Friendly Sabah

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It’s not far to drive to Sabah from Brunei as the crow flies, but the trip by road takes a while. The road surfaces are quite good and, considering there is only one traffic lane in each direction, reasonably fast. Time is taken in queuing. The queues are in this order going out of Brunei:

• Brunei - Sarawak border
  
• Sarawak - Brunei (Temburong district) border
  
• River ferry
  
• Brunei (Temburong district) - Sarawak border
  
• River ferry
  
• Sarawak - Sabah border

Bearing in mind that each border crossing involves two queues, that’s a lot of queuing!

While I've been living in Brunei I’ve made several trips to Sabah:

July 04 The first time I drove to Kinarut, Mount Kinabalu and Poring with Dave and Ali.
Christmas 04 I met Ann in KK, went to Mount Kinabalu (she did the climb), Poring, Sandakan, and the Kinabatangan. I celebrated the New Year somewhere deep in the Crocker Ranges.
Chirstmas 05 I drove to the Tip of Borneo, stopping at Kudat, Kinarut and Kota Belud on the way. Then at Kudat, and Tenom, and brought the car from Tenom to Beauford on the train.
Armed Services Weekend 07 I flew to Sempurna and swam with turtles at Sipadan.

I’ll attempt to chart these places on the map. The first trip is recorded (tongue in cheek) in this video. The stills represent highlights from my three subsequent visits.

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Photos

Papar
Wooden houses like this one are rapidly being replaced with cement dwellings.

Papar
A secluded beach at this little visited town.

Mount Kinabalu
Taken in the morning, probably from the SE.

Mount Kinabalu
The path at it begins to climb up the mountain. I didn't get much further.

Mount Kinabalu
Christmas dinner in the park hotel, 24/12/04.

Poring
Walking in the jungle behind the hot springs.

Sepilok
Orangatan in the rehabilitation centre.

Sepilok
The feeding table at the rehab centre.

The Kinabatangan River
It's a big river, and being developed for eco-tourism.

The Kinabatangan River
Robert Chong's jungle camp, newly built in 2004.

The Kinabatangan River
View of the river from Robert Chong's camp.

The Kinabatangan River
Probiscus monkey in the wild. Note his long nose and white "underpants."

The Kinabatangan River
A monitor lizard resting above the river.

The Kinabatangan River
Caught: a baby crocodile.

Crocker Ranges
A Dusun bridge and groom in traditional dress at their wedding.

Crocker Ranges
Another bridge and groom, in modern dress, at their wedding on the same afternoon.

Crocker Ranges
Traditional drums where played at both celebrations.

Crocker Ranges
And there was a live band at one. They played 'The Kadazan Twist.'

Crocker Ranges
The value of owning a 4x4!

Kota Kinabalu
The same 4x4, parked in by the Sunday Market.

Kota Kinabalu
Traditional artifacts at the Sunday Market.

Comments

[Alison]

Great photos!
I remember our family trip in 2004! We missed a visa post and had to double up!

[An Erratic Traveller]

It was a long journey that one, wasn't it? Have you re-viewed our video? It's at the top of this entry.