SUKAU-TAWAU-KOTA KINABALU

From Sukau, we headed for Tawau, the third largest town of Sabah after Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. It is located at the south-east coast of Sabah which faces the Celebes Sea.

Crossing Sabah's longest bridge over the Kinabatangan river. It was built in the late 80's and  was opened to traffic in 1991 replacing the chain-operated ferry. 

 Traffic was light all the way.

 Arriving Tawau in 4 hours and 30 minutes. 

Driving through the oldest part of the town.

Dinner was hosted by our old friend at the ever popular Sabindo Seafood Hawker center.

 The best of the best - steamed fish. 

Steamed Lobsters in Chinese wine.

 View from our hotel room.

The old faithful, my Pajero, on the last leg back to Kota Kinabalu. 

An amazing sight - short Papaya trees heavy with fruits on the road side.  

 Mt.Kinabalu came in sight when we were near Kundasang.

 Passing the Kundasang town with Mt.Kinabalu in the back ground.

 A coffee break at the cafe near the entrance of Mt. Kinabalu park.

Heavy mist was moving in as we were about to leave the Park area.

It took us 6D5N to complete the driving tour clocking a total distance of 1410 kms. It was tiring but worthwhile. The next destinations we have in mind are the interior of Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak. I am looking forward for more trips in 2013.   





KINABTANGAN RIVER

Back to Borneo Nature lodge, we woke up to a bright and sunny morning and decided to have our coffee at the jetty to enjoy the Kinabatangan river.   

We had a good walk in the area around lodge - the wild flowers and plants under the canopy of trees were fascinating.

 

 Butter flies

 A common flowerpecker of Borneo was looking for breakfast.

We met a couple from Italy who have been staying there for the past one week. They said that  this was a perfect place for them to escape from their busy city lives and work schedule.

COSMOS IN JAPAN

My friend, Miura san reminded me of my stint in Japan with these beautiful Cosmos pictures. 

Cosmos are common around this time of the year and can be seen almost everywhere.  Mid October is usually the peak for Cosmos.

Miura san has improved his photography and imagination.  

  Thank you, Miura san!   

  

KINABTANGAN RIVER - BORNEO NATURE LODGE

Our next destination was Sukau in the lower Kinabatagan River. It's my second "official visit".  

As usual, traffic was heavy that morning.      

Sukau is about 135 km from Sandakan or approx., 1 hour 45 minutes drive. 

From a "Sukau" jetty, we boarded this long boat to Borneo Nature Lodge.

Borneo Nature Lodge is situated at the opposite side of the river.

A short walk to the Lodge from the jetty.

There are a total of 6 Chalets and each consists of 2 units with separate veranda. Each room is fitted with mosquito's net, ceiling fan, air-condition, a bath room with hot/cold shower and toilet.

It's clean and spacious. 

There are Solar panels on top of the observation tower and a few mechanical bicycles on the ground level. Visitors could help to charge up the battery banks by pedalling the bicycles. Though the Resort is equipped with a power generator, solar power is used to provide all lightings at night.   

The observation tower provides a good view around the jungle and is a good place for bird watching.

The Resort has a glass-enclosed, air-conditioned restaurant providing 3 meals a day including a snack in the afternoon. 

Coffee/tea on the house throughout the day.

The food was excellent. All meals were buffet style -A mixture of Western and Malaysian food.

The Kinabatangan River, Sabah's longest river is 560 km in length. Much of the lower Kinabatangan river has been gazetted under the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.

We took the river cruise to Menanggul river, a small tributary of the Kinabatangan to search for wildlife.

A local Monitor lizard "Biawak". This reptile was seen lazying on a tree bark.

A pig-tailed macaque was having an afternoon snack.

This Oriental darter was about to dive into the water in search for food.

Group after group of pig-tailed macaques were making use of the man-made rope bridges to cross the river.

These ropes were installed by the Sabah Wildlife Department across tributaries of the Kinabatangan in oder to reconnect fragment of the lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary especially for the "Orang-utans" as the the large trees that provided natural bridges over wetland and river tributaries have been lost in deforestation,

Playful monkeys swinging from rope to rope. It seemed that the ropes were built as their playground.

I saw a small King Fisher.

We were a bit disappointed that there was no Orang-utan or the Borneo pygmy elephants in sight during the cruise. The consolation we got was the appearance for several groups of the  endangered Proboscis monkeys. 

Borneo Nature Lodge is the second resort I have stayed for my inspection tour to the Kinabatangan River. This resort is slightly different from others as it is an eco-friendly  conservation lodge, providing electricity at night using solar power. Overall the resort is clean,  well maintained and has excellent staff. They were very warm and friendly. During the cruise, I found that the guide was highly qualified - an expert with a good knowledge of the flora and fauna.