Blogs from Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia, Asia

Journey to the Tip Of Borneo! No bus from Tuaran to Kota Belud. A kind lady takes us to a share taxi going part way and we pay more for the rest of the journey. It is hot when we arrive. No onward journey until the next day to Kudat at the far north of Borneo. We stay at the Travel Lodge which has seen better days and more sweeping brushes. Not much in Kota Belud but we enjoy an iced coconut milk shake - very refreshing. A posh bus from Kota Belud to Kudat with air con and toilets. Very comfortable. The landscape opens up. Just a few paddy fields with flying fabric streamers to deter the birds - otherwise secondary forest and then miles of oil palm plantations. A big sign "Victory Estate Plantation". ... read more

After seven weeks on the road, changing locations at least once every three or four days and covering a span of three countries, we were more than ready for some extended chill time on a sunny beach. After some research, we discovered the remote and very beautiful Tip of Borneo. I may have mentioned in an earlier blog that we were committed to coming to the northern Tip of Borneo as soon as we heard of it: we had made a point of traveling to the northern Tip of New Zealand a few years before, so we just had to do it again here. What an amazing discovery. We are staying at a laid back resort that sits right across the road from the ocean, so the beach is just a two minute walk away. It ... read more

Arriving at the Sunrise hotel in downtown Kudat, this man Peter who has a car tried to persuade us to go with him to the tip of Borneo, his quoted price is 60 ringgits total and some additions for extra attractions like the longhouse, the gong factory and some beaches, anyway we told him we shall think about it and get back to him tomorrow, right now we need to check in.The receptionist told us the cheapest room is 25 ringgits for a double fan room, we wanted to see it, it's at the top floor and when we saw the room full of graffiti in the wall and stinky we decided to upgrade a bit, we ended up in an a/c room with cable tv and indoor toilet no wifi though for 48 ringgits, the ... read more

9 August- Kudat and Turuan Off to the north-eastern tip of Borneo today, a bumpy 4 hour ride in the minibus up to the Kudat province. Still, the view is beautiful and the beach even better. three kilometres of white sandy beach with incredibly clear and very warm (32 degrees) water. We''re the only people on the beach and have a bag of fragrant mangoes to keep us company. After that we make for the Rungus tribe longhouse where we're spending a night on a homestay programme with an extended family group and their pets, a goose,ducks, hens and cockerels, and three dogs. Quite an experience! The building is an all bamboo longhouse with a long communal area along one side and partitioned rooms alog the other. A couple of mattresses covered in mosquito nets adorn ... read more