To be fair, we have woken up very early for many a fishing charter and Ryan has never complained. Usually, he is ready to go and waiting on me. This morning he was up and ready to go when I wanted, but didn't really say much for the first hour. But I digress as I tease, and back to the story at hand.
We woke up early, got dressed and grabbed our gear quietly because the walls and floors are paper thin at our Mountain Lodge, and we headed for the park. We did not walk to the part in total darkness, although we did need our headlamps at the outset. I happened to look back on the road towards our lodge, or perhaps towards a bird-y noise in the bush, and saw the sun hitting the peak of Mt. Kinabalu, a beautiful start of what I was sure would be a great day.
Our walk to the park was just over 1 kilometer: 500 m on our quiet, mountain road, and the last 500 m on the busy highway that leads from Kota Kinabalu to the park's main entrance. "Busy" is a relative term, as there was not too much traffic before 0600, but our hike back was a bit more congested and not nearly as pleasant. The entrance to this park is probably the most "glam" entrance to a national park I've ever experienced. Kind of a turn-off, actually...
We wandered in, and I was immediately torn in several different places: movement here, flash of color there, singing way up high.... Ryan had to reel me in and suggested we look at the map to see where we might like to go. Our plan was to do one of the hikes, head back to the main area for breakfast - we got up too early for breakfast at our lodge - and then enjoy the rest of the day in the park.
Our first hike was along a the Silau Silau trail, which I'd read was a good one for birding because it paralleled a small stream most of the way. I did catch glimpses of many birds, but our early morning combined with the thick canopy made spotting difficult and photography near impossible. The forests of Okinawa may be thick in the understory, but the upper canopy seems to let quite a bit of light in. The dipterocarp forests of Borneo offer a different light:
When I suggested that maybe we'd awoken too early, Ryan gave me a look that could kill. I quickly suggested breakfast to save myself, and all was good. The buffet at the park was amazing and we appreciated the coffee, eggs, and strange sausages. We ate outside on a porch situated above some of the main grounds, and got excellent looks at Sunda Laughing-thrust as well as another Borneo endemic: Chestnut-hooded Laughing-thrush.
We couldn't have planned a better location for birds, and the number we saw was much greater than the number of good photos we got. Here is a sampling, to make you plan a trip to Borneo sooner than later!
After breakfast, we found a another hiking trail that took us to the Botanical Garden in the park. The late morning light offered more sights and photos ops, which we took advantage of. Everyone in the family should have a point-and-shoot.
These dipterocarp forests are amazing, and it's not even the prime blooming or fruiting season. I can't imagine what one might see by accident during these times. January is the rainy season, so we were fortunate to have a rain-free and cloud-free morning. We were able to find crazy vines...
...spiraling epiphytes...
...crazy insects and small mushrooms - oh, my!
While on the trail, we had the chance at a selfie with Mt Kinabalu in the background. It wasn't the best lighting, and a few test shots proved this was the case. However, I argued that clouds might roll in by the time we returned to the main area, and I was right. We are happy with our poor back-lighting of the highest peak in southeast Asia.
We'd had our fill of hiking and bird-watching and decided to return to the lodge before we really wore ourselves out. I should point out that we purchased leech socks before the trip, on the understanding that leeches were everywhere and that some had a most painful bite. One of us was curious about the leeches and thought it might be a nice story/souvenir moment to have from this trip. I stupidly agreed, and as bad fortune would have it, I was the one literally stuck with the leech.
I don't know when this poor guy latched onto me, and I'm not entirely sure when I killed him with what must be my massive cankles. I noticed a huge patch of dried blood while taking off my shoes and socks, as one usually does after being on her feet in the elements all day. The shriveled leech was in the sock, and kind of rolled out into my hand. While knowing what had happened but trying to wrap my head around the idea that, "I have been bitten by a leech," I was left somewhat ruffled.
Leech socks were a good investment, and I would be using them from here on out. Only three days in, and I had the first leech. This one would be my last.
We relaxed with a cigar and a clovie on the uncovered platform of our lodge, trying to identify the birds we'd seen and see more species from our perch if we could. Rain clouds rolled in just before dinner, forcing us to the covered porch where we found another fantastic beetle.
After dinner, we were absolutely wiped. We turned in shamefully early, but decided that we wouldn't lose a bit of sleep over it. After all, the next morning was our last night in the mountains near Mt. Kinabalu. No doubt we still had birds to see and bugs to find before our taxi back down to the coast.
Gorgeous images, looks like it was a beautiful Nature experience!!!!!
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