Blogs from Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia, Asia

Angekommen in Kota Kinabalu, der „Hauptstadt“ Borneos, geht es auch schon bald weiter nach Sandakan, an der Ostküste. Das Städtchen an sich ist überhaupt nicht zu empfehlen...wir kommen spät abends an und es sieht erst mal nach totalem Ghetto aus...die ganzen Strassen sind mit Rolläden verbarrikadiert, es stapelt sich der Müll überall auf den Strassen (ein Anblick, den wir leider zu oft sehen hier auf Borneo) und überhaupt kommt man sich etwas unsicher vor. Wir nehmen also unser erstes Chicken Curry ein. Ich erwähne dies hier nur, weil wir in der darauffolgender Woche NUR Chicken Curry hatten und das will nicht heissen, dass es besonders gut war, denn in manchen KLUMPEN, welche uns als Chicken verkauft wurden, konnte man selbst mit der Lupe vor lauter Knochen und Knorpel kein Fleisch finden...aber was willst du machen?!? Es ... read more

Just back from Selingan turtle island. A truly wonderful experience. Seeing really is believing. After setting out early morning yesterday we arrived at Selingan island, the second largest of a cluster of three turtle islands, only 8 hectares in total, protected for the sole purpose of conservation and preservation of turtles in the area. The accommodation and food were pretty basic, but lets face it we weren't expecting 5 star accommodation. In fact, the only thing we were all interested in was seeing a turtle or two. Anything else was a bonus. The place is littered with monitor lizards hoping for a light snack of turtle, but the turtles/eggs are well protected in the hatchery until time of release (Approx 60 days) until they reach the surface. In amongst a Saga group of holiday makers and ... read more

I have smiled so much in the last three days that my cheeks are aching. Tonight I sampled some more of the local cuisine - mainly seafood! On recommendation I visited Sim Sim floating seafood restaurant, surrounded by houses on stilts - the left restaurant. At the restaurant entrance I was met with so many boxes, each with fresh seafood, it seemed as though it might be impossible to choose. It was very simple - just look and pick what you fancy. I opted for white clams with ginger and spring onion and Kloap Sotong ( roughly translated as squid in soya sauce and chilli) - turned out to be the speciality of the house. It was some of the freshest seafood I have tasted in a very long time. Following my meal I met the ... read more

We flew from KL to Sandakan to have a better transport to our goal: the Orang-utan Rehabilitation Center in Sepilok.Sandakan is a hub town offering transport's link to Kota Kinabalu and to Semporna. It hasn't changed a lot since the end of the World War II, and is historical place for Australian and British. The town itself is pretty basic and grey. We just did a stop over as there isn't a lot to see in Sandakan (a historical walk with WWII monument and Agnes Keith's house for those interested), so we had a nice expresso at the Nak Hotel: establish in 1966, it provide a nice roof garden terrace. We recommend the mall as you will find a shoe repair shop very effectiv. The man repaired Clive's sandals with new glue and new stitches! Old ... read more