Melody of Borneo By Jerry Kamit

It's Tuesday here, work as usual. Everyone's busy, but kinda strange today. It's very quiet. Too quiet. It's Boring. 

My best mate, Rod is in town today. He changed a lot, physically. He's skinnier and look healthier. Well done Rod ! Now i'm not gonna go further on how he burns fats, diets and so on, but something's caught my attention this afternoon. It was a ringtone. Yes, a cellphone ringtone from an elderly man.

The ringtone sounds familiar. I've heard it somewhere but i couldn't remember. It took me awhile to remember, then i said..."Nahh, sia ingat sudah !" (translation: Now i remember !). It's not Dmitri Vegas/Like Mike - G.Y.P.S.Y...not Demi Lovato - Let it go...not Jason Derulo - Wiggle...and absolutely NOT Justin Bieber - Baby :p

It's..Jerry Kamit - Datun Julud. It's been years, the melody reminds me of my younger days. It's BEAUTIFUL. Enough of my bla...bla...bla...(It's gonna be a short posting today he..he) and enjoy 3 of my favorite Jerry Kamit's Masterpiece. Feel the Melody of Borneo. 

Datun Julud

Lan E

Rampa Menoa

There's nothing more i can say about Jerry Kamit. He's the BEST. All i want to do today is listen to Jerry Kamit's masterpiece and enjoy every melodies. Makes me calm and relax. Now i Strongly recommends this Melodies for 3 persons in particular (they know who they are), The Perfect Trio.  *Standing Ovation* feelin' hot ? 

Anyway, Back to The Great Jerry Kamit..

Keep it up, We're very PROUD of you Jerry ! Wish you All The Best for The Future. 

-ALF-

The Dutchman Of Borneo.

The Dutchman Of Borneo ? 

You must be wondering, who is the Dutchman Of Borneo. Someone from Amsterdam ? Dordrecht ? Alkmaar ? Rotterdam ? A Dutchman lost in Borneo ? or is it Robert Alberts (Dutch Coach of Sarawak Football Association) ? He..He...The answer is, None of the above. The Dutchman of Borneo is actually a Primates. Yes, A Primates that can ONLY be found in Borneo. Got it ? Want to know more ? Let me show you some pictures for the start.

This is Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus). How did the Dutchman of Borneo came up ? For locals in Borneo especially in Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak, Proboscis Monkey is known as Orang Belanda or Monyet Belanda. Let me translate:

• Orang Belanda = Dutchman
• Monyet Belanda = Dutch Monkey

The enormous, bloated stomachs and huge, pendulous noses have given rise to one of their less flattering names, and that is Orang Belanda or Monyet Belanda, since the animals reminded the people of Borneo (back then) of Europeans. 

 

Orang Belanda is still the name commonly used especially in Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei. In other parts of Borneo Island, a wide range of names used for this animals such as;

• Bekantan
• Bangkatan
• Pika'
• Rasong

Male Proboscis Monkey is very large for tree-dwelling animal and can weighing average 18-20kg. Surely one of the largest monkeys in the world. Second after Orang Utan in Borneo. For female, it is relatively smaller than the male, about half the size of male and can weight around 10kg. Other than body size, male and female Proboscis Monkey can be differentiate by the nose size. 

Adult Female with Baby

Adult Male

Another thing about Proboscis Monkey that really fascinates me is their movements on trees. They might have a big stomach, weight in at 10-20kg but they can make spectacular leaps from tree to tree and occasionally leaps across the river. Proboscis Monkeys travels almost entirely in the tree and only occasionally or infrequently, across open grounds. 

Proboscis Monkey's Spectacular Leap. Notice the Red Lipstick ? he..he..

Leaps and make big splash..

Not only they're good in trees, Proboscis Monkey are proficient swimmers. How they do it ? 

..then swims quietly with doggy paddle technique.

But not all Proboscis Monkeys makes big splash. One time in Bintuka Wetland in Sabah, while we casting our lures hoping to catch Mangrove Jacks and Barramundi, about 40-50 meter from our boat, an adult male Proboscis Monkey crosses the river without making leaps and splash, it just slides in the water and swims across in single file with no noise or splashing at all. I've never seen a Proboscis Monkey swims so quietly, then our fishing guide explains in heavy local Sabahan dialect..

"Owwhh, mimang baitu, kalu ada tu munyit buat macam tu mimang ada buaya tu dia nampak, ini buaya ni paling pantang kalau ada t'ampas di air..kalau tu munyit t'ampas di air ngam-ngam ada buaya di sana mimang dapat makanan free la tu buaya.." 

Understands ? he..he...let me translate in English..

"That's normal, if the Proboscis Monkey swims quietly without making any splash, that's because the monkey can see crocodile and crocodiles attracted to prey by splashing...if the monkey makes splashes in the water, and a croc is around, then the monkey will be a free food for the crocodile.."

Ha..ha...i tried my best to translate. hopefully everyone get's his (Jali, our fishing guide) point, And that is stay away from the water. We've been making lot's of splashes whole day from tryin' to save our precious lures from the snags underwater :p

Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) Biggest Crocodile Species and the most feared predator in rivers, likely to be the main natural predator for Proboscis Monkey. This voracious killer live in the same site with The Proboscis Monkey. Nobody (as i know) has seen Crocodile eating Proboscis Monkey, but crocodiles kills several people every year and obviously more than capable of taking large Proboscis Monkey. 

Now, Where can we found Proboscis Monkey in Borneo Island ? Being restricted mainly to coastal areas, Proboscis Monkey is not easy to found in many of the large. Here's a list of places with links where we can see this Amazing Primates of Borneo;

Distribution of Proboscis Monkey in Borneo (Green)

Sabah

• Gerama Wetland
• Bintuka Wetland
• Klias Wetland
• Lower Kinabatangan
• Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
• Sepilok Forest Reserve
• Danum Valley Conservation Area 
• Maliau Basin Conservation Area
• Kulamba Rainforest Reserve

Sarawak

• Bako National Park
• Pulau Salak Mangroves
• Samunsam Wildlife Sanctuary
• Maludam National Park
• Bruit-Patok National Park

Brunei

• Brunei Bay
• Pulau Beramban Conservation Area

Kalimantan

• Kutai National Park
• Pleihari Tana Laut Wildlife Resort
• Tanjung Puting National Park
• Gunung Palung National Park

Based on my experience seeing Proboscis Monkey (River Cruise or Fishing Trips), the best time to see them is just After Dawn and Before Dusk. This are the time they are Most Active. 

In 2002, The Malaysian Games (SUKMA) was held in Sabah and The Proboscis Monkey is the Games Mascot named 'BAYAU'. For 2014, The Proboscis Monkey yet again became a mascot, not for Malaysian Games but for VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR 2014 official mascot. It's good to know that Proboscis Monkey is getting all the recognition and this helps to promote conservation for them. Good Job Malaysia ! *double thumbs up*

 Bayau - The 2002 SUKMA Games Mascot 

Visit Malaysia 2014 Bus in London. 

Why did choose this topic today ? 

It's not just about Proboscis Monkey being endemic to Borneo or to highlight to the world that this animal is the Pride of Borneo, but this particular animal is actually One of The Most Endangered Animal listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. They are thought to be only around 7000 Proboscis Monkeys left in the world. That's NOT good. Let's appreciate and help in conservation of Proboscis Monkey to ensure better future for them and let our generation in future to see them in wild and experience it at Nature's Theme Park, BORNEO ISLAND :)

A Smile from Proboscis Monkey to ALL :)

- ALF -

Borneo ... I'm Back !

The year 2001, after high school i starts life outside of Borneo for the 1st time of my life. Went to college, new friends, new surroundings and new "Lifestyle". Everything's new for me. I was homesick, even-though my mother and my step brother is around. It wasn't what i wanted but I Don't Have a "'CHOICE". I didn't have the privileged of being "The Special One" since i'm just the "Nephew" from Borneo :). Feelin' Hot & Spicy ? he..he..

Anyway.....let's move on !  

Years gone by, I'm back in Borneo ! I forced myself out of the pathetic "Family Legacy" and starts a new life back in Borneo with my wife and son (Yes, i'm married). Not in my actual hometown, but still in Borneo :D 

The Borneo Island Map

Since this is my 1st postings for my blog, it's my pleasure to briefly introduce Borneo to the world. The Alf way :D

Borneo is the third largest island in the World, and the largest in Asia. I wouldn't go specific on the total land area, length and etc but i will highlight few areas that makes Borneo Island an AWESOME place.

Borneo Island is made of 3 countries : Indonesia - Brunei - Malaysia   

Indonesia made up approximately 73% of total Borneo Island land. While Brunei & Malaysia combined at approximately 27% of total land. Kalimantan, Brunei, Sabah & Sarawak, this is Borneo.

Now, what can Borneo Island offers ? Shopping Complex ? Duty free shops ? Man-made Theme Park ? Now if you're looking for that, then Borneo Island is not the place for you. Let me show you some of the Natural Wonders and places of interest in Borneo Island.

• The Majestic Mount Kinabalu (Sabah, Borneo Island)

Mount Kinabalu at 4,095m is the highest point of Borneo Island. It is also ranked 20th most prominent mountain in the world.

Picture taken by the World Renowned Tourism Godfather (tagline given by a friend of mine) Dato' Sri Tengku Dr. Zainal Adlin. He gave me a poster of this picture few years back and he is one of the most respected person when it comes to Tourism. He is the reason why Sabah (Borneo in General) is well known all over the world. RESPECT.

St. John's Peak

The Highest Peak of Mount Kinabalu, The Low's Peak. Hugh Low, British Colonial Administrator made the first recorded ascent of Mount Kinabalu summit plateau in March 1851. It was not until 1888, a zoologist by the name of John Whitehead reached the highest point of Borneo. In 1910, Lilian Gibbs became the first women and botanist to reached the Low's Peak.

The Mystical Forest of Mount Kinabalu. 

• Mulu Cave (Sarawak, Borneo Island)

The Most Spectacular Cave in the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Deer Cave at Mulu. The cave, which also known as Gua Payau or Gua Rusa by locals received it's name because of the deer that go there to lick the salt-bering rocks and also as form of shelter for the deers.

Streams inside Mulu Cave. Majestic view. I wonder if there's any Mahseer or Hampala Barbs lurking below waiting for our lures to strike....hmmmmmm

Bats ! Guano anyone ? Do you think Ace Ventura would like to visit Mulu Cave ? he..he..he..Shikaka !!

Pinnacle of Mulu. 

Jungle streams at Mulu is home to some of the toughest freshwater fishes in the world. Local fishing guides also available at Mulu. So get your tackles ready whenever you visits Mulu. Will cover Fishing Adventures in Mulu soon :)

• Ulu Temburong National Park (Brunei Darussalam, Borneo Island).

Welcome To Ulu Temburong National Park. Known as the "Green Jewel Of Brunei", Ulu Temburong National Park is the 1st National Park in Brunei protected since 1991. Ulu Temburong is located in the extreme east of Brunei Darussalam only approximately 1 hour drive from Limbang (Sarawak) and 35 minutes from Lawas (Sarawak). Well, constant travelling by car around Northern Part of Borneo Islands makes me good at guessing haha :p 

For nature viewing pleasure, the park provides Canopy Walkway. Now, what's interesting is that the canopy walkway stands at height of 50m (160ft) above the forest floor, makes it one of the highest canopy walk in the world ! Now that's AWESOME :)

Since i'm so passionate about fishing, especially freshwater/jungle streams (always follows my dear uncle to jungle streams when i was a kid) always fascinates me when i saw rivers or jungle streams. Brunei fishing scene, as i know (from my buddies @ KB) mostly on Deep/Shallow Sea or Estuary/Mangroves areas. So i wonder if Brunei Freshwater Jungle Streams still holds monster size fishes ? Well, we can always plan :D 

• Tanjung Puting National Park (Kalimantan, Borneo Island)

Tanjung Puting, located in southeast of Kalimantan. Tanjung Puting National Park is known for Orang Utan Conservation. This is similar to other National Park in Kalimantan such as Kutai National Park, Betung Kerihun National Park and Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre. 

Orang Utan is endemic to Borneo, places like Tanjung Puting National Park, Kutai National Park, Betung Kerihun National Park, Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre and also...Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre in Sabah gives our Orang Utan chances of surviving for our future generation. 

So, what do you think of Borneo Island ? What i show is just brief info on places of interest in Borneo Island. What i share today is merely just 5%-10% and what about the other 90% - 95% ? Depends on each and every one of us. We have our own way of discovering. 

As for me, still have a lot to catch up. As long as i'm breathing, i'll share every moments of My Wonderful Borneo, The Nature's Theme Park :)

-ALF-