Like any good story...this one begins with a beard! Upon returning from a year of traveling, I surprised a few family members with straggly hair and a scruffy beard, not my usual look. My Grandmother, in her amusement, referred to me as the wild man of Borneo. At the time, I was unaware of the reference but later found out that the The Wild Man of Borneo was a 1941 film. It is also a tropical Island in Asia, rich in flora and fauna boasting the largest flower in the world, the rafflesia flower, as well as home to proboscis monkeys and orangutans. Needless to say, when Lauren suggested Christmas in Borneo I was all in!
After months of rigorous planning and precise packing, we arrived in Kuala Lumpur minus our luggage...our baggage was left in Hong Kong! Subsequently this meant we missed our connecting flight to Borneo. Lauren and I have become quite accustomed to roughing it, so a night on an airport bench wasn't the end of the world. Luckily we were able to get a flight to Kota Kinabalu the next morning. Soon we were at out desired destination at the foot of the mountain we would climb the next day, Mount Kinabalu. Seeing as how our bags wouldn't be with us for another couple of days, we went shopping. It was good to to see a Daiso (100yen shop) where we bought a couple of essentials. Note: climbing a mountain in 100 yen socks...okay, 100 yen briefs...ouch! There was also an old friend of a store, Giordano, where I was able to pick up a couple of new T's for the hike ahead!
Here are some of the photo's from our Borneo adventure.
The resort we stayed at for the first night. Clean, good food and they even had karaoke!
Christmas BBQ and me in my new T
The start of the hike. We found out later that they were not the most reliable rain macs. What do you expect from a 100 yen shop!
Lookout above the clouds.
Volleyball match. Not exactly looking for crowds with this venue are they!
Sunset on the first day of the two day hike. With the hardest part yet to come.
Follow the guide rope, safety first.
Top of the world...well Borneo at least, the third largest island!
Sunrise on Christmas day with the perfect present!
Our young guide showed us the way.
Divine granite view
It took us the best part of 15 hours there and back, over two days. Look at these times. How..? Gasp every minute!
Me reading a map - cheezu in Japanese!
Curry dinner
French fries, chicken satay with peanut sauce and pak choi!
Fish market. Choose the fish you want and they will cook it in front of you.
The hunted but where's the hunter?
Our Malaysian wedding.
On the dance floor.
Label in theory!
Not my usual game of darts!
Langs and Deer cave or the loo loo!
A butterfly
The bat cave.
Abraham Lincoln's profile.
The bat exodus. Mulu National park.
Close up of a dragonfly.
A bridge
Who knows..?
Nice picture.
A beetle
A mother orangutan feeding her infant.
A castle fit for a King and Queen.
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