No one mentioned Leeches

Our guide was waiting for us as Reserve gates opened at 7.00 am. Wearing shorts in the presence of a guide wearing leech socks meant that I quickly added legs and tucked them in my socks.

We enjoyed the 7km hike through the reserve, but the forest was quite dense

 and we only spotted a pair of Frogmouth Owls, 

a Malabar Trogon and an Asian Paradise Flycatcher along with a selection of LBJ's - no sign of the Blue Magpie! 

However the overriding memory of the hike will probably be the leeches which were on the path waiting for anything warm-blooded. They were tiny but persistent, latching on to shoes and heading for any access to skin. 

Think Linda was the only one who escaped - maybe because she's cold-blooded 😂😂 Unfortunately we were so busy getting rid of them that no one even took a picture. 

Back on the bus for a long drive to the southern coast with a rest stop for Durian, Rambutan and fresh Coconut water on the way.