Last update from Borneo (7 July 07)

One last post from beautiful Borneo since we got back earlier than we expected from our snorkelling trip and island hopping this morning. The weather became quite windy around lunch-time (so much for the 'Land Below the Wind' theory!) and it was like a mini sand storm. The sea became really rough and the visibility became nil.

I was oh SO disappointed because it meant we wouldn't be able to do the jet-skiing. But it wouldn't have been safe... But it does reinforce the point that 'one should not put off till tomorrow what one can do today'. SIGH.

We enjoyed one good hour on Mamutik and some of the corals were nice (but no way near as amazing as off Sapi though) but what spoilt it for me was to find a family of Malaysian/Chinese or Korean (I feel terrible that I can't differentiate between all of these ethnic groups... but with a snorkelling mask on, it's even more difficult than usual!) just standing on the corals. The kids had obviously ran out of steam so they were hanging onto the rope they use to divide the snorkelling and diving areas and they were kicking their legs to stay upwards and snapping quite a few beautiful coral branches in the process. I was HORRIFIED. Then the father instead of telling them off just stood *right* on these delicate branches too, without a care in the world. I was so shocked that I had to speak up for the corals! I told him 'You must NOT stand on the corals, you will kill them... do you understand???' and he nodded and said 'oh yes, beautiful, beautiful'... (with a heavy foreign accent). I despaired. I didn't know who to report this to, or whether anyone here would even CARE. I don't know if coral branches ever grow back again once they've been snapped in two... Nature can be very resourceful sometimes... but Roberto didn't seem to think so. He'd gone snorkelling earlier and had found the same family and had also told them off, in vain, obviously. We were both absolutely fuming.

This pretty much ruined the mood for me. It's as if someone was to tread over a Van Gogh... people would be outraged... and yet corals deserve FAR more respect if you ask me because they have been a masterpiece in the making for thousands & thousands of years... they were getting ready for our visual pleasure long before we were even thought of. Shouldn't that inspire AWE?

Our next stop was Manukan, which had really nice facilities and looked more upmarket (Mamunik was tiny and didn't have many palm trees) with beautiful wooden chalets... but I didn't even go into the water. Roberto went in first (I asked him to go and explore and report in due course as to where I could find the best corals - he swims 5 times faster than I do so he could cover a lot more ground !). But the wind was too bad and spoiled the mood too.

Maybe Borneo was being kind in disguise... it won't be quite as painful to leave as it would have been had it been totally glorious again - as it was when we set off.

Yesterday Roberto told me he had spotted a sea snake (black and white, striped), he was a bit startled and made a point to stay away as they can be quite poisonous. I would have completely freaked out if it'd been me. I don't like snakes at the best of time, but underwater they move so much faster and you feel even more powerless. I wish I could go free diving the way he does, he makes it look SO easy... when it's anything but for me.

I'm sure I'm forgetting to say lots but unfortunately, we have our airport transfer in about 30 minutes and it'll be back to reality from then on. I can barely remember what my studio flat looks like... it feels like forever since I was on the underground on the way to LHR... but it'll be nice to catch up with my friends / family face to face or on the phone...

As usual, I'd like to encourage you all to come over and discover Malaysia for yourself. Borneo is actually split between 3 countries... Sabah and Sarawak belong to Malaysia, the larger 'state' Kalimantan, belong to Indonesia, and the smallest bit, is Brunei, a whole country in its own rights.

The only things I didn't like too much here is that (a) it's flipping difficult to get sparkling water in the more remote lodges... they just don't have the concept, surprisingly... (b) equally difficult is to get a hot chocolate in the morning... if you don't like tea or coffee, you've run out of hot drink options :( and (c) the post cards are absolutely dire. I never found ONE I liked... and yet I'd come over all prepared, with 50 labels pre-printed to save time as I thought I'd be sending heaps.... hum. Mind you, considering how hectic things have been, I'm not sure WHEN I'd have found the time to write anything to anyone ... but then I guess my itineraries are always pretty mad and I usually manage.

But, let's not end on a negative note... let's remember all the treasures that Borneo has to offer... too many to mention. We really loved every single day and will cherish the memories for a long time. Today was probably the only 'let down' we've had... which is great timing ! :)

I guess the next trip will be Belize, all being well... probably around mid-November. Same mix of rainforests and reefs.... can't go wrong with that! Just different fish and different birds... but more chances to admire / observe the amazing, dazzling diversity that our planet has to offer. I told Roberto last night 'do you realise that 99% of people who live on earth will never come here? aren't we just incredibly blessed?'...

Make sure you're part of the 1% who do ! :))) I can guarantee you will NOT regret it...

Tunku Abdul Rahman Park - simply fab! 6 July 07

Well, I feel I've spent the last 2 weeks using superlatives to describe Borneo, but this place has truly exceeded our expectations every step of the way. Every single day has been just awesome and today was no exception.

We had a leisurely breakfast where I ate far more than I needed simply because the choice of pastries was too tempting to resist... but made up for it by having only papaya for lunch (not that I was strong willed but the BBQ lunch on the beach had next to nothing for vegetarians - thank God!).

Anyway, at 10am we left from our hotel's own jetty (I tell you, this hotel has got it ALL) and within 8 minutes in a speedboat we had reached Sapi Island (one of the 5 islands that make up the Tunku Abdul Rahman (Marine) Park. In case you wonder what it means, as I did, the park is named after their first prime minister who brought independence from the British. Now, the brochures say that "the locals go there to enjoy snorkelling in crystal clear waters" but I'll admit I was dubious about that... I mean, Kota Kinabalu is the capital city and well, if I compare this to... say, London, there is NO way I would have "crystal clear waters" just 8 minutes away from the Thames... let alone with tropical fish! (assuming any at all survive the pollution?).

But the brochures were NOT kidding... the water colour was crystal clear and a lovely deep green. The islands had tiny white sandy beaches and were packed with trees - so dense, like a mini rainforest. Sapi was a bit crowded and from the boat I could spot quite a few children splashing around the water and so I immediately pictured a coral reef that was full of dead corals - skeletons, bones, bleak reminders of a more glorious past... but again, I couldn't have been more wrong. The coral reef off Sapi was PRISTINE. It was wide enough to entertain any avid snorkeller for at least 30mns without covering the same grounds and offered an incredible variety of hard and soft corals... it was just as spectacular as some of the coral gardens we'd enjoyed in Sipadan. I was gob-smacked. I just never expected this kind of coral quality in a National Park that was founded in 1974. Probably one of the finest in the world. The beauty of this place has been promoted for 30+ years and yet it still looked immaculate. Compare this to the poor sights of Eilat (Israel) or Mombasa (Kenya) where there is pretty much nothing decent left unless you hop on a boat for 40mns off the coast and what a startling contrast. And the water temperature was just like bath water... so beautifully warm, you could snorkel for ages then. Perfect !

They have kind of 'marked up' the snorkelling and diving areas and divided them with ropes and green and black floaters. If you stay within the green floaters area, you are in the snorkelling area, if you go between green & black, you are in the slightly deeper waters and supposedly in the diving section. You are not allowed to swim past the black floaters as this is the 'highway' for speedboats and if they don't spot you on time, you could end up like minced meat under their propellers. Roberto, being not one to be told what to do actually gambled it and tried to swim beyond the 'line' as the reef was better & better the further into the sea you went, but he soon got whistled at by a patrolling boat. I told him that it was to save him from himself... but he felt he was too restricted and like in a prison. The next island (Gaya) was just 500m away, and he could have swum across in 10 minutes flat knowing him, but the boats' 'highway' was in between and prevented it which frustrated him big time.

To cheer him up I suggested we go para-sailing. I had tried it once before in Israel, and got seriously sea-sick as the boat had stalled and I was left dangling the air, going no where, just swung back and forth. I was white as a sheet when I came down. This time was MUCH more fun and well worth another shot. Roberto & I went in a tandem and the guy in charge asked us how high and low we wanted to go - i.e. did we want to end up in water once in a while. We both excitedly agreed. We were seated pretty comfortably and it was like being an armchair, but 'in the air'... The view from the top was fab (a bird's eyeview over the beautiful islands) and coming down into the sea was just great fun.... we were advised vs putting our feet down as it'd have been too big an impact, we were advised to only touch down on the water with our bums, but it was easier said than done. I couldn't always lean backwards enough to lift my feet high up. We both thoroughly enjoyed it... (a first for him). The guy in charge took about 40 shots of us up there, but most are a bit too far to even see our faces properly, even with my 300mm zoom lens (maybe we can see them better with the optical zoom on the PC?).

I wanted to try jet-skiing next but he couldn't wait to snorkel some more so he promised we'd do it tomorrow. I wanted to do it in Australia but it was like GBP 200 worth for an hour or so and here it's more like GBP 22 equivalent (150RM) for 30 minutes... and that's 150RM for TWO. Roberto had wanted to try it in Europe but had also had problem getting a decent quote so couldn't justify the expense before.... I also wanted to go on the banana boat but you needed to be a minimum of 3 and I couldn't find anyone else interested.

The island was pretty neatly organised for water sports... they even offered mini submarine experience (they had a photo of someone riding an under-water scooter with a big bubble helmet over their head... how 007 is that ??? wow !)... they also gave you the chance to go sea-walking... same thing, they take you on a boat, down a ladder, and have you walk on the sea bed in a suit with a big 'bubble' helmet (don't know the English word) and feed the fish. They had some great pictures of whole families posing with the full equipment on, deep down. COOL.

The BBQ we had was pretty plain for me but they offered lots of sea food and grilled fish for anyone interested in such things... most tourists left at 2:30pm but Roberto managed to negotiate an extra hour. Even leaving at 3:30pm seemed remarkably early when it was such a gorgeous spot and such a lovely sunny day. It made no sense to us at all. They had a few shops but not much to write home about... but when 90% of the tourists had gone the place looked even better - more peaceful. I took some great shots of the beach... I even made a point to have one showing clearly KK in the far background as it still seemed pretty amazing to me that such a beauty spot could be SO near the capital city. Mind-boggling really.

We reluctantly had to go back but then I had this great idea that we should aim for the sunset cruise. It seemed like the best way to spend our last evening. I had no idea was type of boat was used, I just vaguely remembered reading about it... Roberto was agreeable to it, as I expected, since he pretty much likes anyting connected with water.

As it happens, the cruise started 45mns after we'd got back so it was a good thing we were forced to return earlier than we wanted. Part II of our day was equally satisfying ! :) We were on a catamaran and the very front of the boat was made of 4 hammocks with a big cushion on each of them where you could totally sprawl as you watched the sea right under you. It was SO comfy... I kept wishing we could have spent the night there, watching the stars and the moon, falling asleep to the sound of the waves lapping gently right under our bodies... It was really relaxing and we both enjoyed it immensely. It really felt like you were rich & famous for just 2 hours. There were only 3 other guests with us, so it was perfect. We 'sailed into the sunset', literaly, as they took us as far as they could till the sun went down, and then we turned round. The speed wasn't much so that the boat remained fairly quiet. I did spare lots of thoughts for all my friends who are having such a tough ordeal right now, be with their own health, their family's health, or other matters... I felt gutted that I couldn't zip over everybody I knew who so DESERVED this kind of moment TOO. I almost felt guilty to enjoy it when *I* don't struggle half as hard as some people I know. Sigh. They call Borneo 'The Land Below The Wind' and it's so true. There just isn't any wind at all on this island, which is extra blissful as it remains warm all year round.

There was a magazine photographer and publisher on the boat with us and the professional photographer took heaps of shots of Roberto & I relaxing on the hammock (esp. of me, as I wrote my notes for my travel blog). They explained that they came on this boat trip to write up a report about what's on offer for one of their magazines and would be using the photos. She asked for our names and if Roberto was my husband... :) She promised to send me some of the best shots by email and hopefully a copy of the magazine when it's published... Wouldn't that be neat or what? Famous indeed, for one day, in one travel magazine.... Maybe we should have mentioned that we were both single, see what kind of men we attract, if any ! :)

Anyway, we enjoyed today so much that we're going back for more tomorrow... we've decided to explore another 2 islands (Manukan and Mamutik). The aerial pictures that were advertised at the SeaQuest desk were just too tempting... and there's no way Roberto was going to spend a full half day in the hotel - too limiting for him, no matter how stunning the hotel actually is.

We could totally tailor make the trip so we will leave at 9:30am to be back for 3:15pm. Then we can use the gym here to have a shower and have one last drink before our transfer. We regretfully had to bring it forward by 45mns as the hotel hosts a charity run tomorrow (of all days!) and they are expecting 10,000 participants. They had therefore left us a note in our room to 'urge us to allow more time to get to the airport as traffic around the hotel will be very congested as of 5pm'. Our pick up was at 5:15pm ! Roberto wasn't keen to change it at all as KK's airport is a bore (but will triple in size over the next 2 years as Borneo is growing as a holiday destination) but I wasn't prepared to risk it as my insurance wouldn't cover a missed flight.

I'll try to email again tomorrow, if I can... one little thing I forgot to mention yesterday re-the white water rafting is that when the guys came to pick us up at our hotel they were wearing T-shirts that said 'Paddle or Die' (!) ... at the time Roberto & I were not even sure that going white water rafting was a good idea, so we exchanged some pretty worried looks. The company organising it was called 'River Bug' which I thought was a great pun !

Also, if anyone is planning to visit Mt Kinabalu, the Hill Lodge is where we stayed and it was really spacious and cosy. No TV, but, who cares ???

Time to sign off and PACK... shock. I so dread going back. Roberto has found the trip very thought-provoking in many ways, it has helped him reflect on his life in London and all. I always find that, the closer you get to nature, the more you can rediscover yourself and redefine yourself too. We were enjoying our last super lavish buffet and it occured to me that tomorrow night, we'll be having a microwaved meal on the plane... better for the waist line but not for the tastebuds, sigh. And my fridge will be totally empty when I get home... as always. Double sigh.

Must haste, I'm keeping you all with me in spirit... honest ! xxxx

The Padas River white water rafting THRILL (5 July 07)

Well, I've only been back 30mns but had to tell you that we had a fantastic time. It hadn't rained in that area for 2 weeks the guide said so the water level was shallower which made it not as scary. Most rapids were level 2, some were 3... 1 boat out of 15 flipped over, but ours managed to keep upstraight. And none of us (out of 5) went overboard either (a few people did though).

But, let's start at the beginning... Painful wake up call at 6am and Roberto wasn't feeling good at all. At 4am he complained of not being able to sleep in a comfortable position and did a self-diagnosis that concluded he probably had a tiny kidney stone that caused all this pain. However, he still wanted to go ahead (he cannot stand still so there's no way he was going to relax in the hotel). He told me that if the worse came to the worse, he'd have to get some injections in his back and would I be able to inject him? Me ??? He had no idea who he was talking to... I told him I'm the kind of person who faints at the sight of a needle, there's no way I could inject anyone.

Thankfully, he seemed to improve as the day went on. We started with a 90mns coach ride to Beaufort train station. The guide had warned us that this was an old railway line from 1916 with no A/C on the train, and not enough seats for everybody so we'd have to fight over them with the many locals. We thought he was joking, but he was NOT. Roberto & I didn't fancy standing up in an over heated carriage for 2 hours so we opted to sit on an open platform. I worried about getting sunburnt and getting a sunstroke as I had no hat (since I wasn't expecting this... in my romantic mind I'd pictured something on the line of the Orient Express !!! HUM).

So I used my beach towel as a turban and just caked myself up with sun tan lotion and drank lots of water... though not too much to avoid having to use the toilets, which were a hole in the floor where you could see the railway line.

The scenery though, more than made up for the discomfort (lower back pain and bordering on cramps in legs with not much room to move -- many other people sharing the said platform with us for the same reasons). Lots of beautiful trees and the railway line was following the Padas River so it added an extra touch of magic. I tried to take photos but though we were not going extremely fast (it was a steam train) it was fast enough to get blurred shots sometimes. I switched to a faster shutter speed and it seemed to do the trick. I was so visually enthralled that I didn't really have time to focus on my body pain. Roberto had a bigger rucksack and could lay right back and was far more comfortable... I was just holding onto my camera as tight as I could as the train was vibrating a lot and I read in my camera book that memory cards must not endure vibrations as it could wipe out the data, or distort it..... ahhhhh. That would have been the last straw !

We first reached the last stop for white water rafting and the train made a 30mn stop here so we could get off and put everything we needed for later in lockers. Then we hopped back on the train to go to the starting point. There we had our safety briefing with a very funny instructor who demonstrated that we'd have to be careful putting people back onto the board if one of us fell over as sometimes by trying to pull one back in, if you step back too far, you push another one out ! He also said that last week a male guest lost his pants in the process and had to go back on board half naked... he said 'so guys, we can't afford to have that kind of exposure again, next time, you swim back all the way... ladies: it's up to you, we don't mind if you have loose pants'.

It was quite a thorough briefing actually... they took H&S very seriously (for once!). For instance they said that when you fall into rapids you must NEVER try to stand up as there could be stones underneath that could tear your feet, you must always let yourself go with the flow, and float backwards, with your arms folded across your chest and your feet as high up as you can. Then you will reach a point where the water is calm again and the crew will go and get you. The bit that worried me most was when the whole boat flips over and you get trapped underneath. He assured us that oxygen would get trapped underneath too but that we'd need to feel our way out to the surface again (which, to me, would seem exceedingly difficult with a life jacket). The water being quite muddy, you just would not have been able to see anything at all, even with googles, just feel your way out.

We were given water to drink before the 2 hour ride and some watermelon to eat too and then they assigned an average of 5 people per boat (+ one instructor) though some other groups were bigger and had bigger boats. We loved it from the first moment...

It was actually a brilliant route because we started with 3 x level 2 rapids to 'warm up' and then in between the water was so calm that we practised going overboard. We all had to jump in and pull each other back up. I was useless... Roberto was as agile as a monkey and managed to pull himself back up on his arm strength alone, I, on the other hand, was as graceful as an elephant and when I got pulled back in, I was laid out in full, with my legs upside down and in a very un-lady position. But it was heaps of fun. We all (but R!) struggled to get back in.... It was wonderful to 'swim' for a while anyway, as it was such a HOT day, we needed to cool our skins off once in a while. The scenery was just spectacular and I made a point to focus on this too.

There was this constant game going on between all the boats as to who could splash the most and how to get all your fellow rafters as wet as one could. This wasn't huge fun sometimes as if I wasn't looking I'd get a whole whack of water in my face and if my mouth happened to be open, it tasted pretty foul. In fact, within 15mns I started to feel a slight stomach pain, as if I'd swallowed some germs and the little bug was making itself known. Thankfully, I had just the right stuff in my bag when we got back, I swallowed a pill vs stomach upsets and I was instantly better...

Roberto being the more muscly of all the blokes (the other 2 were Chinese) was seated at the front where one has to paddle extra hard. During the very last rapid, he was even asked to sit on the actual front of the boat, not to the side with another bloke. He had no paddles, just the rope to hold onto, and he thought it was WILD.

In fact, we both enjoyed this SO much that he said 'ok, next holiday destination: Colorado, where we can do this EVERY day'... I had warned him that he'd find it addictive ! :) He's such a water baby (Aquarian like me), he was bound to LOVE it.

Then we had a well earned lunch. They showed us a DVD of us rafting down but I didn't buy it because there were SO many boats, that I only featured in it a few seconds here and there. Roberto, however, bought a set of souvenir photos (4 x 6x4 and 1 x 7x10) though the print job is rather dire... but hey, what do you expect 'on site' in the middle of nowhere ? The Railway Station we used is the ONLY one in Borneo (or in Sabah at least) and doesn't go anywhere else. Though there a few tiny villages on the way so the locals go on it on & off....

After that, it was back on the open platform of the train. It was 3:45pm so the sun wasn't as strong... The train ride was also, thankfully, shorter. Fewer stops meant we saved one hour (which is less pain on the bum !). Then it was back on the coach for 2 hours...

I immediately went on line afterwards and Roberto is swimming away as we speak... I told him that he would hate his office job when he gets back and would be much better suited as a kayake instructor.... He totally agreed. But I guess there's no white water rafting around London ?! Is there any decent ride in the UK even ???

Anyway.. I'd better sign off as we agreed to meet in the restaurant, by the pool, at 8pm. I am still amazed by the quality of the buffet here... just on the dessert front they had about 15 to choose from, from lychee tartlets, to peach and/or blueberry cheesecake, chocolate mousse, crepe suzette, panna cota, creme caramel, ice creams with yam, and all sorts of flavours, ETC ETC... all beautiful presented in little containers. Just a feast for the eyes as much as for the tastebuds !

Tomorrow, we're off snorkelling again... let's hope we continue to have glorious weather. The last 2 days couldn't have been more perfect... (I dare not think where we'd have ended up on the train if it had been pouring... I think we'd still have rather sat outside, with a raincoat on!).

Take care, see you tomorrow..... moi xxx

Mt Kinabalu, part 2 ( July 07)

Well, after a lovely breakfast on a beautiful terrace overlooking some gorgeous high fern trees, (with majestic Mt Kinabalu in the distant clouds) we then took a short bus ride to go the starting point of the trail to the summit. We had decided early on, when we planned this, not to do the whole trail as it'd have meant staying overnight in a very cold lodge (2C) and would have meant taking lots of warm clothes in our (already super packed) suitcases just for that one night. Besides, after having done lots of hiking in Sardinia where I really suffered uphill, I failed to see the plus of doing something like this again, esp. as the top was just stones, with no vegetation at all. The average person needs 3 days to complete the trek, but expert runners, who compete vs each other every December for the annual race to the top, can make it in 2H30 !!!! These are usually porters who work on the Inka Trail and other such places, high up, who don't get altitude sickness. Pretty impressive ! I tell you, after 1km, I back tracked. I wanted to just go down again slowly and take in all the plants I saw on the way. I counted about 15 different species of moss alone... and lots of different designs of ferns.

Roberto went a lot further up, but he's like a mountain goat, he doesn't seem to 'suffer' at all on his legs and doesn't even use a stick to go down when the average person desperately needs on to relieve pressure on the knees.

After another lovely lunch on the same beautiful terrace - the food is truly incredible, we feel so spoilt, so much nicer than Chinese (too blend) or Thai (too spicy), we set off to the orchid farm.

It wasn't in our itinerary but our guide mentioned such a farm was on the way back to KK and as Roberto was in no rush to go back to KK (and neither was I, the air smelt too good up there), we thought it'd be a neat excuse to hold back time.

It was a most enjoyable afternoon, with lots of very vivid orchids... they come in so many different shapes and forms. Some are very big, others are minuscule. Roberto said it was the 'most beautiful garden he had ever seen'... and our guide was really friendly. In fact, most of our guides have been really sweet and welcoming. Even our talkative guide, annoying as he could be, was so passionate about his job, and he was so organised, he had taken all sorts of things to show us to make our treks more interesting (i.e. a lighter to set a seed alight that has gasoline inside, well, a type of bio oil).

We eventually reached KK at 5:00pm and checked into the phenomenal Sutera Harbour Resort. Wow. You can pretty much do every sport you'd want (from golf to... play station for kids - a whole centre set aside for that !). They have 5 huge pools, including an olympic pool. The beach isn't great but Roberto still went in and saw quite a few fish.

The sunsets here are the best we've seen... well, they are the ONLY ones we've seen... and the buffets, mama mia. I've never seen so much choice in my life. Starters including salmon, caviar, tiger prawns, oysters, mussels, + lots of 'perfect bites' with grilled aubergine + slice of tomato + slice of mozarella, with a basil leaf on top and pesto... all sorts of similar food parcels. The desserts were like: geee, where do you start ??? We had to seriously refrain ourselves not to be sick.

It's now quite late so I'd better sign off, tomorrow we have a 7:30am pick-up (steep !) to go on our white water rafting venture. Everybody has been telling us we are quite brave which is making Roberto slightly nervous by now. I therefore hope that this won't be our last update! hum... But the brochure states that it's suitable from 7 year old upwards... so, it can't be that bad, surely? It hasn't rained for 2 days (a first, so far it's rained every day, mainly at night) so I hope the weather will stay clear so that the river won't be too wild as it'll take us longer to float down then and enjoy the scenery... and it'll probably be safer too. The one time I did white water rafting, in New Zealand, back in 1993, I didn't really enjoy it. I was glad when it was over. One of my colleagues who went on the same ride here said that 'he thought he was going to die' but then the adrenaline rush was incredible when it was over.

I shall report in due course... God willing !!!!

Mount Kinabalu is 'wow' :)

Well, we woke up at 7:15am and after a leisurely breakfast we spent 1h40 in our transfer van to get to Mt Kinabalu, Borneo's first World Heritage Park for its outstanding contribution to nature - I mentioned earlier it holds the world record for the most plants per square meters.

It was quite a zig-zag to the National Park and our guide for that day was rather talkative and it made me quite queasy. Even Roberto ended up with a headache... trying to focus on him and make eye contact to be polite when you really would rather look at the scenery... We stopped a little craft market on the way, for 20mns, just to break the journey. I didn't really find anything much of interest (my suitcase is so packed, hard to squeeze any more in for a start), so I got a fridge magnet of a rhino hornbill as a keepsake. Again, I found NO post card that I liked, they were too bleached, too old, or too dull. Sorry. For a country that's as beautiful as this, there is definitely a market here for my photos because they have NO idea how to represent it properly. Shocking. So, I'd rather send no post-cards than bad ones... my visual self will not allow any less.

Our first decent stop was at the Botanical Gardens. The first thing that struck us when we got off the van was how pure and fresh and crisp the air was after our previous stops with 98% humidity in the air. It felt so refreshing. We instantly fell in love with the air quality and the surroundings... a bit like being in the Alps (so Roberto tells me since I've never been there myself) with Mt Kinabalu as a lovely back-drop (when it wasn't in the clouds). The Botanical Gardens had more plants than flowers, as most only flower every 12 years or so (including the biggest flower in the world: good old Rafflesia, that only flowers 5 days a year - named after the guy who 'founded' Singapore and created the Raffles hotel).

Our guide was super enthusiastic about the place, almost too much... we went into the mountain forests to hike and every 10 seconds (no exaggeration) he'd point something out and tell us about how they use such & such a plant for dessert, soups, etc. and I could see that Roberto was so keen to get ahead and do a proper walk (we hadn't had any exercise in the previous 3 days and he was getting 'hyper' by his own admission) and we had to remain polite and listen patiently. It was all interesting, but I didn't have a pen to record it all. All I can remember is that Sabah is only 10% of Borneo and that they have 1,200 different orchids. That most square meters has 30 different plants and that Borneo's rainforests are 130 million years old, twice as old as the almighty Amazon at 'only' 60 million years old. He said that, in that respect, Borneo is the best place on the planet to see how plants have evolved... and that some of the ones that we can still see today would have been eaten by dinosaurs. All the trees have a very low root system as most of the fertilisers are only 5cms deep (the soil is mostly rocks). As it's so humid most leaves that fall to the ground decay in just 3 months, whereas in Europe it'd take more like 12.

We then had lunch in a lodge quite high up on a hill but with no view over Mt Kinabalu, which was a bit of a shame. But it was on the way to the Poring Springs recreation area where we were going to spend the whole afternoon.

Our first stop was the Butterfly farm. They have such big ones but the selection was very poor compared to some in Costa Rica. Their hot springs were also a joke and not at all as scenic as Tobaccon in Arenal (Costa Rica, again). Their bath tubs were tiny and made of ceramic and more like a normal bath tub... instead I opted to go and swim in the pool fed by mountain springs. Much cooler (22C) but just what I needed as I was drenched in sweat....

We had had a short steep hike to reach the canopy walk and I didn't enjoy the hike (who likes to suffer?) but I did enjoy the canopy walk - 35m high. As beautiful as the one in the Danum Valley really. We took some really fun pix at the top, among the tree tops... we look like explorers on a thin board between 2 ropes. A bit hairy. Some people plain refuse to do it. NOT one for the faint-hearted or those who suffer from vertigo, definitely.

We finished our various activities at 6pm and then had dinner in a superb lodge, I think it was called Ligwa, after the river nearby. Just beautifully decorated, simple but nice. I even took a photo....

Our lodge where we stayed overnight was also cosy and very beautiful. The room temperature was only 20C, but it was actually nicer than being too hot. They had 2 blankets on the bed as for most Malaysians, it'd be too cold. But we slept like logs...

Our only concern was that Roberto's toothache is not getting much better, though he'll say it's also not worse. But he had a bad headache, which could be caused by dehydratation (he doesn't drink enough) or a side effect of the toothache? I feel sorry for him as it's a shame that he's not feeling 100% when it's such an exciting adventure... but, to give him credit, he NEVER complains. I'm the one who keep asking him how he is, he just grins and bears it. Top marks.

Sepilok Rehabiliation Centre (2nd July 2007)

This morning (as I'm writing this) we reluctantly waved good bye to the K River area, but the journey back was just as beautiful again.... we spotted another wild orang utang and, even more impressive: a striking rhinoceros hornbill ('the only rhino that flies' as the guides like to joke). They have this amazing bright orange 'helmet' on their head which is quite something..... our guide had some great binoculars and the orange was very vivid. Probably one of the most unusual birds that I've ever seen I must say...

We then went to Sandakan's Chinese temple for a view over the whole bay, which was very nice indeed. I didn't really go inside the temple much because I find it hard to be impressed by some Bhudda statues since this is so against my personal beliefs.... as you well know.

From then on we went to the Sabah hotel for lunch, enjoyed another lavish buffet by a gorgeous swimming pool and then we made it to the world famous Sepilok orang utang rehabilitation centre. It is only open a few hours a day to the public and you can only view the 1st platform.

As the orphans gain more and more skills they are encouraged to move to platforms 2, 3, and 4 which are deeper and deeper into their natural habitat, till they decide never to come back. Well, some do, and some don't. Some always come back to some plaforms for food, it depends on their personalities. We were shown a video beforehand of how they are looked after and the time, energy and commitment of the staff is remarkable. They are bottle fed every 4 hours, they have their nappies changed, they have to wear clothes as babies to keep warm and avoid infections, they are taught how to hold ropes and swing, etc. All the things a natural mother would have done. Some babies are known to cling to humans endlessly.... or to each other. They are highly sociable as 'toddlers' and absolutely crave contact and attention. The TV reporter who had done the documentary spoke and said it is impossible not to get attached to them and be moved by the efforts of the staff to put them back where they belong.

Usually the orphans are brought in after being found in a palm tree plantation (Malaysia is the biggest producer and half of the land has been dedicated to agriculture which has wrecked countless hectares of rainforests in the process). As the mothers are such dedicated mothers, every time a baby is found alone, you can guarantee the mother is dead. Some farmers rescue them and because they look so adorable, keep them as pet, but this is totally illegal here and can bring a helfy fine and jail sentence to anyone who is found with one. The Sepilok workers usually get tip offs and fly to the rescue. Some farmers are genuinely unaware that what they have done is illegal, saying that.

Palm oil plantations are everywhere, I have NEVER seen so many palm trees in my entire life, and no wonder.... they are the number one producers of palm oil. But thankfully the Malaysian government has seen the light and with the increase in tourism has now declared that no more land should be devoted to agriculture as they are enough as it is. Tourism is the 2nd earner for the country and the focus is now on this to promote Borneo's natural beauty and assets.

Tomorrow we will be off to Mt Kinabalu National Park, and it will be another memorable day if the weather holds (we have been incredibly fortunate, it is glorious sunshine 80% of the time and hasn't really interfered with any activities), Mt K is the most diverse in the WHOLE world for plants and flowers, with a 1,000 different species of orchids alone. So, I should go mad with my photography... I have enjoyed taking pictures of the vividly colourful flowers as much as the scenery or wildlife.

London feels like miles away, needless to say as even the air smells so good here... when I read in your emails how bad things are getting over there, with bomb alerts and all sorts, it's like: I wish I could put the peace and beauty of this place in a bottle and take it back with me.

We have taken so many beautiful photos... we both say that we will have a heart-attack if for any reason the memory card gets damaged or my camera stolen. It'd be heart wrenching because I really want to SHOW you, through my photos, the appeal of this mystical place... Besides, I always feel I can put so much of my soul in my photography and that my feminine side shows too ! :)

I'd better sign off and head back for the hotel, next door-ish... Roberto's given up on me and has gone ahead. Keep on sending me some news, it's always good to 'connect' with you all. Tomorrow we'll be staying in a basic hotel so I don't anticipate having internet access there though ...

The saga shall resume in 48 hours then..... till then: BIG bisous! :)

Kinabatangan River ... another gem in Borneo's crown (30 June)

Well, I'm now back in KK, the capital of Borneo, in a McDonald, standing up because the typing chair is broken and using a keyboard that is seriously wonky.... as it's late already I am not sure how much I'll have time to say but we had a fantastic time in the K river area.

We had left the Danum Valley at 5:00am and needless to say that Roberto & I were both seriously dopey and dozed on & off in the car, on the way to Laha Datu... which was a bit of a shame as the scenery of the rainforest was as spectacular as ever. Especially early morning, with the mist rising from the tree tops... sooo atmospheric. We didn't really see any wildlife on the way but we enjoyed the trees just the same...

From Laha Datu it was another 1h30 drive to Sandakan, the gateway to Borneo's main wildlife area... an area that used to be plagued by pirates a few centuries back as the Philippines is just a mere 27kms away from there.

Roberto bought me another 1GM memory card for my camera in case we ran out as we both find that every day is so scenic that you want to capture as much of it all as you can, and yet try and be selective too not to be too repetitive. Besides, when you just see one frame it doesn't compare to the whole picture....

We then boarded a boat for another 1h30 to go to our lodge for the next 2 nights. We were treated to sightings of several groups of proboscis monkeys. These guys are seriously weird looking and if you have time to look them up on line, please do. They look like caricatures, with very big noses and the locals nicknamed them the 'Dutchmen' as when the first explorers arrived they found some likeness ! The alpha male can have up to 20-25 wives (a record in monkey world) and the females are known to behave like humans when the 'kids' disobey by slapping them on the face if need be. When the boys want to fight, they are gentlemen about it and do not hurt each other or kill each other. They just growl and snarl and might slap each other, as one would with an invisible glove, till one admits defeat.

We saw heaps of them and it was special because they are endemic to Borneo and you will never find them in a zoo. They are on the 'vulnerable' list of species as their habitat is very limited (though the K river area is now protected) and some conservation projects have been trialled with them, to ensure their survival but it proved impossible. The moment you put them in a cage, they go on hunger strike... as if they would rather die than not be free.

Then, a few minutes later, we got another bigger treat, a herd of elephants by the riverside, spotted by Yours Truly. We got so close to them and watched them bathe and eat bamboos, etc. It was such a thrill, especially for Roberto who had never seen them in the wild, ever. Even our guide was excited because he said that such sightings are very rare and sometimes you only see them 4-5 times a year. He had not seen any for 2 months at least. So the word soon spread around that we had hit the jackpot. I told Roberto that he had 'beginner's luck'....!

Our good fortune continued as we spotted many black hornbills and macaque monkeys and even wild orang utangs ! These guys share 96.4% of our DNA so they can have some remarkably human like expressions. They are solitary animals once adults so spotting them is a lot harder. We saw a mother with a baby, but quite high up on a tree... This prompted our guide to explain to us that orang utang mothers are expectionally devoted mothers and will spend several years teaching their offspring every skill they need to survive. If one of the babies falls off when they are jumping trees and obviously dies upon hitting the ground, they won't give up,they will go down to pick it up and carry it with them till the body starts to smell... and then they will realise it's definitely dead. But even in Sepilok, some mothers have been known to bring their dead babies to the feeding platform, as if they could still benefit from it.... really heart-wrenching.

We eventually checked in and soon after went on a beautiful evening cruise. The light was perfect, till a storm set in. But we were both completely taken aback by the scenery unfolding in front of us. Again, the sheer diversity of trees and ferns and all sorts... I know I have said that a lot but it is SO lush and SO green, it's like a 'green overdose' and just stunning. Roberto was usually sitting right on the front of the boat (we had one for just 4 people to ourselves) and he was having the time of his life. I was equally impressed, and it does take a lot to impress me as, being well-travelled, I feel I have 'been there and done that' a lot more, obviously.....

We even saw a mangrove snake on a tree, a few monitor lizzards snoozing up in trees too... we pretty much got to see everything we wanted to see, but for the clouded leopards. One had been spotted in a lodge just a week ago, on the ground of a beautiful restaurant where we had stopped earlier to have lunch - food is very very good. Actually, I must correct what I said in my earlier post, clouded leopards were not discovered just last year, but the first one was captured last year. The food, by the way, has exceeded my expectations... I am not getting bored with it at all.

The next day we had another early wake up call and set off in the spitting rain for another leisurely cruise up a smaller estuary. This was even more beautiful as the shores were much nearer still, and it led us to a very peaceful oxbow lake... lots of water hyacynths (?) on the water and we saw more proboscis monkeys... oh, a funny anecdote about them is that they are nicknamed 'hot chilli' because they seem to spend half of their lives with a permanent erection... they are very highly sexed because it's part of social interaction for them... and the 'red chilli' is often quite visible....

We never saw any crocodiles but there are plenty around so Roberto was advised NOT to go for swim lest he is never heard of again. Besides, the water was very muddy... like a smooth cappucchino I guess. We even had a small breakfast on our boat, which was just perfect as the rain had stopped by then.

It's also better for pictures as I refuse to take pictures in the rain in case my digital camera gets broken as they are SO fragile. My built-in flash is already broken and I do not understand why because I took SUCH good care of it, never dropped it, or anything.... so I'll have to take it back to the shop. Thankfully I have a back up flash with my flash gun as last night I wanted to have a photo of us wearing our sarons (as traditional in Malaysia.... and the lodge had left a couple of sarons for all guests to try on so we'd all be 'in the mood'). Talking of clothes and all, it is also traditional to wear no shoes inside so it suits me fine as I like wearing no shoes given half the chance. Women, I have been told, are so shy that they will bathe in the river fully clothed. I cannot imagine having a bath with all my clothes on !! It's like: how do you EVER get properly clean ???? I'd wander around with no clothes on either if I could, far more freeing... especially when it's sooo hot and humid.

After lunch we had another cruise, starting at 3:45pm (any earlier is pointless as the animals are sleeping too). We were lucky to spot a beautiful Asian flycatcher, or Paradise Flycatcher... a bit like a white quetzal, with a lovely long tail. But we just saw it hover above water, it didn't really sit still long enough for us to take a photo.

We saw more wild orang utangs too... oh, did you know that they are so like us that they catch the same diseases, have the same gestation period AND even the same twin rate (1 birth in 90). However, unlike human mothers, because looking after ONE 'kid' is tough enough, the weaker twin will be abandoned to give the stronger one a much better chance of survival.

It's been a brilliant adventure so far and I'd highly recommend this area to anyone who wants to spot wildlife in Borneo.... a gem.