Hotel Sandakan

... was clearly on a commission from one of the operators and was trying to trick us on to a bus that didn't leave for over two hours! Team Bird quickly spotted this and headed for the Tung Ma Express stand that had a bus leaving in the next few minutes.

Team Bird 1 Tricky Locals 0.

The journey was much better than I expected with great scenery as we skirted around the edge of the Kinabalu National Park on winding roads that took us up to an ear popping 6 ...

... place. The shower, basin and toilet filled with river water which I was OK with but Sarah was clearly not!
Day four of the tour follwed a similar wildlife theme with a jungle treck around Oxbow lake in the morning. I discovered the second ommission from the brochere...the fact that the area we were walking in was known for tiger leeches....nice :) So we had to invest in some leech socks before the walk and make sure all our clothes were ticked in as ...

There is now a daily shuttle bus that leaves from Sandakan Hotel around 9:30 and drives to Sepilok and then to Labuk Bay ( you might have to change bus at Sepilok). It costs 15R one way which is way cheap as the driver takes us directly to one platform for the 11 am feeding of the Proboscis Monkeys and whatever else shows up. Then he drives to the Labuk ...

... partira vendredi pour aller voir l'ile aux tortues.

ensuite on est partie en ville, prendre l'autobus pour aller voir un temple boudiste. C'est un gros temple, assez haut sur une colline, on avait une belle vue sur la mer et une partie de la ville. cache derriere le gros temple, il y a un autre temple, un peu plus petit. Probalement comme le dernier temple qu'on avais visiter a kota kinabalu, les dieux et les desses ont chacun leur temple.

... was just Martyn and I for the jungle hike. We set off in our hired leech socks and wellies. Not much wildlife about as it was hot and sticky (and they had more sense!) but a nice leech free muddy walk to an oxbow lake which actually just looked like another bit of the river (but it has been cut off from the main river).

Back at camp and we lazed about on the hammocks till the new recruits arrived. A game couple from S. Australia (in their 60’s) and a Spanish guy ...

We flew into Sandakan on the first morning flight which was only 40 minutes in comparison to a 5 hour bus trip. Close to KK the views has been of Jungle but as we neared Sandakan it was just rows and rows of palm oil plantations. On arrival we stopped into the sales office and got tickets from KK to Semporna (The jump point to Sipadan and other diving). We then hopped in a taxi ...

... etait confortable. J'ai du tapocher le chauffeur 2-3 fois parce-qu'il baillait sans arret. Notre premiere crise alimentaire . . . . nous avons manger du PFK (poulet kentucky). Le reste de la journee fut d'organiser un peu le voyage pour la semaine, Noel et le jours de l'an. A suivre.... France et Rejean Bisouxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

... of India taking it out of us, which it did, quite literally. We flew with Air Asia, Asia's equivalent to Ryanair but less hard-sell, more supertight air hostess uniforms, and just about three hours later we were picking up our bags and heading out to our resort, the Tanjang Aru, only about 15 minutes drive away. The next few days were spent washing clothes, getting sunburnt, swimming in monsoon rain and reading. After recharging the batteries we were up early ...