"Mr. Toads Wild Ride"
Arrived in Delhi, India last night and today we had a tour of Delhi. We had a our own guide and driver and visited the usual sites. These included the Jama Masjid (huge mosque), drove the British inspired streets of New Delhi, the Humayun's Tomb from the Mughal Dynasty and the Qutub Minar with it's 73-meter stone tower (no steel). Structures all huge and all in incredible shape considering their age of hundreds, even a thousand of years old. Had a terrifying petal-powered
Singapore - Day/Night
Sunday morning we met AJ Penny at the entrance to the SEA Aquarium and Dolphin Island on Sentosa Island for a tour of these two AZA member (and WAZA member) facilities. We had a grand tour and a great time talking with AJ about the Aquarium and the dolphins, but also about life in Singapore. For instance, if you are not married you have to live with your parents until 35 years old when you are then eligible for an apartment. The large diverse collection and the clarity of
Fabulous Singapore
On Friday night we arrived in one of the greatest large cities in the World. We were here 25 years ago and this City has really changed. The attached photo of the Marina Bay Sands hotel shows an area of the City that didn't even exist 25 years ago. On Saturday morning we met with Caroline Pang who put our Borneo trip together. She took us on a walking tour of the City and bought us a delicious Chinese lunch. We ended up spending all day with Caroline. What a special trea
Danum Valley Conservation Area
The Borneo Rainforest Lodge (top photo) is 80 KM in a four-wheel drive vehicle from Lahad Datu and it is a luxury lodge deep in the 45,800 hectare Danum Valley Conservation Area. On our drive in we saw a female orangutan and then a few hundred yards further, a male orangutan next to the road. A highlight for me was seeing the "flying lemur," a species of great taxonomic discussion as it apparently has no close relatives (it's not a lemur and doesn't really fly - it glides)
Amazing Wildlife
Arrived yesterday at the beautiful Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley Conservation Area (more later). Still thinking about the wildlife we saw while boating along the Kinabatangan River. For me (Steve), seeing Proboscus Monkeys and Rhinoceros Hornbills in the wild was a lifetime dream. Sarah has fallen in love with the Rhinoceros Hornbill and it may replace the Saddlebilled Stork as her favorite bird. Our better camera is "frozen" (we will have it repaired or buy
Kinabatangan River
Have spent two days on the Kinabatangan River, the longest river in Sabah on the the island of Borneo. Seen some magnificent birds, none more magnificent than the Rhinocerous Hornbill. Also, we have seen many troops of both Proboscus monkeys and Long-tailed Macaques, plus a few Silver Langurs. One of our favorite animals was the Pgymy Squirrel, a squirrel the size of a mouse. Orangutans are difficult to see, despite the fact that this area has one of the largest populatio
The Jungle
We left the comforts of the Sheridan in Sandakan and headed for the rainforest. First stop was the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center where they care for orphan orangutans. After lots of hard work by staff and volunteers, sometimes taking years, the orangutans are let loose. Some stay around the Center and others are never seen again. We saw two mothers with infants that were likely "graduates" of the Center, but decided to stay around for the free food. Next to the O
The Island of Boreno
We have made it to Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia on the Island of Borneo. Had a wonderful dinner at the English Tea House and Restaurant. Tomorrow we head to the rain forest and for five days we will be in various eco-lodges that may or may not have wifi. So if you don't hear from us for five days, don't panic. We are in good hands.
Feeding Eagles
Another unique experience is taking a boat out to where the ocean meets the river in Kuala Selangor. Our boat man put chicken parts in the water to attract Brahminy Kites (Eagles for marketing purposes). In addition, we did see a couple of White-breasted Sea Eagles participate in the feeding. The sunset was spectacular. After the eagles, we saw a grey heron rookery and a few hundred egrets in a mangrove rookery resting for the night. Then we had a very special dinner of
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