Borneo.

Lesson 1.

I took a trip to Sarawak located in Malaysian Borneo to take part in a volunteer program through an organisation called The Great Projects, an eco tourism travel company aimed at providing volunteering trips to raise awareness of the conservation efforts for animals, wildlife and nature across the globe.

Here in Borneo, An island in the south east asian pacific region of our world, it is one of the only places the orangutan call home and may I admit the sole reason for me travelling to Borneo with a growing obsession towards orangutans, this trip was the chance to see these hairy guys in action, the chance to learn and give back. 

Leaving Sydney international once again, after 5 minutes of strolling through duty free I had already spent my alcohol limit. This time around selecting a bottle of Wild Turkey American Honey, and some good old Jose Cuervo Tequila. As usual pulled aside for a 'random' drug test, yet for me is quite routine, when travelling even domestically someone for my party will always be pulled aside and this time it was me seeing as I was alone. 

3 movies, two and a half meals filling my stomach, 1 stopover and 9 hours of flight time later I was at Kuching airport. One of the first to arrive alongside the beautiful Sarah, we were taken to our first hotel, meeting point for the group and starting point for our journey. We were not expecting such luxury at any point of the trip yet at Basaga Hotel we were spoilt, where the rooms were poolside, the drinks flowed, towels were clean, showers were warm and wifi was abundant, deceiving us seeing as what was to come, that for the rest of the trip we referred to Basaga as paradise. Being quite early and with nothing else to do Sarah and I took the day to enjoy our relaxing surrounds and wait for the rest of our group members to flock in. By dinner we had all arrived and been accounted for, 13 Brits, 2 Germans and 1 Australian (me) and what a family we made for ourselves.

At dinner we meet the Leo and Tash keepers for Matang Wildlife Centre, where they told us their stories and how they found themselves in Borneo, Leo alone has been working for wildlife conservation for 18 years throughout the Congo and Sierra Leone, fought some tough battles he's been shot at and lost a few good men along the way. Originally from england the man knows his stuff and enlightened us on the underbelly of wildlife conservation and why its a loosing battle. He also told us of the fellow keepers at the Matang wildlife centre, how they volunteer their time and do not take a wage for their work with the centre.

Day 1

and time came to start our work at Matang and our first day of animal life. 

After hustling down for breakfast we jumped in the vans for a 40 minute ride out of Kuching, down a few stretches of highways to the gates of the park, with its towering red steel gates that reminded me of jumanji. We were introduced to our first taste of longhouse style living, traditional of the Malay people. 

With the chance to explore the surrounds of the centre and all the animals, it was hard to dismiss how much of a role humans play in dislocating animals from their natural environments and how the dominance of humans over other living things is creating an imbalance. Everyday sees more animals taken in at Matang as they get caught up in the lives of humans, for most sadly in the pet trade, for others their natural habitats overtaken by man for a few they're farmed and taken advantage of for their skins or 'medical' cures - a sunbears gallbladder apparently is the cure for cancer ...? As much as Matang wishes it could do more they are caught up in the red tape and bureaucratic mess of a power struggle the government holds over them and with only so many resources at their disposal, with things such as steel costing quite the pretty penny in Borneo at far a higher cost than in our western homes. 

But may I delight you, good memories were to be had, the highlight being the chance to see the orangutans playing amongst themselves, where I could have sat there and watched the animals for hours on end, you truly begin to appreciate them not only as animals but living entities we share the earth with. Watching the orangutans play and move reminds you of how alike to humans they are and the moment you see somewhat of a smile crawl across their face as they recognise you, they see you. Here the animals have a chance to live out more natural lives without fear and the presence of humans are here to help them achieve that. Seeing the little guys learning the ropes of the rainforest pulls at your heartstrings, although for me nothing takes the cake quite like the big fellas, flat faced and powerful, with an inescapable energy. You can't help but be drawn in. 

Our first chance to work with the animals was with Leo and the sunbears named so for their umber colored V tattoo within their fur rimming their necks. These guys were so playful and friendly, they prod along in their search for food and entertainment. Our days were spent cleaning out the enclosures, hiding food for them to find, working on their enclosures, making enrichment tools to keep them stimulated all the while learning about them and their story. 

One night we walked around the park on the lookout for nocturnal animal activity, I was at the back end of the group having the time of my life with Jo and Charlotte, scaring each other out turning around to dark night blanketed rickety paths and the feeling something was behind you. 

The following night saw bursts of rain bucket down as tropical Asia endures, dry one second soaking wet the next, with some of the girls challenging each other to see who could get out the furthest in the rain before coming back.