BORNEO JUNGLE "UTAN" PARADISE

I was invited to visit the Utan (Jungle) Paradise Lodge by my nephew who is one of the directors. It is located 80 kms from the city, on the Kimanis-Keningau highway. I drove there with my wife this afternoon and it took us about one hour + to reach the lodge. This Utan(Jungle)Paradise is managed by LOBOPA Tours & Travel. They are introducing conversation tourism. Their main objective is to protect and to preserve our Borneo rainforest. The main building of the lodge.

Dining and meeting area

The lodge has basic amenities and can accommodate a maximum of 20 persons. These are some of the mosquito proof bunker beds.

The bird watching plateform just at the edge of the jungle.

The built-up area at the edge of the jungle.

There are 3 units of special accommodation in the open

This is an ideal place for bird watching and jungle trekking in search for Borneo fauna and flora.

According to the warden, he has seen wild animals, like Orang utan, jungle cats, mousedeers and others during his treks through the jungle.

I ventured near the edge of the jungle and took some pictures. These are the jungle bananas with an interesting purple colour.

Another bunch in green

A towering tree

The thick undergrowth of the jungle

We did not stay the night as we have a previous engagement in the city. However, we are planning to go back there in the near future.

POSSUMS AND FLOWERS IN THE GARDEN

While still in Brisbane, my cousin invited us for a dinner in his house in the outskirt of the city. I was surprised to see these two other invited guests waiting for dinner in the palm tree near the balcony.These are the Australian Brushtail possums. They are commonly found in suburban areas, where they are often considered pests owing to their habit of eating fruit, vegetables, flowers and tender young shoots from gardens, and nesting in roofs. Mind you, these possums are protected animals in Australia.

Anyway, they had quite good table manner taking turn to eat. Just before dusk, this pair of Rainbow Lorikeets made a brief stop at the same palm tree.

My cousin migrated to Brisbane, Australia about 20 years ago. Their 3 bedrooms house is cosy with the balcony facing the garden.

Some of the beautiful plants and flowers in the garden

WALKING IN THE PARKS II - BRISBANE

This is a beautiful park, situated within the boundary of the University of Queensland.

The Jacaranda trees were in full bloom

A spectacular sight! An iquana was surrounded by water birds!

These are not tame birds, but wild ducks, Maned Wood Duck family.

White Ibis ventures A very common water bird in Australia, the swamhen.

The Crested Pigeon is native to Australia and is common throughout most of the mainland. These birds are similar to the Spotted doves in my backyard at home except that this specie possess an erect crest.

Flowers like these were abundant in and around the parks.

Walking in the parks is ideal for relaxation. To me, it was very rewarding to explore and come across some of the many fauna and flora of Australia.

WALK IN THE PARKS - BRISBANE

During my 2 weeks stay in Brisbane, I spent most of the evenings walking in the parks near the university of Queensland, enjoying the beautiful environment and many species of birds and plants. These are the pictures I took and would like to share with friends who read my blog. The “Galah” is a lovely Australia bird with a soft grey back, a gorgeous pink face and underbelly. The “Galah” is one of the most widespread of Australia's parrots, being found almost everywhere in Australia.















I like watching this big bird, the great Sulphur-crested Cockatoo. These birds are probably one of the best known bird in Australia. Rainbow Lorikeets are beaufiful birds but are very noisy when they are feeding.








They blend in well with the leaves and flowers and it's difficult to spot them. Magpies is also a common Austrlia birds. They are highly intelligent and curious creatures. They are not afraid of people. I took this picture at a very close range
Beautful flowers seen in the park.

I will share more pictures in my next publication.