ORANGUTANS
One of the best reasons to come to Kuching is the amazing amount of wildlife and eco-system you can explore.
After my day of sweat and exercise at the Law house, I had the opportunity to do some sightseeing of this region. My tour guide was the fabulously knowledgeable, as well as newly elected President of Habitat for Humanity’s National Office Malaysia, Rose Au. Our first stop on this tour was at the Semenggoh Wildlife and Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. I was able to see about 10 different orangutans at their feeding platforms for at least two hours. It was fantastic to be so close to the amazing creatures.
The highlight of my time there was when the big male orangutan, named Ritchie, decided to leave the platform and get on the trail to maybe “visit” with the tourists. We tried to keep our distance, but to be 10 feet away from this huge orangutan who was not contained in a cage and able to wander wherever he wanted to go was just mind-blowing. It also happened to be the start of mating season, and I have to say with some embarrassment that seeing their mating ritual is quite educational and a little uncomfortable.
Rose also took me to visit a longhouse and I felt as thought I had stepped back in time.
Growing up, I heard about the headhunters of Borneo, but didn’t quite understand the culture behind the stories. The longhouses are a must see, not just because they are mentioned in the 1000 Places to See before You Die book, but to truly learn about another way of life.
The longhouse community does have a lot of poverty and it would be really interesting if somehow Habitat for Humanity Kuching could do a build in collaboration with a longhouse community. I would definitely have to come back to participate in that experience!
WETLANDS
Another side trip that had nothing to do with my internship for Habitat for Humanity was a boat journey through the Kuching wetlands.
I was allowed to tag along with a British environmental scientist and, in this private tour of the wetlands, I was able to see plants and creatures that don’t live anywhere else in the world. The scenery is another reason to visit the wetlands. You are in the water watching the cloud-covered peak of a mountain, listening to the call of the kingfisher, while dipping your hand in the warm water of the South China Sea.
The best part of the trip had to be the opportunity to see a large group of proboscis monkeys swinging from treetop to treetop. The monkeys are much larger than I had imagined and they just fling themselves across huge gaps of air. These proboscis monkeys are critically endangered. Many areas of the wetlands are being torn down for development, making it more difficult for the monkey population to grow.
(The photos above are found on the internet.)
– Amanda Newcomb
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This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 2:01 pm and is filed under People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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