We are having a quiet few days lazing around the pool, having the odd cocktail & enjoying a massage!
Yesterday the weather was grey & wet so we just stayed around here. Today we went back to see the Orangutans. A mother & baby were only a few metres from us so that was exciting! When feeding time came around only two Orangutans showed up - not even the Macaque monkeys from the other day turned up! It takes 8000 Malaysian Ringgits to care for one orphaned Orangutan for a year so our donation (180R) won't go far but it is an amount that many people could give.
We went into Sandakan town itself because we'd heard that there was a Sunday market - it was rubbish! We were glad to get back to the hotel as it was so hot & the pool was a welcome distraction. tonight we are venturing back into the town to try a restaurant that was recommended to us. We visited a local restaurant for seafood & it was awesome & cheap.
We fly back to Kota Kinabalu for our last couple of days before returning home.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Back from Jungle trip!
We survived the jungle!After a 2+ hour road trip then a short boat transfer we arrived at our lodge. We had a decent room & the wildlife was on our doorstep. Longtailed Macaques were everywhere & the are pretty cheeky. After lunch one jumped up on the table & ran off with the sugar bowl!
The afternoon was spent moving slowly up the river in a boat looking for wildlife. We saw lots of Longtailed Macaques, Probiscus monkeys & different birds. There were ten people at the lodge & there was an interesting evening with Tiger beer & then it was time to get under the mosquito net!
Early start in the morning with five of us & the guide moving along a wider river in search of wildlife. One of the big moments was seeing a wild Orangutan! I'd kept on about us seeing one of the Pigmy elephants, that are only found in Borneo. The guide said it was very rare to see them & he hadn't seen any for two weeks. We pulled up at the riverbank & jumped off the boat ready for the jungle walk. we were looking very exotic resplendent in leech sock with t-shirts tucked into pants! Within 5m of leaving the boat the guide was signalling for total silence & then we could hear trees being ripped out - we were actually tracking an elephant. Talk about awesome - even with the guide indicating that we might have to dive behind a tree if the elephant came towards us! It was terribly hard to get photos because of the camouflage from the tree but we were only about 10m away from him. We tracked him for a while but the guide was worried for our safety & he'd been doing this job for a long time so we just carried on through the jungle. We came across numerous amounts of fresh dung & large footprints in the mud. We were covered in mud but the experience was worth it. Our next animal encounter was a monitor lizard swimming beside us.
Returning to 'camp' we went to clean up for lunch & as I started down the steps of our room I saw a snake - far too close for comfort! It disappeared over the boardwalk & I made a long leap from the steps to the boardwalk & was running along it when a twig fell from a tree - I beat the high jump record!
Another leisurely cruise down the river ended up with some people going on a night walk - Valda & I declined! The guide & one other came back to find that they had 3 - 4 leeches attached to their bodies! Staying behind then seemed like a very good decision!
Today we are back to a civilised hotel & we have clean clothes & the ability to laze around the pool.
The afternoon was spent moving slowly up the river in a boat looking for wildlife. We saw lots of Longtailed Macaques, Probiscus monkeys & different birds. There were ten people at the lodge & there was an interesting evening with Tiger beer & then it was time to get under the mosquito net!
Early start in the morning with five of us & the guide moving along a wider river in search of wildlife. One of the big moments was seeing a wild Orangutan! I'd kept on about us seeing one of the Pigmy elephants, that are only found in Borneo. The guide said it was very rare to see them & he hadn't seen any for two weeks. We pulled up at the riverbank & jumped off the boat ready for the jungle walk. we were looking very exotic resplendent in leech sock with t-shirts tucked into pants! Within 5m of leaving the boat the guide was signalling for total silence & then we could hear trees being ripped out - we were actually tracking an elephant. Talk about awesome - even with the guide indicating that we might have to dive behind a tree if the elephant came towards us! It was terribly hard to get photos because of the camouflage from the tree but we were only about 10m away from him. We tracked him for a while but the guide was worried for our safety & he'd been doing this job for a long time so we just carried on through the jungle. We came across numerous amounts of fresh dung & large footprints in the mud. We were covered in mud but the experience was worth it. Our next animal encounter was a monitor lizard swimming beside us.
Returning to 'camp' we went to clean up for lunch & as I started down the steps of our room I saw a snake - far too close for comfort! It disappeared over the boardwalk & I made a long leap from the steps to the boardwalk & was running along it when a twig fell from a tree - I beat the high jump record!
Another leisurely cruise down the river ended up with some people going on a night walk - Valda & I declined! The guide & one other came back to find that they had 3 - 4 leeches attached to their bodies! Staying behind then seemed like a very good decision!
Today we are back to a civilised hotel & we have clean clothes & the ability to laze around the pool.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
High tea
After a lazy morning in & around the pool we went on our afternoon tour. First stop was the POW camp which held many British, Australian & others during the invasion of Borneo by the Japanese. It was overwhelming to read what had happened to so many men & the unbelievable cruelty which was afflicted on them all. There were a number of 'death marches' and out of thousands of men only 6 Australians survived! These men escaped into the jungle & were helped by the locals.
We then went to the house of American author Agnes Keith -she'd lived in Borneo with her husband in the 40's & had been a POW & wrote a number of books about her time here. We then went on to have tea & scones in an English Tea House - we were on our best behaviour & remembered to place our little finger outside of the cup handle. We were sitting in the garden & declined to have a game of croquet but did enjoy the view. I made the driver & guide laugh when I told them that my scones were better & perhaps I'd better pop into the kitchen to give them some pointers! The driver & guide were really interesting & informative & they seemed to enjoy our questions & comments as they were continually laughing with/at us!
Staring to get a few things together for the trip tomorrow - will carry the bare necessities but will need to hire leech socks when we arrive!
We then went to the house of American author Agnes Keith -she'd lived in Borneo with her husband in the 40's & had been a POW & wrote a number of books about her time here. We then went on to have tea & scones in an English Tea House - we were on our best behaviour & remembered to place our little finger outside of the cup handle. We were sitting in the garden & declined to have a game of croquet but did enjoy the view. I made the driver & guide laugh when I told them that my scones were better & perhaps I'd better pop into the kitchen to give them some pointers! The driver & guide were really interesting & informative & they seemed to enjoy our questions & comments as they were continually laughing with/at us!
Staring to get a few things together for the trip tomorrow - will carry the bare necessities but will need to hire leech socks when we arrive!
Monday, January 10, 2011
I've become a Grandmother!
Today Valda & I adopted an Orangutan called Ceria - a 4yr old male ( don't panic Kerry & Justin your inheritance is safe!). Poor little fellow had been found on a palm oil farm as the family pet! He'd been fed rice & sausages & was in a terrible state.The terrible diet ment that he became bald & there were fears that he wouldn't survive.
Today we visited Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. It was about 45 minutes from the hotel & as we were being driven there the heavens open. We were there in time for the morning feeding and even as we were walking to the feeding area we saw 2 young Orangutans in the trees and very close to us. As the time passed numerous other monkeys appeared. The Orangutans would try to knock the other monkeys from the trees - guess who was boss there!
Valda in her wisdom decided that the rain had passed & so didn't take her lovely plastic poncho into the jungle. We guess what! It rained so torrentially that she was soon soaked. My smugness at having my ponch wasn't all it could have been - water ran down my neck & into my shoes, my trousers were soaked to the knees but I was only reaally worried about the camera. It was when we returned to the main centre that we started the adoption procedure! It cost us $30 each & means that Ceria will be looked after for a year & we will be given updates. Another awesome experience being so close to the wildlife.
Later in the morning we walked a kilometre to a rainforest centre. On the way we came across a dead snake- it had been a viper! I quickly warned Valda that if I saw a live one she'd know about it because she'd see me beating the world sprint record. Luckily we didn't see one! The centre was very interesting & well presented.
The afternoon was spent at the pool - this is the life!
Tomorrow we are going to visit the Australian War Memorial & the on Wednesday we are on a river trip in search of wildlife particularly the Pigmy Elephants. We will be spending two nights in the jungle - might have some good stories at the end of that!
Today we visited Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. It was about 45 minutes from the hotel & as we were being driven there the heavens open. We were there in time for the morning feeding and even as we were walking to the feeding area we saw 2 young Orangutans in the trees and very close to us. As the time passed numerous other monkeys appeared. The Orangutans would try to knock the other monkeys from the trees - guess who was boss there!
Valda in her wisdom decided that the rain had passed & so didn't take her lovely plastic poncho into the jungle. We guess what! It rained so torrentially that she was soon soaked. My smugness at having my ponch wasn't all it could have been - water ran down my neck & into my shoes, my trousers were soaked to the knees but I was only reaally worried about the camera. It was when we returned to the main centre that we started the adoption procedure! It cost us $30 each & means that Ceria will be looked after for a year & we will be given updates. Another awesome experience being so close to the wildlife.
Later in the morning we walked a kilometre to a rainforest centre. On the way we came across a dead snake- it had been a viper! I quickly warned Valda that if I saw a live one she'd know about it because she'd see me beating the world sprint record. Luckily we didn't see one! The centre was very interesting & well presented.
The afternoon was spent at the pool - this is the life!
Tomorrow we are going to visit the Australian War Memorial & the on Wednesday we are on a river trip in search of wildlife particularly the Pigmy Elephants. We will be spending two nights in the jungle - might have some good stories at the end of that!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Sandakan
A few days have passed because of lack of decent internet so this is recapping a few days with our travels from Brunei to Kota Kinabalu.
Leaving Brunei we started by walking to bus by 7.20. Left on time at 8am & within an hour had been ‘stamped” out of Brunei & ‘stamped’ in to Malaysia. We then drove for approximately another hour through Malaysia before being stamped out. The bus had to board a ferry to take the short (50m) trip across the river before we were stamped into Brunei again. Travelled through Brunei and were stamped out of their & stamped into Malaysia again
Off to see Orangutans & other wildlife tomorrow.
Leaving Brunei we started by walking to bus by 7.20. Left on time at 8am & within an hour had been ‘stamped” out of Brunei & ‘stamped’ in to Malaysia. We then drove for approximately another hour through Malaysia before being stamped out. The bus had to board a ferry to take the short (50m) trip across the river before we were stamped into Brunei again. Travelled through Brunei and were stamped out of their & stamped into Malaysia again
A little while later we had to have our passports stamped twice more so that on that day a page of my passport was filled with 8 stamps!
Kota Kinabalu had a beautiful outlook (see pic) but it was extremely hot. Did very little as had a touch of 'Dehli Belly'! Today we flew (40 minutes) to Sandakan & are now ensconced in a lovely hotel surrounded by jungle. It has been horrifying to see how much of the land has been to taken over by Palm Oil plantations - you obviously see it in greater detail from the air.Off to see Orangutans & other wildlife tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Day in the wilds of Brunei
Today we went on a two hour boat tour of the water village - houses on stilts - and then down the river to see the Sultan's palaces and the wildlife.
Heard all about the Sultan & his three wives and about Brunei in general but it's too much information to put here!
The river tours was really interesting - we saw atleast eight crocodiles who rushed into the water as soon as the boat neared, a few monitor lizards up in the trees and on the banks, monkeys and a lot of probiscus monkeys (only forund in the wild in Brunei). Our guide told us we were very luck to see so many. It was pretty amazing to see so much wild llife so close to a city.
After the wild life we visited the house the 'boat driver' lives in. He has a house in the water village. You walk along wooden boardwalks - no railings! - to his house. we got such a suprise when we walked inside - gilt chairs, huge chandelier ( sorry can't spell), huge TV & karaoke equipment plus bedrooms for 13 people - basically better 'mod cons' than we have!
This afternoon had a great massage. Now having G & T before dinner.
Long bus trip tomorrow into Sabah.
Heard all about the Sultan & his three wives and about Brunei in general but it's too much information to put here!
The river tours was really interesting - we saw atleast eight crocodiles who rushed into the water as soon as the boat neared, a few monitor lizards up in the trees and on the banks, monkeys and a lot of probiscus monkeys (only forund in the wild in Brunei). Our guide told us we were very luck to see so many. It was pretty amazing to see so much wild llife so close to a city.
After the wild life we visited the house the 'boat driver' lives in. He has a house in the water village. You walk along wooden boardwalks - no railings! - to his house. we got such a suprise when we walked inside - gilt chairs, huge chandelier ( sorry can't spell), huge TV & karaoke equipment plus bedrooms for 13 people - basically better 'mod cons' than we have!
This afternoon had a great massage. Now having G & T before dinner.
Long bus trip tomorrow into Sabah.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Now in Brunei
Our last few days have basically been in a city so not much happening there!
Today we caught a bus to Brunei. Passport was checked as we boarded the bus & we were asked why we had no visa! I'd google & it said that we didn't need a visa if only staying for 72 hours! The bus left and about 30 mins later we were leaving Borneo - all well passport stamped. 5 mins later we were at the border to enter Brunei. Out of bus to immigration, bus driver calls us out & takes us to an official to explain that we have no visa. The official tells us that we need a visa for multiple entries as to get to Sabah we leave Brunei, enter Borneo, leave Borneo, enter Brunei & finally enter Borneo. Sound complicated?!
All was well because they could do the visa for us. Meanwhile everyone on the bus was through immigration except us - we were told to sit & wait. We felt like naughty school girls! The crunch came when we were told to pay $30 Brunei. We don't have Brunei dollars we said but we do have American (official snorted), Autralian & Malaysian. No we only take Brunei or Singapore dollars!Is there an ATM? No! What to do? The bus driver paid for us & eventually we recieved our passports.
Arrived safely in the capital, went to ATM & were able to pay the driver. Got to Hotel and all was well.
Went for a walk to look around and went into a large Mosque. We had to don some sort of garment and were able to walk inside. Both outside & inside covered with gold. We walked along a purple carpet which ended abruptly half way up the Mosque. Valda and I debated about whether we were allowed to step off it when she took the plunge - within seconds we were being yelled at & told to get back on the purple carpet!
So that's been our first day in Brunei!
Today we caught a bus to Brunei. Passport was checked as we boarded the bus & we were asked why we had no visa! I'd google & it said that we didn't need a visa if only staying for 72 hours! The bus left and about 30 mins later we were leaving Borneo - all well passport stamped. 5 mins later we were at the border to enter Brunei. Out of bus to immigration, bus driver calls us out & takes us to an official to explain that we have no visa. The official tells us that we need a visa for multiple entries as to get to Sabah we leave Brunei, enter Borneo, leave Borneo, enter Brunei & finally enter Borneo. Sound complicated?!
All was well because they could do the visa for us. Meanwhile everyone on the bus was through immigration except us - we were told to sit & wait. We felt like naughty school girls! The crunch came when we were told to pay $30 Brunei. We don't have Brunei dollars we said but we do have American (official snorted), Autralian & Malaysian. No we only take Brunei or Singapore dollars!Is there an ATM? No! What to do? The bus driver paid for us & eventually we recieved our passports.
Arrived safely in the capital, went to ATM & were able to pay the driver. Got to Hotel and all was well.
Went for a walk to look around and went into a large Mosque. We had to don some sort of garment and were able to walk inside. Both outside & inside covered with gold. We walked along a purple carpet which ended abruptly half way up the Mosque. Valda and I debated about whether we were allowed to step off it when she took the plunge - within seconds we were being yelled at & told to get back on the purple carpet!
So that's been our first day in Brunei!
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