Ashish Virmani writes about his excursions to the bird park just outside Kuala Lumpur and Bako National Park in Borneo that made his Malaysian sojourn memorable.
A visit to Malaysia is incomplete without seeing the wildlife there. The bird park just outside Kuala Lumpur in the tranquil Lake Gardens can be a spectacular introduction to aviaries, as it was in my case. I realised what a ‘free-flight’ aviary meant only when I saw birds fly uninhibitedly towards the lush green tropical rainforest vegetation set under a limitless expanse of natural sky, covered only by an almost invisible mile-high net.
For someone who’s lived in Mumbai for the last 30 years, the sight of flamingos, pelicans, yellow-billed storks, crowned pigeons, parrots, parakeets, peacocks, macaws, owls and hornbills grazing peaceably by the waters and in trees can be incredibly surreal and soothing.
A few days later, we flew down from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching. Most tourists to Kuching also stop by at the Bako National Park, while for others it is the express purpose of the visit. The National Park is really a mini-island in the sea, covered by cliffs, rare vegetation and, not to mention, fauna, the most famous of which is the silver proboscis monkey. The two lady journalists in our group of three were most excited at the prospect of trailing the monkey and had even worn what they thought was appropriate footwear for the trek: three-inch platforms.
Landing on the beach at Bako after a 20-minute powerboat ride from the village of Kampung Bako, our Malaysian guide set us on one of the several walking trails to locate the monkeys. Armed with cameras and loads of zing, we climbed several hills, inspected curiously shaped vegetation along the way and traversed several situations when the mud almost dragged us down. We finally came across several proboscis monkeys nestling noisily amid trees so tall, that we got cricks in the neck just from looking at them. They made their displeasure at seeing us amply clear by chattering noisily and shaking the branches violently. “How cute!” giggled the girls, as their camera shutters went into overdrive.
If you like sand and surf, Bako beach could be the kind of place you’d enjoy. But, on the other hand, if you’re into bird watching then the National Park, with over a 100 bird species, is a fascinating place.
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