And whence from Hong Kong to Borneo armed with a copy of Redmond O’Hanlon’s tale of his journey into the mountainous interior of the island with poet, James Fenton.
We on the other hand headed for the less adventurous and infinitely more comfortable option of Borneo-lite – a Shangri-La beach resort next to an orangutan sanctuary.
Pool/beachside R&R aside, we did manage to tear ourselves away from the lounger long enough to fit in an orangutan encouter, riverboat trip, rainforest canopy walk and a nighttime wildlife trek in the rain.
It was but a taster of the energy-sapping humidity, and soul-destroying onslaught of mosquitos of a true rainforest adventure, made easier to bear by the proximity of hotel pool less than an hour away. Oh, I do love the smell of DEET in the morning.
So, all in all, win, win.
And by strange coincidence, Bill Bailey’s Jungle Hero documentary on William Wallace aired on BBC2 shortly after our return.
Flying into Borneo
In the rainforest canopy
A bigger splash – poolside R&R
Another day, another glorious sunset
Touching the Void 