Jungles of Borneo

Tropical retreat

"It's a jungle out there!" says a tourist brochure about Borneo. Yes, it is, I can attest to that. While I'm frustrated that the internet is so slow in the jungle, I should probably take a step back and consider the fact that there is internet at all in the jungle. I'm not that much of an internet junkie that I couldn't live without it for a few days, but there are travel reservations to be made. Unfortunately, Borneo is quite touristy and the last time I showed up without a prior reservation, I had to take the crappiest accommodation that was still available.

Boardwalk through a swamp

Being in the jungle means there is the rainforest all around me with almost daily rains, lush vegetation, abundant plant and animal species, plenty of insects, humid days but surprisingly cool and pleasant nights.

Wild orchid

With the help of guides on the couple of tours I took and visits to botanical gardens I learned to recognize a few of the many species of native plants, most notably ginger and wild orchids. There is such a variety of flowering plants that I can find someting in flower anywhere I look.

Ginger bloom

I love the taste of ginger and I'm glad that due to the abundance of ginger around here they use it in generous amounts in cooking. In one of the soups there were such large chunks of ginger that a fellow traveler thought it was potatoes. I found out that they also use chopped ginger blooms to flavor and garnish food.

Canopy walk

In addition to botanical gardens there are canopy walks through the upper layers of the forest, wooden walkways across marshes and bird watching towers.

Bird watching - this is the only bird I saw, an egret

I'm staying at what is called a tropical retreat. It's in the middle of the jungle, peaceful and relaxing.

Recycled woks serve as sinks at the tropical retreat