We were up at the crack of dawn Friday (I looked it up on the calendar; by this point I’ve totally lost track of what day it is).

We were on a mission to find the Estuarine Crocodile, motoring slowly up a small tributary stream in search of one.

Yunis was pretty sure we’d spot a croc in this stream because it’s known to be inhabited by…

This guy, all 14-feet of him:

Notice the dinosaur-like tail and the beady eye, just waiting for someone to fall overboard. So that’s why we never saw anyone swimming in the river.

Again, Yunis got a call on the radio from another guide that pygmy elephants had been spotted downriver, so off we raced. This time, we beat the other boats and were able to watch a herd of about a dozen slowly make their way along the shore.

There were a couple little ones among them.

And the big male showing his tusks. In the past, these elephants were hunted for ivory.

A much friendlier eye.

On the way back, I was able to get a good side view of an Oriental Pied Hornbill up in a tree. We also spotted a Rhinoceros Hornbill, completing the Big 5, but I didn’t get a picture of him.

Heading back to the lodge for breakfast, we passed a barge being pushed upriver by a small tugboat. This seems to be the primary means of transportation on the Kinabatangan River, used by school kids and resort workers, as well as for supplying all the villages and lodges along the river.

After lunch, we crossed the river and were driven by van to see the Gomantong Cave. It’s still used by the locals to harvest edible swiftlet nests craved by the Chinese (who will apparently eat anything). Inside, we saw several centipedes on the cave wall, and literally thousands of cockroaches on the railing bannisters. Dale was not happy.

We’ll be leaving Sukau Rainforest Lodge and the Kinabatangan River tomorrow to go deeper into the forest. But we’ve already seen more wildlife than we had hoped to see, including the Big 5.

Rainforest Bingo… Winner!