Borneo Bound - Sandakan School Days

While in Sandakan, each day of class had us meeting at a dock and setting off in boats in various directions. The daily commute was not terrible.

Not only did the Host Families support our coursework, the community introduced us to their customs and practices. We made fishing nets and weaved birds from palm fronds.

And, they taught us spin tops!

When not deliberately learning about the culture, it seeped in during our day to day activities. There are caves where multiple species of swiftlets nest. These are the nests that are harvested for Bird's Nest Soup, an expensive delicacy. The nests are harvested by climbing ladders that are held in place with a series of ropes. (The bird pictured below is a swallow, a relative of the swifts.)

There are both small and large caves. Pictured below is one of the larger caves that is home to swiftlets, bats, and all sorts of insects.

There are long term orangutan studies underway here, as well. Not surprising, it is difficult to see orangutans in the wild. They can hear us stomping along and slip away without us ever noticing. However, there is one mom and baby pair that has become accustomed to the researchers and let us observe them quietly.

Even though I was blown away by each of these sites, nothing effected me quite like the women of HUTAN. You will have to see the post on the "Badass Women of HUTAN" for more on that.