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Published: March 19th 2013
KK mega seafood bbq
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, BorneoVerdant, primary, vital, alive, wild, flourishing - all these words seem too small to describe the rain forests of Malaysian Borneo. 60m tall trees with whole ecosystems living in their branches and on their stems. The sounds of birds and insects at inconceivable decibels. The only species of great ape found outside of Africa (besides us of course); hundreds of mammals, rodents and reptiles. Impenetrable rampant lushness.... This is nature at its most basic and beautiful; its most diverse and dynamic. Awesome!!!
Then, we take a corner and suddenly, as far as the eye can see there are oil palm plantations. Generic, homogenised, dead spaces growing bio diesel and cheap additive oil for the food and cosmetics industries. F*#k!! Yes, it's green, but it is sterile. No animals; no birds; no other plants except a single species of fern. The earth has been scraped bare of jungle and replanted with this, this.... I have no words. It hurts me physically.
Ever since I was about 8 and devoured every adventure of Biggles, I have wanted to visit Borneo. The place with the exotic name, impenetrable jungles, animals found nowhere else, head hunters, longhouses, intrepid explorers being eaten alive by
king for a day
KK seafood market, Sabah, Borneo leaches, wild rivers and a steamy climate. Of course this was a childish and romantic notion, and I am a cynical grown up now, but I have to admit to having been soooo excited about coming to Borneo, and probably still holding a couple of those enchanted prejudices.
I am not uninformed about what is happening to rain forests all over the planet. Besides Biggles, I also read all the second hand copies of National Geographic I could lay my hands on (mostly for the pictures ) and vividly recall the double page spread ads about how much rain forest was being destroyed daily. Of course I had no idea what a rain forest really was, but it seemed criminal that they were disappearing so fast and I hadn't had a chance to see one yet. That was in the early 1980's. Now, finally, I have managed to get to Borneo and have first hand knowledge of how it feels to come face to face with the most spectacular sensory overload of all time; but, I am afraid that it is too late for my young nieces and nephews who will probably never experience a rain forest in this
seafood BBQ
KK fishmarket, Sabah, Borneo way. Not in Borneo anyway. It is disappearing that fast and furiously.
Naively I thought that the Malaysians were doing a better job of conserving the indiginous forests on their side of Borneo than the Indonesians were doing next door. But, I have seen a different reality. After some research we have discovered that it is actually Malaysia who is losing its rain forests faster than almost anywhere else in Asia - to logging and palm oil plantations. Malaysia is losing MORE than half of its forest area every year and has been since 2000. That becomes a steep exponential growth (or should we call it death?) curve. Not sustainable and this is quite obvious in Borneo.
But, who am I to tear out my hair or judge? Us Europeans did this to our landscape centuries ago. Who are we to say this is wrong; this is sacrilege; this should not be allowed? This puts food on tables and builds schools and hospitals and roads. Or, does it? Who benefits? Is it really worth the sacrifice? Can't they see what they are doing? Don't they care? Is palm oil really necessary? Who is buying the stuff and why?
Squid on a stick
KK fish market, Sabah, Borneo All these existential questions have been running around in my brain since the beginning of this trip. The biggest impression this trip has made on me is to make me see so clearly the damage we are doing to our planet. Please boycott palm oil!
However, the self-indulgent ranting will end here, because despite everything, Malaysian Borneo is still a very special place (for now) and I love it. The people are lovely, the food is great, and the little that is left of previously pristine landscapes is fantastic.
We landed in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, in the morning and there was already a cloud draped over the impressive Mount Kinabalu, though the sun and searing heat on the coast was unforgiving. Instead of heading straight for our hotel we decided to take a drive. Hiring a car in Borneo is probably the best way to get around. you can avoid the crowds and get off the beaten track this way.
KK seems like a small sleepy town but it is actually quite large and spread out. We drove out as far as the Shangrila golf resort which has a beautiful, long and wide sandy beach with hardly
any people on it. This was heartening. It felt like, maybe, there were not so many tourists around after all.
Later we checked into the Horizon Hotel in central KK. It is a city hotel trying to be hip and trendy. The service is ok but the best thing about it is the breakfast. After a quick swim we went walkabout around KK central. The day market was already packing up to make way for the night market and the food stalls setting up under the "sky walk" beaconed. Food doesn't get better than this. We started with balls of sticky rice and ground nuts wrapped in banana leaf; then moved on to pancakes (Malaysian folded pancakes with spicy fillings); then I just couldn't resist the Kuih lobak goreng, rice flour cakes fried with egg and vegetables and chili sauce; and then some fresh mango juice.
With full tummies we continued down to the waterfront, where we discovered that the fish market had transformed into a massive fresh seafood barbecue and so we were forced to eat some more. Grilled squid on sticks, nasi goreng, and of course some mango shakes. Bursting at the seams we stumbled home
yum dinner
AK & I at Kota Kinabalu seafood market to get an early night, having spent only about £10 in total on all our dinners.
We left KK early the following morning to get to Mount Kinabalu Park before the crowds. We were fully intending to do one of the walks at the base - we had decided in London already that the summit climb was too expensive due to the monopolisation of accommodation on the mountain by Sutera Lodges. Once there though, we were sorely tempted to do the climb. The mountain is just so amazing and the lush forest which surrounds it is sublime. Kinabalu is the tallest mountain in South East Asia and fortunately the park is now a UNESCO World Heritage site, otherwise it would also be an oil palm plantation! Reason prevailed, especially since we only have time for 4 nights in Sabah and the mountain takes two plus recovery time; and we got back in the car and headed to Poring. We didn't even do a base walk as the crowds were already thick by this time. But, we have promised ourselves that we will come back one day in low season with more time, and hike this beauty to its top.
Fish Market Sunset
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo Poring is known for its hot springs, but actually it should be known for its jungle canopy walk and butterfly garden instead. There is nothing natural about the springs except for the water. It gets pumped into man made baths and pools which have seen better days. But keep walking past the pools and you get to the canopy walk. A 1km walk in the rain forest which includes about 250m of walkways suspended about 40m up in the forest canopy, between massive trees. Wow!! This is where I found my favourite tree in the world. See pictures..... The canopy walk is breathtaking and the jungle is fever hot and leaves you breathless and soaked in sweat - yes, even just 1 km of it. And the trees, the TREES!! Here I go again....
The road between Ranau and Sandakan ( also known for the death marches undertaken here when the Japanese forced Allied POWs to march from Sandakan to Ranau under absolutely horrible conditions) is a route of heartbreak. After Poring the way winds through incredible tracts of rainforest, some bits more pristine than others, but all of it gobsmackingly magnificent (try to say that fast). It
Yum!!
KK night market food is the best! follows a wide and lazy milk chocolate coloured river which snakes through the jungle and then, at around Kampong Matopang, as if by blinking you have brought it on, this loveliness suddenly turns into endless oil palm plantation.
When I say oil palm plantation, remember there are two sins which have been committed here: firstly loggers have gone in and cut down all the trees worth selling. These trees are massive and hundreds of years old. Then, once the valuable bits have been removed, the earth gets scraped bare, terraced and the oil palms are planted. Two blows for Mother Nature.
We stopped at the lovely Sabah Tea plantations. A cool spot on a hill top with views of Gunung Kinabalu and set amidst pretty, organic, tea plantations. They call themselves "tea from the rain forest" but in all fairness, they are actually tea from where the rainforest has been removed to grow tea. Excuse the cynicism. Their tea is very good especially the Teh Tarik with cinnamon. We almost decided to spend the night here, but then thought it would be better to push through to Sandakan, considering our time limitations.
Sandakan is only 200km from
A little kitsh
Chinese restuarant in KK, Sabah, Borneo Ranau, but the drive takes about 4 hours. The road is horrible. The heavy vehicles carrying palm berries and palm oil have ruined it and the potholes can be as big as cars - especially our little 660cc silver car with the tiny go cart wheels.
A harrowing hour after dark we made it to Sepilok, home of SORC- Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, near Sandakan. We followed a dark track to a hotel we managed to contact on the way and arrived at lovely Paganakan Dii, where the friendly staff showed us to a pretty but simple room with white mosquito nets and crisp white linen, and pointed out the large wooden sliding door which they suggested we open in the morning. After dinner on their open air deck hanging off the side of a hill in the forest, we fell asleep to the deafening sounds of nighttime in Boreo: crickets, cicadas, ghekkos, and an orchestra of other nocturnal creatures. Andrew resorted to headphones.
Just before sunrise a cacophony of birds and a scampering squirrel on the roof woke us and we opened the enigmatic door. Flummox me!! The outside came flooding in and we realised for the
first time that our bungalow was suspended on a ridge above a small palm plantation over looking the jungle. Absolutely f+*#ing amazing is the only way to describe the awesome view. (See picture!!) Then and there we decided to stay for a month, but unfortunately they were fully booked, so we had to move on.
After getting over the wow of waking up in the morning in paradise, we drove to SORC to meet some very special orangutans. SORC does amazing work rehabilitating orangutans orphaned or displaced by deforestation and general human abuse. The sanctuary is home to several semi wild orangutans who sometimes show up near the park HQ to partake in the fruit and milk put out for them on platforms in the morning and afternoon. Actually, I think the food is put three for the benefit of us, but the orangutans seem to enjoy the supplementary snack and on the day that we were there five of them turned up.
First in was a mom with small baby clinging tightly to her shaggy chest hair. She was quiet and quite wary and perched on a corner of the platform. Next up was a young male
View from a hill
Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Borneo who was quite enamoured with the fruit until a female arrived, when he became quite enamoured with her. She wasn't really interested but tolerated his attentions and he managed to sneak in a kafoofle while she was snacking. This obviously didn't do the job because he showed off his dexterity by finishing things off by foot, and then gave a further display of his acrobatic abilities by hanging from the vines in all manner of show-off poses.
Another male turned up when the milk came out, as did a couple of noisy and aggressive pig tailed macaques and a huge pitch black squirrel.
The orangutans were amazing to watch. They are such gentle, clever and beautiful creatures. Sad to think there are so few of them left in this world.
After the SORC session we had to rush back to base to meet with Rosman, our guide who would be taking us to sangai Kinabatangan. We booked an inclusive package through Paganakan Dii, with Kinabatangan Discovery for a night and three boat trips on the river to spot wildlife in the real wild.
The lower reaches of the Kinabatangan river have been protected for about twenty
Bad Squirrels
So quick, so clever, and vicious! Mnt Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Borneo years now. The reserve area is quite small but the river is fringed with native jungle and there are quite a few endemic species to be seen in their natural habitat. Our first noisy sighting is long tail macaques. They seem to be quite common around here and are loud and disagreeable. They squawk us on and then.... A bloated furry ball pops up next to the boat. It does a few bobs and turns and we realise that it is a dead wild pig floating down the river, and right behind is Franky the croc. He is obviously not quite sure what to do with this piece of luck he has stumbled upon. It is bigger than the bits of chicken he usually gets treated to at the lodges up stream, but he nudges it along anyway, just in case he can get a grip on it.
Our afternoon boat trip in the rain introduced us to the "Dutchmen" of Borneo - the Proboscis Monkeys. You can smell them before you see them, not for all the farting they do (and they do!) but because they excrete a musky odour which puts off potential predators. They are only
Curly frond
Kinabalu National Park, Malaysian Borneo found in Borneo and like the Orangutan have suffered greatly due to loss of habitat. Golden haired with fat pot bellies and big floppy noses, they are unlike any of the other monkeys we have ever met. We also spotted several species of Hornbill, pigtail macaques, an endangered storm stork, snake head birds (aka oriental darters), silver haired macaques with their mohican coifs, some monitor lizards, and two types of irredescent kingfishers.
The night trip rendered some more crocodiles, a civet cat, and a rat, as well as some sleeping birds; and our sunrise trip was highlighted by an Orangutan nest - the sleeper still inside but refusing to peek out at the curious tourists so desperate to see him.There are also Pygmy elephants in the park, but unfortunately we only saw elephant damage, and no elephants.
The river reserve is well worth the visit. It is reassuring to know that there are still tiny pockets of protection for these amazing creatures, however small they may be. We stayed at the Green House Lodge, which is very very basic, but spotless and our lovely hostess cooked up a great meal for our dinner. Her smile alone could cheer
AK and giant tree fern
Mnt Kinabalu National Park, Sabah, Borneo a manic depressive. What a lovely lady. I can't believe I have forgotten her name!!
On our Kinabatangan adventure we also met Maya and Thede, some like- minded travellers. Over dinner on the verandah of the green house, with crickets chirping and steam rising from the forest around us, we came up with a plan to solve the world's problems. Put a stop to breeding (of humans of course); death penalty to anyone caught poaching or trading in wildlife; a ban on religion of any sort; free movement of people without discrimination, and no more deforestation - not for any reason!! We figured a benign dictatorship would be the answer, with forced free education to tertiary level. That should sort it.....
After breakfast next to the river we had to get moving as we needed to get back up along the east coast to the northern tip of Sabah, the Kudat peninsula, before dark. It may only be about 350km, but at potholed road speed, it would take us almost 8 hrs. Once again it was oil palm plantation interspersed with tiny tracts of rainforest, mostly in the process of being logged. Anguish, despair, torment, heartsickness. How can
My favourite tree
Poring Canopy Walk, Sabah, Borneo the government allow this!! Boards with lot sizes and designated usage proclaim the truth - there is nothing being done to curb deforestation.
It seems that due to the problems caused by the self proclaimed Sultan of Sulu who has invaded a village in eastern Sabah, there are now check points and roadblocks everywhere. Mostly we were waved through, but on the way to Kudat we got pulled over by a policeman with a big gun. He must have been bored as all he really wanted was to chat - about where we were from, how long we had been here and what did we think of Sabah? "You are most welcome in our country. This is a wonderful place to visit. Please don't be frightened by my big gun. This is the safest place in Asia". Then he gave us directions to our next destination. Even the cops are friendly enough here.
We arrived in the small town of Kudat at around 5pm, exhausted. We didn't feel like fussing over accommodation so went directly to what looked like a smart hotel on the sea front, the Kudat Marina and Golf Resort. Don't be fooled. We should have
and another view
This tree is about 70m tall. Awesome!! turned around and left when the smell in the foyer followed us into our room. Insecticide. If you ever visit Kudat DO NOT STAY AT THE KUDAT MARINA & GOLF RESORT!!! I'm not sure if it was the dinner or the DDT that made me throw up all night, but it was horrible. There is nothing alive left here. No birds, no ghekkos, no bees or butterflies. Just the a overpowering stench of insecticide. At 23h30 they started spraying some more, with an old fashioned and incredibly noisy fogger. That's when the vomiting started.
We left before breakfast the next morning, even before coffee - we were just so desperate to get away. In fact we almost wrote off seeing the rest of the peninsula because we had had such a bad night; but, fortunately we didn't. Coffee in town at Sulera Ria put us back in good spirits and we set off to explore.
Tip of Borneo is not easy to find. The whole Kudat area is not very well signposted. But, for those who persevere, the rewards are great. The actual tip, or northernmost point of Borneo is a rocky ridge which juts out into the
South China Sea; but leading up to it are some of the most incredible and completely deserted beaches in Borneo. White sand, crystal clear water and not a tourist in sight. Awesome!!
We booked into a pretty bungalow at the Tip of Borneo Beach Cottages and hit the beach. Bliss!! All day on the beach and all we saw were two local spear fishermen, one foreign sunbather who only managed half an hour in the heat, and some children who came to play football after school. We could easily have stayed a week.
For dinner we went to the little restaurant at the southern end of the 3km long beach - Howard's Place. If you've read any travel guides for the area you will have read about Howard. We only realised it was his place when he pitched up to serve us an amazing meal of swordfish and some local specialities including hinava. Howard is much respected for the way in which he has helped this community help itself and shown them the possibilities inherent in their environment. Good luck and keep on going, Howard!!
With heavy hearts we started our trek back to KK the following
AK in the canopy
Poring. Sabah, Borneo morning, taking time to go off road to visit some more beautiful beaches and stopping for a Laksa lunch at a riverside caf on the way. We do not feel like we have given Sabah enough time and will definitely be back to see some more, if we are lucky enough to have the opportunity again. Stunning stunning Sabah!! Next stop Sarawak.
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RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
The food looks delicious!
Hi guys, enjoyed this blog very much. I think the only way to curb the palm oil plantations is to boycott companies that use it in their soaps and cosmetics... there have been a few campaigns here (in Australia), but not very successful ones. I loved your solutions to the world's problems :) Cheers Ren