Barbecued seafood and orangutans under the shadow of the great mountain

A series of circumstances took us to Borneo at the beginning of February. My family was due to come to Malaysia around mid-Feb, so we found ourselves with some time to kill. A visit to Langkawi, however enjoyable, renewed our dislike for western-oriented Asian resort islands. So we headed to Borneo in the hope to catch some glimpses of the island's elusive wildlife. We didn't know what to expect from Borneo. We visited Sabah, the northern Malaysian state, which is famous for its wildlife and for being home to Mount Kinabalu, south east Asia's highest mountain.
Kota Kinabalu was our gateway to Sabah. A modern city, poor in terms of sightseeing but with a great food scene and a gorgeous waterfront, with four beautiful islands 15 minutes speedboat from town. One of the best meals we had in Asia was in KK, at the night market. The city is home to a sizeable Filipino community, due to its vicinity to the archipelago. Most Filipinos are fishermen, and sell their catch fresh or cooked at the night market. We had a huge red snapper, grilled and covered with chilli paste for RM 18 (£3.50), and barbecued squid with lime, honey, soy and tomato for RM 12 (£2.50).

We really played it day by day, in Borneo. We wanted to see wildlife, so the Lower Kinabatangan in eastern part of Sabah was our main destination. However, we could not miss Mount Kinabalu. We opted not to climb, on account of the fact that we are on a budget and the climb would've costed about £200 each for two days. We thought instead we'd stay somewhere outside the national park boundaries and just hike around the base. When I saw how majestic Mount Kinabalu was, I regretted the decision. It was too late to climb though, so we promised we'll come back to Borneo and climb the mountain. From the base, Mount Kinabalu is impressive. It rises more than double in height than its neighbours in the Crocker Range, such a sight that it can be unmistakeably spotted from a plane (so we were told). It was easy to see how this mountain was considered sacred by the local Dusun people, who named 'Akinabalu' (the place of the dead), as they believed it to be the place where the souls of the departed gather up. Hiking around the base was easy, the temperature was around 25 degrees and the humidity rather low. We stayed in a cute A-frame bungalow with a great view on the mountain. Seeing the sun rise and set behind it was a spellbinding sight. Just imagine how it would be from up the top.

After this brief stint, it was time for wildlife. Our destination was Sandakan, the departure point for 3 days at Uncle Tan's Wildlife Camp. This plce is something of an institution in Sabah, first and foremost because of the dear old Lonely Planet, but also because it is possibly the only place in Borneo which targets the backpacker crowd. And now another small rant is in order. For what I've heard from my grandfather, who lived in British Malaya, and for what I've seen travelling Malaysia for a month 5o years after, Malaysia doesn't really want backpackers. In Sabah, luxury rainforest lodges abound, but Uncle Tan is the only way to experience the Bornean Jungle on a budget. Wonder if perhaps they'd rather leave the backpackers market to neighbouring Thailand. Whatever the reason, I'm glad we ended up at Uncle Tan. The place was fabulous and excellent value. The atmosphere is happy and relaxed, with the young staff playing guitar and singing at mealtimes, it feels like a school summer camp.

The forest itself was nothing special; patches of secondary forest interspersed between palm plantations. Nothing like the majesty of Taman Negara or the Ecuadorian Amazon. However, this is the reason why the Lower Kinabatangan river is so rich with wildlife, as heavy logging has pushed all the animals into relatively small areas, making spotting wildlife easy. Something between an eco-crime and a photographer's paradise. We didn't need to hike and sweat for hours in the rainforest in the hope of catching a glimpse of a monkey. Twenty minutes on a boat down river and we saw proboscis monkeys, long and pig-tailed macaques, orangutans and gibbons; plus hornbills, kingfishers, the ubiquitous egrets, crocodiles and monitor lizards.

I am fascinated by primates. Never before was I able to appreciate several species all at once, and to notice their temperament. Long-tailed macaques are 'cheeky monkeys', the ones who steal your food. Pig-tailed macaques are aggressive and territorial, several travellers have been bitten when venturing too close. Proboscis monkeys are playful and love to show off, whilst orangutans are shy and elusive. These apes stole my heart. Never before I had seen great apes in the wild. We saw a mother and baby, cuddling up and feeding. The eyes of these marvellous creatures are sweet and inquisitive. Looking an orangutan into their eyes makes one appreciate how close these creatures are to us, and wonder why are humans destroying their habitat. Loss of habitat is the main reason why orangutans are considered endangered. Sounds like the same old story, but never before have I been so touched by a wild creature, the sweetness of their eyes nearly bringing me to tears. That single moment was worth the 6 hours ride from KK, two nights sleeping on the floor in an open-sided jungle hut with 5 fellow adventurous souls. Indeed, that moment was worth our whole time in Borneo.