Welcome to Borneo
The Hidden Wonders
The Island of Borneo is the largest island in Asia and the third largest in the world, yet is not very well known to most of the western world. To us it felt out of this world and was a drastic change from the hustle and bustle of Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
We learned that the best way to get around in Borneo and other parts of Southeast Asia is using the GrabApp, otherwise known as ‘Uber of Asia.’
Brunei
Our first stop in Borneo was Brunei – an exotic and welcoming country. We stayed at the Badiah Hotel which offered free breakfast and shuttle service to the airport. This was perfect as the rest of the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, is very walkable. The very next day we wondered its pristine and well-groomed landscapes, along the Sungai Kedayan river in the city center.
Everything from the trees to the buildings and bridges made it seem like were in a fairy land. Of particular note was Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque, which reminded us of Agrabah from the Disney classic Aladdin. It was beautiful and majestic, both on the inside and outside.
Afterward, we walked past the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien stadium which is used for royal ceremonies and sport and into the Royal Regalia Museum to learn about the Sultan of Brunei’s life. The museum displayed a massive array of gifts to His Majesty from all around the world. The centerpiece of the museum was a gigantic float, atop which the Sultan would sit during ceremonial parades.
To finish our day tour, we walked for about 2 kilometers to see the second national mosque the Jame Asr' Hassanil Blkiah mosque, which was the largest in the country. Unfortunately, it was closed for visitors, but we got to walk its well-manicured gardens and fountains. We noticed two things: First, all of the museums and mosques were free of charge, which is very nice, and second, there were barely any people on the streets.
We only had one day in Brunei, so we decided to experience the city by night as well. After sunset, we went out to the center and found it completely transformed. The air was just as hot as the day – almost 90 degrees, but without the sun it felt cooler. The streets got filled with people, jogging, working out, playing with kids, riding bicycles. Everything was lit up with multiple colors.
It was a short but memorable visit to a country, which we knew little about before we visited. The next day we rode a hotel shuttle back to the same downtown area to catch a bus to Malaysia on the PHLS Express ($5 per person to Miri). We would love to explore more of Brunei, including their sections of the Borneo forests!
Mulu
The bus dropped us off in Miri, Malaysia, from where we had to get to Mulu National Park. There are only two ways to get there - either by long boat down the windy Sungai Tutoh river or by flying into Mulu airport. We opted to fly and weren’t wrong. During the whole duration of the flight, which took no longer than 20 minutes we enjoyed breathtaking views of the forest, stretching as far as the eyes can see.
The airport was so tiny that instead of the usual luggage conveyors, they returned our checked luggage in person. After that, we boarded a Marriott flatbed truck and took off to the Mulu Marriot Resort, which was tucked into the side of the national park. The resort offered shuttle buses to and from the park and airport every day.
The Mulu National Parks 5-day park pass is only $7 per person. We took full advantage of this amazing deal and visited many world-known hikes, mountain trails, and caves. We opted for everything but the multi-day pinnacle hikes, which we would love to do another time. It should be noted that some of the caves and canopy tours do cost extra, but most trails and the main areas are free. Highlights included:
- The Canopy walk
- The Paku Waterfal
- Visiting the local village located along the river within the park
- Clearwater Cave
- Longs Cave
- Deer Cave
All of these places were not very crowded, which allowed for a better appreciation of the Bornean rainforest. The main reason for our visit however was to witness one of nature's largest daily events – the bat exodus, featured in Planet Earth Episode 4 narrated by David Attenborough. Over 3 million bats leave their caves every night to feed on over 30 tons of mosquitos (which provides a great benefit to people). After watching this natural wonder and learning more about bats, we came to appreciate them even more!
We also hiked into the caves, where we had an opportunity to get an up-close encounter with the bats during the day. Some of them could be easily spotted by looking at the ceiling and seeing dark clusters representing colonies filled with millions of bats. Others were spotted by guano – the bats’ droppings, a smelly but ecologically necessary matter. Guano feeds everything from beetles, crabs, scorpions, and fish all the way to the caves’ namesake deer.
On our way out of the cave, we noticed a profile of one of our favorite presidents against the blue skies. See if you can guess who it is from the photo below!
Overall, this was an incredible adventure into a part of the world that we knew little about!
Kuching
Kuching, which from Malay translates into ‘cat,’ was our final stop on the Bornean island. The city honored its namesake with statues and monuments. We could see them everywhere on our ride to and from the airport (a $4 Grab ride one way).
We were shocked and amazed at the treatment they provided us at the hotel. Police motorcycles closed off the streets near the hotel. The red carpet was rolled out. The hotel staff was wearing their best celebratory attire. Of course, it wasn’t us they were waiting for. The Sultan of Malaysia happened to be visiting Kuching that same weekend and was staying in the adjacent hotel.
The city was very walkable and had an awesome waterfront. Chinatown was close by as well. There I got my first haircut on the trip to Julia’s excitement! The city had a lot to offer including bars and restaurants but with less traffic than a larger city, making it more relaxed.
As day turned to night, the city would light up along the waterfront with a water show across the way highlighting the impressive State Legislative Building. The waterfront park stretched for a few miles with fascinating sculptures and art pieces. All with a looming presence of the cats mixed into the scenery.
The next day, we took a trip to Bako National Park, which claims to be the oldest park on the island of Borneo. Even though it was only 20 km from Kuching, it was not easy to get to!
First, we took a Grab ride ($5) to the National Park terminal, where we paid for the park entrance ($2.50 per person) and the transportation to the park. There is only one way in and out of the park and that’s by boat. You can book a group boat for $10 per person or a private boat for $18 per person. We hopped on the boat and took an amazing, albeit choppy, ride along the coast with the tallest peak in the area, Santubong, on the left and Bako National Park on our right.
We got dropped off at a dock and our boat driver told us he would meet us on the beach later. We were not sure why the pick up location was different than the dropoff location, but we didn’t ask. We hiked Teluk Pandan Kecil a medium 2-hour hike that ended on a secluded beach. The hike was picturesque but strenuous as we had to hike up and down through the jungle, before the final descent to the beach.
After reaching the beach, we had an option of hiking or taking a boat back to the main entrance. Needless to say which one of us decided to ride back and which one hiked back. We decided to meet back at the docks where we were dropped off.
My hike back was uneventful but upon making it back to the original dock I was surprised by two things. First, I found out why the boat driver could not pick us up at the original dock. With the low tide, the stone dock was five feet out of the water. Second, Julia was not there.
So, I continued hiking towards park headquarters with worrying thoughts crossing my mind. As I approached the headquarters, I saw a large porch with people eating and relaxing. I circled around looking for Julia but could not find her. I decided to check near the bathrooms and to my relief she was there, intently staring at something.
When I reached her, I learned that she was robbed by a gang... A gang of monkeys. She was reading a book when she saw a grey furry thing out of the corner of her eyes. A monkey hopped on the bench she was sitting on, knocked her backpack on the ground, and snatched a ziplock bagful of dry fruits and nuts from inside. The thief got immediately swarmed by other monkeys, but clearly had no intention of sharing it. It swiftly ran up to the top of the nearby tree to devour Julia’s lunch, tossing a few pieces here and there to the rest of the monkeys below.
She quickly pointed in the direction of the thief. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t recognize the very ziplock bag that I carefully packed the night before. Oh well. We hope the monkeys had a good lunch. We in turn had an unforgettable experience. On the walk over to the beach to catch a boat ride back, we saw Pumba, a wild boar of Bako marking his territory outside the headquarters.
The next day we bid farewell to Borneo. It was an amazing island that may not be as well-known as other countries or islands but has a lot to offer and is perfect for hiking enthusiasts.
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