After soaking up the sun at Pulau Sapi’s shore, we (Kuba, Maciek, Shervin and I) once again hopped on our hired boat and headed to our second and last island for the day, Pulau Mamutik. Pulau Mamutik beach. Reminds me of Anawangin and Nagsasa Cove.Pulau Mamutik, though the smallest island in Tunku Abdul Rahman National…
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Backpacking Borneo: Pulau Sapi
Anita was raving about ‘the islands’ over beer at The Loft, so we blocked off a day for Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park (a group of five islands named after Malaysia’s first Prime Minister). That day started with me exchanging morning pleasantries with Kuba and Maciek, both from Poland, on the way to the bathroom….
Backpacking Borneo: Sabah Museum and Filipino Night Market
We woke up to an empty house the next day (blog continued from here) at 9-ish. We were staying at Kuni’s, our Couchsurfing host. Kuni already left for work, and Anita (another Couchsurfer staying at his house) already headed to the islands for a day of snorkeling. We didn’t have any sightseeing plans that day,…
Backpacking Borneo: Clark-Kota Kinabalu
Exactly a year ago, 7th of May 2009, Shervin and I set off for our 6-week backpacking trip across six countries (Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar) in South East Asia – with a budget of $1,000 each. And where did our epic adventure begin? Malaysian Borneo. Signal no. 2 typhoon on our departure day….
South East Asia in Six Weeks
Despite storm signal no. 2 and the Swine Flu frenzy (it was not called AH1N1 yet), we set off 7th of May last year for our first Southeast Asia backpacking trip together (Shervin and I). A trip that took us to six countries (in order): Malaysia, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia….
Tanjung Aru Beach
To cap off our 9-day northwest and eastern Borneo vacation, Shervin and I spent our last dusk sauntering along Tanjung Aru Beach in Kota Kinabalu. Each of us only shelled out P11,749.20 for the entire trip (including roundtrip tickets, terminal fees, my travel tax, accommodations, food, transportation, souvenirs and admission fees). By executing well-thought-out decisions,…
Into the Rainforest
Nature lovers who flock to Sandakan are certainly pumped up. Sure it’s a gateway to ecotourism, but many are not aware that this rainforest has also witnessed a dark past. Nope, I’m not just pertaining to the diminishing number of wildlife. A POW Camp was once set up in Sandakan, and a gruesome “death march”…
Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
Sabah, Malaysia will leave ecotourism, jungle tourism and wildlife sanctuary fanatics infatuated. If not, madly in love. As written on one if its brochures, “Eco-treasures from mountain high to ocean deep”. In Sandakan alone, there are at least 5 destinations where tourists can learn about ecosystem protection. Due to time and budget constraints we were…
Sandakan Sights
Sandakan was once under the governance of the Sultan of Sulu. Imagine if the Philippines still owns the resource-rich east coast of Sabah, the economical gain must have been heaps. No wonder our ol’ dictator President Marcos set up an operation to take back the land, which unfortunately led to the Jabidah Massacre – but…
East Malaysian Borneo: Sandakan
This former capital of British North Borneo is a 6-hour bus ride from Kota Kinabalu.Though two of Sabah’s main tourist attractions can be found here, the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center and the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, the city still remains a not so beaten track. Sandakan, a bustling port town.After checking out of Summer Lodge,…