Stop Eight, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo (7/06/2015 to 13/06/2015)
(Written by Us)
(Written by Us)
Everyone meet Borneo, Borneo meet everyone. Ok, while politically, we are still in Malaysia, having taken the almost 3 hour flight over the South China Sea from Kuala Lumpur to Sabah, Malaysian Borneo certainly feels like a different animal altogether. Your passport is stamped "Entering Sabah", the modern infrastructure of KL has diminished, the people are descended from local tribes and just outside town lurks Borneo's rain forest, one of the worlds oldest and home to animals only found here on the largest island in Asia. Kota Kinabalu is our base for a week while we explore what this natural wonder has to offer. |
Two days before we arrived the island had been rocked by Malaysia's strongest earthquake since 1976. Having its epicentre in Northern Sabah and reaching 6.0 on the Richter scale the quake had caused only minor structural damage but 18 climbers on Mt Kinabalu lost their lives with a further 127 climbers left stranded. Aftershocks had continued for the ensuing 24 hours and we were warned to expect more. A day of mourning had been declared for June 8th which was the day after we landed. Due to the emergency the President of Malaysia had flown to Sabah earlier in the day and his plane was parked next to ours on the apron of Kota airport.
The Minister for Tourism had very publicly blamed a group of young tourists for the earthquake stating that because they had been taking nude pictures of each other on the mountain they had angered the mountain spirits causing the quake. Mt Kinabalu was closed for a month immediately after the quake "for maintenance" and to perform a ritual to app ease the spirits. The photo-happy tourists were prevented from leaving the island and were eventually charged with indecent behaviour and sentenced to 3 days in prison together with $1,000 fine each. Just like that our aspirations of bum pics at high altitude were dashed! Sorry folks. |
Landing in Borneo was a dream come true for herself. It has been on her list of must-visits since I don't know when. She says since the first series of survivor (random). She has always thought that Borneo must be somewhere special and she wasn't wrong, but it wasn't without its challenges. Kota Kinabalu (KK) was a shock to the system after Kuala Lumpur. Naively we were expecting to see some high rise buildings, a transport system, some tourist facilities. Not so. Despite being built along a waterfront, KK is not a pretty city (it has open drainage systems which cause a stench in the heat of the day), its waters are badly polluted with rubbish, it is not comfortably walkable and it is not very modern. What KK has in its favour is the natural world, the one you see on David Attenbourogh documentaries, on its doorstep.
Within 2 hours drive from KK, is the tallest mountain in Malaysia, Mount Kinabalu in Kinabalu heritage park - a World Heritage Site. Borneo is the only place in the world to see Organ-utans in the wild, or to see Raffesia, the world’s largest flowering plant. It has rain forest discovery centres, sun bears, proboscis monkeys, tropical islands with crystal clear waters. Scientists, botanists and naturalists flock to Borneo to do research on its flora and fauna. In fact, we sat beside a table of such scientists in a coffee shop and listened to them discussing the best way to take blood samples from birds. What we didn’t see in Borneo was other tourists. We saw maybe a handful of white people, some of whom were married to KK residents and others who were researchers but that was it. We were back to getting the odd stare and questions about where we had come from and where we were going.
KL had been a whirlwind and we were a little behind in our planning so we spent our first day around Kota Kinabalu town, eating, souvenir shopping and planning the rest of our stay. For various reasons we would be staying in 3 separate hotels throughout our time here before pushing on to Brunei so the logistics had to be worked out carefully. Amazingly we hit on the local Irish bar within the hour, overpriced and not an Irish staff member in sight we passed by but it was strangely comforting to see the place anyway. We had lunch on the waterfront (fish of course) overlooking the bay and islands lying just off shore. | That night back at the hotel we met Ly Ly. A local woman and the lounge manager she was fantastic craic, if a little crazy. Ly Ly was also in charge of the karaoke machine which she clearly felt was her true calling. The fact there was only 2 tired looking Irish people in the whole place didn't take the wind out of her sails one bit. We will be recommending Ly Ly's Celine Dion rendition for the next Borneo Lonely Planet guide. Within the hour we were taking selfies together and looking at photos of her daughter heading off to University in KL. Ly Ly also told us about her earthquake experience giving us a first hand account of how terrified people had felt at the time |
Next morning we grabbed the shuttle bus into town and immediately set about negotiating a taxi for a few hours. Cars are the only way to get around Kota with most of the towns attractions on the outskirts. Today we planned to visit the city mosque built along the coast, the Wetlands wildlife reserve and Sabah museum. The city mosque, designed to replicate the mosque of Medina, Islam's second holy place, cost 34 million RM and is a popular tourist destination.
We had missed the registration kiosk in the car park and were now faced with either turning back or putting the heads down and driving on. We did not turn back. Sandals left at the door we made our way into the large reception area. On either side were the wash areas, one for men, the other for women. Beyond the sliding doors of the reception area was the huge sparse area for prayers and sermons. There wasn't a single chair in sight, instead the whole floor was covered in prayer mats facing Mecca, underneath the Mosque's huge dome. The interior was palatial and very expensive looking. |
We had not expected to be allowed take photographs inside but when we saw visiting Muslims with their selfie-sticks we took advantage snapping what we could. It was not long however before a very polite young Muslim man came over to us and asked herself if she could please "cover up". Wrists and ankles were obviously still too much. We thanked him and quietly made our exit. |
While both sexes are required to dress conservatively, it should be no surprise that females are expected to be more conservative than men. Herself brought her own hijab and was wearing pants below the knee and a blouse with sleeves coming well below the elbow. We took most of our photos outside this stunning building as we made our way to the main entrance.
The Sabah Wetlands reserve is a large area of estuary, untouched except for the wooden walkway built 3 feet above the marsh which leads visitors around the 1.5km nature walk. Teaming with wildlife (apparently) the highlight is catching a glimpse of Borneo's indigenous birds nesting among the millions of very tall trees which enclose the walkway and surrounding environment. We arrived at about 12pm, not the recommended time for bird spotting but we were confident of seeing enough to make the trip worth our time. Collectively we saw two crabs and a lizard. Clearly our optimism was misplaced.
We did also see a web large enough to look like it belonged to something exciting but thats all. Herself saw the manager's kitten which was also quite nice. The Wetlands are pretty impressive by themselves as a landscape but Borneo is about animals for us and we saw very little. Obviously the early bird catches a lot more than the simple worm in Borneo. Needless to say we wasted little time in pressing on to our next destination, mindful of our 2 hour taxi agreement. |
Sabah's museum is the largest in Malaysian Borneo and offers a good overview of what northern Borneo has to offer if a little old fashioned in its decor and displays. After being unsuccessful in our vigorous attempts to pay the considerably cheaper entrance fee for locals we headed inside. A massive whale skeleton greets guests in the cavernous ground floor area. We may not have been able to capture the scale with our covert photos (no cameras allowed) but the skeleton was very impressive. Also on the ground floor were photographs taken by various Western explorers who had made the long and arduous trek to Borneo in the 19th & early 20th Centuries hopeful of discovering both new tribes and new animals previously unknown to the rest of the world. These brave and pioneering men made some of the most significant contributions to science in history.
Upstairs houses the natural history section where pictures and even preserved real-life samples of some of the indigenous species are on display. Sun bears, spiders, reptiles, crocodiles, monkeys and orang utans all feature. On from these are photographs and artefacts associated with the various tribes of Borneo including the headhunting Murut and Iban tribes. Having studied some of the rituals of the Iban tribe trough sociology, seeing these displays was a real treat for us. Headhunting served a variety of purposes among the different tribes including the acquisition of a slave in the afterlife, the rite of passage into manhood and spiritual protection for the tribal village. The last recorded headhunting in Malaysian Borneo occurred as recently as WWII. While in Indonesian Borneo in the South of the island incidents reminiscent of headhunting occurred during a 2001 tribal conflict. We ran over our 2 hours by almost 40 minutes but our driver never mentioned it and so neither did we.
After moving hotels first thing in the morning of day 3 we headed for Kota's Jesselton Pier. Today we were going off shore to one of Northern Borneo's coastal islands. There are plenty of islands to choose from, each with its own unique selling point. Naturally there are also plenty of boat operators vying for your business and she was quickly able to negotiate a significant price reduction from the advertised amount. |
We hopped on the speedboat with a group of Chinese guys and skimmed across the ocean for the 15 minute jaunt to Manukan island, one of five islands which make up Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park - Malaysia's first Marine National Park. The place is everything a tropical island paradise should be. Palm trees, white sandy beaches, clear blue waters, tropical fish, coconuts and of course relentless sunshine. Manukan was popular this day with a nice crowd of locals and tourists creating a lively yet comfortable crowd. After hiring beach mats and snorkels we were still able to find a shady spot under a low leaning palm tree on the quite side of the jetty.
I'm from Cork, herself is a Kilkenny woman, neither a snorkelling stronghold! Unsure what to expect we gingerly waded out into the warm water. After a mouthful of salt water it did not take long to get the hang of things and soon we were swimming up and down the shore line heads firmly below the surface. We didn't need to go far at all before our first encounter. A hoard of blue and white striped fish were schooling right in the shallows about waist deep. They were amazingly friendly little fellas and never seemed bothered when we swam through them. In fact they were as inquisitive as we were at times coming after us at one point and surrounding herself playfully.
A little further out there were even more species to spot. Rainbow coloured fish, bright green and purple, about the length of a forearm picked at mossy rocks on the sea floor. Leopard spotted fish and larger pale clear white fish swam solo in amongst the smaller schooling species. We saw hoards of fish that looked like millions of tiny glass shards sparkling just below the surface bouncing from side to side in the waves. In all we spotted 11 different fish species in the space of 90 minutes all in no more than 5-6 ft of water. |
It was incredible to be so close to what are for most of us very elusive creatures and particularly impressive when we had never seen fish like these anywhere before. A firm trip highlight for sure! We spent another hour drying on the beach, collecting shells and chatting with some other travellers. The speedboat back to Kota was not as smooth as the exhilarating trip out earlier that day. The boat broke down 3 times and was met with helpful suggestions such as swimming the rest of the way or getting out and pushing. Luckily we were in no rush at all!
Day four and another hotel move first thing in the morning. After checking our bags into hotel no.3 we headed back into town for some breakfast. Today was wildlife day of the land variety! With the mountain area closed our options were limited in terms of getting to grips with Borneo's wildlife. After the obligatory negotiating with our taxi driver we secured a third off the asking price and headed out of town once more.
Borneo for me (herself) was all about nature and wildlife, in particular Orangutans. Anyone who has researched a visit to Borneo probably knows that the best place to see Organ-utans in the wild is in a nature reserve in Sepilok (Northern Sabah). Unfortunately, this is a 6 hour drive from Kota Kinabalu so not really an option for us. Instead we decided to visit a wildlife reserve closer to KK, within 2 hours drive. We hired ourselves a taxi and set off into the rain forest and up the side of a mountain. Upon entry, we were given a map and set off on our walk (i.e. hike!). The park covers an area of 280 acres and the trail, approx. 2km in length winds up and down hills along the side of the mountain. The park houses some exotic and endangered wild animals who are native to Borneo, most notably sun bears, orangutans and proboscis monkeys.
We made our way first to see the sun bears. Classified as vulnerable with a declining population due to deforestation in SE Asia, sunbear (also known as honey bears) are amazing creatures. They are very placid animals and were incredibly friendly, coming over to investigate when we arrived. All black, with a collar of white, have long sharp claws, enabling them to climb trees and an incredibly long tongue helping them to pursue insects or honey. They are the smallest of all bears (probably what makes them so cute). They feed mostly on honey, bees and insects. Given their interest in us when we visited, we got some nice sun bear selfies- what more could you want! |
Next we head to the Orang-utans. I was very excited about seeing Orang-utans in their natural habitat as they are now endangered and are only found in the rainforest in Borneo and Sumatra. When we arrived, a family of orang-utans were playing close by. One was tearing bark from a log, a younger one was observing. As the most intelligent primates, orang-utans have been studied for many years. They are both solitary and social animals who build very elaborate nests (complete with pillows, blanket and roof).
One of the most interesting thing about orang-utans is that (according to a German study), they can calculate reciprocity, meaning they can weigh up the pros and cons of gift exchanges and they can keep track of them - like humans. Watching the family of orang-utans was a surreal experience. It was as though I could tell exactly what was happening in the interaction. The father was breaking the branch and eating it, the mother was watching and wondering if she would be given some, the child came over to investigate but the mother pulled him out of the way. |
It was the closest thing to a human interaction I have ever seen from animals. We got some amazingly up-close photos and really enjoyed the visit. Funnily enough, for the entire time we stood and watched, it felt as though we were being observed just as much!
Unfortunately for us, the proboscis monkey viewing platform was under construction on the day we visited. Lets hope we can catch them elsewhere. Luckily on our way back to the entrance to find our driver we did catch a glimpse of a few otters, elephants and a sumatran tiger, as you do!
Our fifth day was set aside for the peoples of Borneo. We were making our way to the Mari Mari tribal village hidden deep in the hilly outlying forests an hour out of town. The village boasts a number of traditional long houses, each one finished to replicate the specific details unique to some of the indigenous tribes of Borneo. The sense of history and primitive existence was immediate.

As our mini-van, driven by a descendant of the Duson tribe, entered the village I spotted a woman with her young children washing in the river under the morning sun. Straight away I knew I had to have a photo of this scene, unchanged for God knows how many decades. I asked for permission with what little Malay I had and she cheerfully obliged. Our guide told us that our group of 10 would have to choose a leader to represent the group as we entered the headhunting Murut area.
The leader would have to answer questions posed by the tribal chief before permission to enter could be granted. I was kindy volunteered to be our leader by herself...thanks for that! We made our way across a long wooden bridge above the rocky, fast flowing river into the village. This house was a replica of those used by the Duson tribe. Headhunting farmers, these people would hang a head above the tangkob or grain store kept adjacent to the house. The head spirit was believed to protect the grain from thieves. As with all the long houses the boys and girls slept separately, the girls having a room built off the ground accessible only by a ladder which their father would remove at night time. The boys often had no room and sometimes slept outside. The girls were heavily protected by their fathers at every turn. Their clothes displayed whether they were married or not, long sleeves for single, no sleeves for married. The Rungus long house had a section of the roof which could be lifted off to allow air to circulate. They worshiped crocodiles and would proudly display a crocodile skull in their house as a sign that they were protected by the spirit of the crocodile.
The Lundayne tribe were seaside dwellers and expert divers. They could swim very fast and dive beneath the water for 5-7 minutes at a time. They prized a particular type of crab which was elusive and lived in deep waters on the sea floor. The would display the shells of the crab to show how good the divers of the family were. Along the way we were given samples of food and drink and even herbal medicine the tribes people would have had. Rice, chicken, banana leaf and garlic placed in a bamboo shoot and roasted over an open flame made a surprisingly tasty meal.
Washed down with some fermented rice wine and the stronger distilled rice wine, both drank while eating eels soaked in wine which would enable the reveller to increase his intake and drink for longer. Bamboo was used for almost everything, ladders, spears, stilts of houses, house frames, tools, cooking, furniture and a fire staring kit. These people were geniuses at finding ways to use bamboo to meet their various needs.
Finally we were approaching the Murut headhunters house, set apart from the others our guide advised us to form a single line and to not smile or laugh, take our hands out of pockets but don't put them on your hips and simply wait until the leader of the group (yours truly) had been granted permission to enter. As we approached the house we were set upon by screaming Murut men. They came from the bushes and surrounded us, inspecting each individual. The chief in full, feathery head gear approached me head on. He put his right had on my left shoulder and I was to put my right hand on his left shoulder. He asked me the questions and once satisfied we were coming in peace we could enter. The Murut longhouse had one very special feature of a trampoline built beneath the floor.
A removable patch of the main floor revealed a large square of timbers, lashed together and held in place by flexible bamboo poles fixed into a sturdy frame. The trampoline was used as part of a game where 4 tribes boys would stand on the trampoline, one at each corner and bend & straighten their knees vigorously getting the board to bounce. A fifth boy in the centre would at a precise moment jump from the trampoline as high as possible to reach the ribbons hanging from the roof. The highest jump wins. |
The Murut also used blow guns to fire poison tipped darts into animals and enemies alike. We were each allowed to try the blow gun, a long narrow wooden tube about a metre in length with a sharp blade attached to the end like the bayonet of a rifle. The darts appeared flimsy and we were warned more than once not to inhale the dart as we drew breath to blow. The weapon was amazingly powerful and the darts could travel a good distance without dropping from their trajectory. At the end of the tour we were invited to have a meal made using the ancient tribal cooking techniques including stewed fish, open flame roasted chicken, water spinach and of course rice. It was a fantastic way to get a real feel for each of the different indigenous tribes and appreciate the subtle differences which co-existed on the island for hundreds of years.
A special mention...
Not 5 minutes from our last hotel in Kota is the town's crowded slum. Comprising thrown together shacks resting precariously on stilts above a floor of marsh, muck, sewerage and rubbish are some of the worst and most degrading abodes I have ever seen. The walls and roofs of corrugated iron and ply wood many with gapping holes, allowing rain, vermin or nosey passers by an easy entrance to these peoples homes and lives. Populated mostly by illegal immigrant Filipinos these people try to eek out an existence here in this part of wealthy Malaysia.
They will be tolerated by the locals and the government until their cheap labour is no longer required or the area is designated for development. Despite the horrific conditions I still received a smile and a wave from one of the young female residents as I walked along a rickety, narrow, wooden gangway that traverses the slum some 4 feet above the filth. I thought of the children she would raise here and how worried she must be for their health & welfare in such a place. I never felt more grateful for the privileges I am blessed with at home.
Having seen modern Borneo throughout the town of Kota Kinabalu on our first day, cultural Borneo in the mosque and Sabah museum on the second day, Borneo under the sea on Manukan island on day 3, wildlife Borneo on day 4 and finally the peoples of Borneo on day 5 we were feeling hugely satisfied.
On our last day we decided to simply go with the flow. The town was having its annual dragon-boat race on the nearby Likas Bay. So under the distant gaze of Kota's mosque we settled in with the locals to watch the competition between Sabah's boating enthusiasts. The dragon boats used by each team are identical. Long and historic looking each boat has a wooden head and tail of a dragon. At the front of each boat is a large drum which is beaten by the cox to keep the 20 strong team of rowers in time. |
From the tented spectator area it was difficult to get a clear view of the action and excitement seemed hard to come by without a vested interest in the outcome. Finding a gap in the crowd we made our way down to the shore line where the competitors both launched and returned. Things certainly picked up from this vantage point as we witnessed team members being stretchered from returning boats, passed out from exhaustion, coaches surveying the waves through tinted binoculars and family members screaming their encouragement and congratulations to their returning heroes.
In between fish balls with chili sauce and Taiwanese chilled tea our last day in Malaysian Borneo was just the right tempo for a little relaxation before a whirlwind 31 hours in Brunei Darussalam, our next stop!