Miri, Niah Caves and Similijau National Park

Wednesday 22 June


Got the 7:30am bus across the border, out of Brunei and into Malaysia's Sarawak province, arriving here in Miri around lunch time. Had to wait a while for a local bus. Took a while to find the hostel, a couple of the locals, when I asked for directions, backed off as if I had the plague! Not everyone is comfortable speaking English.

I got my hair cut at the Chinese barbers. The Chinese guy was very thorough, especially considering it was just a grade 3 shave.

After lunch I had a bit of a wander round town, but there is not much here, but that's ok. I went up to Canada Hill which was the sight of the first discovery of oil in Malaysia in 1900's. I visited the museum which was quite comprehensive in explaining the science of oil exploration; most of it went over my head.

Thursday 23 June

Last night, in the hostel, I bumped into the Canadian couple (Greg and Shannon) from last week's river trip. They were also heading to Niah today so we arranged to catch the bus together today. But then an Aussie mother and daughter who were also going there had already arranged a 4x4 to take them so we all jumped in with them. Our driver, Luke, is Malaysian but he was adopted by an Aussie couple, from Townsville, in the 1950's and did his schooling and Uni in Australia, where among other things he studied anthropology and visited remote aboriginal communities. He had an English accent and also runs trips into far flung parts of Malaysia.

But the Niah caves are pretty accessible and it only took us 2 hours along the coastal road to get here. We checked into a cheap dorm and then headed toward the Niah caves. First we got a small boat across the narrow river, literally about 40 metres across. We then walked along the boardwalk through the forest, past some odd-looking, jagged limestone for about 3kms.

Just before the Great Cave is the trader's cave, named after those who first collected bat guano (poo) and Swift bird-nests. The poo is processed and used as fertiliser, while the bird nests are made mostly from the bird's saliva and once collected are processed and then eaten with soup by Chinese people in Malaysia and China, after any moss or other bits are removed. It is a lucrative business and the Government tries to regulate the business so there are not too many collectors in the caves.

Around the corner is the huge 250 metre-wide entrance to the Great Cave. It is a big gaping hole and makes you feel very small. We walked down into the cave and up onto another boardwalk and switched on our head lamps. The boardwalk was a bit slippery from the moisture and the bat poo, so it was a good idea to hold on to the wooden railing, although that also sometimes had guano on it too!

So we wandered along and there were parts where sunlight came through and huge rocks cast shadows. And sometimes when I looked up it kind of looked like a gothic cathedral with the shapes of the enormous rocks looking like gargoyles and some rocks like columns inside the huge expanse of cave. At times we could see the reflection of our torches in the bats eyes'.

We walked out of the other end of the cave and down to another boardwalk through a forest and came to the Painted Cave which is much smaller. It is so named because there are ancient cave paintings on some of the walls. They are sealed off behind a fence for preservation but you can see human and animal shapes. There are also some wooden remains of coffin ships that the deceased would be sent off in.

We walked to Rumah Patrick Libau village. I saw my first real 'Longhouse', apparently a 'must see' in Sarawak, but really it is just a very long wooden building on stilts with an open commual area at the front and individual homes beind. So I am not sure if I want to pay for a Longhouse 'tour'. At the edge of village the kids were having sprinting competitions in the field.

Late afternoon we walked back up to the Great Cave entrance hoping to see the evening exodus of thousand of bats, heading out to feed on insects. But we waited until 7:15pm when it was nearly dark, and although we could hear them gathering, and there was a trickle of bats leaving, there was no mass exodus. The same as I experienced in the Phillipines. Again, time was a factor. We had to get back 3kms to the jetty to catch the last boat back across the river. So we gave up and then walked quickly and ran a bit back along the boardwalk through the noisy, dark jungle to the jetty; but we were a bit late so the jetty was unmanned.

So I walked back up the path a bit to a couple of houses and to a guy who said he could take us across the river, I am sure I could see the dollar signs in his eyes as he realised we were stuck. He came back with me to the jetty but just at that time, the Canadians had flagged another boat so we got on that one and he didn't rip us off.

Friday 24 June

A bit of lie-in then, after breakfast, we crossed the river to check out the Niah caves museum. There was lots of information, mostly what we had learned about yesterday. But the best bit was the 40,000 year old skull, the oldest in South-East Asia.

We checked out and got a 4x4 taxi half an hour up to Niah junction to look for a bus to Bintulu, and luckily there was already one there, at a rest stop, so we jumped on and arrived in Bintulu 2 hours later. We made some enquiries about getting to Belaga in a few days, then got a private minibus taxi out here to Similajau National Park. It is on the coast and very peaceful; we seem to be the only visitors here.


Saturday 25 June

Similijau National Park runs parallel to the coast and the private chalets and our hostel are in a wooded area near the beach. Our large wooden hostel has a large foyer which is obviously also used for meetings and conferences as there are tables and chairs set up, and still writing on the whiteboard. But we have the place to ourselves, in fact at night it seems like the perfect setting for a shock horror movie with the emptiness, the huge cicadas bashing into the lights and the ceiling, and the thunder and lightning.

This morning we walked through the forest, north, towards Turtle Beach. The trail is clearly marked by red squares painted on trees as you go along, and it was fairly easy, just hot and sweaty. There are a few bridges across small rivers that run into the sea. Apparently there are sometimes crocs around the river mouths so we kept a lookout and it was a bit spooky at times but we didn't see any; they come out early and late in the day.

The forest was sometimes dense and though we could hear lots of noises we didn't see much wildlife on the way, except a cool hermit-crab-type thing on the forest floor which extended itself out when we picked it up. We took a marked detour off the main trail down to a lookout at the beach. Back on the trail it took longer than expected to walk the 8kms to Turtle Beach 1 but we made it after 2.5 hours.

We only saw one other person on the way, and at the beach there were two local couples. We sat on a fallen tree and had lunch then walked around the headland to Turtle Beach 2 but didn't see any turtles there either so headed back inland to the main trail and headed back towards HQ.

On the way back we saw a lizard, next to a hermit crab. The lizard was green when we first saw it, but as we stood there it changed itself to brown right before our eyes, clearly disguising itself.

It was a long, sweaty but enjoyable walk back, we arrived at HQ about 4pm. I got bitten by an ant stuck between my toes. It really stings for about a minute and then goes numb, then it's ok.

Sunday 26 June

Today was a day of rest. We had decided that we would just sleep in and just potter about, and we did. I got up late, had breakfast then just sat and did some planning and read my book all day.

Back in KK and on to Brunei

Saturday 18 June.

Up at 5:40 and on the bus back to KK at 7am, 330kms, arriving at the hostel at 2:30pm, due to KK's inconvenient bus system. No time to do much sightseeing this afternoon so got late lunch, wandered around, then got the shuttle bus out to 1Borneo, the hypermall to get my festival ticket.

Dinner at the night food markets again.


Sunday 19 June

After breakfast at the hostel, I walked to Jessleton Point and bought my boat ticket for tomorrow. Then along the bay for half an hour to the Annual Chinese Dragon Boat Racing. The German family had quite rightly told me not to expect too much so I wasn't disappointed when, despite the crowds, the racing wasn't very exciting. I caught the end of a race; the boats were not decorated at all and were quite a way from the beach. So i walked back into KK.

After second breakfast I walked most of the way to the Sabah museum, jumping on a passing bus for the last bit. The main museum had displays of tribal costumes of Malaysia, exhibits about the spiritual importance of rice to the tribes, photos of Miss Harvest Festival down the years, and a collection of ceramics, some of which, it said, had been recovered in the 1990's(?) from a Chinese shipwreck 1000 years ago. There were lots of large pots on display, some of which had been used to store the dead.

In another building there was an exhibition about the early history of TV and Radio in Malaysia, mainly since their independence in 1963. There were some old TV cameras and Radio mixing desks and some old BBC analog tapes. Another building had a small random science exhibition, and upstairs was some local art and some interesting photos taken by George Woolley in the early 1900s. Back downstairs was a display about the history of trains around the world, and specifically Malaysia.

A 10 minute walk away, past some discarded large stone snowmen(!), was the Museum of Islamic Civilisation. There were some interesting displays but most of the stuff was only from the last century, and there didn't seem to be a point to it all.

I walked back to the (replica) Heritage Village which has longhouses (tribal dwellings) from each of the main Malaysian tribes, as well as a life-size boat, a wooden bridge and a lily pond. All very pleasant and I am hoping to visit a real such village in the coming weeks.

I got a bit lost but then found the Sikh Temple, which was originally built in 1930(?) but which was recently renovated. As the  nice lady outside  requested, I took off my shoes and socks, and washed my feet, and donned a head scarf, before entering the small modern temple. We had a good chat, about the The Golden Temple in Amritsar, and Birmingham where she visited while working for Brunei airlines. She is 2nd/3rd generation Malaysian, her Grandfather came over from Punjab and married a local.

I then crossed the road and visited the modern State Mosque. They gave me a long black gown to wear (well i was in an old t-shirt and shorts). There were a few people praying downstairs and then the security guy ushered me upstairs to the main hall which was empty at that time.

I easily got a bus back into KK and wandered around the malls for a bit then back to the hostel. Later I went up the hill behind the hostel to Signal Hill where there is a viewpoint, to watch the sun set behind an island across from the harbour. It wasn't that clear but it was ok.

Food night markets for dinner, but I seem to keep ending up with fried noodles even when I try to get something different!


Monday 20 June

Today, I came to Brunei. Got the 8am passenger ferry from Jessleton Point to Pulau Labuan (still in Malaysia). The boat was comfortable, like a plane or a bus, I slept a bit. We arrived at 11:30am and waited around a couple of hours and changed some money, then exited Malaysia on another ferry and arrived in Muara, Brunei an hour or so later.

There was no bus at the port, so I shared a taxi with a German couple, half an hour to the capital, Bandar Seri Bagawan. Because of their oil, Brunei is well-developed and the roads are like at home. We checked into the Pusat Belia Youth Centre and I got a dorm room to myself.

There is not so much to do here so I have saved the sightseeing for tomorrow. I just walked as far as a restaurant and got tasty Murtabak Ayam (like a pancake with chicken and vegies with a spicy dipping sauce). Then came back and had a swim at the pool ($1).

In the evening I went for a short walk, the mosques look good all lit-up, it's not too hot, there is not much traffic and there is a calm atmosphere. Had soto daging (beef noodle soup) at the night market. Looking forward to a proper look around tomorrow.


Tuesday 21 June

At 7:30am, the German couple and I went down to the water taxi for a cruise on the Sungai (River) Brunei. We went past the water villages and along the river where we soon spotted some probiscus monkeys (the funny-looking ones with the comedy faces), much closer than we had seen them in Sabah. Some were high up in the trees and others were among the mangroves which we drifted into. They jumped and swang between trees.

We headed back and did a tour of the Kampong Ayer, the water village which is actually made up of 28 villages. The houses are wooden and on wooden stilts with raised boardwalks connecting them to eachother and the modern mainland. Each village has it's own Chief, as well as it's own primary and secondary schools, police station and fire station. Most of the villagers work for the government. Fresh water is sent along a network of pipes to each village. Finally he took us to some trees where many large birds were nesting and feeding.

After breakfast, I walked up to Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, the main mosque in the town, which looks very modern, built in 1955. The outside is mainly white with gold trimmings and quite spectacular as I wandered around the outside. Non-muslims (i.e western tourists) are allowed inside outside of prayer times. I donned a jubah (that's the right word for 'smock') and had a look inside. It's mainly white inside with a colourful glass mosaic in the dome above. It all reminded me of a meringue. Being modern, the mosque doesn't seem to exude any ancient spirituality but it is certainly a building to admire.

I visited the Royal Regalia museum, and it certainly houses alot of regalia, some of it interesting, some of it pointless. On the ground floor is a recreation of the Sultan's coronation day parade including the long wooden 'chariot' he was pulled along in. It's quite spectacular, but also reminded me of Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang and something from the Wacky Races.

Inside they had the same parade on display, but with mannequins of the various guards alongside the chariot and even a cardboard cut-out of the actual crowd from the day, which seemed a little tacky. Downstairs was a collection of royal regalia but it was just random stuff he probably didn't want to keep in the loft. Upstairs were a few hundred gifts the Sultan has received on special occasions; the type of gift which normally reflects the country it has been given by. e.g. a replica of Angkor Wat from Cambodia. He has also received many medals of honour from various countries.

Next I took a walk along the boardwalks through part of a water village. It was quite quiet, I guess people were out at work. Each house is only one storey but seems fairly large. I was headed towards the back of the palace (although you can't really get near it, nevermind go in) but the path seemed to finish and I spotted a monitor lizard ahead and decided I didn't want to encounter any more reptiles with just my sandals on, so stopped to read my book for a while and then headed back to town for lunch.

The palace is the largest lived-in palace in the world with 1788 bedrooms. The sultans seems to widely revered. The water taxi driver always referred to him as 'His Majesty'.

After lunch I caught the local bus out to Brunei's largest mosque, Jame'Asr Hassinal Bolkiah mosque. The mosque was built in 1992 for the 25th anniversary of the Sultan's reign. The outside is nearly as spectacular as the city mosque, and the main prayer room, upstairs and through heavy wooden doors, is similar but more spectacular than in the other mosque. The room is much bigger and the dome much larger and the floor is covered in rugs.

Well, after all that I was feeling the effects of the heat so had an afternoon nap.

In the evening I walked back to the city mosque which was picturesque with the dark blue sky behind it. I went for dinner and then came back to the see the mosque all lit-up in the dark, with prayers being broadcast from the minarets. From the street I could see people inside praying, as others closed their air-conditioned car doors and walked up to join them.

Brunei is dry; no alcohol, and I haven't seen cigarettes. It is a conservative country, about half of the women wear headscarves. There is a $1000 fine for littering, although maybe thay doesn't apply to the river? I saw a group of about 10 young guys hanging about with skateboards near one of the plazas.

Kota Kinabalu, Sepilok and River Safari

sorry it's a bit long...........

Monday 13 June

In Kota Kinabulu. Very heavy loud rain last night. Lazy lie-in this morning, then got organised and walked over to Jessleton Point to catch a boat out to Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park, which is made up of 5 islands.

A bit confusing to organise but I ended up with a '2-island' ticket. They gave us lifejackets and whisked us across the bay, the louder you scream, the faster we go! First stop was Pulau Mamutik which was more developed than I had expected. Did some snorkelling but the visibility wasn't too good because it was overcast, but what you could see wasn't that great anyway; I saw more plastic packaging than fish.

So I just sat on the beach and read my book, until the boat came to pick us up and take us to the next island, Pulau Manukan. At first I only saw more rubbish and tree branches in the water but I asked the lifeguard-type guy if there was any better place to look and he pointed me in the right direction and I swam out to some better coral and lots of fish. It was pretty good, just nothing like as good as in the Phillipines.

The lifeguard-type guy was actually helping to organise the personal submarines, whereby you sit on this machine, like you would a motorbike, and your head is inside a pressurised helmet with an oxygen tank attached. The punters certainly looked funny sitting on these contraptions and being lead into the water. Each machine also has a big buoy attached and they went out in a line so I just followed them as they were obviously being taken out to where the good stuff was.

Along the way I met some nice people, Malaysians and Bruneians. Had delicious late lunch of Mee Goreng (fried noodles) with beef and chilli, and roti canai (like parathta) with sauce. Had a bit of a wander round the malls sussing a few things out...

In the evening, went down to the food night markets with English Dave and Danish Sarah. We had marinated tuna steaks, which were ok, but very dry. We also had two types of seaweed which didn't really taste of anything. Washed down with a mango juice.


Tuesday 14 June

Went to the Indonesian Embassy to collect my passport and visa. I got 60 days which is great but not really the dates I had requested, it expires too soon. Will have to change my plans a bit..

Checked out of Lucy's homestay and got a taxi with two others to the bus station out of town. Caught the 11am bus bound for Sandakan, and got dropped off at the junction to here, Sepilok, at about 4:30pm. Sepilok is famous for the Orangutan Rehab Centre, and river boat tours.

We walked towards Sepilok for a bit, then one of the hostels' Ute's came by and gave us a lift the rest of the way. We saw an eagle(?) flying with a snake clenched in its claws, before dropping it into the bushes.

I met a couple of Canadians I had seen earlier in the week and they directed me to Uncle Tan's (Guest House)  from where I hope to do a river boat tour tomorrow (doh! Need to go to Sandakan and got more cash first!).


Wednesday 15 June

Early breakfast and started walking to Uncle Tan's, about 1km, but soon a local woman and her daughter stopped and offered me a lift which was keenly appreciated.

I dumped my stuff and walked up to the roundabout and soon got a bus bound for Sandakan and got some cash from the bank, then back on a bus back to Sepilok.

The Guest House then gave me a lift to the Sepilok Orangutan Research Centre so that I would be in time for feeding at 10am. You have to put your bags and stuff in a locker so that no creature tries to steal it. After getting a ticket I entered the reserve and followed the small crowd, along the boardwalk to the viewing area. There was a buzz of anticpation as we waited for the staff to come out with the food that would hopefully tempt the orange guys down onto the feeding platform.....

And after about 10 minutes a smallish orangutan made its way up the wooden steps of the feeding platform, past the staff and grabbed some fruit. Of course this was the cue for everyone to start taking pictures, but I tried to make sure I was watching properly rather than just trying to get a good photo, and besides my camera was playing up again so I couldn't zoom!

The little orange guy then proceeded to climb up on to some ropes in front us and swing around and show off. Well, he was not really showing off, I think he was just doing what comes naturally, which makes them even more cute, I guess. On the other hand, it did seem as if maybe he might have been trained to swing along from one end of the rope to other, right in front of us. Anyway, it was good to see. We waited a while he left but no more turned up.

After, I went to the large aircon video room to watch the video about the work that the Rehab Centre does, which I kind of already knew about. I think you are supposed to watch the video first but nevermind. I was a bit cycnical before the video that it would just be an emotiional appeal for donations, which it was, but it worked! When they showed the time and effort and skills they put into rescuing these humanlike creatures and helping each one over many years, to integrate back into the rainforest, you can't help but feel sympathetic and generous, and reach for your wallet. (Although of course there are many more humans in the world in a lot worse state than the orangutans).

Back at Uncle Tan's we had lunch and then got organised for the boat cruise. Cruise is the wrong word; its a boat safari, since we will looking for wildlife. On the river Kinabatangan, into the jungle. It was a 90 minutes car drive to the jetty. Then we got onto a skiff with an outboard motor which I shared with a German family, two Spanish guys and a girl from Coogee. We sped along the river which was quite shallow and about 70 metres wide and very brown. We stopped along the way to watch some monkeys, and some hornbills.

We arrived at the camp after about an hour. On arrival at the camp, the guys who run the camp showed us to our wooden cabins, on stilts above the water, no doors; I shared with the Spaniards. It was actually more comfortable than I had expected, with soft mattresses, excellent mozzie nets and proper loos.

The guys soon had us playing 5-a-side soccer on the ready-made sand pitch complete with wooden goalposts and nets. And these guys love their football, they know all about the Premiership (and Bristol City) and took the game quite seriously, deciding it was them against the tourists! Well, obviously we lost but we did well considering the heat, that we had only just met eachother and some of had no sports shoes to play in. It was great to play soccer, its been ages and I was happy to carry on but the others had had enough. Boo.

The guys gave us a briefing on the program for the coming days. They really know their stuff, but also have a good sense of humour and made it enjoyable. For dinner we had bbq stingray and tuna with a range of other local dishes. All the food and cleaning up was done for us.

At 9pm we went out on our first night safari along the river. I was lucky enough to be sitting at the front next to the guide with his car-battery-charged halogen light. During the next hour we saw, from various distances, an owl, a wild cat (also known a leopard cat, it looks alot like a domestic cat), a civet and the red eyes of a big crocodile, before it darted away. We then got to within touching distance of a baby estuarine crocodile and it just rested there in the shallows while we watched it for a while.

I slipped getting off the boat back at the jetty and thought I was gonna fall in the shallow water; instead I smacked my bum on the side of the boat. Ouch. Back at the camp we had to make sure that we had no food in the cabins as this would attact the rats which would in turn attract the snakes.


Thursday 16 June

A bit chilly in the night but soon hot and sweaty again this morning when we got up at 6am for the morning river safari. It wasn't long before we found a few orangutans swinging in the trees quite close to the river. They were just being themselves, swinging from branch to branch and tree to tree, stopping to eat some fruit. My zoom wasn't working again and I don't have binoculars so they were a bit far away, but it was ok. We saw, and heard, gibbons, too.

After breakfast, which included fluffy pancakes, we had a short rest before heading out on a hiking safari in the jungle. They gave us gumboots/Wellies and we walked out of the back of the camp into the squelching mud. We had to duck down under the vines, and I had to curl up my toes to stop my boots getting stuck in the mud. We didn't see many mammals but we saw some plants, and ants and towards the end there was a Kingfisher sitting in a branch near us and it didn't get frightened off so we were able to watch it for a while and get good photos.

There are also lots of palm trees in Borneo, which is a big problem. The palm tree was introduced from Guinea, in Africa, and the fruit bears palm oil which is used in many products, such as shampoo, and for cooking. The problem is that the tree kills all the trees around it, killing the ancient rainforest and so destroying the habitat of those who dwell there. e.g. orangutans. 

After lunch, most people were tired from the early start and there was no program so we had a siesta, out of the heat, for the rest of the afternoon.

At 5pm we went out on another boat safari. I guess we saw the same things as before, which is ok. It's fun just being on the boat and wildlife spotting. As it grew dark we saw many flying foxes/fruit bats overhead, with their huge wingspan.

We were due to go on a night hiking safari at 9pm, but just before that a storm whipped through the camp, and it rained for the rest of the night. The safari was cancelled, and nobody complained, it would have been yuk, and the animals would have been hiding.


Friday 17 June

Up at 5:45am for the morning boat safari. The rain had cleared and it was a lovely blue sunny day. We saw some more orangutans and eagles in the trees, as well as monkeys and maccaques and a monitor lizard and egrets on the muddy river bank. I think we saw probiscus monkeys too in the distance.

After breakfast, the trip finished and we packed up and got back on the boats back to the jetty at the small village. From there we were picked up by the minibus and taken back to Uncle Tan's Guest House in Sepilok where they gave us lunch.

After lunch, I packed up and walked up to the main road and got a bus 23kms to the city of Sandakan. This is a port city and not much to look at, but it was easy to find the hostel, which was nice enough and the locals are friendly and smiley. I dumped my bag and got a bus half way back to Sepilok, jumping off at the turning for the Sandakan Memorial.

The Memorial Park, which is set in a small wood, was established by the Australian Returned and Service League (RSL) to memorialise those Australian and British soldiers who died at the POW camp that was here, and those that were forced to leave here on a Death March across the country; and also those local people who were killed for trying to assist the resistance.

The POWs were initially brought here to help the Japanese build an aerodome; there is a rusting excavator still there, from when an Aussie sabogated it in protest. There is a pavillion there with a display describing the camp's history and the conditions there and the day to day life. Despite working in terrible conditions, the inmates tried to improve morale by putting on theatre and radio entertainment. Only 6 of the 2500 prisoners survived; by escaping from a Death March.

In George Street Sydney I have often passed the small memorial to those who died in Borneo. Now I understand better what it refers to.

Sandakan looks better in the dark and there was a pleasant atmosphere by the harbour in the evening and a big lightning storm across the sea.

First few days in Malaysia

Thursday 9 June

At 6:00am got a taxi to the bus station and then the 7:30 bus to Clark Airport, just a couple of hours away. So I waited at the boring airport for my flight at 4pm. Met a nice Aussie honeymoon couple.

As we flew over the Sulu Sea we could see small islands and coral and on approach you could see the town of Kota Kinabulu (KK), Sabah Province, is so clean and ordered and I started to feel excited about Malaysia. And as we got off the plane under the early evening blue skies, another tourist called 'woo-hoo', and that seemed to set the tone. Everyone I talked to, those who have just arrived, or those who have been here a while, are so enthusiastic about Malaysia and how many great things there are to do here, and I feel the same way.

Shared a taxi with the Aussies into Kota Kinabulu (KK) town, to Australia Place. Stayed at Lucy's Guest House, and went for dinner at The English Tea House with 3 English/Welsh girls. We chatted heaps and they gave me lots of tips about where to go in Malaysia. For dinner, they had pie and mash and beans and I had Laksa, for less than $5.


Friday 10 June

Lucy and her guest house are lovely. She is an older lady and has numerous cute cats for company. The place is homely and clean, although she did tell me off for speaking too loudly at 6:45am this morning in the kitchen!

I walked across town to the Indonesian embassy; I got there before it was open so was first in the visa queue. And glad I knew that they won't let you in in shorts so had my hippy pants on. Have applied for 2 months visa (you only get 1 month if you apply at the border), so fingers crossed they give me two months. Have to go back on Tuesday to collect passport and hopefully visa. So decided to get out of KK until then.

Checked out of Lucy's and got a minivan out to Kota Kinabulu National Park, 2 hours. The scenery was good along the way, lots of green hills and valleys, and fantastic views of the mountain. Many people come here to climb the mighty Kota Kinabulu mountain, but it costs over $250 for two days so I am giving it a miss.

Instead I just walked along a couple of the marked trails around the base of the mountain and will do some more tomorrow. The trails take you through the rainforest. It was fairly muddy but only occasionally steep and slippery; I didn't see much wildlife but it was fun, wandering through the trees and listening to rainforest sounds.


Saturday 11 June

I had thought about moving to the hostel down the road since the woman owner here is grumpy and rude but the other staff are ok so I stayed. We are actually around 1500m above sea level so it was a bit chilly last night, I had to use my down jacket on top of the thin blanket they give you.

Free cooked breakfast was a good start to the day, and while most of the other people in the dorm went to climb the mountain, I planned to go to the Botanical Gardens and also do another hike around the base of the mountain, within the National Park. But after walking 1km to the park it started to rain, torrential downpour. So I sat in a shelter and read my book hoping it would stop raining but it didn't so I came back to the hotel, via the cafe across the road.

I spent the morning sorting out my backpack and being even more pleased that I wasn't climbing the mountain in the driving rain. Anyway, after lunch it stopped raining so I grabbed my poncho and headed back to the park. There are many trails through the rainforest; I chose the longest one, the Liwagu Trail, 6kms, which basically follows the river. It is pretty easy to follow the trails, which is good because the map they give you is rubbish.

Well, this is a real rainforest. I have been to rainforests before but this seemed more dense and remote and was very wet from the morning's downpour. Sometimes the path was narrow with tall trees on both sides, sometimes I was walking in the mud, and sometimes I was walking 'upstream' of tiny brooks snaking their way down the trail, which was along a mustard yellow rock path (I should probably know the type of rock).

Often the wet leaves on the rocks made it a slippery challenge. It was great to be out in the middle of nature and at times walking next to the river, with the mist among the trees. The only downside was that there was no wildlife, just trees. It took 2.5 hours to reach the main road and I was pretty tired by then. I did another short trail that was supposed to have 'rare and secretive birds'; well they were secretive, cos I didn't see anything. Luckily I blagged a lift back down the main road to the Botanical Gardens in the back of a ute. But of course the Gardens were closed by then.

All of this was good training for the more strenuous guided hikes I hope to do in the coming weeks.

Oh, and the food here at the hostel is great. Well, at least compared to the food in the Phillipines anyway. This is only hostel food, I am sure it will be even better when I get to restaurants and street food and night markets.


Sunday 12 June

Slept in, which doesn't happen very often. Walked up to main road and flagged down the big yellow bus back to KK. Bus stops 13kms out of town, then had to get minivan, then walked for a bit, but too hot so got a cab to Lucy's homestay.

Had a wander around town, to the small harbour with colourful fishing boats, and to the jetty, past the English Tea Shop and  two red English phone boxes. There were lots of young people about. A few older muslim ladies wear the headscarf but its much more liberal here than other muslim nations.

As i left a shop this afternoon, I noticed a woman surreptitiously grab a black plastic bag from kind of under the pavement and take out what looked like two packets of cigarettes and quickly sell them to another lady. Then she snuck the bag back under the pavement. It looked exactly like a drug deal, the way they behaved. But I can't imagine them dealing drugs in broad daylight, not in this country where drug laws are so strict. But cigarettes aren't illegal here, so don't know what they were up to.

This evening I walked back down to the water and the food markets. Many stalls of fresh fish and seafood, the catch of the day. It looked great, you can choose your own fish and they will bbq it for you. But I'm not too keen on fish, with all the bones etc., so I had Prawn Sambal with Rice (a Malay dish) and it was very tasty, and cheap, albeit a bit of a small serving. And cold banana milk shake. Yum. All for under $3.

On the way back, I passed a restaurant full of local guys glued to the TV. So I popped my head into see what they were so captivated by - Avatar! On the movie channel! The English/Welsh girls, and owner Lucy, are also watching it back here at the hostel. I am so not interested in 'the blue people'.

Lake Taal and Manila

Saturday 4th June

In Talisay. Up early and the sunrise lit up Lake Taal. I was at the jeepney terminal at 5:45am but only one other passenger about so jeepney not going anywhere. So I decided to walk the 9kms uphill to Tagaytay. It was pretty hot already but I enjoyed the work-out and the scenery behind was good; Lake Taal and the volcanic craters. When I was about half way there, a jeepney came past so I got on for the rest of the trip up to Tagatay.

I had a look around the market which was already busy at 7am. I met an American guy who looks just like Jimmy Carter. He is a 76 year old missionary and inevitably the converstation turned to religion. To be fair, he did ask me if it was ok to talk about religion, and I said, "Sure, as long as you don't try to convert me".

Well, unfortunately, it didn't take long for the missionary and I to find things to disagree about. As we talked and walked towards the viewpoint over Lake Taal, it emerged that he is islamaphobic, homophobic and racist. I could elaborate but I like to keep my blog generally positive.

We had quite a lively back-and-forth debate but I wasn't rude and I didn't get angry with him, but I left the missionary with his prejudices and walked back into Tagatay. Got tapsilog for breakfast and had a wander around. Then I got a jeepney to The People's Park. There is an excellent 360 degree view of the countryside from up there, but I only stayed for a short time as there wasn't really anywhere quiet to sit and relax.

Jeepney back to Tagaytay. At Tagaytay, the jeepney was overpriced so I got another one just to the junction and walked back down the hill to Talisay, 9kms, very pleasant, stopping at lookouts to admire Lake Taal and the volcanoes from above. And no rain today.

Back in Talisay, I got an ice cream, then went to the Minute Burger, which is like a burger stand, so it's open, facing the street. There I made 3 Philipino friends: Mark who works there, Edwin, his mate, and the a sweet girl whose name I forgot. We chatted for ages and had a laugh and they were good company. So after a cat nap I went back to Minute Burger for dinner and we chatted some more. Edwin works for a Sound and Light company in Manilla; they provide services to big events.


Sunday 5th June

Got straight onto a jeepney headed for Tanauna and stood by the roadside and a aircon bus soon came past and picked me up. He wasn't quite going to the part of Manilla I hoped but he dropped me on the edge of town and I soon got a taxi. The driver of course tried to overcharge me but I just gave him what he was due plus a 10% tip.

The Stone House hotel is very nice. The posh rooms are upstairs and the backapckers are in the tiny rooms in the basement. But I have a fan and cable TV and wi-fi downstairs so its all good. I slept during lunchtime then went for a walk south along Manilla bay and watched the sunset although it was a bit cloudy to be too spectacular.


Monday 6th June

Not feeling too good today so mostly stayed in bed and hung out around the hotel.

Tuesday 7th June

Still feelng a bit groggy so stayed around the hotel. The staff are really nice and checked up on how I was feeling. Feeling better now I think. Leaves me only one day for sightseeing.

Wednesday 8th June

Unfortunately it rained all day. I walked past Rizal Park and up to historic Intramuros and saw some old colonial buildings but really wasn't in the mood, and annoyed with the dirty rain. So just came back and sat around and dried off. I feel much better now and the staff have been so nice, checking that I am ok from time to time.

Last night in the Phillipines. Off to next country tomorrow arvo......

Sablayan to Talisay (Taal Volcano)

Wednesday 1st June

Got to the bus station at 6:04, I think I just missed the first bus of the day. Got the next one at 7:30. My only plan was to see how far around the Island I could get today, and just enjoy the scenery from the bus. Well, the bus was hot and cramped and I wondered whether it was worth it. But it was ok, some good scenery, defintiely rural Phillipines.

But when we got to San Jose at 11am, I had missed the last bus out of town, so had to get the only minivan. Well, thats much more expensive than a bus, and you have to wait for it to be full before it will leave, and today that took until 2:45pm. Pretty frustrating just sitting around waiting but I tried to stay calm. Sat under the bus station, watching Phillipinas got Talent, or some such show, which was quite entertaining.

From San Jose, we were on a bitumen road for a bit and then onto a rough bumpy uphill road. We passed some very isolated villages, and had some good views of the ocean. Bulalacao looks like a fishing village and perhaps I should have stopped there, but the minivan rushed through and I didn't know if there would be anywhere to stay.

At Roxas we swapped vans and it brought us to Calapan. I nearly made it back to Puerto Galera, but there are only tricycles running this late and too expensive. So staying in Calapan at a decent hotel.

The sweet lady receptionist at the hotel came and sat next to me while I was sitting on the sofa in reception. She said "Hello. Do you have divorce in your country?". I said "Hello, yes we do" and she said, "I don't like divorce", and we had a conversation about the pros and cons of divorce, which is not viewed favourably in this Catholic country. Her main problem with divorce is that "Divorce is bad for the woman because she won't find a new man because men won't marry a woman who doesn't have her......(long pause while she blushed)......virginity". I said "We don't care about that". It was a fairly random converstation.

All I ate today was 2 ice creams and a big bag of peanuts...

Thursday 2nd June

It seemed to take forever to get to Puerto Galera today, what with it being a long way and then roadworks. But the jeepney was decorated inside with reggae yellow, red and green vinyl, the old guy had Bob Marley playing on the stereo and the sun was shining; it felt more like the Caribbean.

Once we eventually got here I checked back into the same room as last week, with the kitchenette. Went to the supermarket, and got fruit from the market. Snorkelling was the best today, visibility was much better and I was a bit further up the beach. Lots of fishes.

Then I packed some fruit and walked around to the other side of the headland, to Coco Beach and sat there and ate my fruit while reading and looking out to sea, and watching the kids play in the rock pools, collecting critters in their sawn-off plastic bottles. Ice cream on the way back.

Watched the sun set from my verandah. Would be nice to stay another day, but I want to do some other stuff before I leave the country....


Friday 3rd June

I asked the staff at the pier yesterday what time does the first ferry leave tomorrow. '7am', they told me. So I got there at 6:45am and they tell me the first boat is at 7:45am. So I had a bit of a whinge and then shared my pineapple with them.

The trip back to Bantangas took an hour. From there I got two jeepneys to the bus station then the bus to Tanauan. The locals were very helpful, and directed me to another jeepney for the 15kms trip, here to Talisay. Tourists come here to see Taal volcano which is in the middle of the lake, and to take the 45 minute hike to the crater.

But the jeepney pulled up outside the Municipal House, and outside was a big yellow sign saying 'Warning. Taal Volcano is on Alert Level 2. The main crater is strictly off limits to the public.' Hmmm, well anyway I wandered down to the lake and checked into this 'beach resort', with friendly owner, right next to the lake.

For lunch I went to a Filipino restaurant. I have avoided them mostly but thought I should try again to find something I like, and I did. Another customer recommended Lumo, which is noodles in a thick sauce, with vegetables, meat and fish. The fish was pretty bad but the rest was delicious.

Anyway, so no hiking.
So I went along the road to find a jeepney to the next town, Tagaytay, from where there are said to be excellent views of the volcano.

It started raining heavily and the next jeepney clearly wasn't going anywhere for ages as it wasn't filling up, and I couldn't be bothered with the jeepney guys. One of them asked me not to open a window of the jeepney we were sheltering in  even though it was getting pretty warm and steamy (fair enough). Meanwhile he smoked a cigarette next to a five year old girl. So I left in a huff in the pouring rain, walking barefoot back to Talisay, to save my runners getting flooded.

There are not many tourists in town. Phillipinos obviously heard that the crater is closed so didn't come here, but I had no idea. The locals keep calling out 'Hey Joe' to me. As in GI Joe? The hotel owner said that they call all foreigners 'Americano'.

Bought some mangoes and bananas and oranges at the fruit market near the hotel. Had some fun banter with the stall holders who looked at me funny.

For dinner I had fried chicken at a street stall and then went to Minute Burger, which is a chain, and got '2 cheeseburgers for the price of one'. Result. Kind of. The ketchup looked radioactive and tasted more like raspberry jam. The phillipino restaurant is now closed for the weekend!

The hotel owner said I need to get up really early tomorrow to get a jeepney to Tagaytay. So I asked him if there would be Videoke (Karaoke) here tonight, as that is normally popular at weekends, loud and goes all night. He said "Do you want videoke", I said "no", and he said "ok, no videoke". Party pooper?

Puerto Galera, Sablayan and Panban Island

Sunday 29th May

At 2am I made my way out to the bars to watch the Champions League Final. It wasn't as busy as I expected but the bar I chose got busier towards kick off and a bit rowdy, and soon enough two drunken English idiots decided to start a fight with eachother so I just walked out. Sad, pathetic people. I went to another bar that was empty and they soon closed, but by then I had realised what channel it was on that I could watch it on Cable TV in my room. A good game and the best team won.

So I got to bed at 5am, so there was no way I was moving on today. Slept till lunchtime, then after porridge I got a jeepney to Puerto Galera and started walking towards White Beach. Along the way I enquired at a tourist office about getting to Alba tomorrow, and they told me about a much quicker and cheaper way than I had planned so that's good.

I walked a bit further but it was a bit silly trying to walk all the way to White Beach so I jumped on a passing tricycle, sharing with a local.

White Beach was busy, with small restaurants and souvenir and diving shops facing the beach. I had tapsilog and read my book while looking out to sea. I couldn't swim as I had my valuables on me so got a trike and jeepney back to Sabang and went snorkelling again; more colourful fish and better visibility than yesterday. The blue starfish looks solid but they can bend their arms(?) to cling on to the coral.


Monday 30th May

After porridge, got a jeepney to Puerto Galera then tricycle to Balateros Pier. (Phillipinos are lovely people but I get a bit fed up of the tricycle drivers always trying to overcharge me like the guy did this morning). Listened to my football podcast until the motorised bangka was ready at 10:30am. About 30 passengers, including just guys and some families. We passed White Beach and some coves and could see the hills behind; a picturesque view from the sea.

At Abra de Ilog, the dishevelled old bus waits for the next ferry to turn up before leaving, so I had rice and eggs ('Yes sir', said the waitress in a lovely Filipina/American accent, 'The rice is served with 2 fried eggs. Sunny-side up'). Watched the local guys play pool under the bus station forecourt.

The next ferry was big, and a bus and a jeepney rolled off it, as well as loads of foot passengers, and our bus was soon full up, and off we went. The road was pretty good and not really bumpy, although I still had a sore bum by the time we arrived in Sablayan. It's a nice little town with a river and a fresh food and fruit market, so I got some fruit for tomorrow. I took a walk over the suspension bridge to the other side of the river and followed the footpath among the wooden residences, and down to the beach.

The main reason for coming to Sablayan is to hop across to Panban Island tomorrow.....


Tuesday 31st May

The end of May? Already?

From right outside the hotel, I got on a small motorised bangka captained by one guy, with his son helping out. The only passenger sat on a raised seat in the middle of the boat and holds on to fixed wooden posts on either side. We went quickly into the South China Sea, just about 2kms, across to North Pandan Island.

The private island is owned by Dominic, an older French guy, and apart from him, his 4 or 5 staff and a mexican couple, I was the only one there. On approach it looked like a desert Island, although when you get there, there are quite a few wood and brick buildings. I literally had the whole beach to myself; it is the off-season so very quiet. I set myself up in a hammock under some trees, completely shaded from the sun.

I spent the day looking out across the sea at the green hills on the mainland, reading, snorkelling and eating peanuts and fruit (pineapple, oranges, bananas). You can stay the night but it's expensive and I guessed the food would be too so I brought my own. I did pay 120 pesos ($3) to spend the day there.

The snorkelling was good, not exactly crystal clear waters but with some perseverance I was rewarded with the sight of many different types of fish; there was a big colourful one bigger than a baseball glove, and some really small ones that were glowing blue. And I saw a 'Nemo' clown type fish, except it's body was dark. I hovered above it for a while and the whole time it hung there staring straight up and back at me from about a metre away. Cool.

I went for a pleasant walk around the back of the Island, the water seemed clearer but it was really shallow and just sea grass. Apparently there are turtles there, but I didn't see them.

At about 3pm I asked the staff to arrange a boat back to the mainland for me, and the same bangka from this morning turned up at 4:30pm and brought me back.

They obviously don't get many white people here in Sablayan, since most people I pass do a double-take and whisper to whoever they are with, or they say 'hello', or 'hiya, what's up?', thinking I am American.  The attention is a bit annoying, but that's just how it is.