Our Itinerary

2nd Nov 2022	Wed	Newcastle to Sydney to
3rd Nov 2022	Thurs	Kuala Lumpur to Kuching
4th Nov 2022	Fri	Kuching to Semenggoh
5th Nov 2022	Sat	Kuching to Santubong
6th Nov 2022	Sun	Santubong to Kuching
7th Nov 2022	Mon	Kuching to Annah Rais Longhouse
8th Nov 2022	Tues	Annah Rais Longhouse to Miri
9th Nov 2022	Wed	Miri to Kota Kinabalu to Tip of Borneo
10th Nov 2022	Thurs	Tip of Borneo to Kota Kinabalu
11th Nov 2022	Fri	Kota Kinabalu
12th Nov 2022	Sat	Kota Kinabalu to Sapi Island to Kota Kinabalu
13th Nov 2022	Sun	Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur to		Bangkok to Sydney
14th Nov 2022	Mon	Sydney

Wednesday 2^nd November, 2022          

Newcastle to Sydney to Kuala Lumpur

Tonight we’re flying out from Sydney for our trip to Borneo and, in particular, Sarawak which is the main reason why we’re going. We did visit Borneo in 2006 but only did Sabah that trip.

So, this afternoon Lauren drives us to Broadmeadow Station where we catch the train to Sydney Central and then the airport train straight through to International. There are long line-ups to check-in our bags because of low staff numbers – Covid is still having a big impact on travel. 

Happily, we’re occupied waiting for our turn by chatting for ages to a lovely Indian man who tells us all about his life and his family. Finally through, we buy my usual two litres of Bacardi to take with us, plus a small bottle that we crack now and get a little bit tipsy before we board. 

Our flight is scheduled for 9:40 pm but operations are running late (low staff numbers again) and there’s a frantic/exciting dash at the last minute to get everyone on board because of the 11 pm curfew at Sydney Airport. 

We’re flying Air Asia and for some reason the plane is only about half full so we manage to get three seats each which means we both sleep for seven heavenly hours on this night time flight – couldn’t ask for better!

We land in Kuala Lumpur at 4:30 am three hours behind home. Because Borneo is part of Malaysia itself we need to catch a bus to the domestic terminal. Here Mark withdraws some ringgits 3 RM = AUD $1.

Thursday 3rd November, 2022          

Kuala Lumpur to Kuching, Sarawak

We don’t have long to wait and by 7.30am we take off for Kuching. Again the plane isn’t full and we have spare seats which means we get a window seat each. So this is another good flight and we even enjoy the plane food – beef rendang and rice.  

Clouds are below us the whole way until we start the descent to Sarawak where we can see rivers sneaking their way towards the sea. Borneo is the third-largest island in the world with about half belonging to Indonesian (Kalimantan), a tiny pocket the sultanate of Brunei and the rest belonging to Malaysia which is made up of the two regions, Sabah and Sarawak.

Since Social Studies classes in primary school we’ve both been fascinated by Sarawak, this land of longhouses, orangutans, indigenous tribes and, not so long ago in the past, head hunters!  So here we are, landing at 9:30 Malaysia time in Sarawak’s capital, Kuching.

It’s a thirty-minute drive into the city which becomes mort and more interesting as we near the river with its scenic waterfront which apparently is where all the main action happens. And right now, there’s even more action than usual as we’ve arrived in the middle of the Kuching Festival and Regatta. Rows and rows of tents have been erected alongside the river plus lots of food stalls and entertainment. So lucky.

And our booked accommodation is at the Kuching Waterfront Lodge with all the goings on just across the street. Unusually, we booked a place to stay ahead of time because I’d seen pictures of the Lodge on a traveller’s blog and looked it up – very atmospheric Chinese décor and super cheap so it was a no-brainer. 

We check in at the cute desk just off the footpath then find our room on the next floor. It’s basic but clean made extra appealing with a multi-coloured glass window opening onto the landing – just how we like it.

After a quick change into our laidback/holiday/sloppy clothes we head out to explore the area. Our Lodge sits amongst a row of traditional shop houses, a few are simple restaurants but most sell souvenirs, some the typical Asian stuff you can find everywhere but others sell authentic pieces. We’d love to buy now but think we’ll wait till we get to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah so we don’t have to cart them around for the next week or so – bad move – more about that later.

Later we cross over to the tents where traditional arts and crafts are for sale but nothing really appeals so we wander down further to come across the lovely James Brooks Restaurant.

British born James Brooks was the first White Sultan of Sarawak whose family ruled from 1841 to 1946. He’d been given the province of Kuching by the Sultanate of Brunei who he’d helped fight piracy and clashes among the Malays and Dayaks.

And because Kuching was virtually under British rule for almost a hundred years, it explains the many beautiful British colonial buildings we’ve already noticed on the way in from the airport. We’ll check them out in the next few days.

Right now, we’re ready for lunch and choose prawn noodle soup and salad plus cold drinks as the weather has really warmed up. The sun is also shining in a clear blue sky making the river view really beautiful. While most of the city is built on the southern bank of the river, the northern, opposite side is very green except for a couple of very impressive buildings which we’ll find out about later.

Walking back along the waterfront we see lots of tiny boats, that look a bit like Chinese sampans, carrying people from one side to the other. These are called tambans and I want to have a ride. One pulls in just below us so I rush down to ask the old driver if he can take us down river. We crawl inside and find a spot on the floor of the boat. An elderly lady carrying bags of vegetables comes with us and she tells us that she’ll be at the Regatta tomorrow and will see us there. She’s so pretty with the sweetest smile – I love her and give her a cuddle. We drop her at a small pier on the other side then chug downriver enjoying this peaceful ride on the calm waters of the Sarawak River. We love Kuching already!

Now we wander around another area where we find the beautiful Tua Pek Kong Temple, the city’s oldest Chinese temple where we burn incense and light candles for Angie and for our girls still with us. We never forget you Ange. Don’t ever be afraid my darling, I’m always with you.

I never know if giving offerings to my little one makes me happy or sad.

Down past all the tents we find the Old Courthouse built in 1871 which now houses the Sarawak Tourism Complex, a Textile Museum, a bar and a trendy café. Too early for the bar, we sit inside the cafe air-conditioning and order icy cold fruit juices. Mine has red streaks and Mark says it looks like someone cut their finger making it. Tastes good!

From here we find a little massage place around the corner. My massage girl is so sweet. Her name is Alice and she wears a black nylon wig. We chat throughout the massage which isn’t the best but we’re now firm friends. By this time we’re feeling a bit jet-lagged so we return to the Lodge for a short siesta.

On dark we stroll along the Waterfront which is especially lively tonight when locals are out eating at sizzling food stalls and people are generally just wandering around in family groups or young couples.

The still waters of the Sarawak River reflect the colourful LED lights of the spectacular Darul Hana Bridge. This was built in 2017 and is in the shape of an ‘S’ (for Sarawak) but is basically useless as a means of crossing the river for the local people as it’s a pedestrian-only bridge and you virtually have to walk around in a loop as well. So really it’s just a tourist attraction.

Another spectacular sight is the ever visible New Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Building which is themed on the number nine: nine stories, nine arches and its nine-pointed star that shapes the huge roof which is designed to represent a royal Malaysian umbrella. It looks amazing both day and night and tonight it shines a brilliant gold.

But now we’re ready for a drink and dinner. At the Drunken Monkey Bar we call in for a couple of drinks then walk a few streets over to The Junk, a very cool restaurant and bar with an overgrown entrance and lots of different seating areas inside. We choose a small private alcove facing the bar. The whole interior glows a warm rose coming from the many red lanterns and pendants. We share a huge seafood pizza while checking out the local customers.

From here, The Bear Garden isn’t far and we find seats in the beer (not ‘bear’) garden surrounded by greenery and frangipani trees. Back down at the Waterfront we watch entertainers but then head back to our guesthouse for a couple of drinks in the foyer which is open to all the action anyway.

A busy day! Loved it all!

Friday 4th November, 2022          

Kuching to Semenggoh

This morning the weather is drizzly rain but the temperature is still warm so we’re happy. Our plan today is to visit Semmengoh National Park to see the orangutans. Besides Sumatra in Indonesia, Borneo is the only other place on earth where these endangered primates still exist.

We ask Mohammed at the desk about where to get a bus out to the Park as we want to use public transport as much as we can.

Mark eventually finds our way to the market where the buses leave. Bus number six is already waiting but won’t leave for another 10 minutes. At a roadside stall I buy food to eat on the way as we haven’t had breakfast yet – sticky rice, tiny doughnuts, some sesame sweets and egg sandwiches, all for only 10 ringgit or AUD 3$. At 7:20am we pay 1 ringgit each ($.30) for the one-hour drive to Semmengoh.

We share with only two other passengers with the bus an old rattly number and some of the seats are even wet. It takes about twenty minutes to get through the city which is busy at this time in the morning. The roads are wet but the sky does look like it will eventually clear up. We pass graveyard mounds in Chinese cemeteries with lush greenery on both sides of the road. It’s wonderful to be out in the countryside having our first glimpse this trip of Borneo‘s thick, tropical vegetation.

We finally pull into the entrance to Semmengoh National Park with a big colourful ‘Selamat Datang’ welcome poster. Like Sabah’s Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary that we visited in 2007, Semenggoh Nature Reserve is a rehabilitation centre for orangutans but at the ticket office we notice a sign that tells us that we may not be able to see any at this time of year. Apparently the forest is full of fruit, so the orangutans don’t need to come down to the feeding platforms.

Anyway, we’ll give it a go and pay the small entrance fee. We also pay for a shuttle bus as apparently it’s a one and a half km walk up and down hills – we’ll get the shuttle, thank you very much! So far we’re the only visitors, probably because it’s not the right time of year to come. But it should be nice to experience the jungle so we trundle through the park stopping at a small car park at the top of a hill.

We walk down to the Visitor Centre then further down the hill to the waiting area. Feeding isn’t till 9 o’clock so we’ve still got half an hour at least to hang around. It’s lovely here anyway, with only calming jungle noises and with dense green vegetation all about us. We wander around a bit, but then Mark notices a huge orangutan climbing down to the feeding platform. He’s so close to us! He swings down gently to take the food, then back up into the trees where he hangs around for a while eating the fruit then finally disappears gracefully back into the jungle. We can’t believe our luck!

Not long after, other people turn up and then the staff, who are calling out the orangutans names, but we haven’t the heart to tell them that we’ve already seen one. At 9 o’clock we all walk through the jungle to the feeding platform where we wait for about forty minutes but nothing happens. How lucky were we to have arrived just that little bit early!

Walking back up the hill, we catch the shuttle bus to the entrance just in time to see the Kuching bus sailing off into the distance. We chat to a staff member called Adrian who kindly offers to drive us back to into town. By now the rain has disappeared, leaving the sky a cloudless blue.

Adrian drops us near the local market where we order lunch at one of the many basic food stalls on the perimeter – mie goreng and chicken pieces – really good and really cheap. We love these simple little places as we can watch the food being prepared in the most humble of kitchens using bottled gas for cooking. Everything is fresh, straight from the market inside.

Down near the river, food stalls offer locals-only delicacies. Live frogs and crabs are swimming around in buckets of water while other stalls sell freshly squeezed fruit juices. The sellers are all friendly Muslim ladies always ready with a smile. We pass a mosque built out over the water then walk across the Darul Hana Bridge to the north bank. From the top of the bridge we can see the Astana and the majestic Fort Margherita which we hope to have time to visit before we leave.

After a laze around in our guesthouse, we’re up at 6 o’clock to have showers and I wash and dry my hair then we head out for a night on the Waterfront. This is packed with the last of today’s dragon boat races just finishing. There’s great excitement with lots of cheering and many boats are still out on the water. The weather is calm and hot with a beautiful sunset over the river. Musicians are playing and all the riverside cafes are full.

Because we want to find something to drink, we head back down to the Charles Brooks Cafe where we had lunch yesterday. Strangely we’re the only ones here, probably because it’s too expensive for most local people and we haven’t seen any western tourists around again today.

Dinner is satay chicken and beef skewers while Mark has a beer and I have a local rice wine which almost blows my head off.

Next, we walk around to the adjacent street in Old Chinatown to the Drunken Monkey Bar. Tonight, we sit outside in the laneway where it’s a bit cooler and where I can sneak my smuggled in Bacardis. I’ve even had to buy a bottle of Coke Zero as these places only ever sell the full strength Coke. The music here is good but we decide to head back to our cute little guest house and have another couple of drinks in the foyer.

Go to bed!

Saturday 5thNovember, 2022          

Kuching to Santubong

We wake to the sound of rain again but don’t stress as this seems to be the way of the weather at this time of year – rain at night and early morning then it fines up.

Today we’re headed for the hills, hoping to stay in a longhouse which Mohamed on the desk has tried to call but no-one answers. We’ve decided to just turn up and see if we can stay there anyway. If we can’t then we’ll sort out something else – an adventure.

Our driver is Freddy, a sweet local man who speaks English well. After loading up the car we set off for the two hour trip. We pass limestone mountains with mist still hanging to the peaks then verdant countryside fringed by coconut trees, banana trees, bamboo, ferns and vines – very rainforesty.

The clouds soon break up and we have brilliant sunshine once again. Looking into the blue distance we see pointy mountains dressed in dense greenery as we reach the Borneo Highlands. Turning off the main road we continue along a dirt track till we reach the Annah Rais Longhouse.

Annah Rais or Kampung Annah Rais is one of the oldest Bidayuh longhouses in Sarawak and apparently remains almost untouched by modern development. The Bidayuh tribe are also known as Land Dayaks and generally live in the hilly areas like where we are now at the foot of the Borneo Hills.

About eighty families live here in longhouses that generations have inhabited for around one hundred and seventy-five years and they still live a traditional way of life. Entire families live under one roof in these massive bamboo houses all joined together and interconnected by a wide bamboo walkway, which is the main common area where families hang out. Talk about a close community!

At first we can’t find anyone to help us then a helpful lady starts asking around if we can stay tonight. I’d imagined this might be a bit touristy but not at all. We’re the only non-locals here so this is perfect.

Freddy finally finds a tiny lady called Jenny who tells us that no-one can stay here tonight as someone has died in the village and the grieving family must have privacy. Disappointed but understanding (we promise to be quiet?) she tells us that if we come back on Monday we can stay with her. Yes please!

Before we leave, Freddy takes us on a mini-tour of the longhouse including the headman’s skull house where we find a collection of skulls belonging to invaders of the longhouse that the Bidayuh people caught and beheaded. Yes, they were headhunters! It’s one of the reasons I remember being fascinated about Sarawak all those years ago in primary school. Who doesn’t love a headhunter!

Oh, then we find a gold and white butterfly literally the size of Mark’s hand!  

Then while we make arrangements to stay on Monday night, Jenny pours us welcome shots of rice wine that we have to down in one go. Deadly but fun.

So now we decide to visit the Sarawak Cultural Village, two hours back towards Kuching at the base of Mount Santubong. At the impressive entrance we pay a fee before heading straight for the restaurant – we’re starving! Everyone else is leaving for the cultural show so we’re served quickly. The restaurant is like all the other buildings in this large village – all made from natural materials with a soaring ceiling and open on three sides.

After noodles, soup and ice cold fruit juices we find the main hall where the daily dance shows are held. This is a large auditorium packed with visitors but we manage to get good seats for the traditional performance. Each act represents the dance and costumes of each tribe – all very beautiful but we’re distracted by a huge contraption hanging from the vaulted ceiling – it looks like a giant bunch of hanging testicles – just saying!

Instead of watching the whole show we decide to check out the village before it’s invaded by the other tourists. Set amongst acres of gardens and ponds, seven traditional longhouses showcase the lifestyle of Sarawak’s major tribes – Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Melanau, Penan, Chinese and Malay. What makes this place even more wonderful is that this is a “living museum” with the longhouses their actual homes.

We especially love meeting some of the people who live and work here carefully preserving their traditional handicrafts, costumes and way of life. This might be a popular tourist attraction but it’s also incredibly beautiful. Well done Sarawak Tourism, they seem to get things right on many levels.

Later, Freddy drives us to a place called The Village House which is not far away in Santubong. This is a boutique guesthouse on the edge of a small village and at AUD $160 a night, a hell of a lot more than we usually pay. But then the photos on booking.com look beautiful so we’re going to splurge.

And the photos don’t lie. The house surrounds a swimming pool and gardens with chill out areas next to the pool. Here are hammocks and swinging seats, sun lounges and a dining area all furnished in natural fabrics and materials to fit in with the jungly indoor/outdoor theme. All the rooms are above, with our room overlooking the jungle and a duck pond next door. The room is spacious with a vaulted ceiling and a verandah almost touching the jungle behind. But we especially love the big bathroom with louvred glass windows along one wall where we look down upon a deep pond with two big white geese paddling around.

With melting heat and humidity, the swimming pool is calling and we spend a relaxing hour floating around with only two other people. This is a young Asian couple who look to be on their honeymoon. Strangely they carry around a big inflatable bunch of flowers wherever they go including in the pool.

In the late afternoon after showers and a rest in our air-conditioned room, Mark walks down to the beach but we’d had a glimpse of it on the way in and it looks fairly dreary so I pass.

Dinner is at 6.30pm, served either outside or in the air-conditioned restaurant. We start off in the restaurant with soup, salad, a local beef dish with rice plus crumbed fish. The desserts are worth a picture – blueberry ice cream and intricate layered cakes. For such a posh place, the drinks are cheap! Mark takes up the offer of three beers for three ringats while my margarita cocktail is only AUD $3. Think I’ll have a couple.

The dining area is full but with only local tourists. Covid must still be keeping most foreigners away – don’t understand why. People are such pussies!

Suddenly the sky opens up and rain teems down like it only can in the tropics. Of course, this causes the humidity to skyrocket but we love having dinner while we watch the spectacle. The pool looks like it might overflow and other diners sitting outside quickly move in closer.

Later we take our drinks out to the open-sided lounge area and make plans for the rest of our trip. Oh and the young Asian couple are still carting around the inflatable flowers, even have it sitting on a chair with them at dinner!?

Sunday 6th November, 2022          

Santubong to Kuching

Breakfast is buffet style and we eat up big – cereal, toast, eggs and pancakes with honey. We’ve already arranged with the desk for a driver to take us back into Kuching so at nine o’clock we’re heading through the drenched roads towards the city.

This morning we’d also booked a room at the Marion Boutique Lodging House which also looks fabulous on booking.com but only AUD $32. It’s a 3-storey mansion originally built in 1885 as a family home then in the 1930’s the Anglican Mission turned into a boarding house and a girls’ school. Much later in 2013 it was converted to what is now, the Marion Lodging House.

The Lodge sits on top of a hill in the heart of town, just minutes walk from the Kuching Waterfront and Chinatown. While the Lodge itself is a heritage colonial bungalow, the foyer down on street-level is completely different but equally stunning – eclectic with a polished cement floor, recycled furniture and rough brick walls.

Mark drags our packs up the many stairs which are covered in a vine clad pergola to reach the Lodge painted a vivid white with black trim. It has all the features that I love about colonial architecture in the tropics – glass louvred windows, multi-pane windows, wooden shutters and lots of verandahs. Inside is also colonial heaven with intricate timberwork, heavy dark beamed ceilings, original polished clay floors, many wooden staircases and whirring ceiling fans.  

Each room is named in honour of former matrons and headmistresses during its time as an all-girls school, and our room is called Mary Sharp. I wonder who she was and it’s a lovely touch.

After dumping our bags, we check out the rest of the Lodge finding all sorts of little rooms, some for reading, and the outside pool area. Yes, it even has a pool with surrounding gardens.

By now we’re ready for lunch and head down to The Granary which is also part of the Lodge and set up in a huge old warehouse. It’s a super cool place with a sign out the front ‘Sorry We Are Open.’ Like the Lodge’s foyer, it has that industrial touch with concrete floors, an iron roof and even an indoor pond. And the food is fantastic – the best yet. I have vegetable and cheese balls while Mark has a whole barbequed squid all washed down with pineapple and lychee frozen shakes. We’ll be coming back here for sure.

Ready for some sightseeing, we stop at a Chinese temple to give offerings for our Angie and our darling girls at home. These temples make me happy.

The actual town centre is only a few minutes’ walk along Carpenter Street in Chinatown. The centre is dotted with wonderful colonial buildings built when Kuching flourished as one of the main trading towns in Borneo and which are now occupied by banks and government offices as well as the Kuching Police Station.

Behind the main street and a busy market is the Bandaraya Kuching Mosque affectionately known as Masjid Lama (Old Mosque). With its pink and white exterior and its gold onion-shaped said to be one of the city’s most striking landmarks. Actually, it looks a bit worse for wear to us. Also a vast sloping overgrown grassy area in front is covered with what seems to be small grey headstones all at wonky angles. Sorry if this is a graveyard but it’s a bit creepy.

Next is the Kuching Museum, a great modern monstrocity, which is supposed to be excellent but they want to charge us to get in so, no thanks. From its position on a hill we can see lovely parks and the beautiful original museum, a nostalgic colonial beauty now just used as office space.

But now we need a drink so we make our way to the tall Chinese arched welcome gate at the top of Carpenter Street and the entrance to Chinatown. We choose an interesting place open to the street with the busy Hiang Thian Siang Temple opposite. We order cold tea then wander around the street lined with old shophouses and eating places.

Back down on the Waterfront the festivities are in full swing with the final of the Regatta about to start. The Sarawak Regatta happens here annually with teams coming from Indonesia, Brunei, other parts and Malaysia and, most importantly, from villages around Sarawak.

Each longboat carries thirty paddlers and the finalists are rocketing towards us from the far end of the river. The crowd cheers as the winners cross the finish line. Great excitement as the winning team celebrate by standing up in the boat, dancing and waving their oars around. It’s a lovely family atmosphere down here and we’re so glad to have experienced it.

At the Marian we cool down with a swim then dress for a night out on the town. We decide to take a ‘short-cut’ through the back entrance cutting through the grounds of a church only to find that the whole place is surrounded by a high fence. I’m not impressed that we’ll have to walk all the way back but then a guard sees us and kindly lets us through.   

Down near the Old Courthouse we find the Waterfront Hotel with its lovely open sided rooftop bar called Zapatos. This has panoramic views over Kuching especially the river with the spectacular Legislative Assembly Building directly facing us and looking extra spectacular tonight as it glows in the dark. We sit up at the bar next to the pool on this warm still night.

Mark has a couple of beers while I splurge on margaritas – heaven – then we move to The Den, a cute bar at the Old Courthouse where I stick to my Bacardi and Coke. Back along Carpenter Street near our guesthouse, we stop for another drink sitting on the deck of another very cool rustic bar decorated with red Chinese lanterns and stands of bamboo. The sweet owner gives Mark shots of rice wine called Kantin Tuak that he ferments himself. I pass.

Close by is the The Granary and we’re back for more of its fantastic food. Another drink then up to our room to enjoy the views of the city from the balcony off our room. Another great day!

Monday 7th November, 2022          

Kuching to Annah Rais Longhouse

Happy birthday in heaven our darling Angie – you’ll be 43 today. I can’t believe it! It’s raining and I hope it’s not you crying, my darling. I’ll be thinking of you all day but I think of you all day every day anyway. I’ll try to make today a good day. We’re doing something very special and I think you’d like it too.

Today is the day we’ve arranged to stay at the Anna Rais longhouse – a bucket list dream!

After showers and packing we head out for breakfast and find a busy local place on the corner. Only two things appear on the menu, beef soup or beef dry, so we have one of each.

 
At 10 o’clock we meet Freddie at the front of the guest house and are soon heading out of town. We stop first at the large cat statue as Kuching is called the ‘City of Cats’. The word Kuching actually translates to ‘cats’ and it’s true that they’re everywhere. Luckily I’m a cat person.

We chat with Freddie on the same two-hour drive we did three days ago. He tells us that the government subsidises petrol, cooking oil and sugar. They also give people land especially the Malaysians and Dayaks and pay for kids’ education overseas. He has six kids himself, four who live in Kuala Lumpur. He tells us that they all come to visit after Ramadan and he says “I think I cannot breathe – very noisy – very naughty”. Ha ha

He also tells us that he had no work at all during Covid. He just stayed home but his boss still paid him.

Apparently, there are no highways in Sarawak but the road isn’t too bad anyway. Even though we’ve been on this road before we still really enjoy the drive – Chinese cemeteries, roadside cafes, stands of bamboo and misty mountains. We pass stalls selling the poo smelling durian which is obviously very popular considering the amount of people hanging around. Freddy says “I very like durian”. Probably the best thing about this area is that there aren’t any palm oil plantations at all.

We also notice flags on the side of the road as an election is coming soon. According to Freddy, there are no real political problems in Sarawak and the only issues are happening in Kuala Lumpur.

After an hour or so the sky is clearing and we can tell that it will be another fine day. With the sun shining, the flowering plants are even more vibrant – deep pink bougainvillea and orange and yellow shrubs brighten pretty villages. We cross bridges spanning small streams then turn off not far from the Kalimantan border.

It seems that in no time we’re pulling up at Annah Rais longhouse. It’s only 11.30am so we’ve made good time today. We’re met by Jenny and follow her to her house which has a kitchen beneath with the bedrooms and sitting room upstairs. Our room is tiny and lined with white boards plus two louvred windows hung with colourful floral curtains. We have a mattress and a sink – that’s all we need. I love the view from the little windows that look out over the village gardens. We’ll explore it all later this afternoon.

Just outside our bedroom door is a sitting area where Jenny has made us a cup of tea. By this stage she hasn’t drawn breath. Ha ha! Now we’re introduced to Miss Priscar then to Miss Siti who will be our guide this morning as we’re off to the hot springs.

Back in Freddy’s car with Miss Siti, she proudly tells us that she takes people bamboo rafting, but they actually have to make the rafts themselves. I’ll pass on that one. She also proudly tells says that “I also captain” – not sure what that means – and that she’ll be dancing tonight for us! She has so much energy and she’s old! She also speaks very good English and she tells us why. When she and all the other people around her age were young, all school lessons were taught in English but now everything is taught in Malay. English is just an extra subject.

We love Miss Siti already. She’s so tiny and, like Jenny, she doesn’t stop talking!

About fifteen minutes after leaving the village we pass through another small village then stop at a sign that points to the hot springs 200 metres along a dirt track. Fortunately, we’re the only ones here. The hot springs are reached by wading across a shallow stream. And the hot springs are super hot – boiling in fact! We can’t stay in too long before we jump out to cool down in the bubbling stream. Butterflies in blue, yellow and orange flitter around us. This really is heaven.

Meanwhile, Miss Siti has been preparing our lunch which we eat under a bamboo and wooden shelter. She breaks open lengths of bamboo and pulls out the cooked rice. We’ve seen bamboo rice being cooked on travel shows before and now we get to experience it ourselves. We also have green fern, fried chicken and sardines. It’s all good, especially in this magical place.

Walking back to the car we pass fish farms so we feed them crackers. On the road to the longhouse, Miss Siti tells us that she’s going to the jungle this afternoon to cut bamboo to make rafts for tomorrow. “Yes, I can do. I also climb tree”. Bloody hell! I can barely walk!

Returning to the village and Jenny’s house, we find Miss Priscar cooking bamboo chicken on a fire in the yard. I think she’s the one who does all the cooking for Jenny. But Jenny does make us a cup of tea and we sit around talking for ages. She tells us that they’ve had two funerals here lately with one man having diabetes, blood pressure and cancer – ‘the whole package’ she laughs.

She also tells us that she’s from a tribe of Dyaks, who are now Christians, while Freddy is a Malay Muslim. Apparently, none of them like the Chinese although they all seem to live in peace.

Later we lay around on the mattress in our room. We do have a fan but it’s still stinking hot. At 5 o’clock Jenny takes us on a walk around the village where we visit three longhouses then cross a wooden bridge to the other side of the river which is overhung with palms and flowering plants. Ramshackle houses have verandahs overlooking the stream and are almost hidden by gorgeous tropical vegetation.

The villagers are fairly self-sufficient keeping chickens and ducks as well as farming vegetables, paddy farming, cocoa and pepper harvesting plus fishing.

And Jenny stops to talk to everybody. She tells us that the whole village lives harmoniously but now it’s mainly just older people as the young ones leave to get jobs in Kuching. The younger ones go to high school in the city as well but they do come home to their families on weekends.

We stop at one house where four little ones come out to say hello and we give them koala toys from home. At one of the tiny shops we buy drinks – beer for Mark, orange juice for me, Jenny has some drink called 000 while we buy Milo for a dear old man and his wife. His name is Bibi which means grandfather. He’s blind and almost deaf but gives us a big toothless smile.

One of the great things about this village is that there aren’t any dogs but many many cats and tiny kittens so at least we won’t be woken all night to dogs barking or fighting. We’ve experienced this before.

On dark, we have dinner at Jenny’s place – bamboo chicken, fern, fried fish, bananas and rice wrapped in banana leaves. This is all traditional food and all sourced from the village.

Later we find old blow pipes and use them to play darts. It actually works.

After dinner, we cross the wooden gangplank from Jenny’s top verandah to one of the longhouses to watch a traditional dance. Here is the versatile Miss Siti and a chubby young girl both dressed in tribal clothes. They perform very slow foot movements with arms outstretched as village men play drums and a stringed bamboo instrument. This is a welcome dance and when it’s over we get up to dance with them as well.

Other people who live in the longhouse have come to sit outside and watch. Obviously not much happens around here for entertainment.

One of the musicians shows Mark how to play the amazing bamboo instrument which Jenny explains is made from one thick piece of bamboo – it’s a work of art. Mark has a go then it’s my turn – heaps of fun! Jenny is better as she’s been learning for a while.

At 9 o’clock we’re ready for bed after a fantastic day. The temperature has dropped but we’re very cosy in our little room.

Tuesday 8th November, 2022          

Annah Rais Longhouse to Miri

We wake to the sound of roosters crowing, not only at dawn but also at 1:30am and again at 4am. We do you love crowing roosters, though, as it brings back memories of staying in villages in lots of countries throughout Asia over the years. About 6.30 we have breakfast with Jenny – eggs with noodles, boiled eggs, bread, butter, bananas, and tea. It’s English tea actually as Jenny’s sister lives in England and sends it over to her. Breakfast is cooked by a smiling Miss Priscar.

Still a bit of time before we leave, we decide to go for another walk around the village. Narrow paths wind willy-nilly between village houses with chickens and the noisy roosters scratching around. And, of course, there are heaps of cats. One of them follows us around as we wave and say hi to lots of people including dear old Bibi. We love this experience of wandering through vegetable gardens of tapioca, pineapple, lemongrass, and cocoa and watching people sitting outside their doorways on the longhouse verandah.

Soon Freddy arrives so we say a warm goodbye to our dear Jenny. She’s such a character and we’re so glad we happened to have stayed with her.

The drive to the airport is only one hour as it’s on the outskirts of Kuching so we don’t have to go right into the city. We’re happy to find massage chairs which are super cheap then board Malaysian Airlines on one of the small propeller planes that we haven’t been on for many years.

Under clear blue skies we take off with a window seat each for bird’s eye views of the jungle and rivers meandering across the countryside. And sadly there seems to be endless plantations of the terrible palm oil. Sarawak’s, and indeed all of Borneo’s, magnificent rain forest is being destroyed to make way for these palm oil plantations.

Before we came to Borneo in 2006, we didn’t know much about palm oil but we were soon shocked by the plantations that stretched as far as we could see when we crossed over the top of Sabah. Palm oil is used in countless products like toothpaste, cosmetics, ice cream, detergents, lipstick, biscuits and as a cooking oil and so is in huge demand. But what the cost! Fifty percent of Borneo’s lowland rainforest is already gone.

Our destination today is Miri but we need to take two flights, of about forty five minutes each. The first flight is Kuching to Mukai then the second from Mukai to Miri. Miri Airport is small so it takes no time to retrieve our bags and catch a taxi into town.

I’ve read that Miri is described as ‘blandly modern’ which I think is pretty accurate. It exists because of the petroleum industry which is enough to make your eyes glaze over for a start. Actually, it improves as we reach the centre which seems to have a lot of bars and restaurants – things are looking up.

We’re booked into the Kingwood Hotel, a generic place but has a nice feel as well. After checking in we wander around town stopping to visit Miri Mall, a super modern shopping centre as we’re looking for a charger but give up in the end.

Further along we find the hugely popular Ming Bar that has lots of different drinking and eating areas including a packed leafy outdoor bit right on the main street. We prefer the cosy inner bar that has red lighting and great people watching including a group of pretty young girls dressed to the nines and already a bit worse for wear. Mark’s beer is good but I get probably the worst margarita cocktail I’ve ever had. It tastes like petrol!

Later we stop at two other bars both busy with karaoke lovers. A great night!

Wednesday 9th November, 2022          

Miri to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah to Tip of Borneo

This morning we’re off to Brunei! The plan is to spend two days there – but not any longer as it’s alcohol-free so no fun to be had – then we’ll cross over the border to Sabah and make our way for a few days up to the capital Kota Kinabalu. It’ll be a real adventure as we’ll be winging it on how to get from one place to another. What I do know is that we’ll be catching a vintage steam train from Tenom to KK – so looking forward to this!

But while checking out of the hotel, the young woman on the desk asks ‘where you go’. Brunei. ‘No cannot. Closed’. No, it’s okay. I’ve researched it and we can get in now after the borders were shut for years due to the Covid pandemic.

So off we go to the bus station where the Miri to Brunei buses leave. Wtf? It’s deserted and again we’re told that Brunei is ‘closed’. So much for my research. Don’t know if this has just happened again or what, but the rotten news is that not only can’t we stay in Brunei but buses can’t even drive through it. This means that all our ‘adventure’ plans are out the window.

 
We decide now to catch a plane to Kota Kinabalu and work out where to go from there. At the airport we find that we have a four-hour wait so we spend the time researching what to do in Sabah. We spent a week there in 2006 so we want to visit places we missed last time. Mark is reading the Lonely Planet and finds a place called the Tip of Borneo which not only sounds good but where he’ll be able to have a surf. Ok sorted. We’ll just have to work out how to get there once we reach KK.

Now from Miri to KK we need to catch two planes, again the little propeller types, one to the island of Labuan then to the capital from there. Like yesterday, it’s a fantastic experience to be flying low over Borneo seeing the coastal landscape then the islands off Sabah’s mainland.

It’s two o’clock by the time we land in KK and soon after we’re arriving in the centre of town where we know the buses leave. This is an area in the back streets where we took an early morning bus to Poring Springs all those years ago. Today it looks just the same with the same desperate touts swarming us as we get out of the taxi. Literally in seconds were shoved into a van with Mark squashed into the seat in front of me and me squashed into the back row.

This won’t be a comfortable ride on the four-hour trip to Kudat in the far north. As usual, though, the other passengers are friendly and often change when some people get off to be immediately replaced by someone else.

The drive at first is through many small towns but then mainly open countryside as we head further north. Low clouds hang below the mountains which rise up behind villages and green fields. Cows graze along the edge of the road and flooded paddy fields stretch on forever. I love the timber houses built on stilts which not only allows air to circulate beneath and keep the home cool, but it’s also where basic kitchens are set up.

As darkness falls we arrive in the town of Kudat which was once the capital of Borneo and a busy trading post in the 19^th century. From here we’re told it’s about forty minutes to Tampat Do Aman where we’ve booked into a guesthouse/longhouse for tonight. But first we need to drop off the rest of the passengers, not at the bus terminal but to each person’s individual house! We slowly wind our way through endless pot-holed laneways and this is taking forever!

Finally, we’re on our way again and can’t wait to get out of this bloody van. At Tampat Do Aman we’re met by David, the owner, who leads us by torchlight to our room at the longhouse. This is incredibly basic and so we love it except for a wasps’ nest lurking just outside our door.

David also takes us to the restaurant which is just an open sided shack with a kitchenette at one end. He’s made us spaghetti Bolognese, of all things. He tells us that the pandemic has hit his business hard and has had hardly anyone staying in the last couple of years. Tonight it’s us and a young French couple who’ve spent the whole day at the beach (in the rain I might add) and just got back now.

Ready for bed, we nod off under a huge mosquito net. I’m hoping it keeps out other jungle insects and animals as well, because the jungle is just there! And there are great gaps between the bamboo walls and the thatched roof so any old creature can just wander in. Try not to think about it.

Thursday 10th November, 2022          

Tip of Borneo to Kota Kinabalu

Both had a good sleep but we’re up early to clean our teeth and for Mark to have a shower – I’ll have one later after a swim.

Out of the corner of my eye I see movement. My straw sun hat is alive with huge black ants. It’s teeming with them. I can barely see my hat at all. I grab it by the edge of the rim and chuck it out the door where the ants take off. I half expect to see it chewed to shreds but it’s completely intact. What was the great attraction then? Luckily, while my hat was the big draw card, the ants haven’t invaded the rest of my open backpack where my hat had been sitting right on top of all my clothes.

But I’ve still seriously got the creeps and with the wasp nest outside our door I’ve had enough of nature and want to leave today. But Mark says we should give it a go first. Okay.

Now it’s time for breakfast so we make our way along the boardwalks with the garden closing in on all sides. It really is beautiful here. Suddenly the rain starts, that wonderful bucketing down tropical rain. Nothing better than to watch it pouring down through the palms and drenching the jungle around us.

At the breakfast hut, David serves us eggs on toast with tea and coffee. He chats while we eat, telling us about how he and his Malay wife created this place mainly as somewhere for students to stay cheaply while they study Borneo’s plants and wildlife. He’s so passionate and tells us all the wonderful things to do up here. I’m sceptical.

He also says he’ll drive us to the beach and pick us up later. Say 5pm? I don’t think so! How about 1 o’clock and that’s a stretch! It’s raining for God sake! Haven’t got the heart to tell him we’re taking off today.

So packing our beach gear we set off with David who points things out on the way to the Tip of Borneo. As the name implies, this is the northernmost tip of the island which marks the meeting point of the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea.

I must say the beach isn’t great but then no beach looks it’s best on a grey drizzly day. He drops us off near the village where we’ll supposedly find a small local restaurant and where we can hire a surfboard for Mark. The problem is that we can’t find anyone, anywhere.

The restaurant is shut and so is the surf shop. In the end Mark just grabs a board and goes out for a surf. Meanwhile I lay around under a bamboo shelter on the sand with a family of dogs. I’m totally bored! There’s no-one around except the French couple who have appeared from the far end of the beach and are now frolicking in the waves in front of me – easily pleased or I’m just a whinger!

Later we walk through the village and love all the hens with their adorable baby chicks waddling after them. It’s a pretty village with hibiscus flowers, banana trees, coconut palms and vegetable gardens. Fishing nets are strung up and ducks and chickens wander around freely. One lady is building a fire but we don’t see many other people. Where is everyone?

About 12 o’clock, we walk down to the other end of the beach and then back onto the road. Here is a simple restaurant called Tommy’s Place which is where we arranged to meet David. Lunch is a noodle dish, chicken skewers, a fruit salad and rice wrapped in banana leaves. Mark also has a Tiger beer while I have a soda water.

At 1o’clock David turns up and we head back to Tampat Do Aman. We break the news that we’re leaving, making up some excuse about meeting friends back in Kota Kinabalu. Don’t know if he buys it or not but, anyway, he arranges for someone to pick us up in an hours’ time.

So, at 2 o’clock, we meet a nice man called Freddie (another Freddie) who’ll drive us back to Kota Kinabalu in his funny old car, parts of which seem to be held together by electrical tape. We arrive in Kudat about half an hour later. We don’t really know what’s going on, but Freddie is talking to some other guys. We think he’s trying to palm us off and he eventually does. Maybe it was part of the plan in the first place. At any rate, we’re soon taking off in another car with a sweet driver but who can’t speak a word of English.

The weather is better today for the four-hour drive and with the sun shining the countryside is now a brilliant green. We pass through lots of small villages and towns and see trees beside the road filled with monkeys. The road becomes more and more congested as we near Kota Kinabalu and it’s slow going for the last 20kms or so. This means that by the time we reach the city it’s almost dark.

We’ve booked into the Mercure Hotel because there doesn’t seem to be anywhere interesting to stay in Kota Kinabalu at all. No colonial hotels or even cute little guest houses. But the Mercure looks okay and it’s not too expensive. We book into our unmemorable room and while we’re unpacking I realise that I’ve left my travel diary, Borneo Lonely Planet and reading glasses back at Tampat Do Aman. We give David a call and he promises to put them back on a van to Kota Kinabalu in the morning. We can’t see how this will end up happening but he’s kind to give it a go.

On dark we find an upstairs bar on the corner near our hotel. This is an upmarket place with some sort of nautical theme and some interesting customers. Later we move to Shoney’s Bar which is a more laidback, rustic place with a bamboo theme.
Bed after a pleasant but virtually wasted day.

Friday 11th November, 2022          

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

The Mercure has been fine but we decide to move to The Promenade which is closer to The Waterfront which apparently has all the best bars and restaurants. But first is breakfast in the sunny dining room overlooking a tree-lined road. Before leaving, we head up to the rooftop for a swim. This feels like luxury and we have amazing views over the town and the group of small islands that sit just off the coast. We plan to do a boat trip out there tomorrow.

As we’re checking out we find that David has come good and my diary, Lonely Planet and glasses have turned up. What a sweetie. We give him a goor rap on booking.com.

A taxi now to The Promenade which is quite impressive and usually not our thing but as I said before, there doesn’t seem to be anywhere else particularly interesting to stay. After checking in to our room, we order a big fat creamy cake to share at the café in the foyer while Mark has another coffee.

From here we wander along the water’s edge coming across The Waterfront where we’ll be hanging out tonight for sure then walk further to the Filipino Market. It’s exactly the same as it was in 2006, selling the same handicrafts which can also be found in every Asian country and even lots of places at home. But we do love these local open-air markets especially the fruit and vegetable market, the very smelly seafood market and the hawker centre selling traditional snacks.

Since it’s Friday the latest call-to-prayer has seen scores of men entering an outdoor mosque just next to the Market. We watch them praying and bowing.

It’s interesting to see elderly men at work on sewing machines and in a nearby street Mark has one very old dear sew a hole in his leather wallet. ‘I give you nice’ he beams. Next door a young woman holding a toddler is begging on the ground just outside the doorway of a shop so I buy her food and drinks. Then while Mark is having his wallet sewn, I give her the equivalent of AUD $30. I hope it helps her even a little bit.

Now we wander around town looking for some of the wonderful souvenir shops we’d seen in Kuching but weirdly there’s absolutely nothing. Instead we pass strange places like The CYS Amateur Fatalist Centre but then happily find a lovely massage place where we spend a lovely hour with full body massages.

On dark we head down to The Waterfront for beers, Margaritas and, of course, Bacardi and coke.

Saturday 12th November, 2022          

Kota Kinabalu to Sapi Island

Before getting ready for our daytrip to the islands, we have breakfast in the busy and vast dining room on the bottom floor. It seems that people other than those staying in the hotel can eat here as well so a lot of large families are piling in. It’s a buffet setup with a big array of choices which we make the most of.

After packing all our beach gear, we head off in a taxi to Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal. The wharf is a lively place with plastic tables and chairs all along one side opposite simple restaurants. We love these places. At the office we buy tickets for Sapi Island (Pulau Sapi), then get fitted for lifejackets, flippers and snorkels. We hang out with a group of other people while we wait for our boat to turn up.

We’re so lucky to be doing this on an absolutely perfect day – brilliant sunshine and no breeze at all so the water is calm. Just off the jetty other boats are pulling up with lots of day trippers heading for other islands. The water here is aqua blue so we can’t wait to get out to the island to have a swim and a snorkel.

Soon we’re boarding and heading out into the South China Sea to the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park where Sapi Island is one of five just off the KK coast. The Park was established in 1974 and covers 50 sq km of the islands and their surrounding reefs and is a huge traveller drawcard.

We fly past other islands and lots of other tourist boats, criss-crossing the waters. About twenty minutes later we can see the tiny tree covered Sapi Island. We all jump out at the pier where we pay a small fee to enter the National Park. Now it’s only a few steps to the pristine white beach and the picnic area with lots of seating and tables spread out under the many trees.

We can’t wait to get into the water so we head straight for the sand and throw on our snorkelling gear. The water is crystal clear so it’s easy to see the wonderful coral reef and the fish that we feed with crushed muesli bars. Literally hundreds come for a feed. This underwater world always blows us away. Mark ventures out further than me then calls me out to see the little clown fish, Nemos, sticking their heads out amongst the coral. So cute!

On the other side of the pier is an even lovelier area where Mark goes out for another snorkel while I wallow in the shallows watching groups of local families. Later we have lunch from a tiny shack with just noodles on the menu – it’s good and so are the icy cold drinks.

It’s now that we notice clouds building up on the horizon so we decide to head back to KK a bit earlier. This turns out to be a good move because as soon as we leave Jesselton Pier, the rain starts to bucket down. We walk for ages but can’t find a taxi so Mark walks us straight into the foyer of a posh hotel. At the desk he asks if they’ll ring us a taxi and they do. Maybe they think we’re staying here?

Back at The Promenade we shower and have a siesta then start getting our packs ready as we’re leaving tomorrow.

Tonight, though, we’ll have another fun night down on The Waterfront. On the walk there we stop in at a shopping complex as there seems to be something big happening. The whole bottom floor is sectioned off with long rows of professionals offering all sorts of medical advice like Blood Pressure, Hemoglobin, Counselling as well as a Blood Bank. Nice.

The rain has disappeared by now leaving a clear starry sky. This makes for a big crowd in all the restaurants especially the outdoor ones that run right along the wharf. We choose a Thai place where the food is good as well as being great people watching. Groups of young people and big families are having a wonderful time. Close by on the water, party boats slip by covered in coloured lights.

Later we find an Irish bar where the walls are covered in photos of my favourite musicians – the Eagles, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan. Soon a band turns up with a female singer belting out a mix of Western and Malay songs.

Being sensible for a change, as well as me having quite enough to drink, we head back to The Promenade where we have just one more drink at the bar. Two young women are singing and ask for requests. Oh no! Up I get to request Country Roads and sadly stay to sing along on stage. Mark is happily videoing it all so I can watch the disaster tomorrow.

Go to Bed!

Sunday 13th November, 2022          

Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur to Sydney

Our last day on Borneo. After breakfast we catch a taxi to the airport for our Batik Air flight to Kuala Lumpur where we’ll catch another flight home tonight. Leaving Kota Kinabalu, we fly over the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park and the beautiful Sapi Island.

At KLIA we store our bags then catch the fast train to Kuala Lumpur Sentral, the city’s main railway station. It’s huge and very confusing but Mark easily finds his way around. Outside we catch a taxi to Chinatown passing the magnificent Petronas Towers which, when we were here in 2004, were the tallest buildings in the world.

At Petaling Street, Chinatown’s main area, we pass through the elaborate welcome gate to dive straight into the busy market with noodle stalls and restaurants lining both sides of the walkway. Besides Chinese temples, Chinatown is also the home of the Jamek Mosque and the busy Sri Mahamariamman, one of the city’s oldest Hindu temples. We wander around the market then find a trendy place for chicken wings and for Mark to have a beer.

Around this same area we come across the most interesting alleyways with amazing bars. Wish we were here for the night! We also find Kwai Chai Hong, an alley decorated with murals behind the shophouses. In yet another alleyway we cross an arched bridge painted red with coloured lanterns hanging from trellises and lots of greenery. This area is incredible.

One thing I wanted to find is an old Chinese teahouse that we visited in 2006 and surprisingly we come across it again. It’s called the Old China Cafe and inside is that stepping back in time to a China of a century ago. This place is no replica – it’s the real thing. We order soups and tea while we soak up the old-world atmosphere.
Now we head back into the market then find an old warehouse that’s been turned into cafes, bars and bookshops.

But now it’s time to make the long trek back to the airport for our nine hour flight home.

Monday14th November, 2022          

Sydney

Land in Sydney early morning then a train home to our darlings.