After calculating we had about 9 days spare in Malaysia, we opted for cheap Air Asia flights to the capital of Sabah province, Kota Kinabalu. What we failed to research was the weather, so we found ourselves with 3 wet days in KK! We made the most of it though and visited the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, 6 or so islands around 15 minutes away by a dodgy speedboat. The islands themselves were beautiful, but they were heaving with Korean tourists. The next day we dived on another 2 islands in the marine park, Sapi and Gaya, which were much more spectacular than the islands the previous day and had hardly any people on them! Diving was difficult due to the visibility and surge after the rain, but we did spot a Green Turtle, a Blue Spotted ribbon tail Ray, a Giant Barracuda and a Painted Spiky Lobster, amongst the usual. The last day here we optimistically booked to visit the Mount Kinabalu National Park at 1500m above sea level, a third of the way up SE Asia's tallest mountain. The weather was torrential and we were soaked through after our first walk around the botanical gardens. We saw the unusual carnivorous pitcher plants which trap water and insects, and many orchids, it seems the tallest peak can produce the smallest orchids in the world! We also saw five of the worlds largest flower, the Rafflesia, at almost 2 feet in diameter!
The flight to Sandakan on the east of Borneo was only £14 each, so it made sense to fly for 45 minutes rather than face yet another 7 hour-plus bus journey. The day we left turned out to be the start of some amazing weather, which meant the flight was worth the money just to see the peak of Mount Kinabalu at eye level and on the clearest day! Truly an amazing view! However on landing, it became apparent that the areas once home to endless rare species had been replaced by monotonous rows of Palm Oil Plantations producing a fruit that no animal (as far as I'm aware) can eat. Meaning less rainforest, less animals.
Immediately upon arrival we set off to Labuk Bay, an area of preserved rainforest/mangroves set aside another palm oil plantation. Ironically the owner of these plantations also set up the sanctuary- possibly out of guilt I don't know. This was a trip to see the Proboscis Monkey's which are endemic to this part of the world. They are funny creatures with human like expressions and features, as well as particularly large noses on the males. They are also able to jump very high. Oli and I were lucky enough to witness two feeding times where tens of monkeys showed up, and thankfully only a handful of tourists. We saw the dominant male (Alastair) with his harem of wives and kids, and Bill and his bachelors. At one point we were only centimetres away from a large male which we are pretty sure was Alastair, so we were able to admire the beauty of his nose close up. Then, afraid that the bachelors would move in and steal his wives, he grunted and led his harem away! After the drive I wasn't sure what to expect but it turned out to be an insightful day with a group of endearing monkeys.
We visited the prime attraction of the area the following day, the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary. All the orang-utans at this sanctuary are learning how to survive in the wild so that one day they can be rereleased. Slowly they are weaned off the platform and forced to find there own fruit further into the rainforest. This was a far busier place than the Proboscis Monkey sanctuary, as expected. Our first sign of life was when the ropes and branches started to move just before feeding time was due to begin! Cautiously a few of the majestic orange apes swung into action and began picking through the fresh fruit selection on the platform. They then posed in various positions including hanging upside down and eating at the same time. Somehow they have the most flexible legs! We stayed here for a full hour until they all disappeared.
Between feeding times we walked to the Sun Bear Sanctuary next door, home the smallest species of bear in the world. We saw 4 bears in total, all of whom previously had been kept as pets in cages. Very sad, but they were now very happy in their semi-wild environment.
At the second orangutan feeding time there was so much noise being made by the expectant tourists that one had to wonder who the zoo animals were! Due to all the commotion, only two orangutans came but we stood and watched until there were only a couple of people left (the quiet ones) and one orangutan. Then, to our surprise two more arrived, plus a macaque and two black squirrels, all interested in the food on the platform! It was a sight worth waiting for and it was our reward for having the patience to withstand the noisy people and stick it out until they got bored and left!
The next day we visited the Kinabatangan river, dubbed the mini Amazon by the World Wildlife Fund and is one of only two places in the world where 10 species of primate can be found. We went for an overnight trip to see some of these wild animals that reside in the rainforest next to the river. After dropping our bags at our cabin for the night, we took a boat down the river to see what we could find. We did this the following day at 6am too and overall saw three groups of wild Proboscis monkeys, a sleeping orangutan, two snakes, many species of hornbills, macaques, a saltwater crocodile, silvered leaf monkeys, giant water monitor lizards, eagles, egrets, an owl, kingfishers and the tracks of a group of migrating pygmy elephants! After dinner we embarked on a muddy night trek armed with a torches, mosquito repellent and leech socks, although Oli still attracted two hungry leeches on the back of his knees. We passed many spiders, bats and tree frogs, but the main attraction was the beautiful brightly coloured birds asleep on branches at eye level, such as a crimson pita and many others whose names went straight over my head. Nonetheless their feathers were so bright! Our trip here was one of the best we've done. It was so great to see these rare animals in the wild. Lets hope they manage to survive the palm oil plague that seems to have swept through the rest of Malaysia. According to the WWF, the plantations keep flooding anyway (as they were built so close to the river, on a flood plain!), so they are working on replanting the rainforest in these abandoned areas. There's hope!
Our last day in Borneo was spent walking the trails of the Rainforest Discovery Centre. We walked the high canopy walkways and towers, with no one else around, spotting more birds and butterflies, and then walked the paths below and spotted two more water monitor lizards. Overall we walked about 6km before the humidity got the best of us! A local man dropped us at the main road and we took the local bus back to Sandakan. It was time to pack up again.
Borneo had been amazing, if only we'd booked for longer! The Proboscis monkeys were my favourite!
Next stop: KL