After relaxing just a little (and a little more planning), we decided to go to a place called Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo). East Malaysia consists of the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, located on the island of Borneo to the east, across the South China Sea from Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) which is located on the Malay Peninsula. The initial idea was to climb 4095.2 mtr high Mt. Kinabalu in Kinabalu National Park, but there was no immediate accommodation available. So we had to push this little challenge a little further ahead. But as the Ozzies would say: No worries! We did succeed to book a trip to the Kinabatangan River and the jungle around Sukau.
The Kinabatangan River, or "Sungai Kinabatangan" is the second longest river in Malaysia, spanning 560 kilometers from the mountains of southwest Sabah and ending at the Sulu Sea, east of Sandakan. We flew from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and got picked up from our hotel for a 2+ hour bumpy drive to our first sight: The Gomantong Cave. Along the way, there were small settlements, mainly of Malay people working at the enormous palm oil plantations. The countryside was really devastated. Of course, you can't blame the people because they use what resources they have and/or create. Everyone wants prosperity in the end. Anyways, back to the trip.
The Gomantong Caves is a cave system inside Gomantong Hill in the Lower Kinabatangan area, Sandakan division, in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Situated in a Sabah Parks forest reserve, the caves and the surrounding area are a protected area for wildlife, especially orang utans. There were many different animals in the cave, ranging from dangerous to downright disgusting. We encountered many many cockroaches, bats, potentially deadly centipedes, and some crabs, all scavenging through massive amounts of "guano" or bat-poo. Yummie! Now we were prepared and used our disposable plastic raincoats to avoid getting poo-ed on. And we were told to always remember the golden rule: when looking up, always do so with your mouth closed or be prepared to eat s...
Killer centipede: without quick medical attention you're done for (pic below: more cockroaches than anyone can count)
The most remarkable thing about the cave system is actually that the caves are known for their valuable edible swiftlet nests, which are harvested for bird's nest soup. The white ones sell often for very high prices (approximately 200-300 EUR per nest somebody told us). Anyway, the birds' nest collection is an ancient tradition, and the trading of these nests has been done since at least 500 AD. Twice a year, from February to April and July to September, locals with licenses climb to the roof of the caves, using only rattan ladders, ropes, and bamboo poles, and collect the nests. The first collection takes place early in the breeding season before the swiftlets lay their eggs. The birds then make another nest in which they finally lay their eggs. After the young have fledged, the second collection is made. Care must be taken to assure that the nests are collected only after the young swiftlets have abandoned these nests.
Finally, millions of bats are supposed to fly out these caves to get some evening take-out dinner. We were there during the day so we only got some fotage of some sleepy ones hanging about. Oh.... and before we forget... when coming back from the cave, we saw a wild orang utan feeding on some leaves. This is a very rare occurrence, and although the pictures didn't turn out well, the video footage caught the guy or gal head on. These are terrific encounters and we were very lucky to have such highlights on an already great trip. Keep visiting us online because there are some more "wild" surprises coming your way soon. Hasta la vista!
After relaxing just a little (and a little more planning), we decided to go to a place called Kota Kinabalu in East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo). East Malaysia consists of the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, located on the island of Borneo to the east, across the South China Sea from Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) which is located on the Malay Peninsula. The initial idea was to climb 4095.2 mtr high Mt. Kinabalu in Kinabalu National Park, but there was no immediate accommodation available. So we had to push this little challenge a little further ahead. But as the Ozzies would say: No worries! We did succeed to book a trip to the Kinabatangan River and the jungle around Sukau. 
The Kinabatangan River, or "Sungai Kinabatangan" is the second longest river in Malaysia, spanning 560 kilometers from the mountains of southwest Sabah and ending at the Sulu Sea, east of Sandakan. We flew from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and got picked up from our hotel for a 2+ hour bumpy drive to our first sight: The Gomantong Cave. Along the way, there were small settlements, mainly of Malay people working at the enormous palm oil plantations. The countryside was really devastated. Of course, you can't blame the people because they use what resources they have and/or create. Everyone wants prosperity in the end. Anyways, back to the trip.
The Gomantong Caves is a cave system inside Gomantong Hill in the Lower Kinabatangan area, Sandakan division, in the Malaysian state of Sabah. Situated in a Sabah Parks forest reserve, the caves and the surrounding area are a protected area for wildlife, especially orang utans. There were many different animals in the cave, ranging from dangerous to downright disgusting. We encountered many many cockroaches, bats, potentially deadly centipedes, and some crabs, all scavenging through massive amounts of "guano" or bat-poo. Yummie! Now we were prepared and used our disposable plastic raincoats to avoid getting poo-ed on. And we were told to always remember the golden rule: when looking up, always do so with your mouth closed or be prepared to eat s...
Killer centipede: without quick medical attention you're done for (pic below: more cockroaches than anyone can count)
The most remarkable thing about the cave system is actually that the caves are known for their valuable edible swiftlet nests, which are harvested for bird's nest soup. The white ones sell often for very high prices (approximately 200-300 EUR per nest somebody told us). Anyway, the birds' nest collection is an ancient tradition, and the trading of these nests has been done since at least 500 AD. Twice a year, from February to April and July to September, locals with licenses climb to the roof of the caves, using only rattan ladders, ropes, and bamboo poles, and collect the nests. The first collection takes place early in the breeding season before the swiftlets lay their eggs. The birds then make another nest in which they finally lay their eggs. After the young have fledged, the second collection is made. Care must be taken to assure that the nests are collected only after the young swiftlets have abandoned these nests. 
Finally, millions of bats are supposed to fly out these caves to get some evening take-out dinner. We were there during the day so we only got some fotage of some sleepy ones hanging about. Oh.... and before we forget... when coming back from the cave, we saw a wild orang utan feeding on some leaves. This is a very rare occurrence, and although the pictures didn't turn out well, the video footage caught the guy or gal head on. These are terrific encounters and we were very lucky to have such highlights on an already great trip. Keep visiting us online because there are some more "wild" surprises coming your way soon. Hasta la vista! 
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