And so from one oil-rich region to another. After just three quick days in the Bruneian sultanate, it was time to move on southwest-wards in my trip along Northern Borneo. So I bade farewell to Chiong and Sab, and took the 4h bus across the border to Miri in Sarawak, perhaps the more important of the two East Malaysian states. Larger, and endowed with even more natural resources than Sabah, Sarawak's political influence is evident even from the fact that it issues its own immigration entry stamps, distinct from the rest of the country. Such is the level of autonomy it enjoys. And situated at the northermost part of the state lies probably its next most important city after the capital of Kuching. Miri's proximity to Brunei suggests that (as already mentioned), it too has the ... read more

After the week-long detour eastwards to check out the flora and fauna of the Sabahan heartlands, it was time to back-trek and resume my journey southwestwards along the northern coast of Borneo. And so it was a day-long bus ride for another quick overnighter back at KK, before a 3h ferry to the nearby island called Pulau Labuan, a transit point between Sabah and Brunei. Still part of Malaysia, and just off the state of Sabah, but Pulau Labuan doesn't actually belong to the state. Like the capital Kuala Lumpur, Labuan has the special status as a Federal Territory, diirectly governed by the central government. The reason for this, I'm not so sure, but I think it partially has to do with history, and partially with its position as an international offshore financial centre. In any ... read more

I learnt a new backpacker's secret! Since in Malaysia accomodation seems to be generally a little more expensive than the rest of Southeast Asia, so I've decided to bunk in dormitories whenever I find the prices for private rooms too steep for my liking. Despite having been a long-term backpacker, and despite its significantly cheaper price, I generally don't like dormitories for several reasons. Of course there's the privacy issue, including noise etc where sometimes the dorm almost turns out to be like a never-ending slumber party, with noisy chit-chatting way past official lights out time. I guess it's a good opportunity to meet new people and socialise, but sometimes I really just want to have some peace and quiet time to myself. Then there's the snorers (hands up, I'm a guilty party myself). And it's ... read more

So farewell Philippines, and hello again Malaysia! Despite having spent so much time on the Peninsular side of the country, this was in fact my first step on Malaysian Borneo soil, and I am intrigued to see what the differences are compared to the mainland. I'd read much about the sweltering jungles, diverse wildlife and indigenous tribes, so I'm looking forward to exploring those the next month of so. And my first stop was Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the state of Sabah, one of just two Malaysian Borneo states. This state was somewhat in the news recently, being historically part of the Sulu sultanate. The current claimant to the throne currently lives in the Mindanao in Southern Philippines, and his loyal subjects recently launched an armed take-over attempt in Lahad Datu, a city in the ... read more

Wow. I was floored. Not literally, of course. I couldn't be, since I was treading water in the middle of the sea. But the very first time I caught sight of the butanding (whale shark), it was swimming literally just one foot under me! And it was huge! A simply fantastic experience, as we managed to catch multiple "swims" with the butanding, which almost seemed unpeterbed by the dozens of snorkelling tourists bobbing up and down the surface, eager to swim alongside or catch as long a sight of it as possible. The water was quite murky, so in fact you couldn't really see past a few metres, which made it all the more incredible when you do catch sight of the butanding, because it meant that it was barely inches from you! I'm still a ... read more