Slimy suckers

For such a plush resort, the Regency Pelagus was virtually deserted. The only other guests were a group of five Swedes – fellow first-class passengers of the 10:30 express launch from Sibu. We were all given the red carpet treatment, jungle style, on arrival - an iced flannel and a glass of rice wine.

As we mopped our brows and recoiled from the strength of the rice wine we met our tour guide, Milang, and got briefed in the peculiarities of the resort (namely the fact that to preserve generators the electricity is switched off between the hours of 9-12 and 3-6). To be quite honest, the thought of having a cold shower before lying in a darkened room was quite appealing in the strong heat.

I would normally run a mile from organized tours and all-inclusive but since this was the heart of the jungle, this is exactly the package I went for. Well, let’s face it – it’s not as if we could choose to eat out somewhere else – and I had a sneaking suspicion that the trails here would be less defined than those in Bako.

This suspicion was borne out during a night trek through the jungle that evening. Unlike the night trek we did in Bako, which was virtually flat, this walk involved some steep slopes and tricky downhill sections aided by taut ropes. To add to our problems, there were leeches, which had an uncanny ability to sense out the heat of ones feet and attach to the ankles.

If you watch a leech in action it’s pretty amazing. They hang out on leaves close to the ground and look like nothing more than a small worm. But waft a warm ankle near them and the head of the leech starts to circle around faster and faster like a helicopter blade. Once the leech has determined its course, it moves swiftly – end over end like one of those coiled spring toys which can go down a flight of stairs.

According to pre-holiday research, you’re supposed to burn leeches off with a lit cigarette, but since none of us smoke we took a box of matches instead. However Milang assured us that it was quite safe to simply pull the leeches off – as he ably demonstrated with one which had managed to attach itself through my sock.

This experience was enough to see everyone else donning long trousers for our day treks – apart from me. I took the opposite view that at least wearing shorts allowed me to see the leeches and get rid of them quickly. I had also discovered a miracle agent – a Compeed stick (which you normally smear on your feet to prevent shoes rubbing) is surprisingly effective against leeches. I guess they just can’t attach through the slippery surface.

One thing is for sure – long trousers are no guarantee of safety – as Dom found out. These leeches are super fast and one made it all the way up to his torso for a good feed under his t-shirt. Given the frequency of leech attacks we were surprised to hear from Milang that there were very few leeches around as it hadn’t rained in a while. To this, I can only say that I’m glad we didn’t arrive just after a downpour.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dominicherring/RegencyPelagusResort