Throwback to the Monkeys

Exactly a year ago, I was on sabbatical in Borneo, floating down rivers and trekking through jungles. Last year’s solo trip now feels surreal – what better time to revisit it than during an extended forced period at home.

When I decided to travel to Indonesia and Malaysia, one of the things that attracted me was the chance to see a range of primates – both in the wild and within protected areas.

I ended up being fortunate to experience many monkey sightings, whether boating along a remote waterway or walking through spaces like Ubud, Bali’s Sacred Monkey Forest – where you’re warned not to wear sunglasses or carry any food on you, lest the cheeky monkeys steal your stuff – or the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, where a rather large monkey took a giant leap and landed a foot away from my face. (I was… startled.)

Here are a few visual highlights of the creatures I saw, including long-tailed macaques, silver leaf monkeys, proboscis monkeys, and the elusive orangutan.