The Tropics: From Singapore to Sabah

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After dodging the red shirts in Bangkok we were back in civilisation in the cosmopolitan Singapore. Skyscrapers littering the skyline and modern roads and transport to get us from A to B. Staying with one of Vicky's old collegues and her family we were treated to a luxury apartment complete with communal pool. Despite it's over population the country was quiet, organised and CLEAN. Trying to keep Vicky away from the numerous shopping malls was the hard part, but settling for Singapore Slings in Raffles and enjoying the Quay side activity was not so hard. After re-grouping and leaving with full bellies and clean clothes we set off to Malaysia Borneo in search of endangered wildlife.

Arriving in Sabah's capital Kota Kinabula the tropical wilderness unfolded. Staying in a city with jungle on your doorstep, boat rides to isolated islands and the freshest fish possible as the night markets served all sorts of local delights. From here we took a taxi ride to the National Park and the impressive Mount Kinabalu, a UNESCO site hosting untouched jungle and the largest mountain this side of Everest. A short stay and a few jungle trails we were ready to hit the road again travelling across country though the thick vegetation and numerous palm oil plantations to arrive in Sandakan - the gateway to the wild. Being the home to one of the most endangered species on the planet, it was time to get to the Orang Utan sanctuary and see some live apes close up. The centre didn't disappoint as the crowd sweated watching half a dozen apes come out of the jungle to feed and show off in front of their adoring crowd. Also nearby was a protected wildlife discovery centre offering canopy walks and ancient jungle, flowers and fauna and some undescribable insects and lizards.

The next day was our highlight of our stay in Borneo, catching a boat over to Turtle Island, only an hours swim away from the Phillipines, we had arrived at a paradise island where green turtles come to lay their eggs year after year. With only a limited number allowed on the island, we were priveleged to stay overnight and witness these huge turtles arrive on the island in the middle of the night under the full moon and see them lay their eggs and settle in for the evening. A total of 48 turtles and 3000 eggs arrived on the island that night, (as well as monitor lizards) with the addition of witnessing a random hatching of eggs that had been missed by the rangers. An unforgettable experience.

With no time to rest the next day we made our way back to the jungle, having booked a 2 night 3 day stay deep in the jungle along the Kinabatangan river where we were able to see 4 different species of monkey, the mighty Ornag Utans in the wild, monitor lizards, flying foxes, leopard cats, cobras, crocodiles, scorpions and lots of tropical birds of all shapes and sizes. Some of this we had to share in our camp which made for interesting sleeping, but well worth the effort. Heading back to camp we also visited a probiscus monkey sanctuary, one of the largest monkeys in the world, only found in Borneo. Having seen as much endangered species and wildlife in 4 days that I have seen in my life our task was complete and we set off to Sempona for our last fling of Bornean life.

Not wanting to leave the island without seeing some of the best dive sites in the world, we made the shortish trip to Semporna for some world class diving. Staying on a stilted longhouse for the night, the next day we went out to dive a coral wall teeming with fish and diving alongside turtles, huge schools of jackfish, sweetlips, angelfish, barracudas and many other fish I would need a book to learn the names...

The short 10 days in Borneo provided some of the most memorable experiences on our journey, combined with the friendly locals, varied landscapes and huge numbers of animals not to be seen anywhere else in the world, this place had it all and we loved every minute...

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Photos

Heroes in a half shell
Just hatched and first taste of water

Best nose in the world
...and only found in Borneo

Comments

[Kirsty]

WOW
It looks and sounds absolutely amazing, this is the most jealous I've felt of you so far!!! X

[reg]

Monkeys
Wow Borneo looks amazing did the orangutangs kidnap leon mistaking him as one of their brothers??