Borneo, without Orangutans

Sabah, Borneo, was wonderful, as I expected, but we never saw any Orangutans in the wild. We saw two semi-wild ones at the Rehabilitation Centre in Sepilok, as well as many young ones still in rehab, but I was really hoping to see at least one in the wild, which is the impression I got from reading birding and mammal watching trip reports. Of course, there are no guarantees when it comes to seeing wildlife, but ... I can’t help but feel somewhat disappointed.

Blue-eared Kingfisher

Long-tailed Macaques

Western Hooded Pitta

Western Tarsier

Nonetheless, we did see a lot of birds, monkeys, civets, two Slow Loris, two Western Tarsier and a Leopard Cat, so I was very happy with these sightings. We also spent the last part of the trip snorkeling (me) and diving (Bob and Alex) on Mabul and Sipadan Islands and there we saw a lot of Green and Hawksbill turtles, as well as reef sharks, fish, moray eels, etc. Alex was disappointed that he didn't see any Hammerheads, but I was relieved.

Our trip started in Singapore where we visited both the Botanic Gardens and the Gardens by the Bay, and I can say with certainty that the Botanic Gardens are much nicer than the Gardens by the Bay. The gigantic artificial trees were just too much for me. We also opted for a river cruise on a bumboat instead of seeing Singapore from the top of the Marina Bay Sands complex, which was the right choice. We saw more of Singapore's neighborhoods at river level than we would have from the top of the overwhelmingly tall, and wide, Marina Bay Sands.

 

From Singapore, we flew to Kota Kinabalu for one night and enjoyed the food at the Gaya Street Night Market. We rented a car to be flexible and drove to Mount Kinabalu National Park and Poring Hot Springs. We stayed in a lovely two-bedroom cabin at the Sutera Sanctuary Resort at Poring Hot Springs, which Alex liked because he had his own room. Alex considered climbing Mt Kinabalu but decided against it because the guide and overnight accommodations on the mountain cost about 600 Euros. It was a good decision because it rained every day we were there, and we only saw the peak on our last day. We had plenty to do anyway: hiking, birding on the canopy walkway and soaking in the Sulphur Springs.

 

Sun Bear

Proboscis monkey

Sunset cruise at Tabin Wildlife Reserve

 

After returning the car in Sandakan, we spent six days in the rainforest, first in Sepilok, where we saw the only Orangutans we were going to see and Sun Bears at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, and then at Sukau Rainforest Lodge on the Kinabatangan River and Utan Rainforest Lodge in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve. The river is good for seeing monkeys, Proboscis monkeys, Long-tailed and Short-tailed Macaques, and Langurs, and we did see plenty of the Proboscis monkeys and Macaques. It is also supposed to be a good place to see Orangutans and Bornean Pygmy Elephants. The former we did not see, as I already mentioned, and as for the latter, we saw only their tracks along the river. The elephants come down from the palm oil plantations to bathe but not at any one specific time (they obviously need wrist watches), so we missed seeing them that particular day. We did, though, see a plethora of birds, crocodiles and smaller mammals, especially during the night cruises and walks.

 

Our neighbor, a monitor lizard

Our last week on Sabah was spent on the islands off the east coast. I thought it would be more relaxing than the three-a-day wildlife tours we took in the rainforest, but we were diving/snorkeling with Scuba Junkie up to three times a day, first on Mabul Island and then Sipadan. The reefs around Sipadan were healthy and impressive, which made me a bit more optimistic about the future of our oceans.

We ended our trip in Kuala Lumpur which reminded me of Singapore but much more reasonably priced. Outside of visiting the Hindu temples at the Batu Caves, we did not do much exploring in KL, but we did do a lot of eating. We found some marvelous restaurants - Din Tai Fung Taiwanese dumplings, Madam Kwan's Malaysian Nasi Lemak and even a British restaurant called Burger & Lobster serving, yes, burgers and lobster.

 

Like I said, I was disappointed that we didn’t see Orangutans in the wild, but I did get to spend time doing things I like doing (hiking, birding, mammal watching, snorkeling) with Bob and Alex. Besides, even if we didn’t see the Orangutans, maybe they saw us, as Alis suggested. I like this thought and the idea of going back to Borneo.

 

 

Cinque Terre in Five Days

Many, many years ago, I planned a trip to the Cinque Terre which included the boys and Oscar. We were going to stay in Corniglia – I found us a house that allowed dogs – and walk to Monterosso one day and Riomaggiore the second day. For whatever reason, we didn't go to the Cinque Terre that year and since I cannot remember what year, I can't remember where we ended up going.

Thankfully, Bob decided we should go this year and, thus, we planned the trip for early April, thinking it would be less crowded and cooler. We were wrong. It was still crowded and did get warm, but not summer hot. I can only imagine how much more crowded and hotter it is in the summer. We also got lucky because earlier this year, the only trail open between villages was the one from Corniglia to Manarola via Volastra, but just before we left, the Sentiero Azzuro between Monterosso and Vernazza and between Vernazza and Corniglia opened up.

In other words, we hiked to three of the five villages. We stayed in Monterosso and the trail to Vernazza was steep but I didn't think it was too difficult, and Vernazza was beautiful to behold from the trail as we hiked in. I can see why it is often considered the loveliest of the villages. The next leg to Corniglia was similar to that to Vernazza but it was afternoon and without shade, it got hot, too hot for me. However, conveniently located halfway between Vernazza and Corniglia is Bar il Gabbiano where we stopped for beer (Bob) and fresh-squeezed orange juice (me). It made the last kilometre or so to Corniglia so much easier.

Corniglia turned out to be my favorite village and not because I had originally planned to stay there. It was just less crowded and felt less touristy. If I return, I think I would like to spend my time here. There's also a great gelato shop, Alberto Gelateria, serving basil ice cream.

The next day we took the train to Corniglia, to the same station that we walked down a googol of steps to the day before. This morning, though, we had to climb that googol of steps and then continue climbing the steep trail to Volastra. On the way, I heard a Red-billed Leiothrix, but did not see it. In Volastra, we stopped for well-deserved drinks, lemon soda and beer, before descending the steep steps and winding through vineyards into Manarola, which like Vernazza was crowded with tourists. Also like Vernazza, it is often considered by some to be the prettiest of the villages. Personally, I thought it looked lovelier from the water than from the trails above. Because the Via dell'Amore to Riomaggiore was closed and the only way to hike there was a short but steep trail, "very, very difficult" according to the woman at the national park office, we rode the train, which took only three minutes. From Riomaggiore, we returned to Monterosso via ferry so that we could see the villages one more time but from the Ligurian Sea.

This trip also included visiting the abbey and beach of San Fruttuoso. Many decades ago, I saw a photo of the abbey and beach and knew I had to visit one day. One day finally came, but I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. Although the abbey looked just as in the photo, the beach was not as nice. The sand, as at all the beaches in the area, is grey and on this particularly warm Saturday, it was covered with tourists, and maybe locals too. Nonetheless, it was nice to finally see the real San Fruttuoso.

Our trip ended near Lake Garda at Santuario Madonna della Corona. The plan was to hike up the steep pilgrim's trail from Brentino Belluno, but our legs were sore from walking the Cinque Terre, so we cheated and walked down from Spiazzi, an easy ten-minute walk. But, we'll be back when our legs have recovered.

Turkey – Finally!

Turkey, or Türkiye in Turkish, is a popular destination for Germans, and we always intended to go there but kept putting it off in favor of more exotic destinations, like Namibia. Back in autumn 2022, we wanted to plan a trip for my semester break in March and, thus, we chose Turkey. Finally, we were going to Turkey!

Istanbul was our first top, obviously, and what did we do? We visited a lot of mosques: Hagia Sophia, Süleymaniye and Rüstem Pasha. Unfortunately, the Blue Mosque, my main reason for visiting Istanbul, was closed for renovations. I wanted to see if the interior is as amazing as Taras’s friend (Bob?) said it was. My favorite was Süleymaniye because it was open and modern even though it was built in 1557.

 

We also explored the Karaköy and Beyoglu neighborhoods which felt more local, although they were still touristy. I’d like to go back to Istanbul to explore these areas, as well as the Asian side, more. We didn’t go to the Asian side at all because we didn’t want to take a ferry in the rain and fog. Oh, it rained the whole time we were in Istanbul.

My favorite area of Turkey, though, was not Istanbul but Cappadocia. It was raining the first two days, but when it cleared up, we went hot-air ballooning and horse riding. We also explored the fairy chimneys, Göreme Open-Air Museum and Kakmakli Underground City. Cappadocia reminded me of the Badlands or Bryce. I do like desert-like landscapes.

 

We also did a bit of birding at the Sultan Marshes. The birds are Eurasian, so the same we see in Germany, but they were in greater numbers. The best was the little owl trying to hide from us inside a beam in the observation tower.

 

We also visited the ruins of Ephesus and Pamukkale. The ruins were interesting but not as impressive as Pompeii or Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily. In all fairness, though, Ephesus was not preserved by volcanic ash or mud and, therefore, it looks weathered.

 

The white travertine terraces of Pamukkale are beautiful, but we were disappointed to learn that the turquoise pools are not permanent. The national park controls the water flow to the terraces and, so, all the pools are not always filled. This prevents algae from growing and discoloring the travertine. Nonetheless, the terraces themselves were impressive. I also liked soaking in the Antique Pool.

 

Thanks to a transport strike in Germany, we spent an extra two days in Turkey. We got the chance to see more of the Pamukkale area, less touristy sights like Kaklik Cave and Lake Salda. We also had time to walk around Izmir which, to me, was just another big city, albeit a coastal city.

And then, of course, we had to buy Turkish Delight! Can't go home without it!

Hubris on the Tour du Mont Blanc

HUBRIS: n. (mass noun) excessive pride or self-confidence; (in Greek tragedy) excessive pride towards or defiance of the gods, leading to nemesis.

This is the definition of hubris according to the Oxford Dictionary of English. A word I never fully understood until Bob and I decided to hike the Tour du Mont Blanc, or TMB for short.

In high school, I took a senior course on classic Greek literature and a common theme is the danger of hubris. However, I don't think I ever fully understood this message until we hiked around Mont Blanc. I underestimated the hiking and overestimated my physical fitness. The photos I had seen of the TMB showed people hiking over green alpine meadows, and we did enjoy those trails, but often we found ourselves on trails covered in large rocks and gnarly roots. Add steepness to the mix and the hikes became more challenging than I expected.

Bob and I booked what is called a "luxury" TMB because it is a shortened version, only six days of hiking instead of 11 or 12, and you sleep in hotels instead of in the refuges (huts) or tents. I thought "luxury" also meant that the hikes themselves would be easier. I expected the company that booked our hotels and transfers to arrange routes that were not overtaxing. Obviously, I should have done more research because even the shorter version still requires that you hike over some steep passes.

Our first day started with a steep, but not too steep, climb to Col de Tricot where we ate lunch, sandwiches prepared for us at the Hotel Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix, where we spent the night, but then came a very steep descent that sent sharp pains through my knees. I expected some pain during the descent because I've experienced knee pain before on downhill hikes, but I didn't expect the pain to be so persistent. After resting at the Miage Refuge at the end of this descent, we climbed a bit more to the Truc Hut before descending to the town of Les Contamines Montjoie, where we stayed in the Hotel Gai Soleil overnight. My knees felt fine during the short climb up to the Le Truc meadows, but the pain returned during the descent and what should have been only an hour's hike into town, turned into a two-hour limp. 

The next day, we debated skipping the day's hike and taking public transport to our next hotel in Bourg Saint-Maurice. However, we discovered that the only way out of Contamines is by taxi and it is a two-hour drive to Bourg Saint-Maurice. Not only is this expensive, but it is hard to find a taxi driver willing to make the trip. It was actually easier to walk and so we climbed up to the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme, the most difficult leg of our version of the TMB. Not only was it a steep climb, but we had to scramble over rocks and boulders and at one point, cling to the cliffs. It was much more difficult than expected. And, of course, after ascending we had to descend. Again, my knees gave me problems.

The rest of the tour, four more days, had their ups and downs, literally, but were not as dramatic as the first two days. On our first day, we ascended only 665 m, but descended 1295 m. The second day was the opposite with an ascent of 1295 m and a descent of 950 m. The last four days were about the same with ascents and descents of 800-900 m each day. We slept in Courmayeur, Italy, where one calls the mountain Monte Bianco which is more fun to say than Mont Blanc; Champex-Lac, Switzerland; Argentiere, France; and finally Chamonix, where we started. Our overnight stay in Champex-Lac was the highlight in terms of hotels. Since the hotels in La Fouly and Orsieres, where we would have stayed, were booked, we upgraded ourselves to the gorgeous Hotel Au Club Alpin. We regretted not organising a rest day in Champex-Lac because then we would have had more time to enjoy the spa, lake and wonderful hotel restaurant.

As close as we were going to get to the summit

On day six, we cheated. Instead of climbing to Lac Blanc before taking the La Flegere gondola down to Chamonix, we hiked straight to La Flegere. This gave us time in the afternoon to ride the cable car up to the peak Aiguille du Midi. We were so happy we decided to do this because on Aiguille du Midi, one is very close to Mont Blanc's summit and thus the views of Mont Blanc's glacier-covered face were spectacular. However, we did feel the altitude (3840 m) which made us feel very tired and me a bit dizzy.

Whereas I found descending difficult, Bob found the ascents harder. Nevertheless, we completed the TMB, even though we talked about cutting it short a few times. Bob says we should be proud of ourselves and I am, but I also feel disappointed because my knees slowed us down. Everyone seemed to be passing us, even octogenarians. I thought I was in much better shape because I hardly ever drive and instead ride my bike to work and to run errands, and I take the dog for long walks in the hills around our home. I guess I need to find some mountains, steep ones, to walk Nora on.

Would I do the TMB again? Yes, I think so, but with more physical preparation and a great deal more respect for the Mont Blanc massif.

Happy 60th Birthday to Me in Uganda

For my 60^th birthday, I gifted myself a trip to Uganda. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wasn’t sure that this trip would happen until I was on the plane heading towards Entebbe via Doha. It was predominantly a birding tour, but we also saw so many mammals in the wild and seeing animals in their own habitats, without fences as in zoos, makes saving them from extinction all the more important and pressing.

Here are a few highlights:

 

Shoebill

Hamerkop

Black-and-White-Casqued Hornbill

African Grey Parrot

Annoyed Chimpanzee

Red-Tailed Monkeys

Verreaux's Eagle-Owls

African Buffalos watching us watching them

Hippo in mud bath flanked by a Hamerkop and a Little Egret

Elephant and more hippos on the Kazinga Channel

Mountain Gorillas

Unlike the chimpanzees, who seemed genuinely annoyed by our presence, the gorillas seemed to ignore us and just kept foraging for food and eating. The babies would watch us once in a while, but didn't try to approach us. To get to the gorillas, we had to hike partway up a steep mountain and trackers used machetes to cut paths into the forest. Our porters held our hands and told us where to step. If we didn’t follow their directions, a foot would go through the vines and dangle in mid-air. It was the hardest hike I have ever done and yet it was only 2 km.

 

Ankole cattle and even more hippos, Lake Mburo

Not photographed were some rare birds, such as Nahan’s Partridge, Royal Mile in the Budongo Forest, and Grauer’s Broadbill, Mubwindi Swamp.

 

Being able to get so close to chimpanzees, gorillas, elephants, hippos and more was an incredible experience for me. In Namibia, we had to keep our distance because the animals were not habituated as in Uganda. But Namibia is a large country with few people, whereas Uganda is a small country with many people, so the animals have no choice if they want to survive but to become accustomed to us.

 

Speaking of experiences, being a tourist in Uganda was interesting in itself. The only other white people we saw were other tourists and because of COVID-19, there are not many tourists in Uganda right now. There may be more white people living in Kampala, but we never went there. Wherever we went, we drew a crowd, mainly children. They did a lot of waving and we waved back because it made them smile. One member of our group said he felt like royalty. Everyone was so nice to us and no one begged for money. Our Ugandan guide said that it was discouraged. Instead, the kids, and some adults, just wanted to practice their English and help us find birds and other animals. One little boy sang 'Happy Birthday' to us. I like to blend in and not stand out as a tourist when I travel, but as a white person with binoculars, being anonymous seemed impossible in Uganda.

 

Before I close, I want to add a short advertisement here for our Ugandan guides, Livingstone and Hilary of Livingstone African Safaris. The trip was wonderful because of them. They know so much about Ugandan birds and mammals and always seemed to know exactly where to find them. They also gave us invaluable advice, such as hiring porters for gorilla tracking and hiking to Mubwindi Swamp. Both would have been difficult and less enjoyable without porters. Not only did they teach us about Ugandan wildlife, but also a bit about Ugandan history, politics and culture. Without Livingstone and Hilary, I don’t think I would have learned so much about Uganda or experienced it so completely, or at least as completely as possible during this pandemic.

 

COVID-19 Summer

 Because of the COVID-19 pandemic we decided to travel close to home, starting with the Bayerischer Wald.

First, we climbed Grosser Falkenstein to the Falkenstein Schutzhaus,

then we climbed up into the Baumwipfelpfad

and, finally, we visited the Steinklamm and the Glasmuseum.

Our next mini-vacation was to Fusch, Austria, to drive the Grossglockner High Alpine Road

and to see what is left of the Pasterze Glacier.

Our final trip of the summer was to Maastricht, Netherlands, followed by De Panne, Belgium and ending at Przemko's in Everberg and Leuven.

Bob made sure to practice social distancing in Maastricht's Vrijthof.

We walked through the Dodengang (Death Trench) and the trenches of Sanctuary Wood near Ypres,

as well as on De Westhoek dunes and De Panne beach,

before touring Leuven's Begijnhof with Przemko.