From Sandakan we decided to spend the night in a forest camp along the Kinabatangan River. We chose to go with Uncle Tan's (yes the same group that owns our favorite guesthouse - they're actually very nice and have a rustic jungle camp a few hours away). Their van took us, along with some Swedes and Italians, to a dock where we started the first of several boat safaris along the muddy brown river. The forest along the river's edge is relatively young. Most of the primary forest was logged about a decade ago so what remains is new growth plants and flowers. But the area is still home to tons of birds, monkeys, crocodiles, and orang-utans. The egrets, eagles, hornbills, and kingfishers made us realize why people get really into bird-watching. We couldn't stop watching them as they took off from the water and soared effortlessly high above us. We did not see any wild orangs but the monkeys were definitely a sight. They played and jumped on the most unlikely tiny branches, causing them to bend almost to the point of breaking before jumping off just in time. The most unusual species was the Proboscis monkey with a huge red nose that seems to be glued to its small face.
Our campsite had a few stilted cabins with mattresses on the floor and bed nets (we really appreciate mosquito nets!!!) and no running water. But it provided an unobtrusive spot from which to view the animals. Huge (kind of ugly) wild bearded pigs wander through the grounds and macaque monkeys will steal anything that is left around. At night, huge owl and crocodile eyes stare out from the river. The staff at the camp have lived there for as long 16 years and know the land and the animals around them. And they love their home. The other campers were mainly from Europe and Russia. But, once again we were reminded of the smallness of our world when we met Maureen, a very sweet 14Long UCSF nurse who happens to be traveling around Asia.
At Sepilok and Kinabatangan, a few people told us that Sipadan, a tiny island about
30km off the southeastern coast of Sabah, is one of the greatest scuba diving spots in the world. Its been a few years since we last went diving but Nima and I both really enjoy it so we hastily made arrangements to get there. The island itself is protected and there a limited number of dive permits per day. The Malaysian Navy maintains a small base on the island to provide protection for the reef but the rest is closed off for turtles to lay their eggs. People stay in the small coastal town of Semporna (where we stayed) or on one of a few islands off the coast. On one night out, we ran into Maureen again and met some kind folks from Italy and the UK and enjoyed a couple of perfect nights along the waterside.
But really, the most wonderful part about the visit was our dives. Though Nima had to become Pierre Henrik and I became Katrina Seymadskwa (at least according to our coveted permits), we were VERY lucky to get two full days (and six dives) at Sipidan, having booked so last minute. The water undulates between deep blues and greens. The reef is steep, sometimes up to a 1200 meter drop almost straight down. And the reef lifeforms were simply enthralling. The coral and plants provided a colorful backdrop for the even more arresting colors of the fish. Tiny blue fish, gray jacks, and barracudas all swarmed around us. There was almost too much to see. Sharks of many different species rested along the sand as the world swam by them. But best of all were the giant turtles whose tranquil eyes stole our hearts. More than a meter in length, their size belies their magnetic peacefulness and kindness. They seem to be remarkably perceptive, and when you approach them calmly they await your visit or let you coast above them as they swim into the deep blue waters beyond. I keep having dreams where I'm in the sea surrounded by the turtles and the vivid fish. I can't wait to go underwater again. We were not quite ready to leave but our next stop was Phnom Pehn Cambodia and the chance to see my dear friend Maggie from high school made leaving a lot easier.
As we tried to leave Malaysia, though, we had another travel snafu akin to our woes in Bangkok. We arrived at the small domestic Air Asia airport in Kuala Lumpur with minimal time to spare to catch our next flight. After a very lengthy wait for our luggage, we missed the interterminal bus so we ran to the curb to catch overpriced taxi. After rushing into the international airport with 45 minutes to spare before our flight to Phnom Penh we searched the board to figure out where to check in. Unable to find our flight listing, we headed to the information desk where, with a look of bemusement, the agents told us that (as everyone knows) all Air Asia flights, including international flights, depart from the domestic airport- the one we had just left! So we desperately ran out of the airport and dove head first into another taxi. The kind driver, sensing our panic, reassured us that he knew a short cut and that we would definitely make it - "no problem, no problem" he repeated. After running back into the correct airport we tried to check in our bags but they were way overweight. So Nima tore them open and started throwing our underwear and socks onto the check-in counter to figure out how much we could stuff into our carry-ons to save the all-important 20 bucks. After barreling through immigration with our nearly exploding backpacks we ended up standing in the boarding line with a few minutes to spare - already starting to laugh at our own antics.
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