Sepilok (Malaysia)

At Sepilok you can, of course, have a wander around the botanical garden and admire, as I did, squirrels, flying lemurs and a host of other unusual animals, both cute or not. If you've come during the daytime, why not stay for the night? It's even more fun. 

But whatever you do, don't miss out Labuk Bay. The monkeys are hysterical...the females have trumpet-shaped noses that aren't as large as the males, for whom the longer the better if they want to secure a mate! Another seduction technique is their grimace. There's nothing better than showing your teeth or puckering your lips if you're a male monkey wanting to seduce a nice pot-bellied female (note: the pot belly is due to excess wind...charming!). With their wonderful orange fur and long straight tails, these are the famously weird-looking proboscis monkeys.

They're enchanting to observe, whether they're pinching bits of food from each other, having a mutual family groom, flirting by showing their teeth or watching over their babies; little ones are not allowed to stray until they've grown up, no matter how much they squirm or try to pull the wool over their mother's eyes!

Sadly, this native species is endangered, as deforestation is ruining their natural habitat. Human beings are a threat to their existence! There's nothing better than seeing it for yourself in the hope that these monkeys will once again thrive. I can assure you, you'll no longer want to use certain oils once you've been to Borneo; its incredible wildlife and nature need to be protected, not destroyed.