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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Oct 19, 2013 04:00 PM A junk bus to Sandakan...
I understood how lucky am I listening to the heavy rainstorm in the last night. So far on Borneo I had no rain! Fortunately around 7 am it cleared up and I was happy to go to the Kota Kinabalu Sunday market. It takes place just two blocks from the Backpackers Street - on Jalan Gaya. Wow! So many stalls! Exotic fruits and handicrafts. Records and T-shirts (3 for 20 r) live animals in cages (cats,dogs, rabbits, turtles...) and a crowd crawling along. Place definitely worth to see!
After two hours I took my pack and I went to the Inanam bus station. Bus to Sandakan was waiting for me - just pay 43 ringgits for the ticket and jump on! They declared that it will take us 6,5 hours to reach the destination.
It is worth to make this bus trip because it will give you the great look into the interior of Borneo. I passed again Mt Kinabalu (in clouds today) then there were lush green mountains covered by jungle. Then little farms with timber houses on the poles and huge palmoil plantations.
We made one stop for lunch and two maintenance stops in the middle of nowhere - something was wrong with the engine and transmission. It was junk bus - by the way the name of company was SIDA (do you know what does it mean in French?).
I reached Sandakan at dusk. Taxi driver left me at the Seaview Hotel instead Seafront Hotel. It is better to check twice before he will disappear. Sandakan in the colonial period was a capital of British North Borneo. It is famous for the cruel Japanese POW camp and... orang-utans living in the jungle not far from the town. I do hope to see them tomorrow!
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Oct 18, 2013 04:00 PM I am going to Miri - Miri
They have 3 different Cultural Villages in Sabah. I wanted to learn about the customs and culture and decided to see one of them.
Miri - Miri is located in the jungle 45 minutes drive from KK (that's how the locals call Kota Kinabalu). They provide microbus transport to and from but be prepared to pay hefty 160 ringgits for the shuttle, visit and lunch.
Miri-miri means "Come-come" - if you paid to come they will show you the houses of 5 main Sabah tribes: houses on the poles, tools and weapons and you can try their food (rice wine, cakes, honey...) You are greeted by warriors (their ancestors were the headhunters) and you can have a photo with them. Then there is a show with music and dances (those in Kuching - Sarawak was much better) and you are invited for lunch. It was another interesting day but very expensive experience - similar village visit costs only 60 r in Sarawak (without lunch - but my stomach was not happy after their meal...)
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Oct 17, 2013 04:00 PM Mt Kinabalu for runners only!
It is only 5 minutes walk from the Backpackers street to the minibus stop.
I have been there already at 7.30.
But this is Asia - the timetable does not exist and we were waiting till 8 am to fill up the microbus. Then driver collected money - 20 r pp and took us to the petrol tation.
Finally we started to climb quite good road up the green mountains. An hour later I saw for the first time Mt Kinabalu - 4095 m.
It is worth to catch a seat at the left window for the great views. Go early - at 10.30 today Kinabaly was already covered by clouds! It is hard to say that Kinabalu is a pretty mountain like Fuji or Kilimanjaro. But for sure it is imposing - like a huge granite saw with many summits...
After 2 hours of driving at the National Park gate I recognized that the NP is closed for visitors today, tomorrow and the day after. Why?
They have 28th Climbathon - the candidates for the heroes run from the park gate to the top of the mountain and back. Good luck!
I was dissappointed - I wanted to walk as far as you can go without paying a guide - to Layang-Layang (you know how I like those twin-names!) and they allowed me (after crying :) to walk only to the Carson Fall - easy 5 kms
each way...
I was more lucky proceeding to Ranau and onward to the village of Kokob. Rare rafflesia - the biggest flower on the world was waiting there for me.
It is blossoming only 7 days!
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Oct 16, 2013 04:00 PM Kota KInabalu - Borneo
I am already in KK! Kota Kinabalu has more then 300 000 inhabitants and is proud to be a capital of the Sabah province. It is poor province and this is visible: the city buses are old junks, without a/c. It it not as clean as Kuching and - I am sorry - people are not as nice as in Sarawak. But is has something: the sea. Kuching has a riverfront, Kota has a seafront with the bay view with many small islands.
In the evening on the coastal promenade they organize one huge eatery. And they eat, eat, eat... Bon apetit!
In the city center between two attractions: clock tower and observation platform there is little street full of backpackers institutions. Here I stay in the Garden Hotel. Rooms are crampy and some of them has no windows. Wi-fi internet is only in the corridor. But the room with bath and a/c here costs only 22 USD.
It is VERY hot during the day! Tomorrow I will go to the interior hoping to see the biggest flower in the world - I just got the confirmation: it is in blossom since yesterday
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Oct 15, 2013 04:00 PM The taste of the jungle...
The nearest National Park of Sarawak is Bako. Access is easy and interesting: you take bus no.1 from Kuching to Bako Bazar (3,50 r) and after an hour of drive you are at the little boat jetty. You have too be registered, pay 20 r National Park entry fee and then you rent a boat (capacity 5 pax). It cost 95 r per boat round trip to the park. I was lucky to join friendly Australians so the boat cost me just 19 r.
The boat ride on the river and then along the coast takes about 30 min and it is additional attraction.
Once you landed you have to walk 500 m to the park quarters to make a choice of your trail and to be registered again. Then you are free to walk into the lush, tropical jungle...
There are different trails. The most distant part of the park is temporary closed. I decided to take Lintang trail - some 3,5 hours through the forested hills. Trail is well maintained and marked so you can do it on your own. Nice experience except that it is so hot, hot... Tall trees, voices of birds, monkeys...
It is possible to stay in the park cottages, but I decided to come back to Kuching in the late afternoon. It was sweaty day and I have to make laundry before I will go onward!
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Oct 14, 2013 04:00 PM Kuching, Borneo - the cat city
In the Malay language Kuching means "cat" so I am not surprised that in the city center I found many monuments of cats. Unlike many big Malaysian cities on the peninsula Kuching - the capital of Sarawak still has colonial charm.
It is interesting that since 1842 till WW2 it was the capital of the white rajas who ruled in Sarawak - the Brooke family. Very interesting case!
I was wondering narrow street visiting Chinese temples, little shops, taking pictures of the historic buildings.
Then I took a shuttle minibus to the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong (24 r for RT ticket). Entry ticket cost 60 r. Around the little lake they reconstructed there traditional village houses from different parts of Sarawak. There are also workshops of the craftsmen. But the top attraction is a folk show o the dances. It takes about an hour and is like orgy of colors, costumes and music - fortunately it takes place in the a/c theater because it is hot, hot, hot and humid outside.
Back in Kuching I bought a nice, ripe papaya and started to look for the rum (do you remember my invention from the Spice Island?) Sorry - no rum in Kuching. Locals recommended arrack - a kind of alcohol they produce here from rice and tropical fruits, but believe me - it is not the same!
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Oct 13, 2013 04:00 PM Night on the planes...
I asked you about experiences regarding low-cost carrier Air Asia. Nobody responded. So now - after my first two flights on AAsia I can tell you that it is better then I expected. Departures were on time, service very efficient, planes new... Well - I did not have enough space for my long legs and they did not serve even free water but it is "low cost"!
The flight from Beijing to Kuala Lumpur took me 6,5 hours and then I spent almost 2 hours on KUL- Kuching flight.
I am again in the heat of the tropics! It was 34 deg Celsius when I landed.
Kuching - the capital of Sarawak Province has no airport bus - I was forced to take "coupon taxi" for 26 ringgits to come to the town. Maney changers pay here 3,18 ringitts per 1 USD. Do not change much money in the airport - they pay less.
Wow! What a change! Today people around me greet me, they smile and all of them speak English! Lush green and flowers around... I took a walk along the river (see picture) - there is a nice promenade...
After hard night I need to recover so tomorrow I will write more about Kuching and Sarawak.
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Oct 12, 2013 04:00 PM The palace of the last emperor
Changchun is not a big city - only 3 million inhabitants or so... But it is the capital of the Jilin province and I found here the palace of the last Chinese Emperor.
This was at the beginning of 20th century. After revolution in China the emperor escaped from Beijing. When Japanese got Manchuria in 1931 they offered him a throne in a new "puppet" country under their protectorate.
The capital of the country was here and he ruled until the end of the second world war,
They charge hefty 80 Y for entry, but what you can see there is quite interesting. In the inner palace rooms of the empress and concubines, great throne halls, Buddhist temple, saloons. There is a swimming pool (the emperor himself did not swim because his majesty cannot show his body), anti- aircraft shelter, limousines ets. I spent there about 3 hours studying old pictures, paintings, and objects of art...
Then I found somebody to share the cost of the taxi to the distant aiport (they charge 80 Y per car). Charming ladies from the Lei cafe gave me the password to their net...
I am waiting for the late flight to Beijing and then there will be night flight to Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia.
I do hope that the next message I will send to you from
Borneo...
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Oct 11, 2013 04:00 PM Sorry: canyon instead of the lake...
Clear day! But today Mother Nature gave me the lesson of humility. I wanted to climb to the Heavenly Lake. It lies on the level above 2100 m - on the border with North Korea. Weather was OK. But I was forced to turn back on the level of 1650 m because the deep snow that fell during the last day. The temperature there was already below zero Celsius.
One more dream was so close to come true... But I do not comply... Perhaps the next time...
Instead, I visited the canyon located in the national park - 2-kms long trail goes on the rim of the picturesque canyon.
Just let you know about this last frontier: there are two entrances to the Changbai National Park: West (closest to Song Jijan He - RT car transfer to the gate cost 200 Y) and North (500 Y). For the entry to the park you must pay hefty 125 Y and then for the ecobus in the park 85 Y (twice in the North for two buses).
In the late afternoon I had a time to walk around the bazaar in Song Jiang He. Locals were courious to see the lonely stranger (I did not see any other western tourist since Shenyang). They are selling very strange things there e.g. froggs. I was also lucky to met there Lilly -a local girl - so far the only person in Song Jiang He who speaks some English. Lilly was sweet to me. Thank you dear!
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Oct 10, 2013 04:00 PM Hard night in the hardsleeper...
It was heavy rainstorm with thunders when I was going yesterday to the Shenyang Station... Brrrr...
They allow you to enter the platform only 10 minutes before departure. No much time to find your car... As you know hardsleeper on China Railways is a king of European couchette car, 3-tier, not divided into compartments... This was K-category train (low) so the car was quite old, heating did not work... It was cold and noisy at night. I am moving north - to to the cooler area.
I was happy to leave train in the morning in the little town Song Jiang He, at the bottom of Changbai Mountains (Ever White Mountains). Not easy to find accommodation in the place where nobody speaks English! (even in the hotel). But the worst news is that it is cloudy and light rain is expected - I cannot go to the Heavenly Lake today. I have a day of flexibility. So I will try again tomorrow. Please keep your fingers crossed!
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