Sandakan - my two months in Borneo as a volunteer

  November 1, 2015 - December 27, 2015

I've always loved animals. For as long as I can remember, I've adored orangutans. For many years, it's been my dream to touch, hug, pet, or even see one. I don't really know why I was so determined to do so. I also love chimpanzees, gorillas, capuchin monkeys, and others, but orangutans have always fascinated me the most. Maybe because they're so human-like? But aren't gorillas really?

A few years ago, I stumbled upon a volunteering project in Borneo. It was fantastic, but expensive. I had to make sacrifices, but I didn't forget about it. Fortunately, a few years later, my life and financial situation changed somewhat, and I was able to return to pursuing my dreams.

I quickly encountered my first obstacles. There are plenty of programs out there; just ask Uncle Google. But after a little research, it turned out that these programs involve staying at orangutan rehabilitation centers, preparing food, cleaning, and helping with repairs, construction, and expansions of rooms and the "playground." Unfortunately, each program emphasized the lack of direct contact with the animals. My dreams were dashed again! Almost, because I decided I wouldn't give up. I even had the idea of finding the contact details of the directors of various centers and contacting them on LinkedIn. Interestingly, the CEO of one such organization in Indonesia replied. 🙂 I received several more replies, all referring me to companies operating in the UK. I persisted until I finally found a program that offers "hands-on" volunteering. The program lasts eight weeks and is very popular, so you have to book your spot many months in advance. It was probably fate, as my contract at work was ending and I knew I didn't want to stay in Edinburgh, so this was the perfect opportunity to make my dreams come true.

I got to work. I booked a spot, paid a deposit, and could begin preparations, and there were plenty of them. For the well-being and health of the orangutans, you need to be vaccinated against several diseases, provide a certificate stating you're free of tuberculosis, etc. I was practically going to the jungle, so I wanted everything I needed. As it turned out, I was carrying some things unnecessarily. You work in rubber boots, yes, it was 35 degrees Celsius, 80% humidity, and we were in long pants and rubber boots. You can buy leech socks locally for pennies, but I also learned they're not always effective. Yes, I caught a leech, ugh, nasty! Besides, they secrete a substance that inhibits blood clotting, so it's hard to stop it. But apparently, leeches are healthy. 🙂 I also carried shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, mosquito repellent, and medications—unnecessarily! everything can be purchased on site.

In this post, I decided to focus more on technical matters; perhaps they will be useful to someone. I'll describe the apes themselves in the next one (titled "Orangutans Satans"). I'll warn you upfront that I can't cover everything, as the program dictates. Understandably, this is primarily about animal welfare.

The best way to get to Borneo is from Kuala Lumpur; there are no direct flights from Poland. However, there are budget airlines like Air Asia, which can take you to many interesting destinations. My resort was located on the outskirts of Sandakan, where you can fly from KL. The resort itself, the Sepilok Orangutan Centre, is about a half-hour taxi ride from the city center and the airport.

My program included accommodation and meals. The location was great, three minutes from work, on the edge of the jungle. There were no luxuries, a triple room, but as it turned out, the girls were very nice. Besides us, there were a few other volunteers, 12 in total, mostly Australians, Britons, two Danes, and me, a Pole.

The food was rather monotonous: noodles in several ways, rice fried in several ways, and some cutlets, which I didn't want because I don't eat meat. Surprisingly, there wasn't much fruit. I arrived during the rainy season, so that certainly affected its availability, but I expected to eat mostly fruit, but it turned out I was subsisting on carbohydrates. 🙂 But there were coconuts! Fresh, huge, healthy, and delicious, bought at my favorite place, Mama Wati's. I didn't even mind the flies; I became a regular, popping in for coconuts, fried bananas, and sometimes fried rice. The atmosphere was wonderful, warm; I wouldn't trade this makeshift "restaurant" for any Michelin-starred luxury restaurant. I'll also add that the fattest cat I've ever seen made my time even more enjoyable. 🙂

There are also a few places near my work and temporary home where you can stay overnight or eat. If anyone is going, I recommend the following places:

I went to the Lindung Gallery Cafe for a delicious coffee. They also serve an "orangutan" milkshake with chocolate and banana flavor. Delicious.

Sepilok Forest Edge Resort is a great place. It's a bit remote and isolated. It's a 10-minute walk, and then you're in paradise. We popped in for lunch or fresh juices. They also have a mini pool—well, pool might be a bit of a stretch, but it's a great place to get your butt wet, which is a godsend in this heat. Accommodation is apparently relatively cheap.

The food there was so delicious that I decided to admire it some more and even add photos. My favorite dishes: Curry with roti (spicy but just right), and tofu in pandan sauce. It's usually chicken, but since I don't eat meat, the wonderful staff arranged for me to get tofu. It was in Malaysia that I discovered the taste of pandan and fell in love. I don't know how to describe the flavor, so I'm pasting the description I found on an online store: http://slodkokwasny.com/

„"Pandan leaves are most commonly used in Indonesian, Malaysian, and Thai cuisine. They impart a distinctive, distinctly nutty aroma to dishes (mainly jasmine and basmati rice and curries). Pandan leaves are also used as an addition to desserts. They are usually used fresh, torn into strips and tied in knots. Fresh pandan leaves are also used to wrap some fried dishes (e.g., chicken)."”

Coconut soup is also worth trying. I'm not a fan of sweet soups, but it's definitely a flavor we don't know in Europe.

The center of Sandakan is about a half-hour taxi ride from the orangutans. Unfortunately, the city is quite spread out and public transportation is poor, so we had to rely on taxis. Unfortunately, they weren't cheap. I wonder if Uber has made it there by now.

The town isn't the prettiest, and it's relatively unpopular with tourists; some people even fly in in the morning and return to Kota Kinabalu in the evening. If you don't see it, don't despair. If you have time, it's worth seeing the Chinese temple, the water village, and on Saturday evenings, stop by the night food market.