Blogs from Kinabatangan, Sabah, Malaysia, Asia - page 8

Getting there... The lady at the Mt Kinabalu HQ has warned us that the bus to Sandakan would be full, and that we would probably have to bite the bullet and call a taxi. But with a taxi for the 5-hour trip costing around US$150, we figured we'd be taking our chances with the bus. We were also looking forward to getting some sleep on the trip after a 2am start up to the peak, a late flight into Borneo and an early bus to the mountain the night before, no sleep on the Ro-ro the night before that, all topped off with 2 day hiking. It was pouring with rain as we waited under the small shelter for the bus headed for Sandakan, and after about half an hour of waiting, the bus came round ... read more

So after climbing the Kinabalu Mountain, Remy and I head back to KK for some relaxation, we check into a nice hotel, with hot water, and air-con. That day both of us had troubles walking up stairs or even the slightest incline for that matter. I then remember something from the Rinjani Volcanoe, (the next day my legs where sore, but the day after they where really sore) So I am expecting it when the following day comes, and I can hardly walk. Remy had a flight to catch, leaving me once again, without a travel companion. No problem, the shape I am in, I don’t want to talk to anyone, or do anything. So I spend another night in the nice hotel, before booking back into the Summer Lodge Hostel. I love that place because ... read more

Life is full of surprises! Your learn about yourself everyday and sometime it is just about giving it a try, pushing the boundaries and you surprisingly end up discovering that you are up to new experiences! Decided to go for the jungle safari about a week before departing for Borneo, truly scared by snakes and spiders and well mosquito tend to love me (or my blood...pick one!) so ones would say I might not be the perfect ‘candidate’ for a jungle safari…Guess, it was just a question to give it a try! Simply loved it and wish I could actually have spent more time there! But back to the initial journey…Although Borneo might seem as next door when you are based in China…well, that was a long long journey…but so worth it! Night flight to Kuala ... read more

Our next stop was at the Kinabatangan river for a 3 days camp at a place called Uncle Tans. We started by going to yet another Orangutan sanctuary (There are only 4 in the world so we've now been to half !). Before heading downriver to the camp. It was basic accomodation, a matress on the floor, six people to a hut and river water to wash in ! But the food was good and we saw plenty of animals. Day and night cruises were all good and it's amazing what lives very close to camp (See photo's) we even stayed up late one night to watch a civet cat come in to raid the bins ! Met loads of great people as well but we seemed to be the only boat that didn't see wild ... read more

Date visited: 22nd April - 23rd April Another mission travelling day: 6am start for the coach to a nearby town. 2 long local buses over 2 hours. A 3 hour plane trip. Eventually we land in the northern Malaysian state of Sabah, Borneo. Our plane dropped us off in Sandakan, a city on the East Coast of Sabah and our jumping off point for the region's Jungle activities. We arrived early and feeling pretty upbeat looking forward to the Jungle camp we previously booked. Sandakan itself unfortunately didn't do much for us - I'd describe it as a bit of a slum town to be honest containing oppressive gloomy flats and dark side-streets - certainly not the place to go for a wander late at night. We tried to find somewhere half decent to eat but ... read more