A Trip Down Kinabatangan With Mr. Chee & Mr. Wong

After my tour of the plantation with Mr. Wong we joined Mr. Chee for lunch, and then I had a little down-time before they were going to take me on a boat ride down the Kinabatangan river in the late afternoon, so I got a chance to check emails at the office, and take it easy before we headed out.
When we got to the jetty in Sukau, the closest village to the plantation, our boat driver was already waiting for us, and soon we were on our way - I enjoyed the nice breeze on the water, and the beautiful scenery, not to mention the good company!
Since I had mentioned that I planned on spending one night on the river at one of the lodges there, we stopped by the two I had in mind and checked them out - how thoughtful was that!! I decided on the "original" Sukau Rainforest Lodge, even though it was a bit run down I really liked the atmosphere, and when I told Mr. Chee and Mr. Wong of my decision they both agreed with me - they found it the most appealing also! That settled, we continued our river journey looking for wildlife - soon we spotted some long-tailed Macaques and then a family of the Proboscis monkeys - they just look so odd and funny with their big noses!
We continued down the river to a spot where elephants had been sighted on occasion, but no elephants, however we did see a beautiful Blue-eared Kingfisher - so beautiful in it's bright blue splendor! I even got a half-decent photo of it, they are so quick and hard to photograph, so I was pleased!
It was getting close to sunset as we disembarked and headed back to the plantation, and I just had time for a shower and a change before it was time to head down for dinner. When I entered there was a bunch of new faces, they were having a potluck of sorts, with two tables set out with a huge feast of delicacies! Big shrimps were overflowing one big plate, several fish dishes, duck, etc. etc. Soon everyone were sitting around the tables eating and having a good time! The atmosphere reminded me of what I imagine it is at a fire-station where they guys are also living away from their families when they have their shifts, and cook, eat and live together in great camaraderie! It was very fun and special to be part of - even if I didn't understand half of what was spoken, as the conversations were taking place in Malay, Chinese and some English - but it was great!