - rather than doing his best to.
Once at the HQ building, it was about 11.30 and check-in to the rooms was not until 14.00. Having said hello to the 'wild' pig/boar, I left my bag and set off on a trail.
I was planning to do at least part of the circular Lintang Trail going in the anticlockwise direction. Quite soon I met a local who advised me this was the more difficult direction and that the plastic bag I was carrying would soon be stolen by the macaques. I decided to carry on but the trail did indeed become quite a challenge. Eventually I had to clamber up to a small peak and then down some rocks to a viewing promentory which proved the end of the line. Looking at the map I could see I had actually branched off the Lintang trail and on to Ulu Assam (Trail 4). This should have been obvious to me earlier as I had noticed the tree marking had been Red/blue and not plain red. I'd assumed, wrongly, they denoted two separate trails. Anyway, it didn't really matter and I got some nice pictures.
Back at the HQ I checked in and went to my chalet which was fine if very tired.
Next door, the building was being restored as part of an upgrade programme. In the later afternoon, I had some late lunch, enjoying to the full the location.
Afterwards, I took a walk along the beach to the boat station, encountering a few monkeys on the way.
In the evening, I joined the night walk. This was interesting if not spectacular. Apart from more frogs, we were shown a pit viper sleeping and waiting for food to come to it, spiders, birds that slept on the outermost twigs so they would be alerted to an aproaching snake and some sleeping monkeys. Not forgetting the 'wild' boar. All in all an interesting ninety minutes.
Once at the HQ building, it was about 11.30 and check-in to the rooms was not until 14.00. Having said hello to the 'wild' pig/boar, I left my bag and set off on a trail.
I was planning to do at least part of the circular Lintang Trail going in the anticlockwise direction. Quite soon I met a local who advised me this was the more difficult direction and that the plastic bag I was carrying would soon be stolen by the macaques. I decided to carry on but the trail did indeed become quite a challenge. Eventually I had to clamber up to a small peak and then down some rocks to a viewing promentory which proved the end of the line. Looking at the map I could see I had actually branched off the Lintang trail and on to Ulu Assam (Trail 4). This should have been obvious to me earlier as I had noticed the tree marking had been Red/blue and not plain red. I'd assumed, wrongly, they denoted two separate trails. Anyway, it didn't really matter and I got some nice pictures.
Back at the HQ I checked in and went to my chalet which was fine if very tired.
Next door, the building was being restored as part of an upgrade programme. In the later afternoon, I had some late lunch, enjoying to the full the location.
In the evening, I joined the night walk. This was interesting if not spectacular. Apart from more frogs, we were shown a pit viper sleeping and waiting for food to come to it, spiders, birds that slept on the outermost twigs so they would be alerted to an aproaching snake and some sleeping monkeys. Not forgetting the 'wild' boar. All in all an interesting ninety minutes.
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