LABUK BAY - SANDAKAN

Labuk Bay Proboscis Sanctuary is located about 40 minutes from Sandakan town. It was my first time to this place inspite of many visits to Sandakan in the past.  

Traffic was heavy that morning, It took me more than 40 minutes to get there.

The drive took us through Oil Palm plantations which made me wonder if we were in the right direction.

A few more kilometers to go from this junction to the feeding area. For foreign visitors, the entrance fee is RM60 per person while it's RM20 for Malaysian.  

 The entrance to the "feeding area".

 Anxiously waiting for the feeding time. 

The proboscis monkey is endemic to the island of Borneo and can be found mosttly around  the coastal areas and along the rivers. In Borneo, many people call them "Monyet belanda" meaning Dutch monkey or even "Orang belanda" ("Dutchman") because they have big bellies and noses like the Dutch Colonizers. 

Feeding time on the platform.

This Silver Leaf was so used to people, it came over to the viewing platform to get it's favourite long beans from the feeder. 

On our way back, we saw an interesting old fashion mode of transportation - a wooden trolley pulled by a water buffalo.  

To many visitors, it may be good that they can get a very close view of the Proboscis monkeys. However, in my opinion, it is just not right to feed these monkeys with breads, vegetables and others farm produce. Since they are so close and dependent on human, there is a danger that they may not survive once they are abandoned. I still prefer to go for the river cruise in Klias or Sukau to see those in the wild.

SINGAPORE - wonders of nature in the "Gardens by the Bay"

The hottest new attraction in Singapore is "Gardens by the Bay". This mega project featuring 50-meter high solar-powered "super trees" and climate-controlled biomes.  

The Garden's two glass biomes, "Cloud Forest" and "Flower Dome" were designed to replicate the cool-moist climate of the tropical montane region, the Mediterranean and semi-arid sub-tropical regions.

Entry to Gardens is free, with the exception of the cooled conservatories and aerial walkway. We paid S$28 per person to enter the 2 cooled conservatories.

It was a very hot day. We had to walk for quite a distance to reach the two glass biomes.

These 18 man-made mechanical super trees act as vertical gardens, generating solar power, acting as air venting ducts for nearby conservatories, and collecting rainwater. They are fitted with solar photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight into energy, which provides lighting and aids water technology within the conservatories.

The air was different once we entered the Flower Dome - It was cool and nice just like an air-conditioned building. This 1.2 hectares Flower Dome features permanent displays of plants found in the Mediterranean and semi-arid tropical regions.  

The Cloud Forest covers an area of 0.8 hectares. Stepping inside this "forest" we could  feel  the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions. It features a "Mountain", accessible by an elevator, and visitors are able to descend the mountain via a circular "Canopy walkway" where a 35-metre waterfall provides visitors with refreshing cool air.

The "Water fall" is right at the entrance.

Unlike our Borneo Canopy Walk, It's no sweat, no jungle trekking and no mosquitoes but a pleasant walk in the cool environment with temperate just like Mt. Kinabalu Park in the early morning.

Orchids are almost at all corners of the dome.  

It was truly a wonderful experience to see the man-made conservatories with many different types of plants and flowers. 

The superb view of the Marina Bay Sands Resort from the Garden of the bay.

It's amazing what the Singapore Authorities can do in transforming Singapore into a "city in a garden." and thereby boosting their tourism industry.



SINGAPORE - Another great day!

As we were walking in Clarke Quay, a crowd under the tree near Read bridge caught my eyes. A closer look revealed that they were queuing up for ice-cream. That reminded me of a popular ice cream shop located across the river which I patronized 6 years ago.

Walking across the Read bridge to the ice-cream shop. This old bridge was built in 1889.

The old shop houses after the bridge.

The Haagen-Dazs shop is still there -  It's time to enjoy their luxurious ice creams and tempting cold strawberry shake.

A delightful refreshment !

It was time for the Singapore river cruise - my first. The cruise is similar to ours, back home in Borneo but it was a total different experience. There was no mangrove trees, crocodiles or monkeys but has many buildings with great historical significance.

Old historic shop houses which have been converted to restaurants, pubs and bars. 

The luxury Fullerton Hotel Singapore.

This sculpture, featuring the motion of five young boys, jumping into the river, naked is a reminder of the first immigrants to Singapore. Swimming in the river was a sport regularly practised by children in the old days.

The Merlion statue at the Merlion Park.

The Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay. It is Singapore's leading cultural entertainment and performing arts centre.

The spectacular Marina Bay Sands Resort.

 Just before sunset, we selected this Swiss restaurant "Marche" for our dinner. 

This is a self service restaurant. Diners have to "pick-up" the food and drink of their choice with an "Account card" provided by the restaurant.  

  

My choice was the twin Sausages set.

 "Oxtail stew" and Garlic bread were another choice. 

 The dinner was superb.

We moved to the Harbour after dinner. There was a big Sail boat, the Buque Escuela (BE) Esmeralda, a four-masted barquentine of the Chilean Navy, on a four-day visit to Singapore.

This 371-foot ship is the second-longest sailing ship in the world. It is a training ship carrying a crew of 350. The Band from the ship gave a performance near the dock.  

They played very good  music - I was delighted when they played one of my favourite "Bésame Mucho". We had a great day!