Sunday, April 29, 2018

Back to Borneo - Travel Days

BEEP!  BEEP!  BEEP!  BEEP! 

Huh, what the heck...it's 3:30AM what the heck is that?...oh wait..it's the alarm...time to get up and head to the airport.

BORNEO BABY!!

I think it was about 1 second after leaving Borneo in 2017 that I hatched a plan to go back.  I just didn't feel that we saw everything that we could see. We were especially disappointed to miss seeing Gibbon and Tarsier.  Not to mention that our 3 days in Sepilok and some activities at other lodges were almost entirely rained out.

So, we once again contacted AA Borneo and after lots of back and forth we eventually settled on this itinerary:

3 Nights Sepilok - Forest Edge Resort
6 Nights Daramakot
3 Nights Kinabatangan - Sukau Rainforest Lodge
3 Nights Danum - Borneo Rainforest Lodge

Due to flight times, we ended up adding bookend nights at the Forest Edge Resort in Sepilok for a total of 17 nights in country.

The problem was that we needed someone to go with us to lower the costs.  So, we turned to the Internet and put calls out to the Mammalwatching.com community and SafariTalk.net community.  We had a fair amount of interest but got a commitment from a couple based in Australia.  After a bit of communication and some minor tweaks to the itinerary the trip was booked.  Joining us in Borneo would be Tim and Andrea who are big wildlife lovers just like us.

So, on April 14th at 3:30AM the dreaded alarm went off.  But somehow, waking up at 3:30AM to go on a vacation is a lot easier than waking up at 6:00AM to go to work.  Go figure!

I could spend a whole post talking about the "fun" we had traveling to Borneo but I think that would cause me to lose the 2 whole readers I actually have.  So, here is a summary:
  • Tucson to SFO leg began with a screaming baby behind me kicking my seat
  • Aborted landing at SFO right before touch down due to plane being on our runway
  • All Nippon Air had great service and HORRIBLE food
  • Checked bags could only go as far as Kaula Lumpur (KL) due to 12 hour layover there
  • Couldn't make it to our booked hotel in the International terminal at KL because we had to leave the International terminal to pick up our bags and they wouldn't let us back in since we had a domestic transfer remaining
  • 2am walk to airport hotel (Sama Sama) only to find them booked but the concierge there arranged for a nearby hotel to pick us up so we ended up spending about 9 hours at the Oren (Orange) Hotel in Kuala Lumpur
  • Egg McMuffins for breakfast in KL since there was nothing else but they were super tasty
  • Arrived late in Sandakan due to delays leaving KL
And those were the highlights!

But, we did make it to Borneo and so did all of our bags which is all that really matters.  Waiting for us at the Sandakan airport was our driver Eric who would be handling all our transfers for this trip.  At 3:30 PM local time we arrive at the Forest Edge Resort.  So, 45 hours after that alarm went off we finally arrived at our destination. 

We ended up staying in the same chalet at Forest Edge as last time; Bilit.  Not much had changed except for the bat guano warning sign that we could have used last time (Sorry shoes...):

Be Careful Where You Leave Your Shoes

After a little bit of unpacking, we headed off to meet Tim and Andrea to talk about the trip and we ended up wandering around the grounds a little bit on the way.

Spectacled Spiderhunter:
Spectacled Spiderhunter

Gray and Buff Woodpecker:
Grey and Buff Woodpecker

We met Tim and Andrea in the restaurant and hit it off immediately.  But, the big shocker was that they were younger than us!  Usually, we are the "young pups" among the sea of older folks on all our vacations. But this time, we would need to play the role of the wise older couple.  I don't think we pulled that off though since I did at least one thing that wasn't very wise as you will soon see.

We had a couple snafus that first evening too including the resort not being notified that our meals were pre-paid and we found out the guide we requested for our time in Sepilok wasn't going to make it.  But, after a few emails to Nick at AA Borneo both items were taken care of.

In fact, a bit later Gary Albert walked up to us in the restaurant and introduced himself as our guide for the next two days in Sepilok.  He turned out to be a great guide and is highly recommended.

With all the logistics worked out we ended up having a great first dinner and I learned that Tim liked a cold beer as much as I did.  So, we took advantage of the happy hour special daily and enjoyed the famous Forest Edge ice bucket beer.   What more could you want?

BORNEO BABY!!

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Sepilok - Day 1

The next morning I woke up surprisingly refreshed and went for a pre-breakfast walk around the grounds where I finally got a White-breasted Waterhen to stay still long enough for a decent photo:

White-breasted Waterhen

Better yet, it was SUNNY!  I don't think we saw the sun in Sepilok the last trip.

The first item on the agenda today would be visiting the Orangutan Sanctuary.  There was no guarantee we would see wild Orangutans this trip so it was a must visit location for Tim and Andrea and we came along because you never know what else you might see.

As it turns out, no Orangutans showed up for the morning feeding (but crowds of people did).  We ended up getting semi-decent views of 3 orangutans in the trees nearby, distant views of some Red-leaf Monkeys, and good views of both Pig-tailed and Long-tailed Macaques.


"Here comes my dismount"..
Balancing Macaque

But, the most entertaining thing we saw were the young Orangutans at the nursery playing.  It's hard not to fall in love with these great apes at first site. But, pictures through the glass aren't easy.

Bornean Orangutan

One of the best things about the Orangutan nursery is that one of the two viewing rooms is air conditioned.  That's a real luxury in the heat and humidity of Borneo. Mmmmm...air conditioning...

Tim and Andrea went back to the Orangutan Sanctuary for the afternoon feeding while we caught up on some sleep and just relaxed around the lodge which has great grounds full of wildlife.

Rufous-backed Kingfisher:
Rufous-backed Kingfisher

Many-lined Sun Skink:
Many-lined Sun Skink

Dollar Bird:
Dollarbird

The evening activity was a night walk at the Orangutan Sanctuary.  Apparently, it was a good place to look for Tarsier which was a priority this trip for me.  It was also a good place for lots of other critters.  Before we even entered there was a Red-tailed Racer snake above us in the tree.  But, it was curled up and hiding.  We found plenty of other animals that weren't hiding:

Dark-eared Tree Frog:
Masked Tree Frog

Giant Bent-toed Gecko
Giant Bent-toed Gecko


We also saw 3 Bornean Keeled Pit Vipers.  All three were up high and not much more than a white outline but I did manage to get a decent photo of one that shows the arrowhead shape of the head:
Bornean Keeled Pit Viper

Anyone want to see a Huntsman Spider the size of a man's hand?

Hand Sized Huntsman Spider

Too bad...I posted it anyway!

File-eared Frog:
File-eared Tree Frog

As we were exiting the Sanctuary, the word got out that a Slow Loris was close.   By the time I got there the only view I had was of its backside.  Pretty cute still...right?
Philipine Slow Loris Butt

Over all, it was a nice walk at the Sanctuary but we struck out on Tarsier which I hoped wasn't becoming my nemesis animal.

After another good meal back at Forest Edge we did a walk on their grounds and found a few more night critters including more frogs, a huge snail, and this Painted Bronzeback:

Painted Bronzeback

So, it was a pretty good day and best of all we had good weather and beer in an ice bucket to end the day.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Sepilok - Day 2

Well, Mother Nature finally caught up to us after a day and a half of sun.  It rained most of the night and we had a huge thunder storm at 4AM which woke us up.

The day before we had decided to go to the Rainforest Discovery Center early.  So, despite the continued off and on rain, we were out at 6AM and headed to the RDC.  We got rained out for every trip to the RDC last year and it appeared our luck would be no better this year.  By 7:30AM the rain showed no signs of stopping so we left the RDC all wet...again.

Back at Forest Edge, we hung out in the covered dining room area for the rest of the morning watching a few birds brave the rain:

Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker:
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker

Luckily, the rain subsided around lunch time and wasn't an issue the rest of the day.

For the afternoon, we had arranged for Gary to take us to the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey sanctuary.  At first, none of us really wanted to go because morally this sanctuary is a bit of a gray area.  The sanctuary is owned and operated by a palm oil company.  It only exists because this company found the monkeys while tearing down all of the surrounding habitat.  Luckily, someone at the company took pity on these monkeys and preserved some jungle/mangroves for them.

But, did we really want to give money to a palm oil company to see these monkeys that we assumed were really only semi-wild since they lived on a forest "island" in the middle of a palm oil plantation?

After talking it over and reading more about the sanctuary online, we decided to go since Proboscis monkeys were likely but not guaranteed at the river later in the trip.  Gary ended up dispelling our fears a bit by letting us know that the monkeys were not land-locked and could actually leave the sanctuary because all the mangroves for miles were connected and protected. So, the monkeys were wild (although fed daily in the sanctuary to supplement their wild diets) after all and we also had the chance to see Mudskippers at the mangroves.

That last part sealed my "yes" vote since the Mudskipper was on my target list for this trip.  The others were on board too and we ended up having a great time at the sanctuary.

The sanctuary is home to other wild primates including these Silver Leaf Monkeys:
Silver Langurs

Silver Langur

It wasn't long before we spotted a Mudskipper and they were fantastic.  This is a Blue-spotted Mudskipper:
Blue-spotted Mudskipper

The Mudskipper is a fish that lives on land. It uses its pectoral fins to walk around and it can breathe on land as well (although not like we do).  It's quite an evolutionary marvel and pretty cool looking too.  Its eyes stick out above its head and can move independently of each other:

Head On View

Once my infatuation with the Mudskippers subsided, we headed to the main platform and soon the staff was putting out some food for the Proboscis Monkeys.  They get a combination of vegetables and non-sweet pancakes.  Because these monkeys are "baited" they are used to people and the photo opportunities are outstanding.  So, be prepared for Proboscis Monkey overload:

Proboscis Monkey with Baby



Juvenile Proboscis Monkey

Mother and Baby



The Cuddle


One of the things that makes the Proboscis Monkey so endearing is how human like they seem.  This is a standard sitting position.  All you need is a La-Z-Boy chair and remote and it could be any one of us...



There were two separate troops of Proboscis Monkeys on separate feeding platforms when we were there. Our large viewing deck was in between them.  The dominate male of one of the troops was paying great attention to the male from the other troop and was staring intently at him.  As luck would have it, we were just about right in between the males so it appeared like the first male was staring at us.  He was eating and barking out calls at the other male.  As a matter of fact, he had no problem "talking" with his mouth full and showing us everything he was chewing.

Trust me, that wasn't ALL he was showing us either.  See, male Proboscis monkeys like to show off their junk.  There I said it.  They have a bright red penis and ink black balls and they aren't ashamed of them AT ALL.  In fact, this male took a couple swipes at his erect penis to intimidate the other male.  I wonder if that would work in meetings at work that aren't going my way...probably not.

All of a sudden he leaped down from the platform and on to our viewing deck.  He charged past us on all fours slapping the ground to make a great commotion as he went past.  I couldn't believe how fast and powerful he was as he scampered past us to chase off the other male.  He then came back to our viewing deck to take a quick look around on top of a sign and returned to his troop.  He moved way too fast to get a photo until he stopped on that sign to take his final look around.

Warning Sign

At first, the sign seemed difficult to interpret.  Luckily with the help of the pictures I think I understand it now:
1 - Don't let the monkeys hand you their poop (seems an obvious one)
2 - Monkeys don't like "talking to the hand" (neither does my wife)
3 - Pacman isn't allowed to talk to the monkeys (Rumor has it that Ms Pacman does all the talking in that family though)
4 - No ice skating (Sorry Scott Hamilton)
5 - Tank tops aren't allowed (good thing I didn't wear my leopard tank top belly shirt...phew)
6 &7 - It is OK to trade your two kids and buggy for one monkey (It's a deal!)


When the dominant male returned to his troop he got a little grooming reward:
Grooming Session

But, that session was interrupted when he spotted the other male again and started to display his displeasure sans junk:

Dominant Male Proboscis Postering


He was literally sending a message to the other male that "Oh No", he wasn't coming any closer.  Tim captured this behavior well in this animated GIF he put together:



As you can see, there were a couple mothers with babies in the troop and they were great fun to watch.  Here's one final Proboscis pic (Spoiler alert: the rated R Proboscis pics are coming later):

Holding On

We had a blast watching all this interaction and hearing all the communication sounds between the monkeys.  It's much harder to see and hear all that in the wild along the river.  One thing we were surprised about is that when a couple Long-tailed Macaques came to get some food, all the Proboscis monkeys left. Even the big males were easily chased off.  The Macaques are kings of this jungle.

Also at the reserve we saw some new raptors, a Dog-faced Water Snake, and some unidentified rats. So, despite a few sprinkles it was a great afternoon and seeing all the wonderful Proboscis behavior was a highlight of the trip for us.

After leaving Labuk Bay, we headed for the RDC where we actually had no rain!  A first at the RDC for us.  So, we were finally able to explore and look for wildlife.  We found lots of it.

Eastern Crimson Sunbird:
Eastern Crimson Sunbird

Interesting vine:
Patterns

Our first looks at Rhinoceros Hornbill this trip:
Rhinoceros Hornbill

Low's Squirrel:
Low's Squirrel

As we were climbing up one of the towers, Andrea found a snake that was really well camouflaged.  It was another Red-tailed Racer (not sure why they call them that when every one we saw had a gray tail).
Red-tailed Racer (with Gray tail)

Red-tailed Racer

At dusk, Gary positioned us on one of the canopy walkways to see the flying squirrels leave their nest and hopefully glide to a nearby tree.  We didn't have to wait long before one emerged and glided effortlessly to another tree.  It's so cool to watch.  Too bad it was pretty dark out.

Just after dark we made our way out of the RDC but not before we saw this large Asian Toad:
Asian Toad

Dinner consisted of Pizza (Yes, Forest Edge does a pretty darn good pizza) and happy hour ice cold beer.  Even though the morning got rained out the rest of the day was really good today.  This was Gary's last day with us.  He will be missed.  He told us that our guide for the day tomorrow would be Gomi (not his real name) and that he did not know him.  Well, he can't be too bad...right?

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Sepilok - Day 3

We had some light rain overnight but nothing like the thunder and lightning the previous morning.  In fact, the sky was clear when I looked outside.  So, we had high hopes when we met at 6AM to head once again to the RDC.

Waiting for us promptly at 6AM was Gomi.  My first impression was that this guy couldn't be more than 15 years old.   My second impression wasn't much better when we learned that we would have to shuttle to the RDC since a tiny taxi was the only vehicle he could get.  Weird...but OK.

We joked to ourselves that maybe Gomi wasn't old enough to drive yet which is why he hired a taxi.

Once at the RDC, all this was forgotten as we headed up a canopy walk and Karen spotted a flying squirrel that was climbing up a tree.  It was hard to see but I, not Gomi, noticed a better vantage point and we all headed there.  Seeing a Flying Squirrel in the day time would be a real treat.

Once we got to the new vantage point, we could see the squirrel high in a tree and it appeared to be eating. It was a Giant Red Flying Squirrel. But, with the sun behind it, it wasn't great for photos.  This Wallace's Hawk Eagle nearby also seemed interested...

Wallace's Hawk Eagle

We watched the squirrel move around in the tree eating and we all hoped that it might decide to glide.  As minutes passed our arms got tired from holding up cameras, binocs, etc so we weren't paying as close attention as we should have been when the squirrel took off and literally glided right over our heads.  It was extraordinary to watch but with my camera down at that exact moment I had to raise it quickly and just shoot from the hip.  The result is far from a perfect picture but I do find it interesting since you can see the membrane and its rear appendages pretty well:

Red Giant Flying Squirrel...flying past

Once the squirrel landed on its target tree, the Wallace's Hawk Eagle came swooping in.  It was sort of a half hearted attack if you ask me but it was still fun to see and I managed to get a photo as the squirrel snapped at the eagle:

Eagle vs. Squirrel

The eagle gave up quickly which left the squirrel in perfect light for a few photos:
Squirrel Wins!

Climbing to Safety

Soon, the squirrel climbed up that tree and out of sight.

It was really a fantastic experience to see.  We had seen flying squirrel before but seeing one fly over our heads in the daytime and then climb up a tree in morning light was really special.

I chatted a bit with Gomi and learned that he had been guiding for 7 years (So, he must have started when he was 8 I said to myself) and Gary (our guide the past two days) was one of his "best friends".  Hmmm...that's weird since Gary said he didn't know him...

Next we (not Gomi) saw some birds in a far tree.  I identified them as Dollar Bird's since we just saw one earlier in the trip and I know what they look like.  Gomi said no...they were Red-breasted Parakeets.  Say what?...they are blueish green.  Hmmm....not a good sign considering those birds aren't even supposed to be in Sabah.

The only other excitement during this morning activity was a bit later when Tim (not Gomi) yelled out "Snake"!  There had been a snake apparently a few feet away that quickly crawled into the nearby bushes.  We all got close to take a look. We saw its body which was grey with a white stripe down the back.  Gomi identified it as a Gray Cobra and told us to be careful as he backed away a bit behind all of us.  Hmmm...I am no cobra expert but I had never heard of a Gray Cobra before.  We kept looking, of course, hoping the snake would come out but it stayed in the leaf litter slithering calmly along and was mostly obscured.  At one point, I was able to get a picture of its head:
White-bellied Rat Snake

It had a really big eye and sure didn't look like a Cobra head to me.  But, at this point we could only assume that Gomi was right so we were excited to see a Cobra on "our" terms basically.

Gomi did have a cell phone and apparently reached out to friends about the snake and a little bit later told us it was actually a King Cobra.  Wow, that would be cool.  But, I still had my doubts on that ID.

Next, we mentioned that we wanted to try to find the Racer snake we saw with Gary yesterday to see if it was still there.  We didn't know exactly where it was but we knew we passed Gary's office in the RDC right after seeing the snake.  Since Gomi and Gary were "Best Friends" we figured this was a good clue.  Gomi indicated he knew where to go and we followed him down the path which lead directly.......

out of the RDC and no where near where we wanted to go.  Oh well...

We "shuttled" back to the lodge in the same tiny taxi for lunch and rest.  But, Karen and I always say that we can "rest when we get home".  So, we decided to take the short jungle walk on the grounds of the lodge.  This was a really good decision with one minor "gotcha".

Plaintive Cuckoo:
Plaintive Cuckoo

Yellow-vented Bulbul:
Yellow-vented Bulbul

Next, Karen spotted something small moving in the bushes just above eye level.  We assumed it was a squirrel because they were everywhere at Forest Edge but this little critter was different.  We actually didn't know what it was at first until Karen realized it was a treeshrew.  We later identified it as a Lesser Treeshrew:
Lesser Treeshrew

It's pretty cute!

A new mammal is always a great way to start a hike.  Soon after that we found a gorgeous Kingfisher and we watched it hunt:

Chestnut-collared Kingfisher:
Chestnut-collared Kingfisher

Mmmm...Millipede...tasty!
Millipede Hunter

That was another great sighting on this short hike.  But, just as we were leaving, I noticed something small fly above the photo blind the owner has installed for Pitta Photography.  It took me a second to get a clear look.  It wasn't a Pitta...it was an owl!

Reddish Scops Owl

We later identified this Owl with the help of Peter, the owner of Forest Edge, as the Reddish Scops Owl.  We love owls and this was our first Scops owl of any kind which was really exciting.

We were probably on the trail for less than an hour so that was time well spent in our book.

However, the mood turned a bit somber as we took off our shoes before entering our room.  There on Karen's ankle was a big juicy leech.  We were proud to say that on our previous trip to Borneo no one in our group of four got bit by a leech.  But, here we were only on day 3 and Karen is already a victim on this trip.

She was likely incredibly grossed out by this but she remained calm and asked me to remove it.  It took a bit of effort to scrape it off with my fingernail but I did.  Then we searched our boots and Karen found two more leeches.  I, of course, had none because I am awesome!  But, one band-aid later and Karen was good as new.  We had not thought there would be leeches on this trail so we didn't wear our cool looking leech socks.  Lesson learned....

At lunch we traded our favorite Gomi stories from the morning and did some online research only to confirm that we didn't see a Cobra since the scales were all wrong on it's head.  Oh, well.

In the afternoon, the plan was to explore the RDC again.  Once again, Gomi was waiting promptly but with the tiny taxi again. So, after we shuttled to the RDC we began our walk.

He immediately told us the snake we saw in the morning was actually a Sumatran Cobra not a King Cobra.  OK....

Soon we encountered a couple RDC employees looking at something.  Turns out it was a Colugo splayed out on a tree resting in broad daylight.  Another nocturnal mammal in the daytime...that was really lucky (and would be a continuing theme of this trip).

Bornean Culogo

Colugo Closeup

The RDC employees said the Colugo had a baby but it was tucked out of sight so we couldn't see it.

Gomi talked about the Colugo a bit and told us that the baby was likely in the Colugo's pouch.  What?  "The Colugo has a pouch?" I asked.  "Oh yes, the baby will stay with the mother in the pouch for 6 years" said Gomi.  "Wait" I said "Only marsupials have pouches I thought and the Colugo is not a marsupial".  "It has a pouch" says Gomi.

OK, so I let the pouch thing go but Gomi's already paper thin credibility melted away with me.  The others pressed him a bit on the 6 year thing.  They even asked how long the Colugo lives to which he replied 12 years.  So, I guess they spend half their lives with a baby in their pouch.  Seemed kind of fishy to us...but we let that one go too eventually.

Next, Andrea (not Gomi) spotted a really cool green lizard which Gomi correctly identified as the Green Crested Lizard (AKA Green Tree Lizard):
Green Tree Lizard

Notice its extraordinarily long tail in the photo above.  This was a pretty lizard so I couldn't resist taking more photos:
Green Tree Lizard

That was pretty much the end of our afternoon trip but we booked a 6PM night walk at the Orangutan Sanctuary again (I will find you Tarsier!).  So, we were going to go straight there.  When we got to the RDC parking lot there was no taxi though.  Instead, Gomi went up to to a small car in the parking lot and opened the doors.  He, Tim, and Andrea got in and drove off to the Sanctuary.  I guess Gomi does have a driver's license after all, I thought.

A while later Gomi returned and this time there was a girl in the passenger seat.  Maybe she was there all along and I just missed her.  After climbing in, I noticed distinctly feminine decorating.  I think the pink tassel and steering wheel cover were a dead give away that this car must belong to his friend.  When we arrived at the sanctuary he thanked her for letting him borrow her car and made some comment about her being pretty...was Gomi a "playa"?

As we entered the sanctuary, the Red-tailed Racer was in the same tree as the night before but still not very visible so we quickly moved on to see Orangutans playing around the sanctuary buildings.  It was fun to watch them climb around the roof and drink water from the rain gutters.  There was also a big male around that was fun to watch as well.  You can tell how intelligent these apes are when you look them in the eyes.

I couldn't be sure but it seemed like the Orangutan looked at Gomi and then at me and proceeded to give me a "Sorry dude" look and then shake his head.

Orangutan Glance

For this night walk, they took us to the Orangutan Nursery area where Flying Squirrels would be likely to emerge and glide around at dusk.  So, we made a beeline for that area but not before stopping to see a much more visible Bornean Keeled Pit Viper.  That's a good looking snake:
Bornean Keeled Pit Viper

We got to the nursery and waited around for a bit.  Soon, one squirrel emerged:
Red Giant Flying Squirrel

Then another from a different tree.  Then the second one glided majestically to a nearby tree.  Then more squirrels emerged and started gliding.  We must have seen 4 to 6 squirrels glide which was fantastic even though it got too dark to photograph them.

During this Flying Squirrel circus, a young Orangutan showed up and didn't seem to like us NOT paying any attention to it.  So, it got on its back and rolled around in the grass, looked our way...then rolled more with hands and feet in the air.  It seemed to be looking for attention that we could not give.  But, there was an employee nearby that went over to it and that seemed to satisfy it.  I called it the "diva" Orangutan and it was quite entertaining.

The rest of the night walk was OK. We saw some cool stick insects, some roosting birds and lizards but no Tarsier...again! (I am beginning to doubt their existence).  Once again, as we left the center the word came out that a Slow Loris was in the Sun Bear Sanctuary across the road.  Since they were letting us in to look, we went.  This time the Slow Loris was much more visible and we soon realized that there were two in the same tree and one was moving pretty darn fast to catch the other.

Philippine Slow Loris moving quickly:
Slow Loris Moving Fast

But, it eventually gave up the chase and stayed still for a bit:
Slow Loris

Slow Loris

Wow, these guys are adorable.  But, they are venomous, believe it or not, so you certainly don't want to get near one.  The have a gland that they lick to mix with their saliva and then they coat themselves with it.  Apparently, there is enough of this venom in their mouth through licking to do some damage to someone if bitten.  Especially if that person happens to be allergic to the toxin.  So, there you have it.  Cute...but don't touch!

As we were walking back to the entrance there was a 3rd Slow Loris in a tree.  Three in one night is a pretty good haul.

Back at the entrance to the sanctuary, the car we were delivered in was no where to be seen.  Gomi came up to us and pointed to a nearby car with a guy in it and said that he would take us back to the lodge.  The car was actually big enough for all 4 of us so after looking at each other we shrugged and walked towards the car.  Gomi said he was staying at the Forest Edge and would see us later at dinner.  So, I opened the front passenger door only to find a bag of groceries on the seat.  Between that and the lack of leg room, I barely managed to contort myself enough to squeeze into the seat and off we went.  The drive back was uneventful except for the can of soup in my intergluteal cleft (look it up).

At dinner, we did see Gomi but he ended up sitting at a different table and eventually disappeared with all his stuff still on that table.  We waited a bit to say goodbye but he never came back.  So, after another nice dinner and more of our "best of Gomi" stories we walked back to the room.

On the way was a really cool Common Greenback frog:
Common Greenback

It was another really good day of animal sightings and once again there was no rain!  The daytime Flying Squirrel and Colugo and the night time Slow Loris were huge highlights.

Despite Gomi's obvious shortcomings as a guide, he was always on time with some sort of  transportation for us and he did try to find things for us.  He just didn't really succeed in anything but providing us with some false information and entertainment.  It would be better if he had just said he didn't know what something was as opposed telling us the wrong thing.  We also learned that Colugo's don't have pouches and the babies stay with their mother's for 6 months...not years.  That is why we Karen coined the name Gomi for him.  Guide Of Mis-Information.