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Borneo

Trip with Julie Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 29, 2025
    My Travel AdventuresBorneoTraveler

    Up up and away!

    September 30 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Upon arrival at Sydney airport over 3 hours early, we were shocked to see the queue for check-in snaked for what seemed like kilometres!!!!
    Anyhow, it moved fairly quickly and we navigated ourselves seamlessly through immigration to the duty free where we stocked up of course 😂
    Being a 10pm flight, I popped a Valium that I got from my dealer (Jim) and it worked a treat! I managed to get nearly 7 hours sleep. Whilst it wasn’t completely “sound”, it definitely was better than ever before. I was asleep before take-off and even missed the first meal - that’s how asleep I was!
    Woke as breakfast was coming around at 5.30am Sydney time. Breakfast was an eclectic choice of scrambled eggs & chicken sausage or strawberry loaf…….
    5 hours in the Golden Lounge (La de da) was passed getting to meet some of our fellow travellers. Can you believe there’s one lady who is close friends with Julie’s old neighbour Sonia! Small world.
    As expected, a fair few teachers on this trip as it falls entirely in the school holidays.
    Second flight is only 3 hours but with loads of legroom which is a bit fancy! We are the 1st row after Business Class 😊
    After collecting our luggage and breezing through the checking stations we met our group and guide (Brendan).
    First stop the War Memorial where the Death Marches are remembered. I’m so ashamed that I knew so little about this atrocity where nearly 2000 prisoners were marched through the jungle, most starving to death, others killed for ridiculous reasons and only 6 made it out alive - 1 of whom was from Katoomba.
    Our hotel is located near the water so we had an explore and a rainbow drink (picture was a beautiful drink layered with rainbow colours - reality was white hahahaha). We got stuck with a tropical storm which passed fairly quickly although I’m certain we will suffer with crazy humidity tomorrow!!
    Early night tonight xx    Read more

  • My Travel AdventuresBorneoTraveler

    3 of the Big 5

    October 2 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Happy birthday Julie!!
    I made her wear a big birthday badge today so everyone knew it was her birthday and also snuck into the us to stick up a birthday banner - hahahahaha!
    Breakfast was great, right on the waterfront. We even had green bread (not mouldy) which was quite delightful. First stop today was the Orangutang Sanctuary. We spotted our first one on the way to the nursery. How amazing!!
    The sanctuary is not “closed in” and allows the animals to come and go as they please. But orangutans that have been mistreated and rescued or orphaned before they are self-sufficient are taught how to forage and fend for themselves. The programs they run are phenomenal with so much success. Watching them play at the nursery was mesmerising and of course I took waaaaay too many photos and videos. As we headed to the feeding platform we saw a couple just roaming around alongside us and couldn’t believe our luck!!
    Whilst the sanctuary is for orangutans there were heaps of other monkeys there too, swinging around the trees and stealing the food which made the orangutan’s pretty mad and provided some good laughs for us.
    Next we went to the Sun Bear Rescue & Sanctuary with the same concept. These bears are the smallest in the world and looked to be about the size of a large wombat. We saw a fair few of them too happily exploring and eating. The grounds are magnificent and the jobs these people do in protecting the animals is amazing.
    We also spotted a yellow viper snake 🐍 in the tree not to far from us. When Brendan (our guide) told us that there are also flying snakes I was not at all impressed and luckily for everyone around us, we didn’t see one.
    The humidity has been a real killer but we have been absolute troupers and soldiered on!!
    Lunch was fabulous and topped off with everyone singing Happy Birthday to Julie and Brendan organising a cake for her!!!
    Our last stop today was the Rainforest Discovery Centre where we walked through the canopy and across a suspension bridge. The plants and trees were absolutely spectacular and we were even lucky enough to see the elusive The Rhinoceros Hornbill bird making it 3/5 of Borneo’s Big 5 in one day!!!
    No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t get a photo of the bird with my phone. The photo here is “loaned” from Google.
    With swollen and tired feet, we treated ourselves to a foot massage when we returned to our hotel. Bliss.    Read more

  • My Travel AdventuresBorneoTraveler

    River lodge via the proboscis monkeys

    October 3 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    My favourite experience so far. Seeing the proboscis monkeys so close and in their natural habitat was awe-inspiring!! Julie had a close call and they all appeared to be very pleased to see us (hahaha). We were incredibly lucky to have them come so close to us and I was mesmerised by the way they swing around and leap from tree to tree. There is a feeding platform within the jungle but apart from that, the entire area is free for them to roam. No fences, no restrictions at all.
    We are staying at a River Lodge for the next two nights and it is right in the heart of the jungle. We had to change huts as our aircon wasn’t working (and believe me, it is definitely needed!!) and our new little house is great. After lunch we had free time until afternoon tea and chose to relax. The food has been terrific!
    Late in the afternoon we went on our first river safari which was great. Not only was it a cool relief, but we got to see plenty of Hornbilled birds, loads of monkeys and even a mum and bub orangutan building a nest. I watched it all through my binoculars as the camera just wasn’t quite good enough. The same occurred when we spotted a small family of proboscis monkeys! So awesome seeing them just hanging around along the river.    Read more

  • My Travel AdventuresBorneoTraveler

    To the Bat Cave!

    October 4 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 23 °C

    Up before the sun for our 6am river safari on the hunt for crocodiles and Pygmy elephants. Being on the river so early was delightfully quiet. We stumbled across dozens of monkey family’s who provided a lot of entertainment.
    We did see a couple of crocodiles but Mick Dundee is correct - “they aren’t crocodiles!!”. How these tiny things have made it to be part of the Borneo Big 5 and Sun Bear haven’t seems like quite the error; one I have decided to rectify for my own records and reporting purposes.
    We didn’t manage to find any Pygmy Elephants which is disappointing but we have one final safari to go!! All hope is not yet lost.
    After a leisurely breakfast we headed to the Bat Caves where the nests are harvested as a Chinese delicacy. How anyone decided they would be a nice treat baffles me. The floor was teeming with cockroaches and super slippery due to bat poo - so gross.
    The trek to and from the cave was stunning though so that was well worth it, through the rainforest.
    After lunch and afternoon tea ( we get soooo much food it’s like a cruise), we relaxed and experienced a proper tropical storm before one last attempt to spot some elephants. No luck unfortunately but we did loads more monkeys and birds. We even saw a Storm Stork which is endangered with only about 400 still on existence. They are dying out because when a mum has more than one chick, they toss it out if the nest!! Seems like they need to reconsider their one child policy!!
    Yet another scrumptious dinner with our lovely group of friends.    Read more

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    Feet eating fish in the mountains

    October 5 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Our last morning in the river lodge and it was incredibly steamy after yesterday’s storm. It was a big day on the bus as we headed up to the mountains.
    When we stopped for a toilet break at a petrol station, you would’ve thought we had t eaten in days, when in fact it was probably 90 minutes hahahaha!
    The river where we stopped was packed with fish large, small and very hungry!!
    A lot of people were very brave and dived straight in. I took my precious time only to freak out when the entire school of them lunged at me - I discovered that Brendan (guide) had thrown fish food next to me!!!
    The entire experience was a combination of fun, weird and awful.
    Whilst there I bought some fried bananas which were scrumptious and healthy, being fruit.
    Lunch was at a tea plantation and was delicious as well as plentiful with the most gorgeous views.
    Another storm rolled in and just added to the atmosphere with the benefit of also dropping the temperature even if it is only temporary!    Read more

  • My Travel AdventuresBorneoTraveler

    Memorial and gardens

    October 6 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    23°c
    An emotional visit to the memorial that commemorates the 2428 Aussie & British POW’s who died during the Death Marches in Borneo. The video we watched left most of us in tears. Only 6 men survived and one was from Katoomba!
    The gardens were pretty and the surrounding local markets were interesting.
    Next stop was the botanical gardens in the foothills of Mt Kinabalu, the highest mountain in SE Asia.
    I am absolutely loving learning so much about the flora, fauna and history of a country I really knew nothing about.
    We are now staying at the Hilton and are staying put for 3 nights in Kota Kinabalu - the largest place we’ve stayed in so far!
    We bravely explored the night markets and were gobsmacked at the array of fresh goods everywhere! We were expressly warned NOT to eat there though. Instead we went to the waterfront and had a delicious meal. On our way back to the hotel we stumbled into a two hour massage which was magnificent and contributed to a wonderful sleep last night.    Read more

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    Wet day on a tropical island

    October 7 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Today started with the best buffet breakfast I have ever seen! The brekky desserts alone, were enough to fill you 10 x over. Crazy. We will make sure we go down there earlier tomorrow hahahaha!
    A quick trip to the jetty for our boat over to Manukan Island.
    OMG it was the roughest, wettest and nearly funniest boat trip ever. We were bounced out of our seats, got absolutely drenched but survived!!
    The rain had set in for the day so we set ourselves up in the cafe and enjoyed coffees and getting to know our travel mates. Lunch was great again and Brendan organised for us to leave earlier due to the weather.
    The trip back was much calmer, thank goodness!
    Another massage with my new Malaysian friend Ging before exploring the local shopping centre.
    Tonight we are having a traditional Malaysian dinner which Brendan de    Read more

  • My Travel AdventuresBorneoTraveler

    Mari Mari Cultural Village

    October 8 in Malaysia ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    After another phenomenal breakfast, including the now mandatory breakfast dessert we hopped on the bus for our trip to the Mari Mari Cultural Village. Whilst it was an overcast morning, nothing could prepare us for the complete and utter drenching we would experience from the second we got off the bus!!
    The rainforest was most definitely living up its name!!
    Our guide Van Helan (bahahaha) led us around the village. It was fascinating to see the long-houses that villagers used to live in. Some could be up to 1km long with around 500 families living in them! Imagine the chaos!!!
    Single ladies had a bunk bed and the ladder was removed each evening so they couldn’t get down and the boys couldn’t climb up.
    We tasted an array of traditional foods and beverages with the rice wine being particularly potent. Watching how they cooked, using the traditional methods was so interesting. Van Helan did admit that some of the raw ingredients did, in fact, come from the local supermarket haha.
    We experienced dancing ceremonies and each group had to elect a Chief - we had a 15 year old boy who took his job very seriously and was great.
    After a cultural show we had another buffet and whilst I am a tad over rice and curried meats, the food had been fabulous.
    The rain did not let up all day and was absolutely torrential!! Our ponchos earned their keep, that’s for sure.
    Some unfortunate tour groups had parked their mini-buses on the wrong side of the river and were trapped until the water receded. I’m not sure how long that took. We had to return via a suspension bridge and the before and after of the water flow was insane!
    Finished the day with an amazing fresh seafood pasta on the waterfront with 4 other couples/pairs.
    As we walked past our massage place, Ging and Rose were there to eagerly greet us and have photos 😂
    It would’ve been rude not to indulge in a two hour massage so we decided to continue supporting the local economy.
    Afterwards there were more photos with our hair looking gorgeous. Ging “friended” me on WhatsApp. So funny.    Read more

  • My Travel AdventuresBorneoTraveler

    Off to the Shangri La

    October 9 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    A delightfully lazy morning eating our way through different cultural foods before our relatively short bus trip to the la-Dee-La Shangri La for the last two days.
    Wowzar!! Very fancy indeed.
    Julie and I decided to upgrade to the ocean wing because, why not!!?
    The veranda is something else. Massive with a spa bath and spectacular views over the pool we will be living in.
    It’s so delightful to be able to relax without meeting times.
    Dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant before collapsing into our very comfy beds.    Read more

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    Nothing but pool and relaxation

    October 10 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    Slept in and had a breakfast that, incredibly, surpassed our last ones at the Hilton! I had a version of smashed avo, for entree and of course had to had breakfast dessert.
    Our day literally consisted of getting in and out of the pool and ordering drinks to break the routine up.
    The jacuzzi is awesome too.
    We did manage to squeeze in a massage which was beachside under a hut; wry nice indeed!
    Managed to get a little sunburned, but not too bad.
    We had to have a spa on our veranda which was sooooo good.
    Room service for dinner because we were too exhausted to go out haahahaha!    Read more

  • My Travel AdventuresBorneoTraveler

    That’s a wrap

    October 11 in Malaysia ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Borneo is a phenomenal place to visit. It has exceeded my expectations like a pole vault!!
    The whole place was just full of surprises and I loved every minute. It was a perfect mix of nature, culture, history, culinary delights and brilliant people.
    So many unique experiences along the way; and I managed to get through by dodging every squat toilet!!
    How I’m going to cope without breakfast dessert daily is yet to be seen.
    We have also been exceptionally lucky with the wonderful group of people we had and of course, our guide Brendan was excellent.
    I’ve included some photos Brendan took on previous adventures.
    Xx    Read more

    Trip end
    October 12, 2025
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