Borneo

The next stop on our journey was Borneo. The island of Borneo is about half Indonesia and half Malaysia.Also on the island is the entire (tiny) country of Brunei. Oil was discovered in Brunei, and it is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. We went to Malaysian Borneo, which is the northern half of the island. We went to the state of Sabah, on the east side. We spent our time in and around the city of Kota Kinabalu.

Borneo is known for all the unique creatures and flowers, for headhunters and because of the rainforest. It is also the location of the first Survivor series. We were surprised at how developed it is - and how big and spread out.

Being rainforest, of course we got lots of rain, including thunderstorms. It seemed to rain everyday, either late morning or late afternoon. Once we figured that out, we managed to mostly stay dry.

Kota Kinabalu is the biggest major city in Sabah. It is located on the sea but it is not beach. There are several markets. One is dedicated to handicrafts and other tourist items. Another is mostly grocery items and seems to be for the locals. There is also Sunday Market and Night market. At night, there is also a food market where dinner (prepared or raw ingredients) can be found.

We actually had quite a challenge finding food. Being that it is an island, fish is a staple dietary item. We are not big fish eaters at the best of times, and these were served complete with heads and teeth. Added to that we did not recognize any of the menu items (especially if they were written in Malay). If the restaurant did not have a picture menu, or display their foods we had to move on. Thankfully, there was McDonalds for the more difficult days.

One day we took a boat trip over to Sapi Island to spend the day snorkeling. It was fabulous! You can walk out from the beach and see fish without even putting your head under water. Slightly further out (but still no need to swim) is coral. We decided to test our camera's underwater claim so we got a few pictures - but they are nothing like the real experience. The water is comfortably warm and clear and we spent hours underwater. When we needed to dry out, we walked over to the restaurant for lunch and the most delicious watermelon juice we have ever tasted. About 20 feet away we noticed monitor lizardss in the shade of the trees. One was about 6 feet long. They were quite shy and moved away if we got too close while taking pictures.

Another day we went to the Lok Kawi Wildlife Reserve where we were able to see some of Borneo's unique animals and plants. The most memorable are the orangutan, the proboscis monkey and the hornbill.

Our next day was spent journeying to Mt. Kinabalu Park. Mt. Kinabalu is one of the highest peaks in Asia and is a destination for trekkers. Many people choose to climb to the peak. It is a 2 day hike and a highlight is being at the peak for sunrise. We were not that energetic and instead went to the Park for the Canopy Walk, Rainforest walk and viewing of the rafflesia. On the rainforest walk we discovered several varieties of orchids and some pitcher plants. The rafflesia is the biggest flower in the world and is only found in Borneo. The biggest one is about 1 meter across. The one we saw was about 18 inches. Rafflesias flower once a year for about 1 week. Getting to see the flower is most of the adventure. When one is in bloom, signs are put out on the roadside directing you to the location. Our bus drove as close as possible and then we got out and paid our viewing admission. We were led down into the forest for about 500 meters. The guide unlocked the fence and took us the remaining 30 meters to the flower. A barricade is set up to keep us from touching and damaging the flower while we looked. There is no foliage, only the giant waxy bloom sitting on the ground. They have the smell of rotten meat, but are quite extraordinary to look at.
Next stop for the day was Poring Hot Springs and Canopy Walk. This was one of the times when we were not able to avoid the rain - and rain is the rainforest is like nothing I have ever experienced before. We ended up running along the canopy walk and not really taking in the amazing scenery.
Our tour guide explained to us that he is from a tribe in the southern part of Malaysian Borneo. He said the the tribe are historically headhunters, but headhunting has been illegal since 1964 so they no longer practice the tradition.
Do you know what a pineapple tree looks like? I always imagined they are tall palm trees, like coconuts. It turns out they are about the size of a houseplant and the pineapple grows on the top - only about 2 feet from the ground.

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