Matt

Soaring through the Jungle Canopy with Flight of the Gibbon

As we chilled out in the bohemian city of Chiang Mai, Thailand, we wondered what other thrilling activities we could do before heading into Laos. We already became elephant owners for a day at the amazing Patara Elephant Farm, found our own little private island near Koh Lipe, and learned how to cook delicious Thai food in Bangkok. Now we were looking for a different thrill to celebrate our amazing time in Thailand before leaving the country.

Then I stumbled across Flight of the Gibbon; a thrilling zipline adventure with more than 5km of ziplines woven through the jungle eco-system. Since we knew we were going to skip the famous Gibbons Experience in northern Laos (due to price and off-season weather), we knew we had to experience this. I’m a big fan of thrills and ziplining was mostly new to me despite riding North Americas fastest the year before.

Needless to say, I was excited.

Diving the USAT Liberty Ship Wreck with Bali Scuba

by Matt 1 Comment

I had been wanting to dive a shipwreck for ages. I had missed the chance in Australia and my timing was off in the Perhentian islands. The ship was not ideal near Malapascua and it was not of interest in Sipadan. For a while, I assumed I wouldn’t get my “shipwreck opportunity” during our one-year Asian adventure – until we arrived in Bali, Indonesia.

Lions & Tigers & Bears, OH MY! – The Singapore Night Safari

by Matt 3 Comments

Ever imagine yourself walking amongst the jungle at night while stumbling upon lions, hyenas, and asian elephants, whom are highlighted under a moonlit sky – but without the threat of being eaten?

Thats what the Singapore night safari is like. The safari park is situated right next to the famous Singapore Zoo, it makes for a great stop after a day at the zoo, although you better have a ton of energy left over. I prefer one day for each. I’ll admit I was pretty hesitant at first when choosing the night safari as one of our adventures in the great Asian city…err country. I’m not big on zoos as I prefer to see them in the wild and I figured there wasn’t much to see in a “night” zoo since it would be dark.

Boy was I wrong. We stumbled across golden cats, hippos, oryxes, barking deer, bantengs, gaurs, pelicans, tapirs, bharals, Himalayan tahrs, Marsh birds, mouse deer, babirusa, red river hogs, bongos, markhors, servals, rats, lions, tigers, and bears; OH MY!

My personal favorites included the bat cage where we were free to roam in a free-flying bat house. We were able to see huge flying foxes within inches of our faces, and had the opportunity to look at them closely as they hung upside down, cloaked in their vampire capes. We also loved the giraffes, the hyenas, and the fishing cats, who kept us in anticipation without any climax. This is because the cats just stare at the water for what seems like hours and just when it looks like they are gonna pounce on an unsuspecting fish…they don’t. However, the fishing cat trail doesn’t just bring you to these amazing creatures but will also introduce you to the Binturongs, whose natural scent smells like popcorn.

The Leopard trail on the other hand will bring you past Sri Lanken and clouded Leopards, malaysian civet cats, and even the Slow Loris; the only venomous primate in the world. You’ll also be rewarded with magical views of zebras and giraffes, whose hide tends to shine under the special lighting conditions.

All the animals are displayed under a calming moonlit effect, which adds a perfect romantic atmosphere to the place. The walking trails were the best part, allowing you to occasionally feel secluded in the “jungle”, while bumping into majestic wildlife at every corner. The tram ride is also a great experience as it brings you around to see animals you can’t see on the walking trails, such as my all-time favourite – the white-tusked asian elephant who looked like a true king as he stood high under a starry sky. His white tusks glowed like something out of a fairytale. The greater asian rhinoceros was also amazing to see and I somewhat confused it for a dinosaur crossed with a robot.

Some people told us that 2-3 hours were enough to explore the surroundings but for us, we could easily spend 5 hours without including the show, which is geared heavily towards young kids anyways. My suggestion (unless you’re with kids) is to skip the show and focus on walking the trails at a slow pace, taking in the peaceful ambience when you find yourself alone.

If you’re not one who will venture out into the wild jungles of Asia and Africa during the night to spot these amazing creatures, the night safari is practically your only chance to see these wonderful nocturnal animals up close, considering it’s the only night safari in the world.

Credits: All photos above are courtesy of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

A Little bit of Italy in Indonesia

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Okay, it’s not quite the same as Italy but we did feel a little Mediterranean when we were in Labuanbajo, Indonesia earlier this year. Situated on the west coast of Flores Island, the Komodo National Park harbour town is charming to say the least. The most charming feature of the town is that most of the accommodation is built on hills overlooking the town’s harbour and although climbs to reach the rooms can be painful and daunting, the rewards of a breathtaking view over the Komodo Archipelago more than make up for it.

One of the best views in town comes from Bayview Gardens, a place we called home for a couple of nights. Once we found it, we fell in love with the stone pathways that led us past an array of plants and flowers before making it to our room. Once inside, I couldn’t help but gawk out of the bedroom’s panoramic windows to watch the sun set over an array of sailboats parked in the harbour. Once I could peel my eyes away from the stupendous view and finally enjoy a nice hot shower, we walked down the big hill using the immense amount of steps (though you can always hire a motorbike taxi) to reach a fairly new Italian restaurant, which easily became our new favourite place to fill our tummies.

(Please note: This video was just a simple one I took to show the walk to reach the hotel. You can also take taxi but I like walking. It’s a bit shaky as it was simply taken with a point and shoot camera.)

Delicious traditional Italian pizza, breads, and pastas were a refreshing twist after months of rice and curries. We were overjoyed to see a traditional wood burning oven, and even more overjoyed to eat the pizza that came out of it. The free Italian appetizers were also delicious and the cold Bintang beer washed it all down. It was certainly a carb overload but a tasty one indeed. The Italian owners have created quite the romantic atmosphere for those visiting Labuanbajo. This, along with other Mediterranean grills in the area and the hilly surroundings really gave this Indonesian town a different feel. Besides diving and visiting nearby waterfalls and villages, there’s not much else to do but soak up the local food and relax in the hotel overlooking a spectacular sunset.

After our sumptuous dinner, we walked back to our hotel quickly so we wouldn’t miss the orange globe on its descent. We also wanted to talk to Adrian Laarhoven, the friendly owner of Bayview Gardens. He happily arranged us a diving trip the next day to try our luck at finding some manta rays. Adrian knows a lot about the area and has very good english, making him a great person for help in planning your trip. After another beautiful night, we woke to our included breakfast of chocolate pancakes and eggs before setting out on our adventure into the depths of the sea.

And as a teaser for a future post, we did see a Manta Ray in the morning. AMAZING!

Proboscis Monkeys, Bats, & Western Tarsiers | A Wonderful Weekend in Bilit

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The first time we set eyes on the Kinabatangan River was from the peaceful village of Bilit. We had just organized our stay through Sepilok Tropical Wildlife Adventures and were now being taken across the river for our two wonderful nights in the small but trainquil Bilit Adventure Lodge. We had no idea what to expect but were very pleased to be greeted by such friendly people and a very beautiful lodge to call home for a few days. After soaking up our luxurious room for a few minutes, we had a big lunch and our first cruise on the river.

It was a good one too. Luckily, I managed to rent an awesome pair of Nikon binoculars which gave me a “Planet Earth” type view of proboscis and macaque monkeys. The proboscis monkeys were jumping around their family tree, opening their mouths at us as we got closer. Their noses dangling like that of a…well, you know. The macaques on the other hand were as active as usual, pouncing from tree to tree, annoying each other, chasing each other around, and occasionally taking a swim in the crocodile-infested waters. We didn’t manage to see a croc on the trip but we did see a nice snake before heading back to the lodge.

Even at night as we ate our very delicious dinner, the action didn’t stop. It was cicada season and we had heaps of green cicadas all over the ceiling and occasionally hitting us in the head. Luckily, we also had big bats flying in and out of the dining area which helped us out by catching cicadas with their mouths and then flying out to enjoy their fresh dinner. I love bats and this was a great place to see them in action.

Once I had my fill of watching these little “vampires”, we headed out for a night walk. We were given small flashlights as we walked around the pitch black jungle. I couldn’t spot anything but somehow our guide had special jungle eyes. He was able to find us some amazing little birds, such as white-crowned shamas, white-chested bubblers, malaysian blue flycatchers, oriental dwarf kingfishers, along with a malaysian civet cat, and my all-time favourite; a western tarsier, which was only a foot away clinging to a tree. I didn’t appreciate the other hikers shining bright camera flashes in its face but I did admire its big beady eyes, froggy hands, and gremlin-like (but cute) body. It kept turning its head back and forth as if to take a break from the flash, before finally leaping from tree to tree like a miniature Spiderman. I really enjoyed seeing such a rare and wonderful creature and I’m very grateful to have seen one so close.

The next day was filled with more cruises along the muddy river with more entertainment coming from various monkeys playing in the jungle. After seeing some very beautiful wrinkle hornbills fly over us, we were able to witness a wild orang-utan lying in its nest up high in a tree. Not only was it very exciting to see an orang-utan but it was also interesting to learn that they build nests just like a bird. Orang-utans are as big or bigger (usually) than humans so building these nests is no small task. Orang-utans actually build a new nest every day for both day and night use, adding pillows and blankets for their big sleep. It’s truly amazing and you can read more about it here.

The next morning was time to bid farewell to this amazing ecosystem. We were sad but also excited since our next stop was the one and only Sipadan Island. I didn’t even know about the Kinabatangan River area before going to Sabah but I HIGHLY recommend it as a MUST DO if you’re in this lovely state of Malaysian Borneo. Don’t miss it! It’s a wonderful chance to see some unique wildlife in one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. You’ll also get a chance to see the immense destruction caused by the hundreds of palm oil plantations, which will make you think twice about your next grocery purchase.

STW Adventures is the company that runs Bilit Adventure Lodge. If your looking to have an experience like we had, we highly recommend it. You can check out their website here.

* The beautiful pictures of the Western Tarsier are by Charles Ryan

Extinction is Forever | Our Special Day at Patara Elephant Farm

by Matt 5 Comments

It was raining and misty as we looked upon Northern Thailand’s lush surroundings but it added a mystical touch to the surrounding atmosphere of lazy rice fields, luscious trees, and farmers wearing straw pyamid-shaped hats. It was all so beautiful, especially when I realized I was sitting around the neck of an Asian elephant. Not just any elephant either. Her name is Nui and I was her caretaker for the day.

I had already learned how to feed her, wash her, and how to check if she’s healthy which consisted of picking up her poop with my bare hands, pulling it apart, examining it, and squeezing it to see how much water came out. Tasty huh? Did you know you can even estimate an elephants age this way? By looking at their poo, you can see if the food has been chewed properly by their teeth. The younger the elephant, the sharper the teeth. If there are many big pieces of leaves that haven’t been properly chewed, you know its an older elephant with weaker teeth. This was one of the things I loved about Patara Elephant Farms; Actually learning about elephants.

Patara elephant farms — Smelling that beautiful poop

Now I was taking her for a walk, and by walk I mean climbing up her huge body with help from her front leg (thanks Nui), jumping on her back, sliding up around her neck, and hoping she would be kind enough to not toss me off. Thankfully, she was and we had a nice stroll up and down the neighbouring hills while I tried to hang on as she desperately tried to scratch her back on each passing tree. It must be awful to scratch such a big body with no “hands” to help. Between the scratching and the frequent stops to gobble down a tree, we finally made it to our destination; a beautiful river where a waterfall-fed pool awaited us.

This is where we really had some fun. Elephants love the water and I think deep down they really wanna be fish. As my elephant rolled around while sticking its head under the water, I managed to crawl on top for some great pictures. The baby elephant thought this was a great idea as well and tried to climb on the mothers back with me. Lucky for the mother, she couldn’t quite climb on as easily as me and slid back into the water.

elephant photos — Keeping the “baby” from climbing on

elephant in chiang mai — He was a persistant little-big bugger

Baby elephants were another special part of our visit to Patara Elephant Farms. They were everywhere. Running around like school children, they’d occasionally hit the side of me, oblivious to their size and power. I would peel a banana (as they can’t do it themselves at a young age) and let them grab it from me with their little trunk. You could tell they were so excited to see us and curious as to why we were there. As we received our briefings, the little ones (we’ll, little for an elephant) would try to sneak some snacks out of the food baskets. Happy to see all the healthy babies running around, I was also fascinated when the owners told us that elephants have birthing partners. Yes, another female elephant will become best friends with a pregnant elephant and help her through the whole process. Amazing right?

After an hour or so in the water and some delicious local snacks, we rode back to the farm and said bye to our big-eared friends. It’s inspiring to ride such a wonderful creature and to also experience a farm that really takes care of them. It’s hard for me to describe such a momentous occasion like riding and making friends with an elephant but I strongly urge you to experience this when you can. It wasn’t just a simple ride on the elephants back and an opportunity to feed it some bananas. We actually learned a lot about elephants such as how to approach one (make sure it’s flapping it’s ears first), feed them, bath them the proper way so they don’t get skin problems, how to tell if they have been sleeping well, how to check their poop to make sure they are eating properly and that their teeth are healthy, how to check their toenails (where they sweat) to see if they are hidrated, and learning the commands that help control them when your on their back.

It was an overly inspiring and emotional day to say the least. Elephants truly are a majestic special creature that we must fight to protect. Everyone should take the opportunity to at least experience one up close and to look into their eyes as they look back into yours. Words can’t describe the beauty of these creatures but being around them certainly can. Just make sure you choose a place that takes proper care of them. Many don’t. Patara Elephant Farms is a great choice if your in Chiang Mai and although it’s not cheap ($200), I know you’ll have one of the best days of your life.

Soaring through the Jungle Canopy with Flight of the Gibbon

Diving the USAT Liberty Ship Wreck with Bali Scuba

Lions & Tigers & Bears, OH MY! – The Singapore Night Safari

A Little bit of Italy in Indonesia

Proboscis Monkeys, Bats, & Western Tarsiers | A Wonderful Weekend in Bilit

Extinction is Forever | Our Special Day at Patara Elephant Farm

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