Sunset in the jungle. Kinabatangan River.

I love big wildlife. Elephants, giraffes and all kinds of monkeys. Anything my deteriorating (aging) eyesight allows me to still see.

When I went to Malaysian Borneo to scuba dive in August, I knew I had to spend a few days in the jungle observing land creatures. Too far to travel to NOT do this. A once in a lifetime experience.

Off to the Myne Resort.

There are never any guarantees with wildlife. When, on the eve of my jungle journey, a fellow traveller told me seeing an orangutan in the wild was indeed rare, I was disappointed.

My cabin at Myne Resort

Still, I had some hope when I arrived at the Myne Resort on the Kinabatangan River, about two hours south of Sandakan. Four days and three nights filled with jungle hikes and riverboat tours.

The boat tours left at 6:00 am, 4:00 pm and about 7:30 pm. Each timeslot offered different things to see. I had a private guide, Dozi, a walking wildlife encyclopedia.

• Dozi loves Avril Lavigne

To my delight, I saw several orangutans, lots macaques, proboscis monkeys, a bunch of pretty birds and crocodiles. It was terrific to watch a huge herd of pigmy elephants one night. Truly unexpected as we’d been told they’d left the area weeks before.

The river.

I’m so glad I did this. I’ll carry these wonderful memories with me for the rest of my life. I’ve hung several pictures on my walls at work. The trip was worth the $800 CDN cost. (That also paid for excursions to an orang rehab centre, a cave, plus of tour of Sandakan and lunch. Ground transportation too).

The Myne Resort was excellent. Loved my room with the river view and the food. All the guides, serving and desk staff were wonderful. I highly recommend Myne. There are shorter, more economical packages to be had at the resort than mine. This was a splurge.

Life experiences like this trump designer shoes and handbags, party dresses, jewellery, expensive restaurant meals and other silly purchases.

A sweaty me on the observation platform. Dozi dragged my sorry ass up the side of a mountain to get me here. And I thought I was in shape!!

Like leech socks. Didn’t need them. Anyone wanna buy a pair of unused leech socks?

Orang gets lunch

Orang gets lunch next to the resort

Orang gets lunch

Orang gets lunch

Pigmy elephants. There were dozens on the riverbank.

This is a lazy macaque

A croc. Swimming in the river not recommended.

The river.

Route to the observation platform.

We visited different parts of the river on each boat trip.

Dozi and the captain, from the “Riverman tribe.”

Cabin close up. View of the river.