8/05/2018

Pictures from Danum Valley

Staying at Borneo Rainforest Lodge was my favorite part of the trip. I can't get over the feeling of awe when looking up at the primary Jurassic jungle from the dining area / view from my room. 





Alpha Male Orangatan
 
Mother and daughter

Red Leaf Monkey








8/02/2018

Pacific Sutera Hotel

I really enjoyed staying here in a sea view club room. It was great having breakfast and cocktails in the members only club overlooking the harbor. It was also great to just walk to the marina and take the boat to our dive shop.

We finally visited the swimming pools on our last day and decided to swim at the one at the Sutera Marina club where they cool the water so it's super refreshing and there's water slides and an infinity pool. The club also has a golf course, bowling alley, movie theater and pool hall.

We also got massages at the spa in our hotel. They called it Balinese deep tissue massage. It was different from other massages that I've gotten. Perhaps a mix of Thai, Kilmer, and pressure point techniques. It was very relaxing.

Alas, heading home

This was definitely the best vacation yet. I did a bit of everything: trekking with a little hiking, seeing animals and birds that I have never seen before, staying in some of the oldest and best preserved rainforest in the world, getting great shots with the Canon 100-400mm lens, riding along the Kinabatangan River and seeing animals day and night, scuba diving in the South Pacific, and getting pampered in the Pacific Club at the Pacific Sutera Hotel.

I've learned what it's like to trek in 100% humidity. Fortunately there aren't so many mosquitos in the primary forest because they have many predators - insects and bats. I've learned to start spotting animals in the wild on our walks around Abai Jungle Lodge and MY nature resort where we took self let tours on the boardwalk there. I've learned how amazing it is to swim under a cool waterfall at the end of a hike. I've learned to spot nudibranches amongst the Borneo colorful corals.

Where to next?

Dive day 3

Our third done day started out pretty clear but then the storm clouds rolled in and stirred up the air and the water. We were still able to do all 3 dives but the visibility was poor during the second 2. In fact it was so dark that I had my flashlight on and it started to feel like a night dive. That may be why we saw so many cuttlefish since they were probably thinking the same thing. I also saw a sleeping burrfish, a founder and a baby Moray eel.  Dive 1 at Coral gardens, dive 2 at landslide and dive 3 at Padang point.