The Adventure of a Lifetime – Written By Archie Nixon
Now I know what you’re thinking – a.) this title is a bit cringe and b.) Coldplay have done this headline before. However, I sincerely believe that there is not a more fitting or apt way to describe the experience.
For those who are unaware, me and my family (me- Archie, Freddie – little Brother, Donna – Mum and Matt- Dad) entered and thankfully won a competition that meant that ATAS and Intrepid could treat us to a tour of a lifetime to witness the wildlife and wilderness of Malaysia. Which just so happens to be the topic of this blog!
A few disclaimers before you read on: If you happen to be the jealous type that has itchy feet and a lack of funds to support it, I regret to inform you that this blog may just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Because there is no way that after I share our journey that you will possibly be able to physically resist booking this trip for yourself – you have been warned.
Day 1 – Kota Kinabalu:
Right then, like every good story we shall start from the very beginning. After a short flight of around 2hrs 30mins from the country’s capital Kuala Lumpur we arrived at the capital of Sabah (Malaysia’s county in Borneo) Kota Kinabalu. We checked into our hotel for the night and joined the other families and our guide in the restaurant for the welcome meeting. Ice breakers commenced and exciting details of our trip ahead were shared – I couldn’t wait for it all to commence. We headed out for dinner at our guide Rony’s recommendation and had some amazing Mexican and local food at a restaurant out in town. Introductions and formalities now over, the excitement of Malaysia truly commences on day 2…
Day 2 – Poring Hot Springs:
After some breakfast at the Dreamtel hotel, Kota Kinabalu we all piled onto a comfortably large coach to head off to the ‘Poring Hot Springs’. The total journey was 2 hours however a toilet stop was made at a charming market that sold delicious fruits and juices, traditional clothes, handmade accessories and of course your classic souvenirs and t-shirts. I personally opted for some of the famous pineapple and bought a football top for the district team of Sabah. In total these purchases cost me around £8.50 with just under £8.00 of it being the football shirt. Absolute bargain.
We continued the coach journey where Rony (our guide remember!) entertained us with his impressively vast and interesting knowledge of passing scenery and our final destination. The Poring Hot Springs themselves are found in a small national park that contains: the hot springs (not swimmable), private baths, public baths including a slide, waterfalls, a butterfly farm and its very own bat cave which may or may not contain a superhero based on who you ask. Jokes aside, this place was stunning and we started off our time here with a dip in the waterfall which Anna (a lady on our trip) correctly described as “English sea temperature just much clearer”. After our refreshing jungle style dip we headed poolside for some drinks and food, however cheaper options were available in the village where a full meal of local food for 2 adults and 2 kids set another family on our trip back around a tenner. Unbelievable stuff.
We finished resting around the pool at around 4pm and headed to our longhouse at a tea plantation for the night. It may sound rough, but it was genuinely one of the coolest accommodation I have stayed in. Raised above the ground by 2 metres or so stood a bamboo and wooden longhouse with electricity, fans and mosquito nets. Not bad at all. Dinner had options of local and western food where I opted for the fried rice noodles with chicken which even Freddie tried and liked (my brother from the introduction and a notoriously fussy eater). We headed along the short walk back home, and I for one slept well in our rather cool and traditional style of dorms.
Day 3 – Sabah Tea Plantation and Jungle Stay:
In the morning, we started out with a breakfast of eggs, noodles, chicken sausage, fruit, toast and a variety of tea and refreshments on offer. After eating we headed for a tour of the tea plantation and its factory with a local worker who showed us the ins and outs of producing the organic tea that is made in the Sabah tea plantation. Another private bus journey took us to one of the main events of the whole tour – the community run jungle base.
We were welcomed into the first village base where we dropped our bags before heading off to our jungle base with our 2-day survival necessities on board. After a short 10-minute cruise downstream we arrived to the setup which had recently obtained power and a small shop selling refreshments. The accommodation we stayed in contained a bathroom underneath our hut that had everything me and my brother needed: two beds, two mosquito nets, a plug and a light. When in the jungle the accommodation may be a bit basic, but what isn’t basic however is its wildlife which we got to experience greatly in our afternoon river cruise.
On the river cruise we saw many a variety of birds including eagles, kingfishers and hornbills, 4 different species of monkeys, a monitor lizard and a countless amount of ‘logodiles’ (driftwood that scarily resemble the outline of a 8 foot water dinosaur). Dinner was served back at camp and contained flavoured chicken, rice, spiced boiled pumpkin (might sound horrible but was actually a fan favourite), forest greens and watermelon for pudding. Before bed we headed for a nightwalk with local guides, where we saw many creepy crawlers, a civet (cat like opossum creature) and a few of the birds we had previously seen now asleep on trees near to us. That night we nodded off to sleep in our shelters with the jungle noises to send us off.
Day 4 – Malaysian Culinary Masterclass and Orangutan Spotting:
We woke up to what we as a group decided was a surprisingly nice night of sleep, and to add to our shock even more breakfast contained both donuts and chicken nuggets. Crazy I know! After eating, we had decided as a group the night before to go do some tree planting nearby where we were shown by the professionals on the technique and the quality over quantity approach with the trees. It was a good bit of fun and a good way to give back for the hospitality we had received.
The rest of the morning contained a cooking lesson where everyone got involved in making more local food which Rony showed us how to eat with our hands in the traditional Malaysian way. It was much harder than it looked but a more fun approach than labouring over cutlery. Following our culinary masterclass was a cultural performance where some really talented musicians played and then let us practice on their local instruments. We then headed back to the camp for another river cruise where we saw crocodiles, 2 more species of monkeys, a rhinoceros hornbill and best of all a wild orangutan up in the trees with a pack of macaques. That was one moment I know none of us will ever forget.
On our return from the river cruise we recollected on the amount of monkeys we had seen in the past few days and found it mind blowing that we reckoned we had seen hundreds. Especially as at one point I can remember seeing 40 of them in one 360 degree head spin. Another night walk commenced seeing much of the same, apart from an amazing spot from Rony of a much larger civet climbing a tree which was so cool to see. After seeing these nocturnal animals we headed back to our huts for some needed rest.
Day 5 – Sandakan’s Food:
On the morning of day 5 we said farewell to the eco camp and our guides before heading to Sandakan. The journey was around 2 hours however we stopped for food at Rony’s favourite Indian restaurant where we had rotti and dahl which cost only 5 pounds for the 4 of us! The rest of the afternoon was spent around the pool and catching up on laundry, however we did go out to eat at another of Rony’s recommendations which was once again delicious.
Day 6 – Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
After a hotel breakfast and lie in we headed to another one of the highlights of the trip… the orangutan and sun bear sanctuary!
This place was amazing especially since Rony gave us some amazing advice by attending the lookout early to get in prime position for the main feeding. At the peak of the feeding it got really busy but everyone from our group thanks to Rony’s snazzy planning was at the front of the crowd with a pristine view of around 7 Orangutans and their babies. It was so entertaining to see the orangutans crack open coconuts and steal food from each other and the macaques. I think I could have sat there all day however the orangutans weren’t the only bit of wildlife to see in protection.
Next was the sun bears – the smallest species of bear found in the world but definitely one of the coolest. Each bear has a unique mark on their chest and the role they play in the forest is huge when it comes to the recycling of the materials and food chain of the jungles. The owner of the sanctuary himself is around to chat too and I saw him rescuing some poisonous snakes from trees in the sanctuaries. Now that is commitment.
After seeing the rescuing work done in both areas and of course the awe-inspiring wildlife that comes with it we made sure to buy some souvenirs to remember our time and give some money back into the process. The rest of the afternoon was once again spent by the pool and preparing our bags for the next day’s excitement.
Day 7 – Turtle Island:
Today was the day of Turtle Island – and yes it was as cool as it sounds. We arrived via speed boat and had a quick tour of the area before heading out to snorkel around the coral reefs of the swimming area. There were unbelievable amounts of fish including parrot fish which are famous for their rainbow colour.
We then had a quick kickabout on the mini football pitch seeing the occasional monitor lizard on the way. However, everything awaited the main event… “Turtle Time”. This call to action arrived a few hours after dinner and meant that all 42 people on the island had to leg it to watch the first turtle lay their eggs. I was lucky because as a 16 year old I am fast enough to beat the other kids whilst still being young enough for it to be excusable for me to sprint like a mad man. As a result of this I had front row seats to seeing the first Mama lay 116 eggs. It may sound inhumane however no lights were allowed, besides one the trained guide used that was safely positioned to not disturb the Mama. All eggs were immediately transferred to be hatched to avoid danger.
After seeing the eggs laid, we saw them buried before moved down to the beach to watched the nights hatchlings be released into the ocean. They move surprisingly fast in the ocean considering their size and the whole night was a spectacle to see. As for the accommodation, it had air con and wifi so as you can imagine I slept like a baby.
Day 8 – Sandakan WW1 History:
Today we woke up early to find any remaining turtles on the beach, and once again luck was on our side and we succeeded in our mission. A Mama, resting having laid her eggs was at the top of the beach in full daylight. Really worth the 5:30am wake up! Once we arrived back on the mainland Rony took us to visit some of the lesser-known history of WWII that took place in Sandakan. The war memorial in Sandakan used to be a POW camp and some of the tragedies there are heartbreaking and too graphic for such a blog. However, there are many books on the topic and I’m sure Uncle Google will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the unfortunate history. Lest we Forget.
After this we headed to the airport, a super speedy check-in thanks to Rony again being one step ahead, and boarded a short 45 min flight back to Kota Kinabalu, where we went for a drink with a family we had made friends with over the tour before we enjoyed our final meal as a group. The food was amazing but obviously the dinner was bittersweet as we thanked Rony for the outstanding job he had done and said farewell to the families that had joined us on the trip that we had made good friends with. I even made a speech! Naturally, it did hurt to see some of the others go, however that’s how we knew our time was well spent.
Day 9 – Goodbyes:
The final clearing up from the trip: the very last of goodbyes and a long journey ahead of us but still well worth the really really really long flight.