borneo (and thailand)

   More pictures here.  Time for another trip out east, and we decided to focus this time on Malaysian Borneo - the rainforests and the wildlife, bookended by some relaxing beach visits.  Flying into KL then immediately on to Borneo, we had a few days relaxation at Kota Kinabalu, followed by the jungle in Mulu, the interesting history of Sarawak’s capital, Kuching, and the orang utan sanctuary at Sepilok.  Then a great couple of beaches on Thailand’s Andaman coast, before returning via a stopover in Kuala Lumpur. 


Kota Kinabalu:
     We stayed at the Shangri-La resort hotel, north of Kota Kinabalu.  The city itself, capital of the province of Sabah, is mostly very modern — so we spent all week around the hotel, which has a huge sandy beach next to a wooded headland. 
     This chain of hotels is renowned for its food and there are several excellent restaurants here, including a Malaysian open air terrace, serving hawker centre style food, and one of the best Indian restaurants we have visited.
     At the daily cocktail hour, we chatted to hotel staff and other guests as the sun set over the sea.  A large proportion of the staff are local, and very friendly.
     We also went on a nature trail over the headland, led by a very knowledgable guide from the hill tribe not far away, formerly headhunters.  From here there are great views across the plain to Mount Kinabalu itself, the highest in Malaysia.
Its brooding blue profile, which features on Sabah’s flag, is often lost in clouds.

Mulu:
     Via two small planes we flew deep into the Malaysian jungle, inland of Brunei.  This area is famous for its bats, millions of which roost in nearby caves and swarm out at dusk.  We saw hundreds of them around the lights of the hotel at night, catching insects with incredible feats of acrobatics.
     Our hotel, and nearby jungle walks, are set on high walkways to protect from regular flooding during the rainy season.  But the weather was fine for us.

Kuching:
     Capital of Sarawak and home of the Rajah Brooks, who ran it as a private fiefdom for three generations.  They seem to be well regarded today by many of the locals, as their rule was, by the standards of the time, benign.   Local tribes and the large Chinese population were involved in the administration, and local customs respected.  Certainly it was better than their experience as a Crown colony after the Japanese occupation, or its forced marriage with Malaysia later. 
     The locals resent the way the KL government has exploited Sarawak’s natural resources while giving very little back.
     Kuching is a pleasant city, its languid river edged with parks and terraces, and there is a large area of Chinese shop houses.  The old colonial buildings survive and there is an interesting and very old fashioned museum explaining the history.
     The new provincial parliament building is rather over the top, but all in all, a good city to visit.

Sepilok:
     Back to Sabah, where we stayed at the Sepilok nature resort, near Sandakan, next to the famous orangutan sanctuary.  Here, they take orphan orangutans (often captured by hunters after killing their mothers) and gradually encourage them back into the wild.  The young ones are cared for by the keepers and bit by bit they move out into the jungle, returning to the feeding stations where visitors can watch them.  There is also a sanctuary for the very rare Bornean sun bears, and we heard pygmy elephants.
     On our first morning, we saw several of them moving freely through the tree canopy above our villa.  Later, at the feeding station, one came arm over arm down a rope then quite deliberately peed on the visitors below.  Quite a joker. 
     The resort itself is simple but very pleasant, set around a lagoon with an open restaurant and bar to while away the evenings.  We were taken on a night walk around the grounds, where the experienced guides showed us hornbills, kingfishers, a catfish in a tiny stream, and some weird and wonderful insects.  We also saw troupes of two species of Macaques, wandering freely.

Thailand:

     So, we completed our trip with a little R+R in Thailand.  First, to Ko Lanta on the Andaman coast, where we stayed in the delightful Pimalai Hotel, arriving via the hotel’s speedboat through the dramatic limestone archipelago.  The resort itself stretches from the beach right up the hillside, with great views from the top. 
     Then finally a few days at our favourite beach anywhere, Bang Sak, north of Khao Lak.  The hotel staff put on a delightful homespun concert to mark Loi Khrathong and otherwise we wandered up and down this beautiful bay and enjoyed the sunsets.