Take Two

I missed out on a photo of the peak of Mt Kinabalu, because the clouds rolled in as soon as we stopped for a picture.

Similarly, it was hard to get a glimpse of the face of a proboscis monkey from the tourist boat when they are perched high in treetops.

Well, the first shortcoming was rectified on a drive out to the Kudat Longhouse and to the northernmost tip of Borneo.  We managed to get unclouded views of Mt Kinabalu in the earlier part of the day, before the clouds rolled in.





On another day, we went to the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park (actually a zoo), and were surprised by a large collection of proboscis monkeys.







And I can't resist this old OrangUtan.

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Rasa Ria OrangUtan Sanctuary

Shangr-ila Hotel at Rasa Ria, about 30 minutes out of Kota Kinabalu, run this orangutan sanctuary in their nature reserve. They currently have 4 juvenile orangutans and a baby.

As these mature, they are then transferred to the Sepilok sanctuary near Sandakan.

The sanctuary is only open to the public at feeding times, and from the hotel, it is a 10 minute walk to the viewing platform.

The rangers call them in, and the monkeys come in way before the orangutans for the fruit feast.



The orangutans took their time, and we can observe them coming in from afar via the tree branch movements as they travel in towards us.



Only two of the four juveniles came in this feeding time.

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More Sabah

Kinabalu Park and the Poring Hot Springs

We had clear views of Mt Kinabalu all morning during the drive, but as soon as we stopped for a photo, the clouds rolled in.



I'm not sure if it's my memory, but I can't remember seeing white hibiscus before. I've seen pale pink ones, never white, I think.



Stopped to see the Rafflesia, but I couldn't detect the odour.



More mountain views



And the hot springs



Sunday Market

The Sunday market is just a couple of city blocks away from the hotel.

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The Mari Mari Cultural Village

This is an entertaining and informative demo village, showcasing 5 of the local Sabahan tribes. We had an enjoyable time with the friendly and funny guide.



Lots of demos - rice wine making:



Fire making



Cooking



Wild honey tasting



And their wild bees are stingless, like the WA ones.



Longhouse interior




A cultural show



And lastly, we got married! A very sweaty groom!


Finally, back in the hotel room, we had a video chat with Flemington.

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A River Cruise to see the Proboscis Monkeys and the Fireflies

It was a wet and rainy 2 hour drive from Kota Kinabalu to the Kilas River to see the above.



A quick coffee before we start out on the river



On the way, the guide pointed out a monitor lizard on a coconut tree trunk.



Not too many proboscis monkeys around, or if they were, they weren't cooperative in showing their faces. A rare glimpse of a face here, in this shot of mother and child.



But there were plenty of the usual long tailed macaques around.





And no wonder!



For us, just a quiet dinner before setting off the see the fireflies.


Lots of fireflies up in the trees, but unfortunately, no photos!

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Greetings from Sabah

In transit at Brunei airport, passing time playing iPad Scrabble.



Exploring the waterfront at Kota Kinabalu, and the markets there.




Lots of tailors outside the markets.



Walked around the waterfront markets - dried sea cucumbers here:



All kinds of dried seafood in this shop

Lunch at a nearby coffee shop - curry chicken, fried fish and long beans.



Since the storms in Queensland and Carnarvon in WA about 8 months ago, prices of bananas have soared to over $15 a kg. They have dropped to about $5 a kg, still a long way up from the usual $2.50 a kg.

The price here is A$1.60 a kg, and we can eat bananas again!



An aquatic theme around town.





Dinner was at this hot stone grill at the hotel. I've had cold stone ice cream, but never had hot stone grill.

I ordered the mixed grill, expecting steaks, lamb chops, pork chops, sausages, bacon, etc, but their idea of a mixed grill was a little steak, a piece of salmon and another piece of fish, grilled at your table on a hot volcanic stone.



Cheryl didn't have such conceptual problems with the salmon.


Lots of attentive service



The end of a nice relaxing day.

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