Borneo, Part III: Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu is the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia. It is located only a couple degrees latitude above the equator. At 4095 meters, Mount Kinabalu's summit is only a couple degrees above freezing. Heading to tropical Borneo, it seems strange to pack long underwear, mittens, and layers of warm clothing. But, we did; we were hiking the beast.

Hiking Mount Kinabalu is a two-day affair. The trail starts in the dense undergrowth of a tropical rainforest with more green than Bill Gates' bank account. There were many birds that made noises which we never actually saw. Oh, and I fulfilled my role in the food chain by having blood-suckng leeches do what they do best to my ankles. Now, I have a pair of socks in my drawer that are pinkish white and could just as well be reusable tourniquets.

About an hour into the first day's hiking it started raining. When I say raining I don't mean sprinkles and contemplation of getting an umbrella. I mean a sort of rain that would make Noah get flashbacks. We persevered and slowly and steeply made our way skyward toward the source of our frustration--the clouds. We passed out of the tropical forests and through many different ecosystems, eventually making it above the tree line. We reached our lodging for the night after 6 hours of hiking. We were cold, tired, and sopping wet. We had no dry clothes except our long underwear, which was perfect for public display and gazing at the best sunset I have ever seen.

We awoke at 2:30 am to start the final ascent of Mount Kinabalu in hopes of seeing a breath-taking sunrise. It turned out the only thing that was breath-taking was the journey itself. With so little oxygen that high, it was hard to go 30 steps without taking a mini-break and contemplating your sanity. It was invigoratingly freezing at the top of Southeast Asia. We waited for about 30 minutes as the sun was taking it's sweet time. Alas, the sun was blanketed over like I wish I was. We basically ran down the entire mountain in 4 hours and were back in Kota Kinabalu for our flight back to Japan later that day. Our knees were jellified, our bodies tenderized, and our lungs at full size. It was an awesome trek, and an even better trip.

Borneo, Part II: Welcome to the Jungle

Some of the oldest tropical rain forests in the world are rooted in Borneo. So, besides adventures under the sea, we decided to leave the oxygen tanks and deserted islands behind and hightail our sunburnt selves to some much needed shade. It turns out that rain forests aren't called rain forests for nothing. It rained so much that I think we were wetter trekking in the jungles than we were while scuba diving.

After a 2-hour ride in a van suited for munchkins and an hour long boat ride down a river of cafe au lait, we made it to our jungle camp. The boat ride was filled with sights of numerous species of monkeys, birds galore, and many logs that looked like crocodiles. In particular, Proboscis monkeys are a rare species that lives along the banks of the river. It is known for its long nose, big belly, and never staying put long enough for me to get a good picture of one.
























Situated along the Kinabatangan River for 3 days, we had days filled with boat rides in oxbow lakes and through forests filled with water up to our shoulders. There was plenty of time to lounge about playing gin rummy and haphazardly swim in the silty alligator-infested water. It was awesome zooming through mangrove forests with an aluminum boat and outboard motor with monkeys dancing in the trees to the left, right, and above you. Colorful flashes from flapping wings would alert your eye to birds that make cardinals and goldfinches seem dreary. We were lucky enough to see a pair of orangutans mauling a few unlucky trees while sporadically stopping for photos.

Our nights were filled with jungle expeditions. During the night walks we would see scores of frogs exhibiting more colors than a Picasso painting, sleeping birds, and enough mosquitos to pick you up and fly away. Scorpions, tarantulas, and millipedes all decided to unite in Borneo and form a coalition of insects that I am repulsed by the most. However, I soon learned to love one species of millipede because if you rubbed its back he would spray you with the scent of almonds. We spotted many birds perched on their favorite bedtime limb during the night boat rides. It was an exploration filled with superlatives and loss of words.

Borneo, Part I: A Whole New World

When I was a young lad, I used to sit and wonder what it would be like to be a mermaid princess. I could zoom along the sea floor and sleep with the fishes. I would befriend the fish and fight the evil eel king. Oh, how I would dream of such a life! Down there...under the sea...that is where I wanted to be. However, I learned that this dream would never come true. Sadly, I was limited to life on land, with feet. That is, until I learned how to scuba dive.

Enid and I spent 5 days diving in bodacious Borneo. It was Enid's first time diving, so she was busy getting her open water diver certification, while I was working toward getting my advanced open water dive certification. And what a place to do it. Off the southeastern coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah lies Sipidan, one of the top dive sites in all the world. Sipidan was formed by a mud volcano rising up from the dark abyss below. Coral grew, then fish came, and eventually palm trees and other plants formed on the island. It is paradise, especially under the water. There are 600 meter walls on all sides of the island going deep into the dark blue oblivion below. A plethora of coral, over 3000 species of fish, and hundreds of turtles call Sipidan home.

On every dive, I saw giant turtles gently gliding through the water, sharks hunting for unsuspecting coral-basking fish, moray eels popping their heads out of crevices, triggerfish darting around, pufferfish ho-humming themselves into shelter, and just about every fish in the movie "Finding Nemo." It was ridiculous really. Sipidan is an underwater wildlife glutton. I got my hands manicured by cleaner shrimp, and my finger was almost bitten off by an eel. I saw lionfish, crocodilefish, and frogfish (oh my!). There were huge cyclones of trevally and barracuda that would swallow you up in orchestrated maneuvers that would make synchronized swimmers wet their pants. Hordes of bumphead parrotfish grazed on the coral like cows munching on grass. Blue-spotted stingrays were spotted on some dive sites like coins in a fountain. It was, in a word, indescribable.

I was lucky enough to have a camera during one of my dives. I was lent the camera for the photography portion of my advanced course. I learned all the inner working of underwater photography (can't you tell from all of my subpar pictures?). I also did a deep dive, where I went to a depth of 35 meters, many drift dives, some semi-wreck dives, and a plethora of naturalist dives. I can't wait to go again!