Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary

Last pack of the holiday this morning - and that was a good feeling.

We have seen some impressive animals during our visit to Borneo - but getting involved with the Elephant Sanctuary was priceless. We organised a last minute trip with a volunteer Zali Mn (Contact on jungletrekker69@gmail.com). I had read about him on Trip Advisor and though we would try him as we couldn't find other tours on short notice.

Peter, the children and myself worked with the elephants handlers - preparing the food, feeding the elephants, cleaning the pens, visiting all the enclosures and helping to wash the baby elephant int he river.  Some of the routine was very touristy - but that was OK as we got to be behind the scenes and up very close in the pens with the elephants.

Placing your hand inside the elephants mouth was not for the faint hearted (Peter tried to throw the food in - but that doesn't work!) - but that is how they got their papaya and sugar cane. A pat on the trunk and then to the next enclosure for more feeding. Don't forget to feed any elephants - they get very jealous.

The baby elephants are so cute - they will feed out of your hands as they learn to eat. Look out for Miss Velcro - she just loves the sound and feel of your shoes. A definite place to spend some time for a hands on experience and well worth the 1.5/2 hours travel.

Our cost included Zali hiring a car, lunch at a local restaurant (typical Malaysian food on the street), entrance to the park and drinks/ice creams during the day.

Zali has been volunteering at the sanctuary for 27 years - after he developed an interest when he was with the Malaysian SES. It splits his time between his life in Malaysia - and England where his wife and son live.

What a way to end the trip! Just amazing.

Then to Kuala Lumpur to catch an 11.45pm flight back to Australia.

Shopping in KL

8^th October

A lazy start to the morning – catching up on electronic entertainment while Peter went for a swim in the rooftop pool. We walked to Seria which is the shopping centre attached to the Patronas towers. It is very nice – but catering to the more affluent market. Many of the stores are high end designer labels – but we were able to find some places we could afford. The souvenirs stands and the food hall. We didn’t go up the towers so the RM240 that we didn’t spend can go towards tomorrows expensive trip to the Elephant Sanctuary. Went for a walk through the KLCC par and the kids had a quick play on the equipment – same as Australia apparently! Went back to our accommodation and had a swim in the rooftop pool. It’s not a hot day – but all that walking in the city builds up a sweat. Stayed up on the roof so long we were able to see the 7.30pm water fountain and light show at the Patronas towers – great eagle eye view from our apartment. We walked across to Parkson mall for dinner – which is massive and very modern. Took us a while to find something we could afford as it is also aimed at high end clientele. Earlier night tonight – we have to get up early to pack. Last day in Malaysia tomorrow.

Kuala Lumpur

7^th October

A nice sleep in for the kids while I did some of our washing. Some of us are down to our last set of clothes (and under ware!).Had a look at the roof top pool and the view of the Patronas towers was great – except for the haze. We walked up the road and dropped into a very popular shopping centre full of locals getting lunch. Had a wonderful Indian lunch – heaps of locals coming and going (always a good sign). From there we walked to the local monorail station and caught a carriage to visit Berjaya Shopping Centre. It has an indoor roller coaster and theme park. The kids and Peter spent 3 hours there and had a wonderful time. Meanwhile I had a foot massage and a manicure to pass the time. The shopping centre is 9 stories high and has about 700 shops – very small and mostly Malaysian. From there we caught the monorail again to China town and walked for the next 3 hours through all the markets and stalls. They sell most of the usual stuff – copies of jewellery, bags, shoes, clothes, luggage and some souvenirs. It was a great opportunity to teach the kids how to bargain – that it is expected and how to work out what is a good price. Had some delicious fresh fruit at one of the stalls – love how they have it all ready for you to eat and you use a skewer to pick it out. Back home for Peter and the girls to go for a roof top swim.  

Poring Hot Springs sight seeing

6^th October

After breakfast we went into the Poring Hot Springs complex – the first thing we did was to view the butterfly display which lovely but it is really hard to get a good photo of a butterfly. Do they ever stay still? Then a short walk and we were on the canopy skywalk – our third canopy walk since being in Borneo. It took us above the trees for a lovely view of the surrounding mountains and undulating hills. No surprise sightings of birds or wildlife. Our next experience was another short walk to a waterfall where we can get a fish pedicure. This is where little fish come to nibble on your feet. Unfortunately today must have been their day off – no fish! Although this morning started out cool – it has soon warmed up and we are walking in the typical humid oppressive atmosphere of the jungle. Sweat dripping off us. Back to our room for a quick freshen up and for the kids to change into swimmers and back for a relaxing swim in the pools at the hot spring. Not surprising the kids were not interested in a dip in any of the hot springs – the first pool after the source of the spring was too hot for Peter to keep his hand in there (above 60oC). When the day is hot the last thing you want is a hot bath. We were hoping to see Mt Kinabalu on our way home – but as the clouds rolled in and it started to rain we realised yesterday’s photos would be the best we would get. A quick diversion to the Sabah tea plantation where we had a pot of tea with some tea pancakes and fruit, and back onto the road for our drive back to KK. The poor car is so badly maintained and so low in power – at times we thought we would have to get out and push the car up the hills.  Another drive that did not take 2 hours – and we arrived at 6.30 in time to check our luggage in for our 8.05pm flight to Kuala Lumpur. A very late night as we arrived at our lovely accommodation and settled in for a well earned sleep. 

Poring Hot Springs

5^th October

Had a 9am taxi pickup to take us to the airport. Not surprising s sedan came to get us – too small, so they had to send for a bigger vehicle. Off to the airport where Peter had organised a hire car for two days. On arrival we discover that of the two cars we were looking to hire, one has already been rented out for an emergency situation, and the other only has 4 seatbelts. The hire company couldn’t understand our reticence in renting this car (safety). So another vehicle is organised but it is back in Kota Kinabalu – could we drive there in the unsafe car? So we wait for the other car to come to the airport. Two hours after our arrival at the airport and we are on our way – with no map and no GPS. Although we do have Peters phone. The guide books say it is 2 hours to Poring hot springs – but the traffic is bad and it takes us 3.  When we arrive and book into our wonderful river cottage (yes – right next to the rushing torrent of the river) we organised a tour to see the rafflesia flower in bloom. This is a very large flower (75dm) which blooms for 5 days once a year and then dies. It was very impressive – although the price of RM30 each (AUD$10) was way too expensive for the small amount of tour we received. Over to the swimming facilities for dinner and then a quiet relax at home watching some tv. 

Relaxing in Kota Kinabalu

4^th October

What a great sleep last night at the Masada Backpackers. Clean rooms, comfortable beds and great pillows. The showers had great water pressure – so nice to get properly clean. After some simple toast with vegemite or jam (vegemite always tastes better overseas) we headed off to the Gaya Street markets. Great to wander around the stalls – lots of things to attract the tourists. It was a lovely sunny day, however when we walked further into the street the breeze could not be felt and we started to sweat! We said our goodbyes to the Wells family who were flying to Kuala Lumpur today and kept on shopping. The kids and I got ourselves some henna tattoos and then had a nice rest in a local restaurant for lunch before heading back to the normal shops. We couldn’t resist the temptation of a foot massage (each) for RM25 (AUD8). Back to our accommodation to organise a hire car for tomorrow and for the kids to have a rest in the room in air conditioned comfort (with WiFi). 

Mantanani - paradise

Day 3

After breakfast we went for an 8.30 snorkel out to centrepoint. It is between the two islands and although it was nice it wasn’t as good as yesterday. Peter used an ear plug and came for a snorkel – he couldn’t bear to watch us having all the fun. The weather was beautiful – so clear we could see blue sky. The storm last night appears to have blown away much of the smoke from Indonesia that has been obscuring our view.  We went for a walk along the beach up to the village. It is sad to see so much rubbish in the water and along the shore. Rebecca saw a local person come to the beach and empty a large bag of household rubbish at high tide line – waiting for the next high tide to take it all away  (out of sight, out of mind). As we came back along the beach we stopped at another resort (homestay) and the best thing was they have cold drinks. Our accommodation only has electricity from 6.30 at night to 6.30 in the morning. Great to power the fan but not good to keep the drinks cold. At night we can see fire flies playing under the trees by the beach, but in the distance the oil rigs can be seen glowing as they burn off fuel. Not so serene.