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Welcome to my travellog. Here you can read about my journeys day by day. 
Aug 14, 2008 06:00 PM To Cameron Highlands
Having left KL at 11 I arrived in Tanah Rata, the central town for Cameron Highlands, after 3 p.m. It's difficult to do anything around Tanah Rata in the afternoon as it starts raining here at about 4 p.m. so the trails become dangerous. I just looked around the town to see what's where and tomorrow start exploring the Highlands.
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Aug 13, 2008 06:00 PM In the shade of Petronas Towers
Ok, the towers don't give any shade at noon, but still dominate KL's cityskape. Today I spent many hours just walking around Malaysian capital. My day began with queueing for free tickets to the viewing bridge that connects the twin towers at the hight of ca. 170 meters above street level. To get a ticket better arrive early - there were no tickets available after 9:30 a.m.
After Petronas Towers I explored China Town, Colonial District as well as Merdeka Square area. There are fine Chinese and Hindu temples you can find around KL (not to mention mosques - check Mesjid Jamek and Mesjid Negeri). Also the Old Railway Station is an interesting exaple of islamic architecture.
The easiest way to move around KL is to use LRT train system. Tickets are cheap (1-3 ringgits) and services frequent.
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Aug 12, 2008 06:00 PM Batu Caves
For the first time for many weeks I slept longer and got up after 9 a.m. I needed more sleep after several days of early wake-ups. Then I had a nice chat with fellow travelers who are staying at the same hostel - Matahari Lodge. I left the hostel as late as noon and went by bus to Batu Caves located ca. 20 kms from the city center. The traffic is very heavy in Kuala Lumpur so the ride took one hour. The caves are really huge and impressive. One of the caves houses a Hindu temple. This cave is accessed by more than two hundred steps.
In the evening I went to see Petronas Towers that were the highest building in the world until 2004. Tomorrow I will see them again - I want to get to the bridge that links the two towers to see the panorama of KL.
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Aug 11, 2008 06:00 PM Bye, bye Borneo
In the morning we were transfered back to Uncle Tan's operation base in Sepilok. I had my first shower for more than two days and went to the airport by taxi. Just to warn other travellers - Uncle Tan's staff seems to have some aggreement with taxi drivers and benefits from calling individual taxis for each their guest instead of asking about sharing. Even if you ask and tell them you want to share a taxi they will try to call two cabs for two persons. On top of that the taxi driver that seems to cooperate closely with this tour operator refuses to use the meter and asks for a hefty 40 ringgit fare (with the meter it would be half of this).
My flight to from Sandakan to KL was on time, but the KL International Airport is far away from the city center and I was at my hotel as late as 10 p.m.
At the first glance Kuala Lumpur seems to be a very modern city with well developed public transport.
For the last few days I was getting up early so tomorrow I will sleep long. Having two full days for KL should be enough even if I get up at 10 tomorrow.
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Aug 10, 2008 06:00 PM In the jungle
There were four programmes planned for today at Uncle Tan's and we did all of them but with different result.
During the morning boat safari we didn't see much but for one orangutan, quite a distance from us.
The morning jungle trek was a bit better, but we only saw some insects and plants. They call it a jungle trekking but it's actually not. Especially when I compare to the real jungle trekking near Bario. It was just a jungle walk.
An afternoon boat ride was successful - we saw many elephants taking bath in Kinabatangan river as well as eating plants on the riverbanks.
In the evening we had another jungle walk and spotted several species of frogs, insects and other tiny wildlife. Unfortunately we haven't seen any snake.
Tomorrow in the morning I'm leaving the camp and in the afternoon I'm leaving Borneo at all. The last two weeks of my journey I'll spend on Malaysian Peninsula.
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Aug 09, 2008 06:00 PM Welcome to Uncle Tan's
In the morning I went to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre where injured and orphan orangutans are brought back into their natural environment. It's quite a touristy place but one of only few such centres all over the world. I could see orangutans during feeding and also one just roaming around in the trees. This one approached me really closely - it was sitting only one meter from me. It was a really extraordinary experience.
In the afternoon I was transfered along with a group of another 13 people to Uncle Tan's jungle camp. The accommodation there is on a dorm basis and it's very basic, but the staff are very friendly and this makes up for all the inconveniences.
About 9 p.m. we went for a night river safari and spotted some wildlife - colourful birds (kingfishers) just sitting on trees, monkeys and even one crocodile.
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Aug 08, 2008 06:00 PM Eastermost point reached
Today I arrived in Sandakan, a city located on the Sulu Sea. It's the easternmost point during this journey. The bus ride from KK was not without problems. Around 100 kms from Kota Kinabalu the bus broke but the driver managed to repair it after an hour.
Sandakan itself isn't a very interesting place, but tomorrow I'll start my 3D2N stay at Uncle Tan, located near from here on Kinabatangan River. I will also visit Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center.
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Aug 07, 2008 06:00 PM Islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park
In the morning I took a boat to visit this national park that comprises several islands offshore Kota Kinabalu. The boat ride takes ca. 20 minutes, depending on which island you choose. One island ticket costs 17 ringgits return, add 10 ringgits for any extra island. On top of that you have to pay a service charge - 6 ringgits, but I had a student's card and payed only 3.
There are great snorkelling opportunities around the islands but travelling alone I had a choice to take my camera or mask and snorkel. I chose camera and thanks to it took a lot of decent pictures. Polarizing filter came in handy when photographing fish, as it reduces reflections on water surface.
I also walked around on both islands and spotted many lizards - some of them were really huge - around one meter long.
Tomorrow I'm taking a bus to Sandakan - six hours, the guidebook says.
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Aug 06, 2008 06:00 PM Back to Malaysia
My stay in Brunei Darussalam wasn't long - today I got back to Malaysia, but now I'm in a different state - Sabah. To get from BSB to Kota Kinabalu you first need to take an express bus (2 Brunei dollars, 30 minutes) to Muara ferry terminal, then a ferry to Labuan island (B$ 15 plus B$ 1 - departure tax, one hour) and then a ferry to KK (28 ringgits for a students ticket, 34 ringgits full fare, three hours).
I'm staying at Ang's Hotel in the centre of Kota Kinabalu. Air-conditioned room with attached bathroom costs 64 ringgits. Malaysia, especially Borneo, is more expensive than Indonesia. I hope the peninsula is cheaper. Tomorrow I will try to get to Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park and visit at least one of five islands comprising this NP. Unfortunately I didn't do any sightseeing today in KK - I dropped my camera and had to find a polarising filter to replace the damaged one. Fortunately the camera itself and the lens are intact.
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Aug 05, 2008 06:00 PM Brunei - the real Borneo and overwhelming wealth
In the morning I took a boat to Bangar. There is nothing interesting in the town itself but is't a great journey through the rivers of wild Borneo. Actually it's a labirynth of smaller and bigger rivers and I had great fun speeding in a small boat through their muddy waters. The trip one-way takes 45 minutes and costs 6 Brunei dollars.
In the afternoon I visited the Royal Regalia Museum where I could see imressive gold-plated charriots used by the sultan for different ceremonies. The museum also houses a vast collection of gifts presented to the sultan by leaders of countries from all over the world.
Also Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is worth a visit, but you can enter only outside prayer time. Taking pictures inside is forbidden, but it's the mosque is a great place to be photographed when it gets dark. It's beautifully illuminated and located on an artificial lagoon, which makes almost every pic of this building excellent.
Tomorrow I'm leaving Brunei for Malaysian state of Sabah, i.e. Eastern Borneo.
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