Malaysia — an independent journey

by Lillie Echevarria, Livermore, CA

Traveling to Malaysia with my friend Michelle in February ’05 was somewhat more challenging than traveling in neighboring Thailand, Cambodia or Vietnam due to the limited number of local tour companies available, especially in Borneo.

Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, our first stop as independent travelers was to book our free tour of the Petronas Towers. Tickets went fast — at 9 a.m. I was able to get reservations for 1:30 in the afternoon.

Our tour included an informative background film on the towers’ construction and a short ride to the bridge that joins both towers, for picture taking. The complex hosts many shops and restaurants, which we visited later during our stay in the city.

In the early evening, we traveled to Selangor to watch the male fireflies light up the riverbank like a Christmas tree. Our tour, booked through the Backpacker’s Inn, located next to our lodging, the Swiss Inn (62 Jalan Sultan), cost RM60 ($16) and included van transportation, a guide and the riverboat fee.

We also went to the top of the Menara Tower to get a perspective of the city lights at night. The audio tour provided informative points of interest, but the restaurant at the top required reservations days in advance.

Sarawak territory

Sarawak is one of the two Malaysian states located on the island of Borneo. Upon arrival in Kuching, Sarawak’s capital, we were required to check with local Immigration.

Our main interest in the area was to visit Bako National Park to catch a glimpse of the elusive proboscis monkeys. Later we would relax at Damai Beach. Kuching was also a starting point for longhouse visits and for visiting Miri, where the adventurous can go caving.

Bako

To reach the island of Bako, we first had to take a local bus to the marina. We then hired a boat (RM8, or $2, per person) to take us to the island (20-30 minutes). As we neared the island, we had the option of waiting three hours until high tide was in, so we could be dropped off at the island dock, or “walking the beach” to the island during low tide. Since we didn’t want to wait three hours, we decided to walk the beach.

To our surprise, the “beach” was low-tide mudflats — nearly knee-high mud — through which we had to wade. There were no porters to carry our luggage. Luckily, we each had brought only a small overnight backpack.

Our trip to Bako became even more interesting after the mudflats. The heat and humidity were uncomfortable, as were our accommodations inside the park, which we booked at the Kuching Visitor Center. Our late booking provided only dorm availability. We had reserved a 4-bed dorm room just for the two of us.

While spacious, the accommodations provided little relief from the heat and humidity. A viper greeted us on a tree branch just outside our door, and the local macaques had taken control of the bathroom and the garbage can while bearded pigs strolled on the front lawn.

Famished, we set off to have some lunch. To our surprise, lunch was over by the time we reached the restaurant. We were told that the kitchen prepared only a limited amount of food and that when it was gone there were only chips and soda to eat and drink.

On the bright side, our afternoon walk to the mangrove provided a unique opportunity to observe a large family of proboscis monkeys moving from the mangrove to the hill trees to prepare their night nests. Since many adult monkeys lingered after high tide, we were surprised to watch many walking in the water to reach the hills.

With relief, we decided to cut our visit short and return the next morning to the comfort of our air-conditioned hotel in Kuching, the Harbor View Hotel (phone 082 274 666, www. harbourview.com. my). Our double room cost RM120 ($33).

After our Bako adventure, we relaxed on beautiful Damai Lagoon, which enjoys a sunny microclimate far from the rains of Kuching. The Holiday Inn in Kuching provided us with transportation to their sister resort in Damai.

We visited several longhouses and the native Iban people at the Sarawak Cultural Centre, a short walk from the resort, in lieu of taking a 3-day longhouse trip upriver. The folkloric dance show at the cultural center was vibrant and colorful.

On our last night in Kuching, we found the restaurant The Junk (No. 80 Wayang St.), located one block behind the Harbor View Hotel, to be an epicurean delight with great atmosphere. Our meal cost around $15.

Sabah territory

Sabah is the other Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo. We flew into Kota Kinabalu, which served as our starting point for snorkeling in the islands and hiking on Mt. Kinabalu and was our base for connections to Sandakan and Brunei.

Our lodging was a small 2-star hotel downtown, the Pantai Inn (No. 57 Jalan Pantai; phone 088 217095). The rooms were small, but it was convenient, inexpensive (RM69, or $19, double), clean and quiet, and the staff was friendly and helpful. Within a block, we found taxi posts, restaurants, Internet availability and a large grocery store, and the marina was just a few more blocks away.

Early the next morning we walked to the marina to catch a boat to Sapi Island, located off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, for a day of snorkeling and relaxation. Boats departed for Sapi when they had a minimum of eight people, and the timing of the return was at the discretion of the group.

Sapi is a small island with clear waters and some fish. We hiked around the island with ease. A café was available for food, there was a hut for renting snorkeling gear, and there were public rest rooms with some showers. Trees around a few picnic tables on the beach helped hide us from the midday sun.

In the evening we visited the Magellan Sutera Hotel, part of the Sutera Harbour Resort, for a wonderful meal. This was a nice resort but a bit far out of town.

The next day we took a tour to the Poring Hot Springs with a stopover at Mountain Garden, located at the entrance of Mt. Kinabalu National Park.

The drive to the hot springs took about three hours. There we could walk through the forest canopy or soak in the hot springs. Having previously walked canopies in the Amazon and Central America, I found this location comparatively unimpressive. The hot springs, for example, could not compare with the Tabacon Hot Springs in Costa Rica. The Mountain Garden tour, however, was very informative.

Detour to Brunei

For a change of pace, we ventured out to Brunei via ferry into the capital of Bandar Seri Begawan, with visits to the Jame’Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, the Royal Palace, the Brunei Museum and the Royal Tombs.

We also visited Kampung Ayer, the water village. As we wandered across planks between stilted houses, a lady approached us and in broken English invited us to her niece’s wedding. We graciously accepted.

At the wedding, men rested on sofas in a comfortable room while women in the adjacent rooms sat on the floor. The bride awaited the commencement of the ceremony in her bedroom. Before she came out, we were invited to partake in the wedding buffet. Surprisingly, some of the guests left after the meal, while others lingered until the groom and his family arrived.

Before the groom could enter the house, the father of the bride performed a ceremony at the house’s entrance to welcome the groom and his family.

Our unexpected attendance at the wedding was a special treat for us.

Sandakan

Around Sandakan, we found some pristine diving areas and rainforest habitats. Our first stop was the Sepilok Jungle Resort (Km. 22 Labuk Rd.; phone 6 089 533031), located within 400 meters of the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. Our veranda overlooked the large gardens from which we could hear the sounds of native birds.

From there we visited the orangutan center and the Labuk Bay Prosboscis Monkey Sanctuary. At both locations the wild animals were fed twice a day, and visitors could enjoy watching the primates that came to feed and play. Additionally, the orangutan center provides rehabilitation for animals that have been rescued from habitat loss and the pet trade.

Next we booked a 3-day trip to Kinabatangan, an easily accessible national park where we saw orangutans, proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, baboons, elephants, snakes and birds. Arrangements were made by Borneo Eco Tours (phone 60 88 234009, www.borneoecotours. com) and cost $350, including van transport from Sepilok to the marina, a boat transfer to our lodge, all meals, three sightseeing tours and one night tour. We stayed at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge, one of the few ecological lodges in the area.

Our night safari excursion was full of birds and owls, while the morning and afternoon river safaris provided rewarding views of hornbills, wild boars, monitor lizards, macaques and more. One afternoon, we discovered a group of about 50 elephants drinking on the river shores.

Returning to town after our three days, we stayed at Hotel Sandakan (4th Ave.) for $48, double, including breakfast. Around the block from the hotel we found a photography shop and developed our film, providing us with 4"x6" prints plus a CD for $3.50 for a 24-exposure roll. The quality of the photos was very good and the CD worked fine once we returned home.

We finished up our Malaysia adventure by flying back to K.L. for a few final days of shopping at the Selangor Pewter factory, the Central Market and The Golden Mile, then headed home.