Yes, I know. Yet another LONG travel update from me! However, from the feedback that I have been getting, MOST of you have been enjoying these updates (it’s nice to know that you don’t mind my group e-mails and that they haven’t been directly sent to your junk-mail or delete-mail boxes!). So here’s yet ANOTHER long letter specially written for you all!!
My previous updates provided thorough written accounts of my travels in Singapore and Vietnam; and though I have sent some photos of Malaysia, I have yet to tell you of my exciting travel experiences in this beautiful country (plus, I’ve got heaps of MORE photos of Malaysia to show you!).
Let’s start with Borneo, Malaysia (Sarawak and Sabah Malaysian states). The term Borneo actually refers to the whole island (3rd largest island in the world in fact) and is administratively divided between three countries: Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
Borneo, Malaysia I would have to say, is one of my most favorite places in the world. With such lush and diverse vegetation, toppled with the sounds of rainforest insects and birds- it really makes the experience of traveling Borneo completely magical!!
What is really striking about the tropical rainforest is that the trees aren’t as tall and thick as I thought they would be (compared to the temperate rainforest in the westcoast of Canada). Not that I was complaining though- my hikes in the lowland and montane rainforests were absolutely splendid; as were my hikes in other ecoregions like the mangrove and kerangas (heath) forests of Bako National Park; and the alpine meadows of Kinabalu National Park (it truly felt like you were walking in a Japanese garden!).
Hiking in the tropical rainforest was a ‘sensory overloading’ experience (yes, strange choice of words I know). The humidity (nearly 100% I imagine) and heat (30 degrees plus) can be unbearable most of the time, especially during the afternoon, the hottest time of day. In additon to that, the sounds of the rainforest is incredible, especially early morning when all the birds are singing in full force (they sounded like they were all on speed!).
In addition to the birds, were the Cicadas and other sound producing insects and animals like the crickets and frogs- but the cicadas really have the acoustic talent! They are the most loudest sound-producing insects in the world, and considering there are many diverse species in the tropics, each with their own unique call/mating song and social behaviour in gathering together to increase the total volume of noise, it was often hard to hear yourself think or talk to anyone!
Another highlight of Borneo was seeing the Proboscis monkeys and Orang utans in Sarawak state. The most distinguished trait of a proboscis monkey is its large protruding nose. Looking at these monkeys reminded me of Alberta’s (former?) premier Ralph Klein’s enlarged bulbous nose (an indication of his alcohol addition I’m sure!). It was pretty fun watching them run around in the mangroves with their large protuding nose bouncing about.
I’ve read that the large nose was a result of sexual selection as female proboscis monkeys prefer big-nosed males; but what I’d like to know is if big noses really equate to the size of the monkey’s…oh, never mind. The fact that proboscis monkeys have propagated this trait answers my question. HA HA. If similar sexual selection stood true for male humans for the size of their hands or feet… (yes, MANY women question this!), we’d all be funny looking people with large hands and feet!! We’d be sooo clumsy walking around in this world! Truly, size does not matter in the human world (but many women might attest to that). Okay, I digress.
Where was I? Oh, yes. Orang Utans. They are such beautiful creatures. I’ve never met any of the great apes (Hominid family) that were wild; semi-wild before!! Such a rare and special sighting because they are only found in Borneo and on the island of Sumatra (Indonesia). Unfortunately they are highly endangered due to habitat destruction (I’ve seen lots of forest clearings sadly and loads of palm plantations). It’s nice to know that there are conservation areas like the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre at Semmengoh that exist!
Borneo is also very ethnically diverse- consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indian and other groups from the SE Asia subcontinent, and the indigenous/native peoples (Dayaks). It was staggeringly expensive to visit a longhouse and stay with a river or hill-dwelling ethnic tribe (in a longhouse); so Steve and I opted to visit the Sarawak Cultural village north of Kuching. The village provided an excellent overview of the indigenous tribes of Borneo (including demonstrations and dances); as well as 7 well-constructed authentic replicas of longhouses from different ethnic groups.
Sorry, my letter has become exceptionally long but before I end this letter I MUST tell you my most fabulous travel experience in Borneo. After completing our scuba diving certification in Kota Kinabalu, Steve and I decided to capture the opportunity to go diving in one of the world’s most top dive sites- Sipidan Island in the Celebes Sea. Sipidan Island is an oceanic island rising 600m from the sea bed (formed by living corral growing on an extinct volcano cone). And it shares its top spot for marine life diversity with the Galapagos Islands and Truk in Micronesia (according to Rodale’s Scuba Diving Magazine Gold List for ‘The Top Dive Destination in the World’).
It was soooo amazing! Truly a memorable life experience. There were schools of barracuda swimming above us in a spirally vortex; and everywhere you go there were greenback turtles and heaps of reef and white tipped sharks. Unfortunately I didn’t see a manta ray or hammerhead which were on my ‘hope’ list; but it I really can’t complain!! I was a bit psyched at first and had a bit of vertigo (I was actually swimming vertically ’cause I didn’t want to look down into the dark abyss)- 600m is a loooong waaaay doooown! But Steve was there to calm my nerves and offer support; I am so grateful to have such an awesome dive buddy!! Including my dives in Taman Abdul Rahman National Park and the Perhentian Islands, I now have 15 dives completed in my diving log- what a great start!
Overall my travel experience in Borneo was exceptional. And I really think it’s owed to the fact that I had such a great travel partner- Steve!! Without Steve’s humour and easy-going attitude, my experience in Borneo would not have been half as enjoyable. Thank-you so much Steve!
-Mai-Linh
1. View of the sunrise from Low’s Peak, Mount Kinabalu at 4095m.
2. Jungle forest in Borneo (Mount Kinabalu National Park)
3. One of many female Orang Utans in Semmengoh, Malaysia.
