Bugs up close
For this weeks travel theme, Close-up, I chose a photo I took in the jungles of Borneo. The jungles are full of extraordinary plants and bugs that I’ve never seen before. I love the shot I took of this bug on a big jungle leaf.
Weekly photo challenge: reflections, a self portrait
I was at the airport in Sandakan. I’d come to Sandakan full of hope and with a sense of adventure. When I arrived I heard about the uproar that had been going on in the areas of the province Sabah that I wanted to travel to. Instead of preparing for the…
Staying with the headhunters
After driving through the jungle on a bumpy, hilly road, I saw the big wooden houses of the headhunters. It was a small village and yet it was bigger than I’d expected. I think I’d expected a single longhouse, but this was a village with modern brick longhouses as well…
Learning to dive in Malaysia
My scuba adventure started on a sunny Thursday. The Dive DownBelow dive center had sent a van to pick me up from my hostel in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. In the Sutera harbor I transferred to a speed boat and was taken to Gaya Island, where the dive center was located. I started out with a day of discover scuba diving.
Focus on culture: the Sabah museum
Maybe April isn’t the best time to be on Borneo. It is bloody hot in the city of Kota Kinabalu. It is so hot that every person I meet feels the urge to make a remark about it. It is the perfect day to go to a museum. Too bad I planned on walking to it. Walking to the Sabah museum turns out not to be a great idea. I walk along a busy road, cars chasing past me. There is not much to admire so keep your eyes on the ground, otherwise you might just drop into one of the holes in the pavement.
Picture perfect: Sandakan
The few sights in Sandakan are quite spread out. But a walk around the center gives you an idea of the town. It is more about letting the culture sink in. As a white girl you’ll notice that people are yelling at you at every corner. As if the stares…
Trouble in paradise
On my first day in Sandakan I took a quick look around and then started planning my trip around Sabah. There was turtle Island, uncle Tan’s jungle stay and a PADI diving course in Semporna. I was so excited. I skyped with my parents to tell them my great plans.…
Getting to Sandakan
I am in Kota Kinabalu in the Sabah province of Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. The easiest way to get to Sandakan is to simple take a plane, but the most adventurous and cheapest way is to find your way by bus. Taxis are cheap in Borneo. If you’ve…
Crossing borders
Flying with Airasia is cheap, but as a backpacker I wanted the very cheapest I could find. So I figured out that flying from the Johor Bahru airport in Malaysia is cheaper than flying from Singapore airport. Airasia even provided free bus travel from Singapore. Making my way to Johor…