The evening of our rafting trip we went for a night drive, looking for nocturnal wildlife. Right away we saw Bornean Sambar Deer, frozen in the light.

Next was a sleeping bird, whose name I don’t remember.

But I do remember the guy on the left: tarantula! About the size of my hand!

Back at the lodge after our night drive, we had a private dinner on the river, part of the upgrade and another nice surprise. It was served by our – get this – private butler, another perk included in the upgrade package and a complete surprise.

Every day, our butler, Estiva, would take our hiking shoes and bring them back the next morning, cleaned of mud, or pick up our laundry (another perk of the package), or bring us a surprise refreshment. That’s Estiva in the white uniform, below; the other guy was our chef for the night.

Back in the room, we looked up at the ceiling to see what the locals here call a Barking Gecko. They make a noise that sounds just like a puppy barking. This one kept us up most of the night.

[Note: The arrow sign on the ceiling that says “KIBLAT,” is pointing the way to Mecca.]

On our final night at Borneo Rainforest Lodge, we were entertained by several of the staff doing a traditional dance of the local tribes. Farah (left) and Estiva (right) are flanking us. They made us feel like royalty.

The dancers’ hands were mesmerizing. They moved so fast and serpentine that their hands blurred in my photos. It was fun to watch.