Blogs from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Asia - page 13

Another hectic, fun filled day laid ahead. Jane had certainly gone to town on this trip and made sure every day was as manic as the last! The alarm was set once again for another early morning wake up, followed by brekkie at Fook Yeun. With great sadness this was to be our last meal at our favourite (well, cheap!) restaurant. We only had half a day left in KK as we were going to be boarding a flight at 2:50pm for Singapore. We decided to spend the last half day going to the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, a group of 5 islands located between 3 to 8 km off Kota Kinabalu. The park is spread over 4,929 hectares, two thirds of which cover the sea. Before the Ice Age, it formed part of the ... read more

I'll admit that before we booked the tickets to Kota Kinabalu, I really had no idea where Borneo was. I also thought that Borneo was its own country. Well...it turns out that Borneo is an island with a country and parts of two other countries. KK is the capital of Sabah, which is a semi-autonomous state of Malaysia. After pristine, modern Singapore, it was a nice change to spend a few days in gritty, relaxed Kota Kinabalu. Our first welcome to the island was the budget terminal of the KK airport. We stepped off the plane and had to walk across the tarmac for about five minutes before being herded into a building that was essentially a warehouse. We purchased a taxi voucher and got into the most ridiculous cab ever. The entire vehicle was blinged ... read more

Patience is a virtue - or so we are led to believe. Personally I have never been very good at it and after nearly 3 weeks in Borneo I was keen to get started with my work at Sepilok. But I had to wait a little longer. Orang-utans have to be protected from Western viruses, which we might have imported, and that involves us being “quarantined” for at least a week before we start getting in contact with them. Tantalising!! I met up with the other volunteers a week ago - 10 women and one guy; but before anybody is feeling too sorry for or too envious of this one token male I have to add that he’s married to one of the women in the group... We spent a couple of days in KK - ... read more

Kota Kinabula, Malaysia (Borneo) October 11, 2010 Just what the doctor ordered, - - after multiple plane rides, sightseeing bus rides, a beautiful place to rest, relax and recharge the batteries. We are at the Rasa Ria Shangri-la Resort Hotel. The Conrad in Tokyo was impressive but it is a city hotel, here there is a good size Jacuzzi tub on our balcony, lounge chairs etc. this should give one some idea of quality of the rest of the accommodations. In addition the staff is very friendly and helpful. The hotel is located about ½ hour away from the city in 400 acres of natural and landscaped surroundings part of which is a wildlife reserve for raising orangutans and re-introducing them to the wild. On Sunday the 10th we visited the reserve. I have to say ... read more

Up at 7:30. After breakfast at the hotel, we walk to the Nature Centre on the resort grounds for our group's 9:30 appointment. After an introductory video about the Malaysian rain forest, its endangered species and how this Nature Centre is helping, we followed a narrow, winding path up into the rain forest.  The prolific vegetation is astonishing; verdant and lush, trees and vines intertwined with abundant undergrowth. The humidity actually increases here. There is a constant undulating drone from invisible cicadas. At a viewing station, we met a young orangutan male, one of four orangutans who live in this protected area. We marvel at his incredible ability to negotiate the forest from ground to canopy. Orangutans have a remarkable resemblance to humans in their behavior and physiognomy, even though their body structure is quite different. We then ... read more