Travel around Malaysia – part II

After saying farewell to Paul and a short evening flight towards Kuching, we were looking forward to seeing Sarawaka, the biggest city on the island. In the morning our ride was already in front of the hotel, to take us to the oldest national park on Borneo, which lies only 37 km from Kuchinga. The vast park area is covered with forests and ends with lonely sand beaches of coastal cliffs and is the best place to meet the local wildlife. You can find some animals here, specific only to the island of Borneo. There are poisonous snakes hanging around trees all day, hairy pigs walking among bungalows, and many different birds sitting in treetops to be seen only be the most patient observer with a keen eye. We met our personal guide in the small fishing village. As a local, born in the village, there wasn’t a single stone in the park he didn’t know. With a boat we went up the river to the park, where the long nosed primates with swollen bellies were waiting for us. They swing down to shore every morning to get some fruit. And while they were happily jumping from tree to tree, we were trying to get as good a look at them as possible. After endless snapshots we continued inward, just to be met by a second group of our biological cousins. These were enjoying chewing on leaves and posed for tourists’ cameras. Our guide took us through the park and showed us the beauty of the wild and its inhabitants. We walked past two green snakes, that were hiding (with their natural camouflage colors) among the leaves. Next we saw some hairy pigs, grazing on grass and walking among the bungalows. That’s right – BUNGALOWS! You can rent them, to spend a night in this wilderness among the creatures of the wild. And that certainly is an experience, for the real excitement starts only after sundown, when the noise of people settles down and the animals come out of hiding.

I just had to ask our guide: “But what to do, if you meet a snake in the middle of your room?” “Why, run as fast as you can,” he replied, smilingly. It was interesting to watch him, as he carefully walked between trees in search of animals to show to us. He reminded me of Mowgly from Jungle Book. We went forth to the other coast and with a boat to the mighty rocks in midst of the sea. After lunch (that we ate in the park and was included in the price) we went up a steep footpath through the jungle to the look out point. High above the trees, with a view of the sea, we enjoyed the sounds of wild animals and our minds have wondered far off.

Next morning we saw the rehabilitation center for orangutans, only 20km from Kuchinga. There are 24 of these warm creatures, that quickly warm your heart. We came to the center in the morning, just in time for their breakfast, which is the only opportunity to observe them, while they are feasting away on sweet tropical fruit. We were in luck, to have seen so many of them, for it’s quite unlikely to see so many of them together at this time of the year, when there is so much wild fruit growing in the dense forest, there is no need to expose themselves to the curious eyes of the tourists. We were in the crown and soon heard noises among tree branches and soon the reddish spots turned out to be orangutans, closing in to the crowd of people. With their long arms and beak like hands they gracefully swung between trees. They sat down comfortably, grabbed the fruit and allowed us to photograph tem.

In Malaysian orangutan means a forest man. These shy apes live in remote and moist jungles of Borneo and Sumatra. For a long time they were mostly known from the tales of local folklore, but in the past few years the scientists started researching these magnificent forest dwellers. They have very long and beaklike hands and feet, which helps them while climbing. Their massive body weight helps them to sway the tree, which makes it easier to cross trees. Most orangutans rarely touch the ground. They can eat huge amounts of food and can sometimes spend a whole day eating at a full fruit tree. Fruit represents some 60% of all the food they consume. They live long and multiply slowly. Instead of having many offspring, of which many would die, they have only a few, but take gentle care of them. The females reach their sexual peak after 10 years of age and before mating they spend a couple of days with the male. This process can be repeated several times within a few months, until she conceives a baby, after which she starts to live a lonely life again. She breastfeeds the baby for full 3 years and it sleeps with her in the nest until she gets another baby. Sometimes it happens after 3 years, but with females that live freely it usually happens every 6 years. Orangutans are very unsocial animals. When a group of the meets on a fruit tree, they rarely show and interest in each other. Humana have always been the biggest threat to orangutans. The apes eat the fruit, that people usually prefer to eat as well, their habitat has been shrunk, for people were cutting down forests, and there are places, where these apes are hunted and killed for food. The orangutans are very gentile if they are kept as house pets, and are a status symbol of a rich owner. But today they are protected in both states, thus hunting them or trading with them is strictly forbidden. There are places, where orangutans are very popular as pets and we can find them also in zoos and circuses. I order to get the baby orangutans, the hunters usually shot the mother and a great number of babies died during the hunt itself, or later on, during transport. After the prohibition of hunting and trading with them, the situation has improved somewhat – and the situation is further helped, because they are protected both in Malaysia and Indonesia.

For me, this was the most beautiful, but also the saddest moment of my journey, for it was confirmed to me once again, that people are really the cruelest of all animals and are destroying the nature without a single regret, allowing precious pearls of the wild to be lost.

Full of pleasant impressions we head back for the city, that got the name after a cat (kuching in Malaysian means a cat). We can see quite a few statues representing this creature. This very simple city has many mosques, well worth a visit, Chinese temples in their full beauty showing you how to get inner peace, and there are also numerous streets with small shops. We stopped a while in a nice park, where we sat near a wide river and watched the people passing by. And finally we went through the Chinese part of the town to our hostel.

This was also the last day of our one week tour of Borneo. These short seven days of Eastern Malaysia made a great impression on both of us. We’ve met interesting people, beautiful and memorable places, and were somewhat frightened of how fast the time has flown by and that our journey is half over. This convinced us to get some more sleep and we’ve dreamt about this marvelous country.

Once again we found ourselves in Kuala Lupor, which the locals simply call KL. It was already evening, when we reached the Youth Hostel Wira – a part of the largest hostelling network in the world. The friendly staff welcomed us to our two bedded room, with the view of the tall buildings of the city. Mr. Ramsey, who helped us organize the trip, and works at the Leader Holidays agency, was already waiting for us, and we chatted long in the night. I’d like to thank him, as well as Bessie, for all the help on this trip. Without their help it wouldn’t have been possible for me to see all of these wonders.

On the next morning the ever talkative Bessie already awaited us in front of the hostel, to take us to the world of tall skyscrapers and old buildings, dating back to the times of European colonization. Happy to have met again, we chatted away most of our drive, until the mighty twins known as the Petronas Twin Towers, the once tallest building in the world, started dominating our view. This structure made the, otherwise quite unknown, country recognizable. At the height of 452m a Skybridge, where we wanted to go, connected both buildings. We soon changed our mind, seeing the long cue waiting for tickets, for although a visit to the skybridge is free, you still need a ticket to get there. The number of daily tickets is limited and they are to be used only at a certain hour. This made us change our plan, so we got up the KL Tower, not far from the Twins. This is also a great place to enjoy the view over a large metropolis. At first there was some fog and low clouds, but the sky soon cleared away, allowing us an excellent view of the structures pointing high to the sky. The main attractions, again, were the mighty twins, standing proud above other structures. The sun was already peeking from behind the clouds, when we went to the oldest part of the town where KL started developing. A place where the rivers Klang and Gombak join, they embrace one of the oldest mosques in KL – the Masjid Jamek mosque from 1909. Near by is the Saint Mary the Virgin cathedral from 1895, which takes you back to the imperial era, with its gothic towers, neighboring colonial buildings and fine cut English grass. It’s interesting watching a century old building among skyscrapers, rising high above them. 

We went on to Batu Caves, which lies on the outskirts of town and is one of the main tourist attractions, a mighty Indian temple that stands inside a limestone cave. You can reach it by 272 steep stairs, where a humongous statue of Lord Muruga awaits you. Equiped with a bag of Indian snacks, we tackled the stairs and soon met fearless little creatures that keep stealing food from visitors. When they hear a plastic bag these aggressive monkeys assemble and try to get whatever food or drink they can from tourists. Their piercing eyes give you chills down the spine. Luckily we hid our food in some clothing and peacefully continued our way. Accompanied by dark Indians, we ascended to the holy city. Inside the temple we observed their habits and rituals. The first thing we saw was a giant yellow snake, twisting around its own neck, and the unease was increased by an eerie sound of cocoanuts hitting the ground. The sound of Indian music was all around us. The ferocious monkeys were chasing among the tourists, scaring the roosters that walked around the cave. Such scenes are quite common here, for all animals are sacred in Indian culture. Bessie waited for us in one of the Indian restaurants and ordered us some delicacies. Usually Indian food is heavy and spicy, for you can’t find a single dish, without at least some spices in it. It is very advisable, to have expert help, before you decide to try the full variety of their cuisine. After filling our stomachs, we went forth.

Next we traveled to Putrajayi, a city 25km south of KL. Near the end of the 20th century they moved the seat of the central government here. It’s a modern city with 38% of its entire area used for green plants and gardens. This was the biggest Malaysian project and also by far the most expensive one. The magnificent architecture is dominated by the Islamic style, with some Chinese and Indian inspired modifications. The Putra Mosque is more a tourist attraction then a religious object and is placed on an artificial lake of Putrajaya. You may enter only in a robe, so we entered wearing a pink robe each (that we got at the entrance). Under the huge domes the mosque has an excellent view of the lake and the city (both systematically made). Since it was Sunday, the city appeared to be a ghost town, so we drove between mighty complexes and quiet and empty streets. 
 
It was lunch time and Bessie took us to Malaysian restaurant. The Malaysian cuisine is famous for very specific flavors, that are quite mixed and very unknown to us. It often seems the taste you feel is not the taste you expected. All the delicacies (boiled rice in bamboo leaves, grilled meat on a stick dipped in peanut sauce, fresh vegetables and finaly a drink from a large cocoanut) Bessie ordered disappeared very quickly.

Fully content we returned to the city and wanted to visit the water park next to the Petronas Towers, but were unfortunately too late, hence we visited the shopping center within the two skyscrapers. The prices were about as high as the buildings themselves. After a coffee break we observed activities while driving back to our hostel and Bessie explained, how KL is a virtual tourist magnet, with its bright spotlights, inviting you to enjoy the nightlife. Music from street cafes was inviting people to join the fun, but after a full day we felt more like getting some shut eye than to party late into the night.