ORION II – SABAH HIGHLIGHTS
Thursday 11th August
It was hard to know exactly what to expect when
joining the OrionII in Kota Kinabalu. The bemused taxi driver took us through
an operational and very busy industrial port, and just as we were beginning to
wonder if we had misread the location we turned the corner, and there she was!
The ship, totally out of place in this dusty environment, gleaming, with an
immaculate crew welcoming guests onboard. Our suite was of course fabulous, as
were each and every member of the crew and expedition team, most of whom had gone
to the trouble of learning our names before we gave in to the jet lag later
that evening and retired for the night.
Friday 12th August – Pulau Labuan ,
Kilas Wetlands and Captains dinner
Our first day in Borneo,
and it couldn’t have been more varied. We started the day on Pulau Labuan at the
fascinating museum charting the islands history, watching a beautiful
traditional dance and visiting various sites relating to World War II. The Labuan war cemetery here is a peaceful, immaculately kept
space; a complete contrast to the surrounding area and a poignant reminder of
the number of commonwealth servicemen who lost their lives during the war.
The tone of the day lightened after a delicious
lunch back on board, as we travelled by Zodiac to the Kilas wetlands. The rivers running through the
mangrove forests form a beautiful water network and a fantastic wildlife
habitat. As we travelled through the waterways we witnessed such an astonishing
amount of birdlife the cameras could barely keep up! After a few fascinating
hours and with the sun setting between the trees and turning the sky a deep
pink, we began to make our way back to the ship, now nothing more than a
sparkling dot on the horizon.
Saturday 13th August – Pulau Tiga
We awoke this morning to overcast skies and a
slight drizzle. The sea kraits that inhabit this area of Borneo
were apparently unenthused by the weather so stayed where they were, out of
sight. Undeterred, off we went to the beach and started the 1km walk through
the rainforest to the mud volcano. They say it’s as much about the journey as
the destination, and this proved to be the case as we learnt about the
architecture of the rainforest in which we were standing, the incredible diversity
of flora and fauna on this tiny island alone and watched a monitor lizard
sheltering in the roots of a tree. I can’t say that the mud pool looked
particularly enticing, but the keener of the group jumped (or rather
tentatively stepped) in, so not wanting to be left out, the rest of us
followed. Quickly I found myself head to toe in sticky, lumpy mud and rather
enjoying the experience! A decidedly unglamorous exit from the pools and walk
back through the trees to the cleansing relief of the sea followed, before
heading back to the ship to yet another beautifully prepared meal (you’ll spot
a food related theme emerging!)
Sunday 14th August – Kudat and Rungus
Longhouse and guest speakers
Having travelled north overnight, this morning we
disembarked to explore the northern tip of Borneo
– Kudat. We visited a longhouse, purpose built for tourists to gain an
understanding of the ways in which the traditional tribes and villagers lived.
There was dancing, music and souvenirs to buy. Next we moved on to a real
village, where longhouses are used to house the people. This was fascinating to
me; I could have occupied myself people watching all day! The people here have
relatively little in the way of material possessions, and yet children wear Man
Utd and Chelsea
shirts, no more than a few seasons old.
With the ship travelling east this afternoon, we
attended the lectures of the two guest speakers on the expedition. The
fantastically knowledgeable Dr Richard Chauvel provided us great information
about the Sandakan Death Marches and the countries involvement in World War 2 in preparation for the
memorial tomorrow. David Scott Silverberg followed, “selling” the rainforests
of Borneo to us as a naturalists dream! His
contagious enthusiasm and passion for the area had everyone in the room
convinced immediately. He could have talked, and we could have listened, all
night.
Monday 15th August – Sandakan memorial and city
However well you plan the night before – bag
packed, camera charged, next-to-no wine with dinner and an early night – the
alarm call at 5.30am still
throws you into utter despair! With the sun still low in the sky we drove
through Sandakan
to the Memorial Park. Today marked the 66th anniversary of the
Sandakan-Ranau death marches, where primarily Australian prisoners of war were
forced to walk the 9 day journey westwards with insufficient rations and in
poor and deteriorating health, to Ranau. Just six soldiers survived the ordeal,
all others having died of exhaustion, illness or having been executed en route.
The ceremony was very moving, I know I learnt a lot about the atrocities.
This afternoon we spent in Sandakan
itself visiting key sights such as Agnes Keiths house, St Michaels Church and
the Puh Jih Syh Temple. At the central market there was
the normal hustle and bustle of any Asian food market, although this time it
was coupled with the fins of shark, still used to this day in cooking.
Our own dinner on board was a quieter affair,
taking advantage of the DVD library and room service. French night tonight, so
I had my first taste of escargot, and really quite enjoyed it!
Tuesday 16th August – Pulau Mataking
After the dive we strolled around the island and
across the sand bar to the Pulau Mataking Besar – “small Mataking”. Both
islands are tiny dots in the ocean, and are picture postcard remote tropical
islands: white sands, clear blue seas, lush green trees and glorious sunshine!
Unlike the well planned, balanced and beautifully
presented dishes we had all been treated to up until now, tonight everyone
gauged themselves on the most incredible seafood, piling plates high and even
returning to the top deck buffet under the stars for seconds!
Wednesday 17th August – Labuk Bay
and Sepilok
Today was another highlight for me, getting up
close to the Proboscis Monkeys, only found on the island of Borneo.
I had seen these entertaining animals in the wild on previous trips to Borneo, but always from afar. This time they were much
closer, banging their hands on the floor as they ran inches away from us to get
to the food laid on by the rangers. Whilst of course we would all prefer for
them to be in the wild, this semi-wild environment isn’t at all bad, and given
the deforestation in the area, is the only way for the population to thrive.
After spending time with the Proboscis, Silver-leaf
monkeys and hornbill at the sanctuary, we headed across Sandakan to take lunch at the lovely Sepilok
Nature Resort. We were once again treated to an enormous buffet, and once again
felt the need to try every item as it all looked so tasty!
This afternoon we took the short walk to Sepilok
Oran-utan Sanctuary, the largest and most well-known orang-utan rehabilitation
centre in the world. Often, up to 15 orang-utan come down from the forests for
their twice daily meal of bananas and milk, however this afternoon just two
visited. Whilst a shame not to see more, it demonstrates the success of the rehabilitation as the orang-utan can
mostly find food for themselves in the fruiting trees of the surrounding
protected rainforests. The two that did come down were playful as ever, running
off with not one banana, but a whole bunch in their mouths! When they were
full, the macaque came in to clear up any leftovers. They are as entertaining
as the orang-utan, squabbling over every banana, the youngsters sneaking up to
grab another whilst the dominant male’s back was turned!
Thursday 18th August – Kinabatangan River
This morning departed the ship, knowing we wouldn’t
return until tomorrow evening. We travelled to the mainland jetty by Zodiac,
switched to a river boat and travelled on to the Kinabatangan
River, the very best place in Borneo to see the wildlife in its natural habitat. We
were not disappointed! Just travelling to our first port of call, the Abai
Jungle Lodge, we stopped to watch some monkeys in the trees.
Just as we had
started moving off, there was a movement high in the trees, and before us,
through a small clearing in the leaves, was a female orang-utan and her young
child. It’s always so magical to see these “wild men of the forest” up in the
trees, in the wild where they should be, however many times you see them. At
Abai we stopped for lunch – spoilt again! – and I was lucky enough to meet my
colleagues, the fantastic nature guides. It was wonderful to finally put some
faces to the names I hear every day of my working life. Later this afternoon we
continued upriver to the Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge where we took a
fascinating trip out onto the river, and down the Menanggol stream, a small
estuary where wildlife is known to congregate.
This evening, after our sarong-clad dinner and when
it was pitch black outside we took a night cruise. We revisited some of the
areas from this afternoons cruise although of course nothing looked at all
familiar. Within minutes we saw a wild cat, both the largest and the smallest
kingfishers in Borneo and a host of eyes
glaring back at us from the river…the eyes of crocodiles. At one point the
boatman turned off the engine and the spot light and we drifted with the
current in complete silence, seeing nothing but the stars and the moon
reflected in the water. Simply stunning!
Friday 19th August – Kinabatangan River
This afternoon we cruised back to Abai for lunch
once again. From here we visited the village
of Abai on the opposite
riverbank to the lodge, admiring the houses and watching the children play
marbles. In conjunction with the people here, we each planted a tree on the
edge of the rainforest. When these grow larger and stronger, they will be
replanted deeper in the rainforest to aid regrowth in this heavily deforested
area.
Back onboard we were tonight treated to the staff
show – a singing and dancing extravaganza put on by the ships now familiar
crew. The night was long, and full of merriment. I last saw my fellow Brits
conga-ing around Deck Four some time after midnight…
Saturday 20th August – Pulau Mantanani
Our final full day on the ship, and what a day to
end on! We all left the Orion II for the short Zodiac ride to shore of Pulau Mantanani
where the entire village was waiting for us. The children lined up to greet us,
there was traditional dancing and a real party atmosphere. Mick, our expedition
leader, contributed equipment on behalf of the Orion II to the islands small
and somewhat deprived school, and we took a look around the at the place these
people call home. Fishing is a key part of life here, and we walked past rows
and rows of fish drying in the sun, and a young boy proudly carrying his
mornings catch back to his parents.
This afternoon decided to take in another scuba
dive. The water was warm enough to not require a wetsuit – a first for me – and
the dive itself was nice but I have to say, it was nothing like as colourful
and full of life as the waters around Mataking.
On the balcony we had a pre-dinner champagne or
two, and were treated to dolphin playing and flying fish, along with the most
incredible sunset. It was our final night on board, so it would have been rude
not to spend it dancing in the club lounge. An evening onboard simply wasn’t an
evening without the by now infamous “can the owner of the white Toyota” joke, and tonight
was no different!
Sunday 21st August
After our final over-indulgent breakfast we all
said our goodbyes, to one another and to the ship, and went our separate ways.
This was my third time in Malaysian Borneo and yet
I feel like I have seen the island through new eyes. The expedition was busy,
fully of variety and tremendous fun, and really did show off the very best bits
of this very special area. When can I come back?!
Blog by
Angela from Audley Travel
