One Last Hoorah!

My mom and brother finally made it to Malaysia and we had one fun and exhausting 2-week vacation.

It was enough for me just to see them. After a year and a half, I was just dying to see them in person, it didn't matter what we did. But they were coming all the way around the world and we did not want to disappoint so we planned one seriously comprehensive vacation - the jungle, the beach, wildlife, culture, shopping. You name it, we did it. And except for a few cuts and bruises, some unexpected rainstorms, and iffy food, I think, we ALL had a great time. Even my mom, who received the cuts and bruises on the third day of the trip and had a lot of trouble finding food she could tolerate, seemed to enjoy her time in Malaysia immensely. She was definitely a trooper and said yes to every adventure we suggested even before she knew what she was getting into.

The very packed itinerary went as follows:

1. After one night rest at an airport hotel, we flew to Sandakan, Sabah - a small nothing kind of town that serves as the gateway to the jungle in Sabah. There we explored the town a bit and mostly bided our time for our first real adventure the next day.


Mom and Jeff on the streets of Sandakan.

Ben napping.

Central Market, Sandakan.

2. The next morning we took a boat to ‘Turtle Island’ for a one night stay. Turtle Island is a green sea turtle sanctuary. One of several islands where these sea turtles regularly come to lay their eggs, 'Turtle Island' manages a program to help protect the dwindling number of sea turtles. Essentially, they do this by relocating the eggs laid by the females to a protected hatchery and then releasing the hatchlings (when they emerge 60 days later) at the water’s edge. It’s hard to say how successful these hatchlings are once they are in the water but by protecting the eggs from predators, the program definitely increases the number of hatchlings that reach the ocean. They allow a small number of tourists each night to stay on the island and observe the egg laying, relocation, and hatchling release. The night we were there, I think 18 turtles came ashore and laid over 1,000 eggs. We were only able to witness one turtle, as they do not want the tourists to disrupt the sea turtles, but the evidence of the many others that came ashore was everywhere the next morning – they dig deep holes and leave unmistakable trails in the sand. They released only about 34 hatchlings, the night we were there. The evening before they released 218.

Turtles mating near the island.

Turtle making nest.

Hatchlings.

My mom's injured leg, the back was worse. We thought we might be spending the night at a clinc instead of Turtle Island but she soldiered on.

3. We left ‘Turtle Island’ first thing in the morning and headed straight to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center to see the orangutans at feeding time. From Sepilok we set off for our 3-day 2-night jungle camp adventure at Uncle Tan's. This was the part of the vacation that everyone was most anxious and excited about - 2-nights in a very basic camp in the heart of the jungle with lots of opportunities to see all kinds of wildlife. It did not disappoint. We saw all kinds of wildlife - many, many monkeys, bugs, crocs, birds, and even wild orangutans!- and the camp was definitely basic. We had a great time though and I think it was a highlight for all of us. And I definitely want to give kudos to the guides at the camp, without their eagle eyes, we would have left Uncle Tan's thinking there were no animals in the jungle. Seriously, their ability for spotting animals while speeding down the river was remarkable.

Orangutan and monkeys at Sepilok.

Wild orangutan, Uncle Tan's

Our beds.

Jeff actually took this with his camera.

Another Jeff shot.

Big monitor lizard at the camp.

Big Scorpion.

Jeff and Ben taking advantage of the rain shower.

Ready for a muddy trek.

4. After leaving the jungle, which involved a three hour trek by boat and van, we piled into a long distance bus heading for Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia. It was a long five hour ride, sitting next to a very smelly bathroom and fighting car sickness from the extremely windy, hilly roads but it was beautiful. I had no idea the landscape was so expansive in Sabah. We arrived at our hotel in the evening ready for a hot shower and comfy digs. Much to our dismay, we arrived in the middle of some cold, windy, rainy weather, which had caused the power to go out. I have to admit that I was not as phased as my fellow travelers because I was too busy marveling at the fact that I was cold in Malaysia! It was below 60F and there were pine trees- AMAZING! After dinner the electricity came on and we were able to rinse some of the grime off our smelly bodies so it worked out well for everyone.

Since none of us are in any shape to climb a mountain we opted to simply explore the forest around the base. Somehow we still managed to get lost and poor exhausted Ben found himself on a 2km muddy trek through the rainforest.

Mt. Kinabalu, the peak only emerged the morning we were leaving.

5. The next day we took another van to Kota Kinabalu (the capital city of Sabah), did some shopping, and prepared ourselves for our two flights the next day.

6. Next we fly from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur and onto to Kuala Terreganu. We arrive in the afternoon and wait anxiously for our beach vacation.

7. The next morning (this would be day 10 of our vacation, if anyone is trying to keep track) we wake up and take a boat to one of the most beautiful islands I have laid eyes on. Seriously, the water was just so incredibly clear and blue, it took my breath away. We spent three nights on the island just swimming, snorkeling (I got to swim with a sea turtle!), and relaxing.

8. Return to Kuala Terreganu, rent car and drive to Kampung Kuala Mai. We arrive in the evening and do our best to sleep in the bug infested, humid accommodations. We wake up, explore the village, and find out there is a wedding! We all attend wedding and then leave quickly for Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary to feed and ride the elephants. Arrive just in time, for a fun afternoon with the elephants.

9. After Kuala Gandah, we drive straight to Kuala Lumpur. we arrive in the evening, to find we are staying in a beautiful centrally located hotel. We take it easy that night and then shop and shop for two days. When all is said and done we are all exhausted and spent but quite satisfied with our tour of Malaysia.

Bukit Bintang madness, Kuala Lumpur

Pavillion Megamall, Kuala Lumpur

Dinner at the KL Tower

10. My mom and brother get on a plane for a 24 hour return trip to the US and Ben and I crash in Kuala Lumpur for two days before returning to the kampung with mixed emotions.

It was tempting to just jump on their flight home but it would be silly to pass up three more weeks of rest, relaxation, and no responsibilities. So we are going to do our best to soak it all in while it lasts.