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PROBUS CLUB of MANDURAH PEEL Inc Reg No - A1019730Z
**TRAVEL GROUP**
Leader: Annie Clark
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Trip to Borneo
On 27th May, a group of members embarked on an 18-day escorted tour of Borneo. The following is an account of the trip.
Upon arriving at Perth airport, we discovered our flight had been delayed 2 hours. The traffic in the airport was chaotic and it took John 45 minutes to park the car and get back to us. However, Batik Air gave us all $20 each to spend on a meal while we waited, which was very thoughtful. So it was more like 2.15am when we finally left Perth, all very tired. We then missed our connection in KL and were put on a later flight which was also slightly delayed. We were like zombies when we finally arrived in Kuching.
Our guide Frankie had been waiting hours for us but was in good spirits and soon had a safely in our beautiful hotel. The Waterfront Hotel was in a wonderful location with rooms overlooking the river. The gang soon found the pool bar and made themselves at home. This became the favourite haunt for our 4-night stay. A walk over the bridge to the orchid gardens was to be our first day exercursion but unfortunately it was closed for maintenance. Our favourite coffee shop was the Commons Cafe in the old courthouse building, with very colonial decor with an amazing selection of cakes.
On our third day we experienced a tropical thunderstorm. The scenery disappeared from view and the rain bucketed down for half an hour. But no-one cared as it was happy hour at the bar and the food was great and so cheap.
On day 4, our tour began with a trip to Semenggoh Rehabilitation Centre. We all waited at the feeding station for the illusive orangutan to appear. After about 10 minutes, there was a movement in the trees and we were told that a young orangutan was on its way. There was silence as the young male slowly approached. He bravely swung down the rope twice and picked up a bunch of bananas between his feet and then retreated a little way back to have a feed. We could all see him clearly and everyone was thrilled.
The next day we were packed up and ready to leave for the airport. Our flight was on time and we soon arrived in Kota Kinabalu. Our guide Saal, together with our driver Barin, were there to greet us. After a rest at the hotel, we had a seafood dinner at the fishing village and then a cultural performance which everyone enjoyed.
The following day was busy with an early start and then off to the Mari Mari Cultural Village. Our guide for the day was Mr Zul and what a great guide he was - so entertaining while we visited the houses of five different ethnic people. After another cultural performance and then lunch, we returned to the hotel for a short rest, before leaving again at 4pm for our sunset dinner cruise. It started to rain so Saat got us some plastic ponchos as we walked to the boat. We had a lovely dinner and great entertainment. The group let their hair down with dancing, and everyone had a great time. The rain had stopped, and the sunset was beautiful after all.
The next day was a free day. Margaret, Jeff, Frank and John went rafting, while another couple got a boat to Manuken island. Most of us visited the local shopping mall, but we all met at the pool bar for drinks and dinner.
On our last day in KK, we went for a train ride on the North Borneo railway. We were all given a snack pack as we boarded. After an hour’s train ride, we had a guided tour through the local village of Popar. It was then back on the train at 11.30 for a ride back to KK. Lunch on board consisted of chicken and rice, okra and cucumber, with a nice cold lemon drink. The day finished with drinks and dinner on the pool deck.
On Thursday morning, we packed up again and headed overland to Kundasan. We visited local markets, botanic gardens and war memorial gardens before arriving at our hotel perched high on top of a hill overlooking Kundasan and Mt Kinabalu. Much cooler up here and everyone enjoyed having an open window instead of air conditioning. The Perkasa hotel needs updating, but rooms were adequate, as was the food.
We left at 7.30am for our long drive to the Kinabatangan River. A couple of stops on the way to visit the Death March End camp memorial and also the Sabah Tea Factory. We arrived at Bilit Lodge at about 3pm and were served a good lunch. At 4.30pm, we joined wildlife boat cruise and were fortunate to see a pigmy elephant and the silver leaf languor before it started to rain. It continued to rain heavily all the way back and we got rather soaked. After a hot shower and change of clothes, dinner was served at 7pm.
On Saturday, we were all up early for a boat cruise at 6am. We saw the elephants again and more hornbills and proboscis monkeys. Everyone was ready for their breakfast when we returned to the lodge. A short rest before we gathered for a cooking class. We all had a go at making roti on the hot plate and Saat cooked a yummy chicken curry. We all got to taste the curry and then lunch was then served.
In the afternoon, some of the ladies had a go at fabric painting. 4pm was our last boat cruise and this time we went in the opposite direction against the tide. The boat man found a lovely back stream which was so beautiful to travel along. We saw some more hornbills, including the rhinoceros hornbill which is a big bird. We also saw two different species of kingfishers. After dinner, one of the staff put some music on to make us dance - not local dance but YMCA and Nutbush etc, which was quite a laugh.
We left the Lodge at 9am on Sunday and went on our bus for a drive through Gomantang Reserve to look for wildlife but only saw pigtail macaques. After a comfort stop for ice creams, it was on to near Sandakan, a lovely modern area with nice western style roads and estates. We had a nice Western style lunch and then on to Sepilok Jungle Resort which was to be our home for three nights. Our rooms were very outdated but adequate for our needs. We gathered about 4.30pm for drinks on the verandah and were surprised by a welcome visit from an orangutan on the roof. She swung her way to a nearby coconut palm where she had a nice drink of coconut water and then settled in the palm for the night. The next morning, she was encountered again on the roof of the boardwalk and was happy to pose for photos.
Our highlight on Monday was visiting the orangutan sanctuary where we saw the young come to feed, followed by the pigtailed macaques. The sun bear enclosure was not so pleasing, but apparently, they need a lot of time to adapt to the wild as most of them have been kept confined as pets. Lunch was back at the lodge and then lovely dinner back near Sandakan, which we all enjoyed.We had a lazy start to the day on Tuesday as we met our tour guide at 10am. We drove through a palm plantation and stopped to look at the fruit that has just been harvested. We learnt a lesson on what part of the palm fruit is used for food oil and what is used for cosmetics. The proboscis monkeys were fed at 11.30am, with mainly cucumber which must be a treat for them. They were fascinating to watch. We also watched the silver leaf langurs being fed. They are sweet monkeys and not at all shy, sitting all over the bannisters and posing for photos. Lunch was at the sanctuary, which provided a great set up for tourists to enjoy lunch after visiting, and the food was good. Dinner was back at Sepilok.
On Wednesday morning, we were back on the bus at 10.30am. and drove to the Australian War Memorial in Sandakan. The history of the Death Marches is very well presented in the museum, and the actual memorial is beautiful. They hold a Dawn Service here on Anzac Day. Lunch was at an hotel in Sandakan and we had a short walk around the city before checking into our hotel, which had beautiful rooms. Everyone appreciated the luxury after five days in the jungle! Our farewell dinner was at the English Teahouse, part of the Agnes Keith House complex. It was a lovely three course Western meal, and then it was time to say goodbye to our driver Barin and our wonderful guide Saat. They had looked after us so well, so we were sad to say goodbye.
Everyone slept well in their comfy beds. Breakfast was served by the pool, which l was lovely. Some of the group went on a city tour, some had a walk to the Harbour Front shopping mall and some just relaxed. The Agnes Keith House was the highlight of Sandakan. Agnes Keith was a prolific writer; she lived through Japanese occupation and was also a POW.
A relaxing few days but time to start saying our goodbyes, with six of us to continue to enjoy Kuala Lumpur.
Annie Clark
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