Feb 2007

After travelling through both Sarawak & Sabah it seemed, well, impolite to overlook little Brunei sandwiched in the middle so I managed to find a few days in my hectic globetrotting schedule to drop by.

Negara Brunei Darussalam (or just Brunei to his mates) is one of the smallest countries in the world but also one of the wealthiest thanks to the oil industry. I opted to stay in the capital city of Bangar Seri Begawan (BSB) a compact place home to some 75,000. It's certainly very different to other Asian capital cities with orderly traffic, high standard of living and no real signs of poverty.

So how do you occupy yourself for 3 days in a country where alcohol is virtually unobtainable and nightlife non existent - well you sleep alot! Nah, I hit the cultural trail hard and spent alot of time walking around looking at big gold shiny buildings.

After finding and settling myself into some very satisfactory digs I set off to check out the Mosques. The hotel I was staying in was a few km's outside of the centre and the easiest not to mention quickest way to get around Brunei is by water taxi. There are hundreds of them all zipping back and forth from the water villages and dropping kids off at school. I am considering launching a similar initiative when I get back to London, how cool would it be to have a network of little taxi boats chauffeuring people up and down the Thames - surely it's a winning idea!

Water taxi anyone?

The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is located in the centre of BSB and stands in its own artificial lagoon. Named after the 28th Sultan of Brunei it is one of the tallest buildings in BSB. I took a trip up to top for an impressive panoramic view of the city. Then I got one of Brunei's cool little purple buses out to the J'ame'Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque. This was built in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Sultans reign in 1992. After being asked to put on a full length robe type thing I was allowed to have a poke around this one as long as I didn't disturb the people praying.

The Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque

The J'ame'Asr Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque

I covered off the Brunei Museum, Malay Technology Museum and Royal Regalia Museum on my second day. I'd now consider myself pretty much up to speed on the oil industry, recent technological advancements and all things regal.

On my final day I visited Kampung Ayer which is made up of 28 water villages and houses a total of 30,000 people. This, I would say is the highlight of my trip to Brunei. I got dropped off by water taxi and started to explore the maze of wooden gangplanks connecting brightly painted shacks, shops, schools and workshops. The people were amazingly friendly especially the children and it wasn't long before I was invited in for a cup of tea and a chat about my travels and how I ended up in Brunei (I don't think they get many tourists so I was something of a novelty) Then one guy offered to take me for a cruise round the rest of the village's and up river to see the Proboscis monkeys (I didn't want to tell him I had already seen them at Bako & on the Kinabatangan) and on to the royal palace (Istana Nurul Iman) where the Sultan resides.

Kampung Ayer

Local family at Kampung Ayer

Footie Fans - Kampung Ayer

All in all it was a good three days in Brunei. It's the evenings which are abit quiet as there really isn't anything much to do. The locals just seem to hang around on street corners like they are waiting for something to happen which never actually does.

Next stop - Hong Kong.

Sandakan certainly gets it's fair share of stick for being abit of an unsavory place but I must admit I did quite like it's gritty, down market charm. Having said that, one day was quite long enough hangin' with the local crazies and dodging the little kids who seem only to happy to relieve you of your wallet.

I booked myself on a 3 day river safari on the mighty Sungai Kinabatangan, Sabah's longest river (measuring 560km) held in the highest of regards as "the" location for spotting a multitude of wildlife. Home for the next three days was a quaint little cabin on the riverbank and my fellow wildlife enthusiast, a bus load of SAGA Holidaymakers from North Yorkshire.

Day One

Met our guide Terence, the most portly of Malay guys who fell dead asleep if he sat still for longer than 2 mins. Our first stop en route to the Kinabatangan was Gomantong Cave. This limestone cave is Sabah's most famous source of swiftlets nests used for birds nest soup. No pictures I'm afraid as there was a 30RM charge for your camera, a luxury which, quite frankly I could ill-afford. Essentially very brave men build very dubious looking ladders from bamboo & twine and then use them to climb 18m high to retrieve swiftlets nests. The nests, made from bird spit and feathers are then sold to restaurants who make them into birds nest soup. The soup is regarded as a delicacy to the chinese, believed to enhance a males fertility and provide the ladies with eternal youth.

Checked into camp just after lunch, promptly piled aboard our vessel and set sail to observe the many wonders Kinabatangan had to offer. Well this is where Terence came into his own for he could spot a Rhinoceros hornbill bird a mile off. So it wasn't long before we were feasting our eyes on an assortment of tropical birds (not really my thing) snakes, proboscis monkeys, pig-tailed Macaque monkeys, silver-tailed Macaques - my old Olympus was working over time.

Proboscis Monkeys

Mother & Baby

An excited male

Silver-tailed Macaque

Back at the ranch, dinner was dominated by eager conversation of what tomorrows jungle trek would hold in store for us.

Day 2

Leeches, leeches and more leeches - brown leeches, tiger leeches and hammer head leeches. I was just waiting to be dragged under the surface of the jungle floor by the Great White leech! Luckily I had invested in a pair of leech socks to keep the blighters out of my shoes but we were covered. Non-the-less, Terence took us deep into the jungle cutting our path as we walked to look at alot of Elephant dung. All was not lost though as we cruised back to base camp for another hearty lunch, we spotted wild crocodiles chilling on the banks and more neon colored birds.

Croc

That afternoon, whilst cruising still, we made the ultimate spot - wild Orang-Utans. Eagle-eyed Terence spied a mother Orang-Utan with it's baby thick in the trees. We pulled over to observe them for a good few minutes before they gracefully swung back deep into the jungle. It was quite a treat to see them in their natural habitat although from a distance.

After all the excitement of the river safari I opted to stop off in Sepilok on our way back to Sandakan for a few days.

Sepilok

Sepilok is home to Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre and our brief but thrilling sighting of seeing Orang-Utans in the wild had only fuelled my interest in "the man of the jungle"

It was once said that an Orang-Utan could swing from tree to tree from one side of Borneo to the other without touching the ground. Sadly this is no longer the case as hunting and habitat destruction (the result of illegal logging and palm olive plantations) are shrinking their natural habitat. This has resulted in an increase in the number of orphaned and injured orang-utans which are brought to Sepilok in order to be rehabilitated to return to forest life.

I learnt that a male Orang-Utan can have an armspan of 2.5m and can weigh up to 144kg. They also have the strength 4 times more powerful than the average human male and if you really piss one off, they have the ability to rip a human in half!

The centre has twice daily feedings which are open to the public just to supplement the younger Orang-Utans with what they can find for themselves. So after hitting the information centre and watching a particularly heart-warming video about the work Sepilok has carried out over the years I hit the viewing platform.

We were lucky this time as 5 or 6 of the younger Orang-Utans made an appearance for feeding and I must admit, at risk of sounding completely soft they are endlessly appealing with their ginger fur and big intelligent eyes. We were treated to quite a show as they wrestled and scrapped like little children would. They are statically 96.4 part human and seeing them close up I was surprised at how human like they are, they all have their own individual personalities, the braver more confident ones making the first move followed by the shyer ones who are quite often hanging onto their buddy. So we watched them drink milk and pour it over their heads, eat banana's, spit it back out and wipe it on their mates back then run off and other such like tomfoolery before they ventured back into the undergrowth.

The Orang-Utans (aren't the best quality)

My personal favourite

And so my whistle-stop tour of Borneo comes to a close, was it worth travelling all the way from the South Pacific? ....Abso-bloody-lutey!

Next stop - Brunei.

So it was across the state line and into Sabah for my next stop - Kota Kinabalu the state capital. I travelled with Yugi, a Japanese guy who was staying at the same hostel as me in Miri and who happened to be on the same flight. Once we'd ditch our packs we headed out on an exploration exercise to see what KK had to offer.

The best way to describe KK is as "a grower". It's much bigger than Kuching and therefore lacks the charm and coziness I had become accustomed to. More a place of function, after a few days kicking back I soon found myself warming to KK and it's wares.

But I was here on a mission - to climb Mount Kinabalu so enough of the jollies and down to business.

Mt. Kinabalu

Set as the centerpiece for the vast 754 sq-km Kinabalu National Park, Mt Kinabalu is the highest mountain between the mighty Himalayas and New Guinea. Standing at 4,095 m it is also the highest mountain in SE Asia. Researches have found that it is still growing at a rate of 5mm a year so I didn't want to hang around too long before I started my climb.

The climb is a two day affair so after a brief stop to pick up some mountain climbing threads (it can get very cold up top) I was good to go.

Day One

After an initial 2 hour drive from KK out to Kinabalu National Park I duly signed my life away under a mountain of paperwork, handed over my Ringitt and was assigned my personal guide. Jennius was a middle-aged local Malay guy with a broad, toothless smile, he was responsible for getting me up to the summit and back down again in one piece.

So off we set for an initial 7km climb to base camp. With Mt. Kinabalu serving as Sabah's main tourist attraction steps have been cut for quite a large chunk (approx 2,500 steps) making it feel more like climbing a massive stairmaster than a mountain. However, the scenery was stunning offering generous panoramic views of the National Park below.

Kinabalu National Park at 3,000m

As we climbed higher the steps disappeared and the going grew tougher although never quite in the same league of The Pinnacles climb. My relationship with Jennius was also more one of function than anything else. Despite venturing down many an avenue to kick-start a lengthy conversation he was a man of few words and I feared I was destined to a climb of silence. Luckily, we hit a large group of Japanese walkers about an hour in so they provided the entertainment from then on.

Mt. Kinabalu - My little Hut

We hit base camp after a speedy 2 hours and 50 min's ascent, even Jennius seemed pleased. Lodgings for the night was a tiny little hut set into the mountain side with spectacular views. We agreed to meet again at 3am (I know... how early..?) so we could reach the summit in time for sunrise.

Sunset at Base Camp

Day Two

Spent most of the night wrapped in multiple blankets in an attempt to shield myself from an early onset of pneumonia. I was settling into my brekkie when Jennius breezes in - what do ya know, Yer Man's a barrel of laughs at 3am. So off we set into the darkness of the the night / early morning and he's chatting, chatting, chatting away. Turns out he's an avid Man U supporter so the conversation is slightly one-sided, he does the talking and I do the agreeing and chip in with the odd throw away comment "I know, I've heard he's a very talented young striker" and other such like pearls of wisdom. The conversation inevitably turns to the World Cup I am pleased to have the opportunity to drop my favorite footie line of all time about the England squad "on paper - we are a very good team"

Mt. Kinabalu summit at 5.30am

So before you know we have reached the summit. It's 5.30am so there is a quick photo opportunity with the summit sign then a brief wait for sunrise. It is frickin' cold at the top but I am all toasty in my Nike ACG Thermo-fit top and hat / ear muffs combo. Others aren't fairing too well, one young lady rather rationally exclaims that she is "so cold she just wishes she could just die" - suck it up sweetheart!

Sunrise - Mt. Kinabalu

Sunrise is an all but too brief glimpse of Borneo down below. Unfortunately it's really cloudy so the visibility isn't great but you can't beat the feeling of being 4,095 m high at 6am in the morning and I get some Ok photo's of alot of cloud with abit if mountain chucked in for good measure.

Me with "Donkey's Ears" in the background

The decent goes without hitch and I arrive down at the bottom by 12.30pm with a very content feeling and a pair of aching knee's.

Back in Kota Kinabalu the whole place has gone Chinese New Year crazy. I treat myself to a proper hotel room for a whole 8 GBP complete with a TV, Tea & Coffee making facilities and my own personal favorite - a phone in the bathroom. I mean who in their right mind is ever going to make a phone call whilst on the Jaxx..?

My plan is to settle down for the evening, rest my weary legs and watch HBO in bed but I can't ignore the parties on the street below so head out to join the festivities. There are big slinky Dragon's and dancing Lion's everywhere. I watch one amazing performance where there are 2 of the two person Lion's balancing on poles which must be about 6-8 ft high doing a whole manner of hair-raising stunts and dances. I tried to film it on my camera I was so impressed but a lady with particularly flyaway hair obscured my view. You'll have to trust me it was hellacool.

Next stop - Sandakan (but shhh... I want to surprise the Orang-Utans)

After another fantastically speedy connection courtesy for Malaysia Airlines I arrived in Miri and score myself a new travelling buddy in baggage claim. Well to be honest not a completely new buddy, I had met Iduna originally at Bako National Park and by sheer luck we are on the same flight - small world and all that....Anywho, we share a cab into town and source ourselves some digs. As it transpires we have both arrived in Miri with exactly the same agenda's - a trip to Gunung Mulu National Park to tackle The Pinnacles - perfect.

Gunung Mulu National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Sarawak's largest National Park, Gunung Mulu is a sprawling 529 sq km's of unspoiled wilderness and home to rugged mountain ranges, deep gorges, massive caves, clear rivers and diverse wildlife. Our sights however were set firmly on The Pinnacles an incredible stone forest of razor sharp limestone towering 45m high located half way up Gunung Api.

The accommodation we settled on in Miri just happened to be run by an absolute angel called Joanne who within 30 mins of us telling her of our plan to hike The Pinnacles she has arranged flights for us to Gunung Mulu (the only way to reach the National Park is by flying in) sorted all our accommodation requirements at Mulu and booked us a guide so we had nothing better to do than treat her a few Tiger beers to show our appreciation.

The following morning we are escorted to the airport and 30 mins later land in Gunung Mulu all via a plane called, rather amusingly a Fokker 50. Our hike to The Pinnacles isn't due to start until the following morning so we spent our first day at Mulu exploring the some of the many caves on site. It's during dinner that two familiar figures come hobbling over, it's Rachel & Sarah who I had previously spent three days with on the Iban Longhouse visit. Their inability to walk was due to them just having finished the Pinnacles hike so they spent the next few hours enlightening us to what lay ahead which they described as "a bloody hard slog but well worth it".

Deer Cave

Our time has come, we meet two fellow hikers at the park HQ - Jay and Soo-Ann both from KL and jump aboard our boat which would will take us an hour up river to the starting point of the trail. Today's hiking is a steady 8.9km amble through the forest to Camp 5 where we would spend our first night before we tackled "the big one" tomorrow. And yes it was pleasant enough, not too taxing and a nice warm up, all is going swimmingly until I got attacked by the leeches. Now I'm not one of those people who gets unnecessarily freaked out by creepy crawlies I'm generally not bothered in the slightest but leeches are my "thing". I just hate the concept that you have no idea you have been bitten until you look down and there they are, locked on casually sucking you dry. They must be able to smell my fear or maybe I have particularly sweet blood cos I appear to attract them in droves. So I was relieved to reach camp 5 de-leech my legs and feet and settle down for the evening.

Camp 5

Camp 5 is really nice, it is set on the banks of the Sungai Melinau river facing the spectacular Benarat cliffs. It is a hive of activity with a group of cavers on a month long research program and fellow hikers using it as their base before or after tackling the trails. Then the horror stories began, the camp was full of people who had just finished The Pinnacles and are all too glad to tell us of the treacherous feat which lay ahead. Some find it just too hard and are forced to give up or if you don't make a certain point by 11am you have to turn back otherwise you will be lost in jungle for ever to be leech fodder.

A little smiley guy heads over to our table and introduces himself, he goes under the name of Undi and he will be our guide for tomorrow. He's a really nice guy and I immediately like him, naturally we bombard him with questions to satisfy our curiosity. He assures us we will be fine, it's a hard, unrelenting slog to the top but if get an early night and lay off the beers tonight we will be dandy. Following his advice and I am in bed by 8pm frantically trying to force myself to sleep.

I hardly sleep a wink, I am paranoid that if I shut both my eyes at the same time all the leeches in the whole of Gunung Mulu are going to make a B-Line for me so I'm feeling abit jaded when Undi comes to wake us at 6am. It's noodles and chocolate for breakfast and we leave Camp 5 by 7am.

Here's the weird thing, the hike up to view The Pinnacles is only 2.5km long which on the face of it is hardly far at all but non of us are prepared for the gradient. During the 2.5km distance we cover we climb 1.2km high. We are all taken by surprised by steepness, it is more like rock climbing than hiking as we scramble over rocks and tree roots, my body is wondering what the f**k is going on. Despite the lack of sleep I soon find my pace and spend the initial 2 hour ascent bantering with Undi, he's a top guy with an awesome sense of humour so time flies. We reach the last portion of the trail by 9.15am, Undi is surprised at our efficiency despite all three of us being completely soaked in sweat and thoroughly knackered. We are relieved to see that Undi has also had the decency to break a sweat also.

A word of warning

The last portion of the trail is a near vertical climb through a network of ladders and ropes to help you reach the top. It's not dissimilar aN enormous adventure playground apart from one slip on the slippery rock could result in a long and painful fall.

All is rewarded when we reach the top. The sun is shining as we turn the last corner but Undi stops dead in his tracks "Ohh no - what's happened here" he says "what, what's up..?" we reply, "they've gone" and then he absolutely pisses himself laughing - told you he was a joker! We are greeted by a magical view as the fruits of our labour are realised. We've been blessed with a clear view so I get some decent photo's just before the morning fogs rolls in and cruelly covers them from view for the people arriving not 10 mins after us.

The Pinnacles

Proof I made it!

The decent is definitely harder than getting up there, my feet have turned to concrete blocks and my legs to big jelly snakes but we make it down in 4 hours and I only sustain one injury when I fall down a hole. Arriving back in camp 5 it's a relief to get out of the sweaty clothes and sit in the river for an hour to cool off. The following morning I feel like I've been hit by a truck, my legs, back and arms all ache from hauling myself up using the ropes. We bid our farewells to Undi and plod the 8.9km back to Park HQ feeling satisfied that we made it - afterall failure was never an option!

Team Pinnacles
(L-R: Undi, Iduna, Gregory & Jay)

Next Stop - Kota Kinabalu.