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Malaysia
Dates Traveled: September 2002
(I’d also traveled here in May 1999, but that trip is without details)
Once at Nunaken, a city on the Indonesian coast of the island of Borneo (the Indonesian part is known as Kalimantan), I bought an immediate ticket for Tawau, Malaysia. That ferry took 1 hour, dumping me in the state of Sabah, which, along with Sarawak makes up Malaysian Borneo. From there I simply killed 4 1/2 hours while awaiting the departure of the overnight bus to Kota Kinabalu - KK. My first impressions of Malaysia were the obvious wealth as compared to Indonesia. Cell phones were abundant, as were nicer cars and clothes. People were extremely helpful and friendly, and in general were not out to cheat a person - if you were quoted a price in Malaysia, it was generally pretty accurate. The bus was modern, air-conditioned, clean, there was free water, an onboard toilet, and the driver would turn on lights if somebody got up to move around. Welcome to the more affluent and progressive parts of SE Asia….quite a change!
Kota Kinabalu
Trip to KK took about 8 1/2 hours on good roads. I enjoyed wandering around the clean city for a few days - checking out the markets, and arranging for my trudge up Mt. Kinabalu, which was the real reason for being in the area.
Climb of Mt. Kinabalu
I ended up hooking up with 3 others for the trip, as it was cheaper. Climb really wasn’t my style, as it was expensive (probably about $60 all-inclusive for the 2 days); a guide was mandatory; there were a lot of people (reportedly 232 at the huts the first night); and, at 4095 m/13436′, it’s lower than 60+ peaks here in Colorado that I can climb for free. Then why? Because it’s there……and so was I. The first day we climbed 3 1/2 hours from about 1866 m/6123′ up to the huts at 3324 m/10904′. The following morning we awoke at 2 AM, and were finally climbing around 3. It was slow going, as there were many bottlenecks - particularly at the ropes provided for security up the granite slopes. This climb attracts everybody - young, old, fit, unfit, prepared, ill prepared. Many of those that began the morning didn’t actually summit. The constant rain and cold didn’t help the cause, but we were on the summit 2 1/2 hours after setting out. With the poor weather the views of the massive granite outcrops weren’t as spectacular as normal, and it was too cold and wet to remain stationary for too long, so we descended to the huts, ate again, and then headed back down to the trailhead.
Kuching
I was a bit pressed for time, as I was due to meet somebody in Thailand, so I opted to bypass Brunei (I’d been there for work in 2000, anyway), and simply flew to Kuching, a nice, clean, modern town - with a definite Asian flair, in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The city sits next to the river, which afforded a nice area to walk at night. The museum in town was good, but most interesting was the Moon Cake Festival, which was happening while I was in town. I spent a few nights wandering the street festival, eating great food from street side stalls, and taking in various cultural performances. Had I had more time in Malaysian Borneo I’d have opted to go upriver to one of the traditional long houses to spend a few nights with some tribal groups. Would have also explored a few more of the parks. As it was, I did go to another orangutan rehabilitation center, which was good. I’d also wanted to see the rafflesia - the largest flower in the world at up to a 1 meter/yard diameter, but unfortunately there were none in bloom while I was there……next time.
Georgetown
From Kuching I flew to Georgetown - the main city of the island of Penang, which is situated off the west coast of peninsular Malaysia. Georgetown has a definite Chinese character, and was a fun place to simply wander through mansions, shops, and temples for a few days.
Previous Trip
I’d also visited Malaysia back in May of 1999. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Kuala Lumpur, Kota Baharu, and the Perhentian Islands.
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