Sandakan in July: Part 1 - Kylie Crawley

The following is adapted from Kylie's travelogue: 

Sandakan War Memorial

The flight to Sandakan from KL was about three hours in length. We were quickly able to meet Jude Day who was to be our guide for the next three days on our brief tour of Sabah. Following a beer in the lobby bar of the Sabah Hotel, she drove us to Sandakan Memorial Park. The reason for this stop over was to visit the prisoner of war camp where my great-uncle Keith Hubert Henley was interned by the Japanese from 29th March 1943 until his death from malaria on the 24th April 1945 in Sandakan. He was just 26 years old. In this camp 2,248 prisoners of war were incarcerated, of those who survived about 1200 were marched 260km to Ranau or to their deaths. If they stumbled or fell, the Japanese shot them where they lay. Only 6 men survived these Death Marches, they were all Australians and they survived only because they escaped. 

Window by Philip Handle

In the grounds of the memorial park the remains of the excavator used by the PoW's to build the airport runway can still be seen. It seems that despite the horrendous conditions, the Australians and other prisoners were larrikins until the last; for instance they went to great lengths to bog the excavator in order that the run way would not be completed.
On a more uplifting note, the commemorative pavilion contains magnificent stained glass windows designed by Australian Philip Handle incorporating the flowers of the states of Australia, Borneo and England.



Leaflet about Keith Henley

 After leaving a paper leaflet on the memorial to commemorate my Uncle Pat and remember his ultimate sacrifice we visited St Michael's and All Angels Church where the prisoners spent the night on route to the camp from Singapore. The church had lovely stained glass windows once again designed and constructed by Philip Handle commemorating those who died and praying for everlasting peace.
                     



Canopy Walkway

 We were able to have a sleep on the second morning as Jude did not pick us up until 10:30am to take us to the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Here we saw macaques swinging wildly through the trees, hornbills flying through the skies, huge trees, beautiful flowers and other assorted wildlife. The canopy walk provided great views of the rainforest below although it was so hot I thought we might pass out.

 Our next stop was the Sepilok Orang-Utan Sanctuary. We watched the introductory DVD and then followed the board walk to where the orang-utans are fed. Despite the fact that the rain fell for the entire time we were there we were lucky enough to see 5 orang-utans including a mother and her very new born baby. They were all so cute and oh so human like. There was a very cheeky one that hung above us for ages, occasionally poking his tongue out at us.


Orangutans at Sepilok

Kylie came to Sabah in July 2010, specifically to visit Sandakan.  Part 2 of her story will be up on the blog soon.
If you have any comments or questions, please let me know.  I'd love to hear from you at:  jude@astsabah.com

Brenda's overnight trip to Tenom

I recently spent two wonderful weeks in Sabah. During the first week, I took the Food Tour offered by Adventure Study Tours and in the second week, I did several of their day trips. These included an overnight trip to Tenom, a two and a half hour drive south-east of Kota Kinabalu. This was an opportunity to see a different part of Sabah. To get to Tenom, we needed to cross the Crocker Range, the mountains that lie north-south in the country and include Mt Kinabalu. We went over an amazing road with wonderful views back towards the sea and with hair-raising road elevation inclines of up to 19 degrees. Fortunately Jude has driven this road a number of times and can do it without overheating the car!

Once we entered the valley on the other side of the mountains, we passed lots of padi fields that were at various stages of growth, some seeming to have just been planted, while others were ready to harvest. The journey took us through villages in which we could see traditional wooden houses on stilts.

In Tenom, the hotel we stayed at was perched precariously on the side of the mountains and has outstanding views back along the valley. From my hotel room window, I was able to watch a rainstorm come along the valley to Tenom. The storm clouds were beautiful!

Besides making the trip to Tenom itself, we wanted to visit the Sabah Agriculture Park with its huge array of fruit trees and many different plants, including an amazing collection of hybrid and native orchids. We spent a number of hours on two days, with a knowledgeable local guide, walking through the park, tasting fruit, learning about almost everything we looked at and taking innumerable pictures of plants and flowers. One of the highlights of the park is the restaurant. It is so beautifully situated, it's hard to describe! Just look at the picture of the scene we were looking at as we had lunch.

We went back to Kota Kinabalu on another new road for me, going through Tambunan and passing the Rafflesia Centre but there weren't any rafflesia in bloom - unfortunately. (Rafflesia is the world's largest flower.) The road went through rainforest as we crossed back over the Crocker Range and, as could perhaps be expected, it rained all the way! As far as I was concerned, this only enhanced my 'rainforest' experience.
This was the last day of the very active two weeks I had in Sabah. There is still so much to see that a return visit is definitely needed. Next time, perhaps the rafflesia will be in bloom, maybe I'll get to the islands, and to Sandakan and ...

Brenda Morgan, Calgary, Canada

If you have any questions about Brenda's trip or Sabah, please don't hesitate to write to us at: ron@astsabah.com and jude@astsabah.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Mt Kinabalu

On a Special Day, you can see Mt Kinabalu from all sorts of points around KK, even though it's a two-hour drive away. But that's why this is called 'Kota Kinabalu', City of Kinabalu. The stately mountain is there all the time, at the edge of our vision, deep in our hearts, occasionally revealing itself, only to be swiftly enveloped in clouds again. It really is wonderful to see it rising up in the distance, with its distinctive granite outline - which is captured, by the way, on the Sabah flag.

One of the best viewpoints - and only about 30 minutes from downtown KK - is on the Mengkabong Bridge. From here, the mountain seems to rise up out of the water and the mangroves and is in contrast to the tiny boats darting in and out along the river and the fish eagles soaring between patches of cloud.

There are some great spots to see the mountain when you're driving up to Kinabalu National Park as well. Like a lot of mountains, Kinabalu tends to be clear first thing in the morning and then to cover up from mid-morning on, so that you play a bit of a cat-and-mouse game trying to get a good picture. The clouds can come and go in a matter of seconds!

Once at Mt Kinabalu National Park, there are more photo ops, with the lush forest enhancing the implacable granite of the mountain top itself. The walks that are available in the park give you a great feeling of the richness of the forest and the amazing diversity of plants that grow here - including native orchids and pitcher plants.

If you stay up the mountain, you are sure to get some amazing views of it both in the evening and in the morning. Well, unless there's lots of rain and mist. The town just past the park entrance is called Kundasang, sometimes described as the market garden of KK. You will see black plastic-draped buildings as you reach the end of your drive to the national park and these have mushrooms growing in them - a thriving business. There are also lots of vegetable gardens and even some flower gardens, so you can buy really fresh veges at the Kundasang market. There is also a dairy farm here that provides fresh milk for KK.

But the real reason for me to go up onto Mt Kinabalu is the mountain itself - it's somehow formidable and also skittish, towering and yet not threatening, ever-present and yet so often hidden. I love it - and I love living in Kota Kinabalu and knowing that on Special Days I can see it. Today it was there, lightly covered in cloud and you could just see it as if through a veil. Lovely.

If you have any comments you would like to make or any questions about KK, Sabah or our tours, please just send me a note at: jude@astsabah.com.