RestlessNatives.net NativeGuide to
MALAYSIA
Langkawi :: SABAH 1 :: Sabah 2
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MALAYSIA Page 2: SABAH Part 1
George and Deb spent ten days in a rented Jeep driving around the Malaysian province of Sabah, on the island of Borneo, in September 1999. Also see the page on our long weekend in Langkawi in April 2000.
Kota Kinabalu
We started our trip in Kota Kinabalu, where we stayed at the Hyatt - not a resort, but right in the middle of the city and across the street from all the ferry piers, and therefore a good jumping-off place for seeing the markets and the outlying islands. As we had stayed up all night the night before our trip to finish up some work, we spent most of the first day snoozing in our hotel and wandering through the markets. There are two large markets right next to the Hyatt, including the Filipino market, which sells lots of Filipino crafts.
The second day we wanted to visit one of the islands near KK and got duped into going to Gaya Island, to a resort which turned out to be mostly empty because no one in his or her right mind hangs around there during the day. The resort is known for the Reef Project, an environmental project to rebuild the coral reefs in the area, and it has a very nice aquarium display showing the damage that has been done to the reefs and the kinds of animals that are being bred in an effort to repopulate. Much of the damage is blamed on "our neighbors" (the Philippines), which have a nasty habit of dynamiting the coral reefs and capturing reef fish with cyanide.
We hired a speed boat to take us out to Gaya Island. Along the way we got a good look at one of Borneo's many water villages - little huts built on the water and in this case inhabited mostly by several thousand Filipinos. Most interesting was the shabby, floating mosque - nothing so grand as the glittering mosque in KK, but probably a more fitting testament to how seriously these people take their religion.
Once on Gaya, we took a little walk along the boardwalk around the resort, which ostensibly allows views of some wildlife. Unfortunately, the wildlife wasn't being too cooperative that day (as George says, if you want certainty, go to a zoo!), and we didn't see any. There is apparently also a jungle trek, but we never found it, although we've got giant mosquito bites to prove we tried.
The highlight of the day was dinner at the restaurant at the resort. We sat down at our table, and looked expectantly at the waiter for menus. "Sorry," he said, "The menu is this way." Puzzled, we followed the man around back to the "menu" - tanks and tanks of fish of every kind imaginable. We ordered some kind of fish cooked in garlic, a half kilo of chili crabs and some broccoli steamed with garlic - a delicious meal. Still, it was not worth spending a half-day on Gaya Island.
The next morning we visited the Sunday tamu (market) in KK, which was just around the corner from the hotel. Although there are some crafts on sale at the tamu, it is by no means a tourist show. The tamu is more like the Bornean answer to Wal-mart, where locals can buy everything from housewares to pets (we hope) to the latest CDs.
Driving
After our stop at the KK tamu, the real trip started - we packed up our jeep and we were off. In order to drive, it seemed useful to learn a little of the local language. They say that Bahasa Malaysian is one of the easiest languages in the world to learn, and is doubly useful because it is almost identical to Bahasa Indonesian (although Bahasa Indonesian is apparently not plagued by the regional accents present in Malaysia). We have compiled a list of words that help to illustrate just how simple this language is for an English speaker:
| English | Bahasa Malayu |
| Express | Ekspres |
| Minibus | Bas Mini |
| Hotel | Hotel |
| Boat | Bot |
| Ticket | Tikit |
| Hospital | Hospital |
| Surgery | Surgeri |
| Pharmacy | Farmasi |
| Doctor | Doktor |
| Museum | Musium |
Careful though -"air" means water.
Unfortunately, our newfound knowledge of Malaysian did not do us much good on the road, because (i) there aren't any road signs directing you from KK to the main highway, (ii) the word for "map" is evidently not "map" and (iii) Borneans - even those who are fluent in English - are incapable of providing directions. This can lead to a fair amount of confusion, such as when we were trying to drive out of KK to visit the tamu in Kota Belud, a mere 60km north of KK. First, we found ourselves in a construction zone (no pavement involved). We hadn't expected our four wheel drive to be so necessary so quickly, and this made us a little nervous about the rest of the trip. We finally turned around and went back to KK to ask for directions. "Just follow the road lah! There are signs everywhere!" For the record, there are NOT signs everywhere, unless a person gives you the crucial direction to TURN RIGHT AT THE MOSQUE. So, if you are ever trying to get out of KK, just remember to turn right at the mosque. Then you will see signs that lead you wherever you might want to go in Sabah.
This leads to the next hazard -- you've found the signs, but which ones can you trust? On our way to Tuaran, through which we had to pass to get to Kota Belud, we saw a sign as the road was curving around to let onto another highway that says "Tuaran 17". Naturally, we continued following the curve and entered the highway. Until .... "Oh no," said George. "What?" said Deb. "Isn't that the mosque?" said George. "Surely it's a different mosque," said Deb. "I don't think so," said George. Soon, it was clear that we were in fact headed back into KK, even though we had continued to follow the signs away from KK. As it turns out, when you come to the sign that says "Tuaran 17", you are not actually supposed to follow the sign. Instead, you are supposed to scoot across the highway, make a yooey, and drive in the opposite direction of the sign. We are not kidding, this is the way to get out of KK.
In all, it took us about 4 hours to drive the 60km to Kota Belud, by which time the tamu was over. It was a nice drive, though, through lots of very Southeast Asian looking countryside full of rice paddies and palm trees. A demonstration of the limitations of the English word "green".
Afterwards, we headed back towards Tuaran and then turned towards Mount Kinabalu. It was along this road that we encountered the next driving hazard, the Malaysian word "AWAS!", which is usually painted in red, is placed every ten meters along the road and means, as you might have guessed, something to the effect of "Caution!" Unfortunately, "AWAS!" is used a bit too liberally. It may mean (i) "AWAS! There's a big dip in the road that will suck your front tires into the underworld," (ii) "AWAS! your section of the road has fallen over the cliff," or (iii) "AWAS! Just kidding!" More disturbing than "AWAS!" however, were the large red, orange or yellow signs (usually accompanied by a big "Awas!") that contained a paragraph or two of Malaysian and were clearly intended as an urgent warning, but of what, we have no idea.
Sorry about the lack of photographs here -- we were hoping for a good AWAS! photo in particular, but the places where we could have pulled over and taken such photos were pretty scarce, easy to miss, and usually didn't look totally safe.
Mount Kinabalu - The First Time Around
We didn't have time (or the necessary clothing) to make the climb (although Deb is adamant that she wants to return to climb the thing), but we at least wanted to stay for a night and take in the cool air and beautiful views.
We stayed in the Hotel Perkasa, which at US$40 per night including meals is a bit expensive for Borneo, and not really that great - it very much has the flavor of the old state-run hotels in the PRC, according to Deb. It is, however, perched high on a hilltop and has fabulous views of the mountain and the surrounding countryside. The town at the foot of the mountain was gearing up for an international running race that is held every year - the first weekend is a run through various trails on the mountain, followed by a "climbathon" the next weekend, where ridiculously fit people make the two day trek up to the peak of Mount Kinabalu and back in two hours. Given the spirit of things, Deb went out for a run one morning along the highway. Just for the record, they may have a road race every year, but they are not used to women in running shorts. (Although it's pretty tolerant for a mostly Muslim place, the sensibilities in Sabah are fairly conservative.)
Sandakan
We moved on to Sandakan to start the wildlife portion of our vacation. It was on this drive that we encountered our first police roadblock. The policeman was stopping everyone and looking into their cars. George rolled his window down and greeted the cop with "Hi." After barely a pause, he waved us through with a shy smile. Apparently two foreigners in a jeep were not exactly what he was looking for. As we drove by we could see his fellow policeman poking fun at him.
There isn't really a lot to do in the busy little port of Sandakan, so we booked the following night in the Turtle Islands (more below) and then retired to the Renaissance Hotel in Sandakan for the evening - it is a fabulous resort. If you are ever feeling like you need a little pampering in Malaysia, this is the hotel for you. Complete with terrific food, good rooms, a great pool (with waterfalls), billiards, nice views, and - most importantly for those of us addicted to e-mails and lugging our laptops around - good internet connections. The hotel was also very accomodating, storing our luggage and allowing us to leave our car in their lot, all free of charge, while we spent the following night in the Turtle Islands.
Our boat to the island departed from a floating village near Sandakan. One place that we glimpsed briefly during the boat trip to the Turtle Islands was Berhala Island, which was used as a POW camp by the Japanese in WWII. Sandakan was the original internment site of the (mostly Australian) POWs who died as a result of the infamous death marches from Sandakan to Ranau. Of 2400 POWs, only 6 survived - and they only survived because they escaped.
Turtle Islands
The Turtle Islands are three islands in a conservation park aimed at saving the green turtle and the hawksbill turtle, both of which lay their eggs on the islands. During the breeding season (we were in the middle of the green turtle breeding season), female turtles come ashore every night to dig holes in the sand and lay dozens upon dozens of eggs. Park rangers go around to each nest and retrieve the eggs, which are then placed in a hatchery. The sex of the baby turtle is thought to depend on how much warmth the egg gets during the incubation period, so the park rangers arrange the eggs (in sun or shade) to try to ensure the appropriate ratio of males to females. When turtles hatch, they are then released into the sea. The baby turtles apparently swim for a week, feeding on the remainder of the placenta from their egg, and then plunge into catching their own food. All of this is assuming they don't get eaten themselves. There are lots of potential predators for baby turtles - birds, lizards, fish, you name it. For that reason, the turtles are usually released at night, and on the leeward side of the island. Predators are less likely to see them, and they don't have to work as hard to get into the ocean.
We left bright and early for the Turtle Islands, which we had booked through Discovery Tours. This was our first experience with the tour guides in Malaysia, and we found it amusing that they all seem to know each other. Later on, we heard rumors that our tour guide to the islands was a bit of a romantic and had a tendency to fall for the ladies, particularly Japanese ones. Incidentally, don't believe the tour operator in Sandakan, who will tell you it's possible to order a la carte at the island. You'll end up eating the set meals anyway, and it will cost a lot more if you don't pay up front.
We arrived at Pulau Selingan, one of the Turtle Islands, in the early morning. We had a quick briefing, which mostly consisted of two instructions. First, "don't ever snap a photo of the one thing you have come to see." For no apparent reason, it is illegal to take a photo of a turtle (even with no flash, which is the really perplexing part). Second, "don't be alarmed if you see men in uniform toting machine guns." As it turns out, the island is on the border with the Philippines (even though it isn't all that far from the Sabah coast, you can actually see a couple of Phillipines islands from here). There is therefore a small contingent of troops stationed on the island as a border patrol. They keep to themselves and seem to spend their time patrolling the waters around the island and catching their dinner (probably at the same time).
After the introduction, we ate a quick lunch and then went off for a nap while we waited for the scorching tropical sun to take a rest. Accomodation is basic, with a communal bathroom and electricity that isn't on at night - leading to a few yelps when the electricity snapped off while a few people were still in the bathroom readying for bed (and also resulting in what sounded like a really bad time for the Japanese guy who got sick in the middle of the night). We spent the afternoon snorkeling and wandering around the island, then gathered back at the restaurant for a tour of the museum, which details Malaysia's efforts to save the turtles (again, "our neighbors" seem to be one of the main obstacles to reaching this goal). After a quick shower, we returned to the restaurant for dinner, picking our way in near-complete darkness because we hadn't brought our own flashlight. We were told that we shouldn't leave once we went to the restaurant for dinner, because it is never clear when the turtles will show up - it can be anywhere between 6pm and 6am (you are not allowed to walk on the beach during this time anyway, for fear of scaring the turtles away).
If the tourists were to crowd around the turtle before it has dug its nest or started laying eggs, it would move on to look for a more suitable site elsewhere. Once they have started laying eggs, however, nothing will stop them. The tourists are also only allowed to watch one turtle a night. So, while the tourists remain in the open air restaurant, at first eating and drinking, then snoozing or reading, the park rangers are dotted around the island looking for turtles. Once one comes ashore, they wait until it has dug its hole to lay its eggs, then the ranger dials up the guy staked out in the restaurant. In our case, we were sleepily playing blackjack with a couple of Australians at about 10 p.m. when an incredible thunderstorm broke. Thirty seconds after the lightning started flashing, the call came: "TURTLE!!!!" Never mind the rain and the lightning - we all dove for our shoes and dashed out to the beach to see a 98kg mother green turtle laying 64 eggs in a giant nest it had dug with nothing but its flippers. As it turns out, she was a newcomer to the island - after retrieving her eggs, the ranger weighed and measured her, tagged her, then sent her on her merry way back into the sea. As odd as it may seem, it was quite a moving experience to see this giant turtle just doing what it came to the island to do while thirty or so people gathered around to watch it. The whole thing was made a bit more surreal by the crashing thunder and lightning and pouring rain all around us. We had one of those odd "map moments" - where you envision a map of the world and then pinpoint yourself on a little island north of Borneo in a thunderstorm watching a mother turtle lay its eggs in a nest on a beach.
The best part came next, however - releasing the night's hatchlings into the sea. Baby green turtles are about the cutest things you can ever possibly imagine. The ranger appeared with a bucket of 114 baby turtles, and let everyone have a chance to pick one up and get a good look at it. We tromped down to the beach on the other side of the island - still in the pouring rain with lightning everywhere - and dumped the bucket on the beach. We stood on the beach and herded the little guys into the water while the rangers yelled over the thunder "You must help them! Help them into the sea!!" Eventually, we got all of the little turtles into the water and on their way. We then retired to the relative dryness of our little chalets to dream warm, happy thoughts of saving the green turtles.
The next morning, we arose at dawn (we had to, to eat breakfast before the boat came to get us) and wandered around the island, where we discovered numerous little turtles who apparently either came from undiscovered nests or had headed in the wrong direction at some point. They were struggling to make it to the sea but unfortunately were stuck near the middle of the island. We collected four or five and released them in the ocean - these guys aren't likely to survive, because they are exhausted after swimming through sand all night and they've lost the cover of darkness, but it's a good feeling knowing you gave them at least a slight chance. We confess we took a moment to take the forbidden photo as well - as long as you don't use a flash, we can't imagine the turtle really cares. When you're holding it, its little flippers are going like mad and all it's thinking is "water. water. water. water."
We split our Sabah page due to its large size. Continue for the rest of the story, including Sepilok, Sukau, and the Padas River. Or read about our weekend in Langkawi.
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