Orang Utans, Rambutans and Rain Forests!
Trip Start
Unknown
1
5
12
Trip End
Ongoing
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
It took ages to reach our destination as firstly the Hertz office was at Terminal 1 - a taxi ride away from Terminal 2 where we had landed, and secondly we got lost! Evidently this was my fault - nothing to do with the fact that it was dark and we were given a pathetic map and spurious directions!
However our fraught journey and late arrival at 10.30 pm paled into insignificance with the warm and friendly welcome we received at the hotel. We were given chilled peach tea and informed that we had had a room upgrade.
We could hardly believe the luxury of our Ocean Wing room. It was massive with a huge bed, dressing area, sofa, small dining table, writng desk, large wash/ shower room, refreshment bar and an enormous balcony with a double recliner and .... wait for it .......a double bath!!! (We will be dreaming of this when we are squashed into our camper van in a couple of weeks time!
We slept extremely well and awoke to a beautiful blue sky and the most amazing view of waves lapping onto a long white sandy beach. (Plus the whole palm tree thing!)
We spent the next couple of days around the hotel as there was alot to see and do The pool area was particularly inviting with waiters bringing chilled water, appetizers, ice creams and cold towels during the day. Also the hotel is not too busy at the moment as part of it is closed for renovations, hence the beach and restaurants etc are not in the least bit crowded.
Rob managed to get in a game of golf at the adjoining golf club. It was actually a competition and he competed against some of the hotel's senior management team and the local pro. The game was made more interesting by the huge monitor lizards crossing the greens and instructions not to look for a lost golf ball in the undergrowth due to the possibility of encountering a spitting cobra! (Hazards one would not expect at Libbaton or Saunton!)
Rob completed 9 holes and was duly presented witth a certificate and a prize.
The resort supports a wildlife resort which is incorporated into rain forest at the edge of the complex. It is here that they have an orang utan rehabilitation programme whereby orphaned animals are reared until maturity and gradually human support is withdrawn so that they can be re-introduced into the wild.
Orang utan actually means "man of the forest" and in fact this species shares 96 per cent of genes similar to ours!
They live predominantly up in the trees and eat leaves and fruit such as bananas and rambutans.
We saw some of the juvenile orang utans here which were quite captivating and enjoyed watching them play together in the trees. One of them is still lacking in confiidence and was trying desperately to gain a cuddle from one of the rangers!
In the "nursery" there is currently one 18 month orang utan called Ten Ten who is weaned, but not yet ready to join her more mature cousins. She was found abandoned locally with no sign of her mother in October 2010 (Hence her name) She is absolutely adorable! However, difficult to photograph as, like alot of toddlers, she never keeps still! Ten Ten will stay in the nursery until she is more proficient in her aerobatic skills and able to cope with very boisterous adolescents!
Apparently one of the problems that causes these animals to be orphaned is that some locals like to have them as pets! This is now illegal here. The other and more worrying problem is that of de-forestation which has greatly reduced their natural habitat over the years. They are now an endangered species with approximately 2500 left here in Borneo.
Later in the afternoon Rob had a sail in a Hobie 16, but this was brief as the wind suddenly died. Evidently the wind comes up at midday until about 3pm. He plans another attempt!
In the evening we decided to look for a restaurant outside the hotel complex as eating here is very expensive. As we are away for several weeks we have set ourselves a daily budget and have done quite well so far. The nearby "Singgah Singgarung" became a favourite and we enjoyed chatting to the staff who were very friendly and keen to practice their English. Here we could eat for about 10 rather than 60! A dish of nasi goreng (fried rice with allsorts added ie chicken, prawns, mushrooms & veg) plus spicy prawns or deep-fried baby squid made a tasty meal.
Like Phuket the wine here is either appalling, non-existant or extremely expensive, so our livers are faring very well here!! Incidentally, the currency here is the Malaysian Ringgit of which there are approximately 4 RM to 1.
We also tried food at the nearby street food market in the small town of Touran. Numerous stalls barbecuing chicken and fish lined the streets, with colourful fruit and veg stalls interspersed. We were invited to try different local fruits by a particularly friendly lady, who introduced us to rambutans. These are red, hairy fruits the flesh of which are very like lychees. We weren't so keen on the guavas!
On Saturday, 4th Feb. we headed out for the day to Mount Kinabalu National Park, just over an hour away by car.
Mt. Kinabalu dominates the skyline here, and at 4,095m. is the 3rd highest peak in south-east Asia. However the mountain is only really fully visible in the morning before the mists gather and it is obscured by cloud!
Borneo itself is the 3rd largest island in the world and is divided into 3 separate countries: Brunei, Indonesia and Eastern Malaysia (the states of Sabah and Sarawak).
Our journey gradually took us higher and higher along steep, winding roads. The drive was made hazardous, not by the state of the roads, but by the local pastime of undertaking, overtaking on blind corners and generally going either very fast or excruciatingly slowly! Nonetheless the scenery was stunning with paddy fields and houses on stilts in the flat,rural areas changing to small villages perched precariously on the mountain sides as we climbed higher,
The national park is the size of Singapore and is designated a World Heritage Site, due to it's extensive range of diverse and rare flora and fauna.
On reaching the park we visited the botanical garden which, although relatively small, gave us the opportunity of seeing numerous species growing in their natural habitat such as the carnivorous pitcher plant, massive fig trees, palms, ferns, rhododendrons, wild bananas and impatiens (busy lizzies).
From here we went on to Poring - site of hot, sulphur springs. We took a look at a butterfly farm where we saw some beautiful, large and brightly coloured butterflies.
We also saw a sign up in the village to say that a rafflesia flower was in bloom. This flower is the largest in the world and is only found in Sabah and parts of Sumatra. It grows as a parasite with no leaves or stem and attaches itself to the stem or root of a jungle vine. The bud appears like a cabbage and takes about 9 months to grow before developing into a huge dappled, red flower which lasts for only 6 - 7 days. It can be up to a meter in diameter. When in full bloom the flower emits a foul smell which attracts insects to it which aid pollination. The seeds produced are eaten by small mammals and distributed in their droppings.
We were taken to see this rare plant by a local chap named Gilbert who charged us 20 RM. He led us along a very bumpy track for about 1/2 mile flanked by massive bamboo canes and palms. Eventually we came to a shady canopied area where we could see a huge rafflesia in bloom plus the remnants of spent flowers and several cabbage--like buds developing. Gilbert duly posed for photos and was obviously very proud to show us this rare and unusual flower, which is also the national flower for Sabah.
Our next venture was to cross the canopy walkway through part of the rainforest at Poring. It measures 157m long and is 41m high. It took about 1/2 hour to reach the walkway along a steep path that wound upwards through the forest. Tropical rain cooled us on our ascent! The walkway itself was quite intimidating and very narrow and despite its considerable height there were plenty of trees which were much higher.
Only a maximum of 6 people at a time are allowed on each section and platform. Rob was a bit anxious about it, as being so tall, the sides felt quite low to him! However all went well and we both enjoyed the spectacular views.
After the long trek back down we visited the hot springs to soak our aching feet!
We then had a very late lunch at a small restaurant within the Sabah Tea Plantation. Also at this site is a memorial to Private Quilley, a young soldier who was brutally murdered by the Japanese during the 2nd World War. About 2,500 allied soldiers were POWs here (British, Australian and New Zealanders) during the war and were badly treated and starved by their captors. forced labour and long marches through the jungle meant that only six of this number survived to the end of the war.
On our drive back we stopped at a small fish restaurant on the river where we had a small supper overlooking the mangrove swamps and locals fishing off the jetty. A pleasant evening to end a full day.
On the Sunday we decided to stay near the hotel and have a lazy, relaxing day - enjoying sun, sea and pool. We heard today that it is snowing in the UK! I spent some time updating this blog, although unfortunately we don't seem to be able to upload photos onto it using the iPad which is really frustrating!
Talking of technology we have been taking advantage of WhatsApp( instant messenger) on the iPhone to keep in touch with Sarah, and Viber (internet phone calls) to talk to Philippa. Both of these are FREE.
I have also been making good use of my Kindle and am currently reading my 5th book! I can recommend "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett if anyone is looking for an interesting read.
The following day we took a boat trip out to a small island called Sapi, which is a short distance off the coast of KK. Here we spent the morning snorkelling in the clear, warm sea watching hundreds of fish amongst the coral. Their colours were so vivid; it would have been be nice to have had an underwater camera to capture the scene.
Interestingly there were a number of Koreans on the island that day who obviously can't swim but were snorkelling anyway wearing life-jackets!
Tuesday was our last full day here and we spent the day swimming and in the afternoon went out on the Hobie which was really great. There was a gentle breeze so we had a good sail around the bay.
We had another delicious (and cheap!) meal at our favourite little restaurant and a long chat with the waiter. Our overall impression of Sabah is of a beautiful country full of very friendly people. There is no racial tension here, despite the diverse religious and ethnic mix. We saw no graffiti, bad behaviour and heard that there is little crime.
Wednesday, 8th Feb and today we travel to Singapore and then on to Sydney. Our flight originally was scheduled for 00.45, but Rob has managed to get us on an earlier one at 8.30 pm which is infinitely preferable!
