MALAYSIA- Borneo!!!!

Hello from Kuala Lumpur (once again :),

It's hard to believe, but in a few days our 4 weeks in Malaysia are already coming to an end! Time flies and at the same time it feels like ages ago when we were driving through the jungle in a boat and strolling between the tea plantations in Cameron Highlands.

Jetties in George Town. Or as I say: Chinatown on wooden stilts :D

In the last few days in George Town, we often visited our favorite Indian restaurant and simply enjoyed the atmosphere of the city. Even though we didn't feel comfortable on the first evening, it was really difficult for us to leave this colorful city after 5 days!

But - the island of Langkawi was ahead of us! Since we wanted to save money on the expensive ferry, we took the longer route through the mainland and arrived at our accommodation late in the evening. Unfortunately, we were there on the weekend when the end of Ramadan was being celebrated. That's why the place initially seemed like a ghost town and hardly any restaurants were open. At least on the first day.

Sunset in Langkawi!

It was a pretty touristy place with many big hotels and tourist attractions. The holidays were used by many local tourists for a short vacation on Langkawi. It was quite crowded in some places and at times felt like being on a package tour in Turkey :D We actually prefer places that are not solely influenced by tourism and that provide an authentic insight into the lives of the locals. Well, this place was definitely not one of them^^ But it was okay for the few days we spent there.

You can already anticipate the rain in the dark clouds. But it was a nice cooling down :)

Then the time had finally come, we flew to Borneo after 3 days in Langkawi!

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is home to many endangered species. One of them is the orangutans. They only live in the wild on Borneo and the island of Sumatra. For me, they were the main reason for traveling to Borneo. I don't know why, but these animals have always fascinated me. To catch a glimpse of these wonderful creatures, we went to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre. In this nature reserve, orphaned or illegally captured orangutans live. In the adjacent rehabilitation center, the animals are prepared for a life in the wild. The forest where the orangutans live covers 653 hectares. The area is not fenced off and the animals can move freely. During feeding times in the morning and afternoon, visitors are allowed access to the reserve. However, it is not guaranteed to see the orangutans, as they live in the forest and feed themselves there. Although the forest is quite large, there is not always enough food available. Sometimes, they venture so far from the center in search of food that they don't return in time for the guaranteed feeding. In their place, I would never stray too far from the center :D

A day before we arrived, no orangutans came for the feeding. The ranger suspected that they were still intimidated by the storm from the night before. So there was a good chance that they would come back for the feeding on that day.

And indeed, we saw a total of 3 adult orangutans and two babies! It was a beautiful moment to see them for the first time in (almost) their natural habitat! The trip to Borneo had already been worth it for me in that moment!

Unfortunately, the habitat for orangutans in Borneo is getting smaller and smaller due to deforestation. Up to 50% of the island is made up of rainforest - 50 years ago, it was still 95%!! The main reason for this is the establishment of palm oil plantations, as this area offers optimal growth conditions. Palm oil is used in many food products, cosmetics, and even fuel. The consequences of palm oil consumption include displacement, species extinction, deforestation, and the loss of land and livelihoods for many small-scale farmers. In the past few days, I have read a lot about this and I am quite shocked about what is happening here for the sake of one product. And especially that most of Europe is not aware of it.

In my last blog post, I wrote about the impressive 'palm forests' in Malaysia. Well, I should have known better - they are actually palm oil plantations. The sight of extensive cultivation areas is always astonishing, but the production of palm oil and its far-reaching consequences for the environment, people, and animals deeply sadden me.

After two days in Kuching, we continued our journey by bus and boat to Bako National Park.

Swimming was prohibited in Bako National Park - unless you want to swim with crocodiles :P

Hardly had we stepped off the boat when we encountered the most famous resident of the national park - the proboscis monkey. One shouldn't even have to wonder where the name comes from :D When you observe this monkey's movement and body structure, you realize that it is quite similar to us humans!

The proboscis monkey only lives on Borneo!

Shortly after our arrival, we embarked on a hike that couldn't have been more diverse.

Once in the middle of the rainforest, over roots and rocks, through mangroves and further over wooden planks and stones with a wide view of the sea, to finally reach a viewpoint with a sandy beach!

Mangroves 

Funnily enough, we didn't see any animals during the hike. Instead, they were right near our 'camp'. The overnight stay in the rainforest couldn't have been more authentic :)

We stayed in a hut like this. Unfortunately, it only looks good from the outside... :D

Our roommates at the camp. Luckily, they didn't have tusks^^

Langur - the cutest monkeys we have seen so far!

The beach in front of our camp in Bako National Park

The way back from Bako National Park to Kuching. On the same day, we also landed in Kuala Lumpur. What a contrast!

Now we are back in Kuala Lumpur where our journey through Malaysia started. We will now indulge in lots of Indian food so that we can look forward to the food in Indonesia :D

First time sunshine in KL :)

Because! We are traveling together for longer than planned and will explore even more of Indonesia in the next 2.5 weeks! We are very excited to return to Indonesia and can't wait to see what awaits us :)

See you soon

Best regards from KL :)