I recently had to move my agency ‘desk’ to Borneo for a week after I sold a number of trips with Intrepid Travel.
Incentives don’t motivate me – I book whatever my clients wish – but there just happened to be an Intrepid incentive operating and I was lucky enough to win a spot on the famil (with a single room…lucky for you non-snorers!).
Along with laptop I packed insect repellent, sunblock and bathers before boarding my flight to Sandakan in the state of Sabah, Malaysia.
Borneo is the third biggest island in the world with three countries within its coastline: Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. And the Malaysia part is divided into two areas: Sabah and Sarawak.
Our itinerary involved seven gruelling (travel agent sarcasm for fun) days travelling from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.
Upon arrival I checked into the Sabah Hotel, opened my ‘office’, then met the other top Intrepid sellers by the pool – a broad mixture of ages and personalities in various stages of development, but all members of the friendly Travellers Choice family.
Our tour guide Rony joined us for our evening briefing, followed by a walk around the Sandakan waterfront viewing the sunset and enjoying some hawker food and a cold beer (or three).
The following days were a blaze of wildlife, driving, river cruising, high mountains, coffee and pineapple operations, tea plantations, hotel inspections and war memorials. All with a mixture of happiness and sadness. There was heat and humidity. And there was air-conditioning and fans. And there was sweat!
Sandakan saw us at the memorial for 2,500 Allied prisoners of war who died here or on one of the three Death Marches.
Above: Colin at the Sandakan War Memorial
It’s not as well-known as Gallipoli or The Somme but Sandakan is remembered for the cruelty a human being can impose on another human being.
A good idea is to do a bit of reading before arriving which gave me a better understanding of the history and culture.
We stayed for two nights in the Bilit Adventure lodge on the banks of the Kinabatangan River. The first evening we saw a small herd of pygmy elephants which are endemic to Borneo.
Then we spotted some freshwater crocodiles staring at us from the riverbank. The next day we spotted orangutans as well as Proboscis monkeys feeding in the trees. And on the last evening Rony spotted two Rhinoceros hornbills. The Borneo Big Five.
Above: The Travellers Choice group at the Perkasa Hotel at Kundasang
One of the important aspects of travelling with Intrepid is to learn about the work of the Intrepid Foundation. Its mission is ‘To create positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection’.
One of its partners in Borneo is the RESPonsible Elephant Conservation Trust (RESPECT) and we spent a few hours planting some grass for the Borneo Pygmy Elephant project. Well worth the sweat!
The penultimate night saw us staying in the Perkasa hotel at Kundasang, a mountainous town at the foot of Mt Kinabalu (4095m).
Now I love mountains, so this was just heaven for me, but unfortunately an ascent of Mt Kinabalu wasn’t on the itinerary (although I had the knowledge my two kids had been up it). Sunrise in the mountains is something to behold.
Do you like Bird’s Nest soup? Do you know what it is made from? Well at Gomantong Cave complex we saw the nests of the Swiftlets being made with their saliva. A delicacy in many parts of the world. I think I’ll stick to Scotch broth!
There was a strong stench of guano which made some of our group stay outside. Thousands of bats added to that stench. And on the ground, crabs and cockroaches scuttled around gorging on the mounds of the stuff. A glimpse of an orangutan with a baby outside added to an exciting day.
Kota Kinabalu was our last destination where we had just the one night at the Promenade hotel.
Perfect for me as my room was facing the ocean and just below the flight path so I could ogle at the planes coming in to land. Loving aeroplanes is not a pre-requisite for the job but it adds to the excitement.
Dinner was supplied by the Sabah Tourism Board in the Promenade Club Lounge high up in the hotel looking out at the city lights and the fast-moving lights of the landing aircraft (I know I know…).
We only touched on a small corner of Borneo. There is much more, so I will be going back and, as luck would have it, I’m actually on track to win another incentive (this was my third Intrepid famil in seven years – so thank you Intrepid!).
Main picture: The Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary
