Daily Dose of Beauty: Borneo Big and Small
Proboscis Money : Borneo
Daily Dose of Beauty: Adding a bit of light to the darkness as we get through the pandemic together.
This series features travel photography from my archives, shared with you as we all shelter in place.
April 1st, 2020
When J and I ventured from the beach into the jungle at Bako National Park in Borneo, it only took a few seconds before the trees shook with movement overhead. We looked up and realized a troop of proboscis monkeys was passing over us. Pointing my lens, we followed swiftly after them until we came to a clearing where one of the largest males sat on a tree branch, poised to move again. With incredible grace and power he launched himself to the next tree. I still can’t believe our luck at seeing these amazing creatures in the wild at just the right moment.
Proboscis Money : Borneo
Borneo is a marvel of rare and complex life. The island is full of discoveries big and small. From the jungle floor to the tops of the trees, life thrives all around.
We came across lots of carnivorous pitcher plants on the side of the trail. These little hot pockets use nectar and “pitfall traps” to attract insects which fall into the inner cavity where they drown and dissolve in digestive fluid. Such cruel tricks by such beautiful plants!
Ants! : Borneo
It wouldn’t be jungle without armies of ants and insects marching every which way, up and down tree trunks, on their way to do whatever it is they’re doing.
Borneo Lizard
Cue the lizard. It’s dinner time! The color and texture (especially) of this small creature still puts me in awe of nature and its divine creativity.
Borneo Lizard
One of Borneo’s most popular endemic species is the orangutan. The Malay meaning of “orang utan” is man of the forest. We saw several at a sanctuary outside Kuching and watched in silence as they enjoyed jackfruit in the treetops while keeping an eye on us down below.
Borneo Orangutan
Borneo Orangutan
Wherever you are in the world, keep an eye on those you love. Stay home and stay healthy, and enjoy the gift of every day.
Until tomorrow,
Kelly
compassandcamera.wordpress.com 
I love the pictures!
I’m glad I stumbled upon your photography a few day back. I’m really enjoying it.
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Thank you, Santiago. Happy to hear that! 🙂
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The proboscis monkey leaping! What a fabulous capture. And the lizard too. We saw vipers that green at Bako – would never have found them without the guide. And that final shot of the orangutang is so precious. I just love them. We didn’t go to the sanctuary near Kuching – we were told that since it was fruiting season in the jungle they didn’t come in to be fed and none had been seen for a few days. But we saw plenty at the rehab centre at Sepilok.
Alison
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Thanks, Alison! Wish we had made it to Sepilok or to Sandakan on the other side where orangutans are still living in the wild. I would love to return to Borneo and explore more. Such a special place!
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Very beautiful and interesting am so much excited for this wonderful experience.
I wish one day you come and visit Uganda too.we have many here.
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Thank you!
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A wonderful gallery Kelly. Look forward to tonight’s 🙂
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Thank you! Funny, I haven’t been blogging for a while and now I’m on a daily schedule + work. But it’s a great way to stay busy at home and I’m grateful to still be employed, at least for now! 🙂
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It’s thanks to you I’m back at it too. 😊
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It’s great to be here together, Andrew. It’s quite a schedule to maintain but I’m inspired by seeing your creations every day. 🙂
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Ditto 😊 I don’t know about you but I find going back over things I posted a few years ago is full of lovely surprises.
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It’s interesting you say that. I’ve been enjoying that aspect more than I expected. And I also like this short daily format — no pressure to do anything long (even though I always post more than I expect to).
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I love the feature in the dashboard that allows you to copy old posts and then re-edit them. Makes the process very easy and efficient.
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Oh, look at you, Mr. Professional! Ha ha! Didn’t know that feature existed. I’ll consider that for the future — would certainly help me on weekdays!! Thanks Andrew. 🙂
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You’ll love it. Just go to the editor, choose the post you want to copy, and press copy then save and it appears as a new post ready to edit. Bob’s your uncle (as the saying goes) 😊
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Hee hee, we say that all the time! Thanks for the tip!!
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This is the Borneo I have yet to see. The place where I used to spend a few years of my childhood was more of a peatland with rivers running through the cities. I love that timely shot of the proboscis monkey (there’s giant statue of it in the city after which I was named — here’s a link: https://harindabama.com/2018/05/20/banjarmasin-a-flood-of-memories/) and the gentle orangutan. Kelly, your daily posts so far have reminded me of all the places I really should visit given their relative proximity to where I live.
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Ahh, COOL! I’m saving your post until tomorrow morning when I can savor my way through it with a cup of coffee. Can’t wait to read this and know more about where you grew up. 🙂 Happy to hear you’re inspired to go to some of the places I’ve been writing about. Thinking we’ll head to Sulawesi for a post or two after Borneo. Coincidentally, I just read that Sulawesi had a pandemic in 1961. Need to read up on the history. Happy weekend, Bama! Thanks for sharing the link!
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Sulawesi is another island I’d love to explore for weeks — so far I’ve only been to the south. I think in 1961 there was a cholera outbreak across the island. Happy weekend to you too, Kelly!
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How did I let this languish in my inbox for a whole day? Wow – these are amazing photos of so many exotic things! The pitcher plants are bizarrely fascinating, the monkey’s tail is so stiff (for balance as he leaps, I guess?), the orangutan’s facial expressions are so soft, and the lizard is adorable (I love lizards, well, some lizards, and this is one)! Scrolled right past the ants, but I assume that’s a nice shot also. 🙂
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Hee hee, the ants. I almost didn’t include them but then thought, ya know … there are gazillions of them in the jungle. How can I not include them? No ant left behind. 🙂 Yes, those monkey tails are really something — like a rudder in the air and counterweight on the trees. Happy you enjoyed the post!! Hope you enjoy the weekend too. We have a blizzard on the way so that’s something to look forward to, right? xo, K.
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Great captures! I saw the proboscis monkey from distance when I wast in East Kalimantan. They are amazing to see 😍
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Thank you, Indah! They ARE amazing to see. So powerful and their tails are incredible. Hope you’re staying healthy and dreaming of travel!
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Incredible photographs, just stunning!! The proboscis monkey! And the pitcher plants…. Fascinating.
Now I really want to get there!
On your very first post of the plane views, I guess somehow I missed that this was a virtual flight to Philippines… Hahaha. Great idea though.
Peta
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Yes, Borneo is a very special place. Still somewhat wild and undisturbed but Indonesia is moving its capital from Jakarta to south Kalimantan which will surely affect the island. Hope you get there someday. You would love it! Happy Sunday and thanks for joining my virtual travels. 🙂
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This is nice, one of this days I’ll post something abt monkeys, something is already touring my mind
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Thank you!
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How cool. Great timing on the monkey, that guy really nose how to jump. I can only imagine wandering through that fountain of life.
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Leapin’ lizards … or monkeys … he sure does! 🙂
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Kelly, an amazing collection of pictures and well describe as well! Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you so much, Dimitrios! I appreciate your comment.
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Came across your blog researching Borneo what lens did you use ?I was due to go this May rearranged for next year due to cv19 what’s it like out there?
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Hi there! So sorry you had to postpone your Borneo trip but it will be worth waiting for! These photos are from a trip a few years ago. I was shooting with a 55-300 Nikor lens. I’m currently back in the US and things are okay here. Hot spots all over the country but a few cities where people have done really well with staying home and distancing. I live on the east shore of Lake Tahoe and due to the low population we’ve been minimally affected so far. But have also been strictly following the guidelines and plan to continue doing so for as long as it takes. How are you in the UK? Hope you’re home and healthy. K.
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Hi thanks for replying ,interesting about the 300 I have a 150-600 but really heavy .I took it out to Costa Rica but only used it on boat trips.In the UK people in lock down most of my photography is done in my small garden.It looks to me that the lock down is going to last 3 more weeks.I live on the borders of London densely populated.Hey, but the sun is shining happy days keep safe.
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