But it turned out to be an enriching travel adventure for both of us to one of the world’s most exotic and mysterious tropical islands. And also a fabulous re-bonding experience. Although, I couldn’t quite give up my mothering instincts – having to gently remind her to drink plenty of water due to the heat and ensuring – not always successfully – that she wore enough sun cream or the right kind of clothing. She took it well. Not a cross word was exchanged.
Within moments of setting out on a boat from our wonderfully authentic riverside jungle lodge in the east of Sabah (our home for two nights) we encountered a group of proboscis monkeys – adorable, quirky looking beasts known for their humanlike seating postures and curious noses. The males sport long, pendulous snouts and the females small snub versions.

On another cruise on same serene waters of the Kinabatangan River our highly knowledgeable and eagle-eyed guides, Andrea and Alvin, excitedly pointed out an orang-utan swinging gracefully in the ancient trees. I grabbed my binoculars to get a close up view of this magnificent red-furred beast.
We and our fellow travellers couldn’t ignore the fact that many of the wild creatures we came to see are under threat. Economic pressure on Borneo means that swathes of its ancient rainforest have in recent years been cut down and replaced by palm oil plantations – and we saw plenty of those. We learnt that these do not make a suitable habitat for the likes of orang-utans. But we took heart from Alvin’s optimism that the country is working hard on protecting the remaining rainforest and its wonderful wild inhabitants.
This blog post was written by Sally Hamilton, freelance writer for the Mail on Sunday. You can follow Sally @sallymhamilton via Twitter.
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Article published on: 20th March, 2020

Ting
Ting has a serious case of wanderlust. Having travelled to over 40 countries, it’s her mission in life to make her way through her ever-growing list. Her two young sons have also caught the travel bug, and recent trips have seen them making snow angels in Iceland while watching the Northern Lights, as well as walking alongside elephants in South Africa.