Day 16- Just Call Us David Attenborough

our day started with the second day in a row where having rice and noodles for breakfast was only optional- quite a luxury if you ask us. once finished, we made a quick morning trip around the Sepilok Rainforest Discovery Centre where we walked along a dizzyingly high sky walk in the jungle canopy. this allowed us to observe the Bornean flora and fauna from a new angle including all kinds of monkeys and birds (shout out to Jo's dad). After a quick departure from Sepilok we made our way to Kinabatangan along roads with endless pot holes so bad that it made Cheltenham look like an F1 grade race track.

we were then ushered off out buses and onto the thin river boats that offered state of the art life jackets that could definitely save us from crocodile infested river. Due to this we had to be extra careful to counter Mr Boughton's mass on the precarious boats (don't worry he's on a run soon as he's not enjoying these comments). swiftly, we made the river crossing to our hotel, dropped our bags off and were straight back on the river for out evening safari. five minutes away from the main, local village we spotted a large salt water crocodile, checking off the first of the Borneo big five. Shortly after we saw rustling amongst the tree tops which our guide said "orangutan" getting out hopes up, however it remained elusive just like Hope's voice ( hopefully it will come back soon). we continued meandering down the river seeing hornbills and a multitude of monkey species including the probiscus adding another to the tally of the big five animals. However, the main attraction for for us was the pygmy elephant but, to our dismay, our guide informed us that the herd was last sighted four hours downstream from us. Deflated we continued our search although it was now apparently fruitless. Suddenly, a boat shot past and then another and another. then our guide received word and we too joined the fleet of boats in a frenzy. Unfortunately, our 50 horse power engine was no match for the other boats and by the time we arrived we were told to our shock that there had been an elephant but due to the shear amounts of boats getting too close it had retreated back into the dense jungle. In one quick, fluid motion the boars arranged themselves in a line down the bank and we waited patiently. We saw movement in the undergrowth and then, in the clearing ahead of us, we found ourselves starring at the ankles of the not so pygmy elephant, It turned out to be a massive bull elephant that was on the search for the main herd, a sight that is only seen once in every hundred trips. We watched the magnificent from of the elephant Infront of out boat and the started heading back on the almighty high it gave us.

that evening we continued out good fortune with a sighting of the elusive slow loris and varies species of sleeping birds that none of us were convinced weren't plastic. we are now off to bed with and early start but the thought of another elephant makes it all seem worth it.