Another 5.30am start…..was not pleased to hear that alarm going off. The temptation was very much there to turn back over and go back to sleep rather than do the morning river cruise again. I decided to get up and do it otherwise I would face the rath of Becky! (Not worth the hassle!)
Anyway on the cruise we didn’t see much as it was very misty, there was a couple of the usual monkeys and birds but no orangutan or crocodile. The highlight being the colour of the sky due to the sunrise it was unbelievable, that is until you see the palm plantation again and it just ruins it.
Back at the hotel for breakfast I couldn’t contain my excitement…..they had toast/scrambled eggs and baked beans. It was sickening the amount I ate but it was totally worth it!
Our flight to Kota Kinabalu was due at 3pm and we were leaving the jungle at 8.30am so there was no rush in getting to the airport. Our driver didn’t get the message as he was driving like a mad man, overtaking at every opportunity even on blind corners, I let out a few choice words being flung in the back from side to side.
We arrived at the airport around 10.30am decided just to stick the bags through so we didn’t have to carry them. Becky went for a walk outside for a bit, I had a look around the airport to see what there was. 1 shop, 1 restaurant and 2 mini marts. I checked online to see what was nearby if we could go away for a few hours then come back. Lucky the War Memorial park wasn’t that far away and since neither of us knew what happened here we gave it a bash.
The Memorial park is in recognition of the POW camp held here during WW2. Also it recognises the number of people killed during the death marches. Yip we had no idea all this went on during WW2 hadn’t learned about it in school. A reported 2,400 POWs from Britain and Australia were ordered to march by the Japanese from Sandakan to Ranau which is 260km. On 3 forced marches between January and June around 500 people died the rest died at either Sandakan or Ranau…..only 6 people survived till the end of the war. 2 of which escaped in the jungle during the walk. It was very interesting to read about and learn more of the history of the place. The Japanese used to torture the prisoners by making them eat dry rice followed by water.
The afternoon walk around was nice and unexpected it would have been a waste of time to just sit in the airport that entire time.
Our flight only took 40mins even if that, lots of waiting around for a very quick flight.
We used grab to get to our hostel once again as it was much cheaper than using the airport taxis. Our hostel was ranked as one of the best in Kota Kinabalu but seeing as it was Borneo was didn’t keep high expectations. Very simple room, bed with toilet and shower….it will do the job!
I had a look on TripAdvisor to find a nice local restaurant for our final night in Borneo. El Centro was ranked as one of the best plus it was only a short walk away. It had a nice atmosphere to the place, relaxed and laid-back I liked it! I liked even more they had fajitas on the menu! I didn’t even bother looking at the rest after Becky had told me that my choice was made, we shared them and of course it was vegetables, although there was chorizo mentioned as a side but I decided against it.
Since we were leaving the next day and didn’t want to exchange money we ended up having a few beers after the meal. Getting the bill after every round just to see if we had enough for 2 more or not.
We talked about Becky coming back out to do some volunteer work with the orangutans in the near future so watch this space!!
A great meal, nice drinks and a fantastic trip to Borneo. Next stop Singapore.
South East Asia 2019 