Malaysia: Semporna

Semporna, known for its nearby islands with diverse coral and marine life, and a hotspot of diving, snorkeling and water village resorts, would not have been our usual destination. Therefore as there was no other place in Sabah we would rather check out, we found ourselves in Semporna.

Within the first hour of our arrival, we found ourselves having signed up for two days of island hopping/snorkeling tours from an outfitter a few doors down from our guesthouse. It didn't occur to me until I was in bed, we didn't even check out the outfitter online. We were in unfamiliar territory.

It turned out the outfitter we happened to pick has a 4.9 on Google and we had two wonderful days of snorkeling. We saw turtles half a dozen times, a Moray Eel, giant parrot fish, hundreds of different tropical fish (some quite large, e.g. >1 foot long or tall). The reefs seemed vibrant and alive. My love for snorkeling was rekindled. The last time we had good snorkeling was the early 90s! We had tried snorkeling various times since. I had been underwhelmed and depressed.

Another reason we are not so keen on visiting beachy places is the overwhelming amount of seafood makes it hard to get vegetarian food. In Semporna we ended up having lots of fun eating at a Malaysian-Indian joint, Bishmillah,run by a man from Chennai. The only negative part of our Semporna visit was sunburn, a small price to pay.

Note to fellow travelers: we highly recommend the outfitter Quality Diving Center. They have another tour of Mataking that we didn't choose, which turned out to be wise. Because Mataking is farther, we would have to ride the boat all day for only two hours of snorkeling.

On the bus to Semporna we pass an endless stream of Palm Plantations.


The bus stops for a passenger rest break and a bus wash. John buys a coffee with milk.




There was a bit of excitement when the rear left tires/wheels/brakes? overheated and the smell of smoke came in the bus. The driver pulled over and we all piled out fast. Then waited as the bus crew was busy, but not succesful. Eventually the bus company sent a van to take all the tourists, about 8 of us, to Semporna Harbour.


Our hotel in Semporna overlooked the port, and the view from our terrace was more than pretty good.


Some shots from our snorkeling excursions. The first day started with a hike on Bohey Dulang Island at Tun Sakaran Marine Park. The hike up to the lookout was tough with the steep slope, wet trail, and heat. But the view was worth it.












Then back in the boat to Pulau Sibuan










Into the water. The two videos provided by Quality Diving Centre.




Each night we ate at Bismillah. The first night we had noodles and roti. After that, only roti! First below is a masala dosa in a folded configuration that we have never seen before, with a very tasty cabbage filling. Second, the sweet "dessert" Roti Tisu.










More views from our terrace.






The second day was all snorkeling with 3 "dives". After a 30 minute boat ride, we "jumped" into the deep water just off the Timba Timba Island "cliff" and saw schools of large fish, a moray eel, colorful corals, and several turtles. All underwater photos provided by Quality Diving Centre.














Near Pandanan Island


A video from the final "swim" provided by Quality Diving Centre.


Around the Semporna Harbour.

Sabah, Malaysia: Kinabatangan River Wildlife Refuge

From Kundasang, we headed for a 3-DAY/2-NIGHT river tour in Kinabatangan River wildlife Refuge, not something we normally do. Besides, we had already concluded from our previous visit to Peninsular Malaysia that the whole country is covered in oil palm plantations. How much wildlife habitat could there still be?! Yet having failed to identify other more interesting destinations, we headed for our river tour with much trepidation.

Sure enough, along the way we passed palm plantation after plantation. After some looking around on the web, I'm now convinced half of the world's palm oil comes from the island of Borneo (including Kalimantan, Indonesia).

A few days before our tour, I noticed Google Maps warning of road closures due to flooding in Eastern Borneo. Once again it's never what we worry aboutthat gets us - we had no trouble getting to the river, but the river is at a 10-year high, which means

• The Reserve has around 200 pygmy elephants. They are all huddled at some high grounds in a plantation, not along the river. We won't be seeing any elephants.
• There won't be any walks in the jungle. There would be more river cruises in their place

Much to our surprise, we both enjoyed our time on the river. For the 3D/2N tour, we had a total of 5 river cruises and 1 half kilometer jungle walk. Our more than amazing guide, Braun, who I'm convinced had been an eagle by day and owl by night in his previous life, spotted so many animals. The wildlife photos below were taken with our mobile phones, so the quality is low, but our excitement was off the charts.

• Orangutans - they are nothing like their sedentary relatives in the zoo.
  
  
• Proboscis monkeys with their large noses and long tails
• Crocodiles - I was surprised to be excited to see them after seeing thousands of alligators in Florida. LOL
• Rhino hornbills - I didn't even realize until later what a revered bird it was
  
  
• Sleeping Kingfishers - the only kingfishers I was able to gaze at for more than a fraction of a second.
• Several other species of monkeys, a mouse deer, other hornbills, eagles, the very rare Storm's Storks.

It was true, the reserve was only a sliver of land right along the river, in the midst of vast palm plantations. I feel it's all the more important for us to support the lodges which in turn provide habitat for wildlife, so there is a viable alternative to turning every inch of land to palm plantation.

Note to fellow travelers: we highly recommend the Greenview Lodge https://sukaugreenview.net/, we signed up for the tour directly with them. While the loddge is not luxurious, it is clean and comfortable (AC), and the included meals are simple, tasty, and filling (with vegan and vegetarian options). Free coffee, tea, and H2O 24hrs. And everything was super organized.

We rode the bus from the so-called Cabbage Roundabout Bus Stop in Kundasang, to the KFC in Kinabatangan where the Greenview Lodge picked us up.






The Schedule.


High water at the jetty.


The modest dining area.




We arrived at the Greenview at 3pm. The first cruise on the Kinabatangan was at 4pm. The first wildlife spotted were a group of White-Bellied Sea Eagles, a small female monkey with a baby clinging to her breast, and a pair of hornbills. Then back to the lodge at sunset for dinner.








The night river cruises were very cool, even though the wildlife spotting was sparse.




The next morning on the sunrise cruise, the first orangutans were spotted (3rd below) in a gi-normus tree in which there was also a whole troop of smaller monkeys (4th below).








After breakfast, we put on rubber boots for the shortened jungle walk. Oh, our "tour" consisted of 11 people.




The Pill Millipede can roll itself into a ball when disturbed.


Our Guide Demos Makes a Sticky Goo to Trap Small Birds


Sunset/Afternoon Cruise




Tofu Curry as an extra main for us vegetarians and vegans.


Pulling away from the Greenview Jetty for our last Night Cruise.






Video - Orangutan Mother(R) and Child (L)


Video - Orangutan Swinging Through the Trees from Right to Left


Video - Crocodile at Night along the river bank.


Video - Orangutans (one at upper right, the other at lower left) Settling Into Their Nests.