On Monday we left for this jungle lodge in this place called Sandakan. The day after we got there we went to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. It is this giant open rainforest enclosure were the orangutans can be free but the caretakers can still find them. Once they are ready they get released into the wild. While we were walking towards the nursery we saw a wild orangutan climbing on the walkway railing. It was our first orangutan encounter. Did you know that Borneo is the only place in the world that has orangutans? She was so cute! I wanted to reach out and pet her.

Mimi

Mimi

Mimi

Mimi

After he had walked away we went to the nursery. The people put food on the little structures and the monkeys can chose or not if they want to come. They did. And they were cute. And funny. And hungry. They played and swung and wrestled and ate and fell and slept and picked fleas off each other. After that we went to the outdoor feeding that was way too hot and didn’t have very many monkeys. So we went back to the nursery. After a little bit my brother claimed and wined that he was going to faint if he didn’t have food this instant. I told him that he should have eaten his lunch.

By then he had kind of made it not so fun to go back to the orangutans so we went to the Sun Bear Rehabilitation Center that is right next door. The sun bears were great, but I’ve got to admit that the orangutans were sooo much better! You didn’t really get to see the sun bears very well.

After that Decker, my dad and I went home. My mom wanted to stay till the four‘o’clock shuttle. I love orangutans!!!!!!!!!

Extras:

On our last day in Phong Na we went to this place called the Duck Stop. It was awesome! We motorbiked on a dirt road for a while until we found it. It is a tour. They first give you the delicious peanuts that are famous in Vietnam. They were so good! Then this awesome guy named Quinn that worked at the place we were staying at took us over to the duck pen. He also owns the Duck Stop. The duck pen had over a hundred ducks in there. They were  all exactly the same identical white ducks. It was crazy! We took some food out of the bucket and they all came running at us. We opened our hands they were full of duck feed and put them down one at a time. When it was my turn I put my hand down and they all came running. It tickled sooo bad! It also was like a massage! After that we played “Duck Leader”. We each shook the bucked and ran and they would follow us. Then after that we sat down in butterfly pose with a hole between our feet. Then Quinn threw duck feed in there. Every single duck came stampeding towards us. Then they attacked our feet. It tickled like crazy! So much! My dad actually said that he might of peed his pants, which doesn’t happen very often (the admitting it, not the peeing part. He does that all the time.😜)!   After that we got to pick up our lucky duck (which actually wasn’t very lucky for the duck) and throw them in the pond! Mine flew gracefully. Decker’s on the other hand, did not. He actually threw it overhand! The duck’s legs flew out in different directions and he turned over. But in the end he didn’t even seem fazed! It was hilarious! I threw a lot more ducks after that but Decker’s was the funniest.

After the ducks, Quinn handed us over to another guy who took us to Donald Trump the water buffalo. He was soooo cute! I got to ride him first. I sat on him and then the guy pulled him into the man made mud pit. He walked through and then in the middle the guy told him to get down. So he laid down and I got covered in mud. I tried to stay out as much as I could but it was really hard! Then we walked out of the mud pit and my mom took some pictures of me. After that my brother got on. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to have Donald lay down. Then the guy took some really great photos of Decker and me.

After Donald Trump, we went back to the main place and they gave us these great savory pancake/pie things that we made into spring rolls. The Duck Stop was so amazing!

Hand massage

Foot massage

Foot massage

Follow the leader

Follow the leader

Foot massage

Foot massage

How Decker threw the duck

How you are supposed to throw a duck

Hand massage

Follow the leader

Follow the leader

Hand massage

Foot massage

Yesterday we went on a tour to Elephant Cave, Ma Da Lake, and Tra Ang Cave. We went with a tour group called Jungle Boss and we got an awesome guide! Her name was Sarah. We had a car ride to where you stop and then we hiked in the hot jungle for 20 minutes until we got to Elephant Cave. Elephant Cave is named Elephant cave because it has pictures on the wall of elephants and in the rocks you can see elephants. It was so cool! The elephants were everywhere! Then we explored the cave for an hour and kept hiking.

We had to hike on the terribly hot highway with no shade whatsoever for 20 minutes. It was sooooooooooooo hot!!!!!!!                         We then trekked in the hot, humid and hot jungle for an hour and a half. Oh, did I mention that it was hot? On the way to Ma Da Lake we crossed at least ten rivers. Some of them didn’t go past our shoes, but some of them went up to my waist! It felt really good because I was so hot. Also because of the wet it was super duper muddy! We had to jump around over the mud and on the banks. It was the kind of mud that is super slimy, wet, and gross. By the end my shoes were completely covered in mud.

When we finally got to the lake we put our swimsuits on and jumped in. I was the first one to jump of the rock. I did it to get in instead of forcing myself deeper and deeper. It was really fun. After swimming we had a barbecue lunch where you make your own spring rolls. They were delish.

Then we hiked for another hour and half to Tra Ang Cave. When we got there we put our swimsuits on again and walked down to the cave. Then we got in. We swam up the cave for about twenty minutes. It was really, really cold! But it was so much fun! It was so dark that we brought the helmets and light they gave us. It was so cool! Once we were out they gave us tea and we got going. We only had to hike for fifteen minutes to get back to the road. Once we got there we hopped in and drove off. When we got back I was so tired! I had so much fun!