Great news but could you possibly detail some of the highlights from the Asian trip, perhaps including some of the non-avian stuff, please?
Cheers
John
I put a synopsis of the trip with some logistical details in this thread here:
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=379807
However, as far as highlights go, for locations I would say:
In peninsular
Malaysia, Taman Negara NP, the main entrance, is lovely, has a good logistical setup, good food, varied lodging options, and you easily and quickly get into good jungle. I really enjoyed it.
For
Borneo:
Paya Maga (Sarawak) was fantastic, gorgeous forest, quiet solitude, great birds, my kind of destination!
Mt Kinabalu is similar to Taman Negara NP in terms of having easy access to good forest, varied lodging and dining options, and great birding. Loved it as well.
I didn't care for Sepilok terribly, though we had a very successful night walk in the Rainforest Discovery Center (Flying Squirrels, a nice pit viper, Palm Civet, Slow Loris, Reddish Scops-Owl, Mouse Deer, roosting Kingfishers, etc).
I really enjoyed Kinabatangan River and Gomantong Cave for the wildlife and the "river safari" experience, even if the forest patches are not terribly huge. Several nice Orangutan sightings, Proboscis Monkeys, stacks of Hornbills and raptors, very enjoyable.
Danum Valley (via the DVFC) was my favorite destination by far. Amazing birding, good night drives, amazing setting, and the dorm and dining hall experience aren't nearly as harrowing as people make them out to be, we enjoyed tremendously.
Moving on to
Bali:
Menjangan Resort was really nice, very quiet, free of litter and scooters and cigarette smoke/butts everywhere. Birding was nice as well, it ended up being our favorite part of the island.
The rest of Bali and the Gili Islands were enjoyable but didn't enchant - non stop traffic, scooters and cigarettes and garbage everywhere. The beaches on the Gili islands were pretty but not great swimming beaches, and the water at the nice beaches in Bali is generally pretty polluted.
Mt Ijen on
East Java was a really lovely surprise - great birding, great forest, and a nice community with good food and lodging to stay in. A new set of hides/feeding stations and the guys that run them add to the deal as they make some hard birds easier and help with the transport and logistics for quite low prices. More info in the above link.
I would say the overall highlights, for me as a birder/naturalist, were Taman Negara, Paya Maga, Kinabalu, Danum Valley, and Mt Ijen. Along the way there are other sites you visit of course, but those were my favorites.
I would also say, and this is widely known of course, that Borneo is pretty special as a wildlife destination. I've never seen so many mammals on night walks/drives in South America as we routinely saw in Borneo. It might not be Africa, but seeing 3-5 species of mammals, a couple birds, and a few herps each time you go out for 2 hours is way better than I typically do in South America...