After a 17 hour ferry from Zamboanga, I made it to Malaysia. The first city I arrived in was Sandakan. It is a normal, grid style city. Not too big, not too small. It served as a good port to get acclimated to the differences of Malaysia. One immediate thing I noticed was that it is much more conservative than the Philippines. The people were friendly, but less likely to come up to you and just start talking. The food is good. It’s a blend of Malay, Indian, and Chinese. Lots of curries, flatbreads and soups. There’s a good amount of variety to keep your palate interested. When in Sandakan I did not do too much. The big outing from there was to the Sepilok Orangutan rehabilitation center, which is only an hour bus ride
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