Kota Kinabalu – The end of the break ...

Last stop before home. Somewhere around Sabah near Sukau when I was somehow riding somewhere off trail for a daytrip I got a call from my last boss asking if I was available to come back to SG as he gotten a new job. With bad reception in the jungle I told him I’ll call back in a few days time. On thing led to another very fast but mostly it was me looking at my bank balance that told me it was time to make way home and go back to zombie mode.

The view of KK from Kokol Hills 

So here I am finishing the loop in Sabah back in Kota Kinabalu. To be frank, KK would be a totally hit and miss for me being just like another city which I would have never bother to really immerse myself into, since I was in the last leg, travel fatigue and also slightly in denial that the trip is coming to an end.

By fate, as I was posting Bluey photos in the Demak D7 facebook group while travelling, I got hit up by some guy in Sabah that was also riding a Demak D7. Quite rare for D7 to be around really so with that DM on the web it was quite hard not to meet up for a coffee.

A coffee and a long chat end up with a invitation to ride for the next day. I had never really ride in a group before, a tail or two while in Thailand with other random tourist that I met along the way sure, but not in a group like setting that one see on TV like bike gangs. They brought me from central KK waterfront to Kokol Hills. If I were to describe it, it would be like KL people bringing people up Genting Highlands only this was a little shorter and the view of KK going up was amazing.

The Guys bringing Bluey & me for a ride 

Pit Stop Mamak Stall at Kokol Hills 

The Gang

Seams to be a local only know how as well since I did not see much information about Kokol Hill so I guess its a Riding Spot. Ride with a fellow D7 ... the rest was of other cafe racer bikes but I guess we D7 are a rare sort.

The only other Demak D7 that I have met throughout the whole Journey. 

Traveled On: Sep 2019

Tawau & Meliau Basin

I rode to Tawau from Semporna which was an easy and short ride, went around riding around town and I guess the long time of travelly is finally eating into the lazy time soul.

I cant say much about Tawau really, it looks like there are things to be discovered but its one of those town that dont really attracts tourist at all, not even those transit type. Anyway one night was all I spend before heading the next day to camp at the Meliau Basin reserch center.

Tawau Watefront Monument

Tawau - Keningau Road 

I took the Tawau-Keningau road which was really nothing in between and a road that cuts through the dense rainforest silently quiet I barely even see another vehicle. Half way mark was Meliau Basin conservation Area and I stopped there for the night.

The Meliau Basin also known as the Borneo’s Lost World is not really a tourist stop per say but more or a research camp area that has some facilities for people for whatever reason they have to hang around. Camp grounds was the most expensive I ever had at RM 50 pernight just to pitch my own tent. More expensive than even a Hotel in Tawau actually.

Maliau Basin Entrance 

3D Model of the Maliau Basin

Main Registration Area of Maliau Basin

Entry into the actual conservation Basin itself is not possible without a pre-arrange guide. But there was a small trail one could do on their own which has an amazing canopy walk devoid of any humans. I walked that small trek of course and realized that even with guide, this was no simple jungle walk but one that would need to bush-whack a path into the rainforest.

Talking to some of the research staff at the main research station told me that this area mostly only for high level research facilities due to its untouch and rich biodiversity. While the base camp which is just outside the basin (its where I pitch my tent to camp) is actually built as a gateway stop and with its basic facilities other would book the area as host to team building activities by companies or schools.

Camp Grounds at Meliau Basin

Mini Trek at Maliau Basin base camp

The Main River flowing out from Meliau Basin

Sky Canopy Walk - Meliau Basin

Leftover Notes of some Corperate Team Building event at Meliau Basin Base Camp. 

One night was all I could afford to camp in Maliau Basin and off again through the Tawau-Kenningau road towards Kota Kinabalu. One thing I realized was that there was almost no petrol stataion between Tawau and Kenningau. Its a long way too and for the first time in a long time I started to worry on fuel rationing. Base on calculation I should reach the first Petrol Station somewhere close to Nabawan. I missed the petrol station and made a back turn cocking my head a few times to make sure I was seeing correctly. Old retro Petrol HUT was more like it.

Petrol Station / Hut at Nabawan

Fill up by the Liters - Nabawan 

Traveled on: Sep 2019

Lahad Datu and Semporna

I stopped at Lahad Datu for a few days to replenish on WIFI access to do some onwards research. Initially I wanted to try visiting a few conservation area such as the Danum Valley Conservation Area or even just take a ride going off the main road and maybe visit the tip of the nose of Sabah but in the end I just ended up riding around downtown Lahad Datu before heading to Semporna.

Lahad Datu

You need a Permit to go to Danum Valley Conservation Area ... Could not get one last minute ..

Lahad Datu area felt different than the rest of Malaysia. While sleepy town and retirement area in Malaysia has some sense of serene in it, this place felt different, not sleepy yet isolated but not in a bad way nor in a good way either. I could not really place a mark on Lahad Datu and I probabaly spend too short a time there to make any conclusion, however I can safely say it is really for the true nature lover with all the surrounding wildlife reserve area that are 100 times larger than Lahad Datu itself.

Main Market at Lahad Datu

Lahad Datu Seaside Township 

Lahad Datu Kwan Im Temple

Onwards to Semporna the gateway town to the sipadan island where most tourist go stright from KK airport to hop onto the island for diving. I, basicly stayed at Semporna a few days talking to travellers in the hostel that passing by to get on a boat onwards to their diving trip. Expensive hobby and not one I would like to pick up anytime soon. Still with many tourist in this remote part of Malaysia means cheap hostels and more ammenities.

Semporna 

Traveled on : Sep 2019

Sukau Sandipao & Goamatang Caves

Leaving Sandakan, I took the main Kinabatangan Road (AH150) or Route 13 down south not heading towards Lahad Datu. Not far Kinabatangan River, which is the second longest river in Malaysia, I did a detour towards Goamatang Caves.

The caves itself is massive and very dark. Going deeper in alone is really not advisable for all the caves in Malaysia so as usual I just went in as far as the sunshine could guide me. Caves like these in the Borneo region tend to be farmed as natural resources. Traditional Chinese medicine such as birdnest or even Bat Guano seams to be very valuable to the local as an income.

Goamatang Caves 

Guano Everywhere - The Smell is no Joke 

Goamatang Caves 

Goamatang Caves Network

I talked to some locals hanging around the caves and they told me most Caves in Sabah are owned by families. Its a bit grey in this sense since they dont have legal ownership papers but as with all land issues with arboriginal settles in Borneo, the claim to heritage land can be a messy and ugly item. Each year, the rights to the management of the caves is rotated within the large family memebers (can be the whole village) and they employ their own family members within the village to harvest the resources in the caves.

The sales and proceeds of that year would go to the lucky guy that holds the rotataion of that year which is also resposible to manage the caves harvesting season, how much to harvest, how many people to employ and so on. Seams like a very interesting micro social economics where if one greedy idiot deceided to decimate the caves during his turn, the rest of the family in line would suffer. Still it was interesting talk with the locals.

From Goamatang Cave, I decided to head further into Sukau where I heard there was some homestays by the Kinabatangan River. The main goal was to somehow visit the many wildlife sancturary along the Kinabatangan River which I was still unsure if it was feasible coz most wildlife reserve in Malaysia is actually not a tourism spot but just a protected area.

I found Sukau Sandipao which is built on the opposite side of the Kinabatangan River. The chearful owner assured me that Bluey would be well taken care off at the parking lot and he took me on his boat across the river to the homestay hut. Hand built by the Father of 7 kids ... he built one hut each for the kid as a holiday home and investment for tourism. By chance I was refered by a friend of a friend ... and the only way to find him is by google map and a phone number as at that time he was still not on any booking platform. +6013 4311312 

Sukau Sandipau Stay - Opposite Kinabatangan River 

There is not much things to do really at Sukau, but the main goal was achived for each day they would take out the mini boat and ferry tourist on a Kinabatangan River Tour. Price was really up to negotiating skills but main idea is to share a boat with more people for the cost of running the boat is the same weather its one tourist or 10 tourist.

Sukau Sandipau Huts 

Sunset Along Kinabatanagan River 

Up the main Kinabatangan River then offshoot to the smaller river inlet open up a very dense virgin Borneo Forest. The experience is not something I am sure how to describe but it was serene and beautiful but at the same time eerie to frightening that I would not wan to be tracking this forest even as a group.

Offshoot from Kinabatangan River

Makak Monkeys 

More Monkeys 

Wildlife was abundant everywhere along the river edge and we saw many monkeys, makak monkeys, proboscis monkeys, and even a wild boar with a long nose and tusk that run so fast before anyone of us could take a photo. Talking to the Sandipao owner, they told me sometimes for the more adventurous, they would organize a 3 days Kinabatangan Tour upstream. Bring some stuff and go up stream deep into the wild life sanctuary and then camp 1 night in the wild and 1 night in a Orang Asli Village before heading back. The cost however would be large and would need to be arrange in advance. Not for the faint hearted they say ... but it is definately a one if a kind experience.

Sunset along Kinabatangan River 

Traveled on : Sep 2019