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Published: March 8th 2015
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Time to move on and start our adventures. Carole is keen to see an orang utan - not easy in the wild so we arrange to visit Shrangri La Rasa Ria Resort where there is a rehabilitation project. We leave the flat early - taxi £6 (10 minutes) into Kota Kinabalu to the bus station. No point in starting off the journey dripping with exhaustion. Buses going in different directions from the city start at different bus stations - so it is important to suss out just where you need to go to get the bus of your choice. We thought we knew - but fortunately our taxi driver put us right and took us to the exact spot. Each bus has the names of the places it drives between painted clearly on the side. They seem to travel backwards and forwards between the places like spokes of a wheel rather than serving several nearby places along the general route.
Longer distance minibuses don't leave until they are (very) full. An interesting little gent, probably deaf and dumb, beckons us to the bus he want us to board. Only a few seats left. I go to sit on the next
available seat towards the back of the bus and the man already sitting by the window jumps up and flees. Carole goes to sit on the seat behind and the man by her looks uncomfortable. Our little man then jumps aboard the minibus and points with great determination for Carole to sit on the seat next to me. Seems that some Muslim men are very conservative and will not sit next to women so it is common for the bus organiser to place ladies at the front of the bus and men at the back. Our 60 minute journey for 80p was OK although the £9.60 income for the driver did not seem to be a very profitable excercise even though petrol here is cheap - 1.5 Ringitts a litre. (30p)
Although Kota Kinabalu appears to quite be compact and easy to walk around on foot, the hinterland is extensive extending virtually all the way to Tuaran. The suburbs give way to commercial and industrial complexes mainly supporting the massive construction industry which is booming in the city. Quarries, sand and gravel extraction, building merchants, steel rod suppliers for reinforced concrete buildings, cement works, massive timber yards, brick and
pipe works and plant yards with diggers and crane storage are interspersed with small wooden dwellings on stilts and some more modern constructions for the better off. No agriculture, some scrubby bushes and acres of degraded land.
We arrive in Tauran. We have been a bit lazy learning the essentials of the Malaysian language, but Carole needs the loo. When the man we ask for 'toilets' does not understand we soon learn the word 'tandas'! He shouts to another young gent who ushers us into a nearby Muslim restaurant which has a loo. We order coffee. Black at the top with a white layer of condensed milk at the bottom. There are 2 very large TVs each continuously screening showman wrestling. Afterwards we book into the 'Orchid Hotel' the only hotel in town. Quite basic £6 per night but very clean, quiet and friendly.
Hunger calls. We go to Tai Fatt restaurant which according to the Lonely Planet excels at serving char mien/ mee goreng a tasty local dish of noodles and pork. Delicious. Carole turns her nose up but settles for a plate of mixed veggies and rice.
We explore the town and head for the
nine-storey Ling Sang Pagoda with beautiful carvings and vividly painted guardian deities. The adjacent Buddhist temple is equally beautiful. We are here alone in this peaceful enclave. An unexpected surprise for us is a dragon's den of beautiful dragon costumes used during the recent Chinese New Year parades. Amazingly colourful bodies and beautifully designed heads with with moving jaws and rolling eyes.
We are hungry and return to the Muslim restaurant. The wrestlers are still fighting. It is a family run affair with at least 6 members preparing, cooking and selling food and it is open 24 hours. We are eyed by local gents who have half an eye on the wresting. On reflection we think they are waiting for the women's wrestling which follows where scantily clad young ladies throw each other across the ring and at the referee. I see a young man I saw earlier making dough balls. I watch as he flattens a billiard sized dough ball and then skilfully pulls, stretches and throws the dough until it is very thin and the size of a meat platter. He folds it into 4 and then cooks it on the hot plate. These rotis are usually
served with a little dish of curry or dhal or for the sweet toothed - condensed milk. For breakfast they pop an egg in the middle.
To see the orang-utans . We leave our simple hotel - and like waving a Majica wand - rags to riches - we are transported in 20 minutes to the Shrangri La Rasa Ria Resort. I guess it's a bit like landing in paradise! One of a chain of 5 star international resorts. This one has over 400 rooms employing 600 staff who are obviously well trained to be smiling, happy and very helpful. Beautiful gardens and grounds, a golf course, swimming pools, beach activities, horse riding, water sports......
We are kindly permitted as non residents into the breakfast room for coffee. I pretend I can't find a glass for water and have a sneak peek at the breakfast buffet. Just gross indulgence and over consumption for the rich. A massive amount and choice of foods from all over the world.
It's 9.30 and we make our way to the nature centre. Two informative videos on the rehabilitation of orang utans. We smother ourselves in deet as advised but never see
a mozzie. Perhaps because it has been unseasonably dry.
Tour groups of seniors with their own ranger take the lead (They come for day trips from the cruise ships docked at Kota Kinabalu.) We follow up the hill to the viewing area. Fortunately it is not crowded and we can see the two 6 year old males playing with a couple of broken tree branches. They play and roll around with each other. Later the ranger/ handler brings a tray of fruit which they munch with relish. In between bites they swing along the ropes and branches putting on an endearing display. Now replete they swing away into the trees and within seconds a dozen or so tree squirrels descend from the trees to steal the food.
Beautiful creatures. So appealing. So few now and only found in Borneo And Sumatra. They only breed every 8 years.
At 11am another ranger calls the room numbers of guests booked on the canopy walkway. Suddenly we are left alone with only the handler. He is there to keep an eye on the orang utans in case they jump out into the viewing area. If he has to
intervene he admits to having an elixir in a bottle which the orang utans can't resist - a pinky orange liquid containing rehydration salts, an energy drink, milk, some vitamins and minerals and medicine. His job is to handle the creatures for regular health and welfare checks and for the vets. The Resort works along with the main orang utan rehabilitation centre in Sepilok. The youngsters will be transferred and reintegrated into the Sepilok family before (hopefully) being transferred into the wild. We have a wonderful and very privileged half hour discussing many aspects of conservation and land use in Borneo.
We enjoy our luxury afternoon exploring the beautiful beach and gardens and resting on the guest sun lounges.
We taxi back to reality and to the Orchid Hotel.
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Nuala
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Vida's 1 - 3 blogs
Dear Vida, thank you for sharing this interesting journey. Your geographer's eye makes it vivid and immediate to read. Happy birthday btw, I know it's round about now - what a way to spend it! Happy travelling!