Posts

Random thoughts about visiting Malaysia

Image
The one thing that stands out to me when I think about our visit was: Where are all of the tourists? We had a wonderful time and so many unforgettable experiences and yet most of the places we stayed had very few people staying there. We were by far the largest group of tourists we saw, so some of these hotels must have been thrilled about a group of five. It may be a combination of the aftermath of COVID and the timing, as it was the end of the monsoon season. But I do wonder about the lack of promotion of Malaysia as a tourist destination as I don't remember any ads on TV or radio locally. I thoroughly enjoyed the history and street art of Georgetown, the searching for wildlife and orangutans in Borneo, the markets we wandered through, the rivers we cruised on, but most of all the fabulous food.  Sarkie's Buffet: E&O Hotel Georgetown, Penang  The fascinating mixture of Malay, Chinese, Indian   and other cuisines has resulted in such diverse and  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Days Ten to Fourteen : All forms of travel....followed by rest and recuperation to recover from the hectic work of travelling!

Image
Our villa! Perfect for five travellers  Wednesday 2nd - Sunday 6th November:   The next day was a day of return from remote   isolation to decadent civilisation via boat and two   planes and yet another cruise.  It went like this:    - Climb aboard a boat at Kinabatangan Wetlands Resort leaving the peace and quiet behind and heading for Sandakan.  - In Sandakan get in the bus and head for the Airport and retrace the two plane flights to Lahad Butu and then Kota Kinabalu. - Climb aboard another boat at Kota Kinabalu for the 20 minute boat ride to the Bungaraya Island Resort on Gaya Island. Aaaaaah! It was lovely to finally arrive. We were greeted at the end of the jetty with a cold drink and a very cheerful hostess who piled us on to a yellow golf cart decorated with hibiscus. Very appropriate as Bungaraya is the Malaysian word for hibiscus. And there were hibiscus of every colour planted around the resort. The resort provided some r...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Nine - Tuesday 1st November: Cruising down the river.

Image
  Bounding out of bed at 5.30am was a challenge but worth it so we could do an early morning cruise. And for those of us who weren't quite awake, we were quick to wake up when within a few metres of the jetty the boat stopped so we could get a perfect view of a yellow-banded cat snake. It was sleeping (fortunately!) in an overhanging branch only a couple of metres above us. Despite its distinctive markings it was well-camouflaged but Andis managed to spot it . We were quick to suggest that we move on before the snake woke up! This time we headed downriver towards the Kelenanap Oxbow 'lake' which was totally choked with huge broad-leafed plants. It was a bit of a shock when the boatman drove us straight into the middle of the thick leaves and stopped. A lovely spot for a cup of tea and sandwiches! Apparently the pygmy elephants who are only found in Borneo are particularly attracted to these plants so we did our best to spot some .....with no success! It seems as if sighting...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Eight - Monday 31st October: Orangutans at last!

Image
The day had come! We entered the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre for Orangutans with great hopes but a warning that we may not see any! Apparently it's impossible to predict how many will come in from the wild to be fed at the twice daily feeding times. I spoke to a woman who saw only one when she visited Sepilok! The boardwalks were slippery and wet and the rainforest created high humidity  We headed for the nursery along the wooden boardwalk but saw a wild orangutan swinging   in a tree a few metres above our heads before we even  got there. The nursery was full of orphaned young orangutans playing and swinging and fighting in a large glass-walled enclosure. The expectation is that all of them will return to the wild when they are capable of sustaining themselves. There was lots of swinging and eating going on! They were entrancing (although difficult to photograph through the glass) and   we watched them for some time before moving to the open feeding area where w...
Post a Comment
Read more