We had already rearranged our flight out of Borneo, Singapore was the original plan but it had just introduced a two week quarantine period. Now we were heading back to Kuala Lumpur (KL). A night or two there and then on to Melaka for a few days before our return flight back to the UK. We were obviously aware of the developing situation with Covid-19, … Continue reading The dash to get home…
I think we knew in our first ten minutes that we were going to like it here. Whereas Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu lacked character the state capital of Sarawak has it in abundance. Our hostel is perfectly located, slap bang on the riverside right opposite the iconic State Assembly Building. As we face that, to the left is the Darul Hana bridge snaking its way … Continue reading Kuching
One of the ‘must do’ activities whilst in Kuching is a trip to the nearby Bako National Park. As we’re always up for a bit of walking amongst nature we decide to give it a go. There are lots of agencies selling day trips and offering overnight stays with numerous trekking options (not sure we want to be that regimented) and all look very expensive. … Continue reading Bako National Park
First dilemma – how do you pronounce it? Seems as in Baloo from the Jungle Book. From now on in though, simply KK will do! It’s fair to say that it’s not quite what we expected, whereas Sandakan was quite bleak with crumbling concrete flats KK is sleek with new apartments and shopping malls. How many malls can one city need, at least four high-end … Continue reading Kota Kinabalu
The city of Kota Kinabalu is surrounded by national park, mountains in one direction and sea to the other. It’s diversity is what drew us here for a few days. We wanted to see what Mount Kinabalu National Park had to offer. You can actually climb the mountain itself but we’re not that brave, so opt for an organised trip offered by one of the … Continue reading From the mountain to the sea in Kota Kinabalu
It’s an odd town. Tourists are here for the natural beauty and wildlife of the Bornean rainforests. Sandakan is just the nearest town and by default benefits from the trade as visitors use it as a hub for Sepilok, Turtle Island, Labuk Bay and the Kinabatangan river. If you look deeper it does have its own Heritage trail, ok, a couple are dubious entries – … Continue reading Sandakan
Whale watching in Sri Lanka a couple of years ago was hugely anticipated, but quickly forgotten – so we were all to aware of how excursions can disappoint. This one exceeded all our expectations…. To experience the rain forest we head 2 hours out of Sandakan and go for a 2 night / 3 day stay in a lodge on the Kinabatangan River. As we … Continue reading Wild Orangutans on Kinabatangan River!
Probably one of our most anticipated wildlife experiences became reality today – and it lived up to all our expectations. Our Grab picked us up from outside the Hostel and we reached Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in good time. By arriving early we had the opportunity to catch the information video before entering the sanctuary itself. Their aim is to rehabilitate orphaned or injured orangutans … Continue reading King of the Swingers (and support cast)!
Oldest On the Bus 