Orangutans

A friend Ivan arrived last night.  Due to my upcoming departure to Singkawang, he stayed at a hotel rather than with me.

I picked him up for a breakfast of Sarawak Laksa at Lauya Keng, a Teochew temple in old town. He was unsure if his empty stomach would handle the spice, so we tried looking for some kaya toast as starters.  That proved to be a challenge so we ate the laksa on an empty stomach regardless.

We continued with a walk around old town and India Street in gloomy weather, which meant a lack of memorable photos.  We then headed to my apartment to do his laundry and plan the day.

In the afternoon, we headed to the Semenggoh Orangutan Sanctuary outside the city.  Arriving around 1430, we were advised to hop on the new buggy trains to the supplementary feeding station ASAP as the apes were already in sight.

Despite being fruiting season when the animals are largely self-sufficient for food, we were treated to four orangutans spanning three generations.

The young ones had orange hair, exactly the same colour as the bleached hair on the AirAsia flight attendant on my flight yesterday.

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It is very possible to come here at this time of year and see absolutely nothing.  This is after all, not a zoo, but a place for the orangutans to live in nearly its natural habitat.

The rangers here do not interfere with nature, eg. stop fights, give medical treatment.

We finished the day with dinner at the Sarawak Club with my uncle and my cousin Dennis (and his family) who are back from Melbourne.