Mondikot Deer Camp
A spur of the moment plan for some quality family time during the last few days of our kids’ school holiday led us to Mondikot Deer Camp last weekend.
Located a good hour from Kota Kinabalu in Papar direction, it was a fairly quick drive for us. Having said that, during heavy rainfall I expect the last 3.5KM of bumpy dirt track will be quite tricky and sticky, requiring a 4WD as the road partly floods at times.
We were however lucky to enjoy sunny and clear blue skies and were delighted to arrive at the huge and beautifully landscaped garden, surrounded by grazing deer. The trees were lavish with chirping Hill Mynahs and Yellow Breasted Sunbirds making for a very pleasant and peaceful ambience. Just what we all needed before starting a fresh term of school and work.
The kids were happily surprised to find a pen full of healthy, fluffy rabbits munching away on grass and tapioca. Not the type of “wildlife” we usually come across but it did not take long before one of the natives – a lovely (unlucky) little tree frog jumped into chase-and-capture vicinity.
We spent the early afternoon having a refreshing dip in the river whilst it was sunny and hot. Nice and cooling and with a little patch of river sand for the kids to play in with pots and water beetles.
Simon came prepared as always with his fishing gear packed in the car and in the late afternoon, we all wandered down to the catch-and-release ponds. The kids were instantly occupied catching baby tilapias and small shrimps, which they kept in a tank with a bubble maker whist Simon reeled in Catfish and Lampam Jawa.
Our friends Wembley and Eugene, who own the camp, came down to joins us and introduced us to the weirdest fruit of all that I have come across (and there are quite a few in Borneo) – Miracle Berries. These little red berries, which taste similar to ripe red currents, have the magic ability to make everything you eat taste sweet. Very odd indeed and although sweet and tasty, they seemed less miraculous when they turned our cold Carlsberg into sparkling sugar water!
I cooked our dinner in the camp kitchen, which had gas cookers, pots, plates, utensils, cutlery and even a fridge. There was also a covered dining area with tables and chairs. We ate our dinner in the wooden gazebo in front of our chalet from which the kids could run to the tree house and explore the garden after dinner.
After dark, Wembley started a huge bonfire – top-notch family camping cosiness. Before bedtime, we had a little wander around the garden with our torches looking for stick insects and frogs. The latter plentiful and it turns out I am still squeamish when slimy things jump and crawl on my feet in the dark outdoors, much to the amusement of the kids.
The next morning Wembley took us on a walk across the suspension bridge, into the forest and up to the top of his fruit orchard. A great little walk and our three bug hunters were in their element spotting hairy caterpillars, a shiny blue grasshopper, pitcher plants, wild growing pineapples and most excitingly a beautiful snake, namely an ‘Elegant Bronzeback – Dendrelaphis Formosis – Thank you @iNaturalist.
We had a great time at Mondikot Deer Camp and I highly recommend an overnight stay – there are two chalets and a camping area. It was such an easy and relaxing place to visit with our young kids, where we could just let them safely run wild in Nature.
Surprisingly, we did not return home with any new pets this weekend. Oh, apart from a caterpillar but at least not with any fluffy bunnies. Thank you Wembley and Eugene for your hospitality and a lovely stay at Mondikot. It is definitely on the “must re-visit with friends soon” list.
You can contact Wembley and Mondikot Deer Camp via their facebook page, on Whatsapp: +6 0198801597/+6 0168100581 or email: mondikotdeercamp@gmail.com
