A guest post by Michael Shaw.
Orangutan in Sabah
There’s a ludicrously huge world map on my wall. Its looks a little old-fashioned. Not quite Mercator – Winkel Tripel, if you want to get geeky about it – and certainly no gaping sea monsters in uncharted waters. But its palette is natural; jungle, steppe, desert, dust, and dirty ice.
This effect invariably provokes fantasy. Whenever my mind wanders, my eyes graze the continents, reviving places I’ve been, rendering those I’ve not with texture harvested haphazardly from documentaries, endless cinematic b-roll, wishful Google image searches, and the testimony of friends.
The media gem that, I’ll coyly admit, turned me on to Borneo, was the BBC’s Orangutan Diary. Having overcome my preoccupation with Michaela Strachan’s mysterious failure to age since The Really Wild Show, I became captivated by Borneo & the work of its Orangutan Survival Foundation.
Since the destructive side of palm oil production arrived in our collective consciousness, many people, I suspect, read “Borneo” with a sense of unease, recollecting sad-eyed, orange-furred faces, and perhaps an affirmation to shop more responsibly.
Yet alongside these concerns still lies this bold compulsion for adventure. Layers of mist penetrating dense rainforest canopy. Mesmerising, richly coloured biodiversity. Optimistic ecotourism. We’re all aware that world travel must achieve respectful equilibrium. Yet we navigate, on a daily basis, an abundance of low cost flights and tantalising glimpses through borders. So many of us find the urge to explore nigh on impossible to refuse.
The sun sets over the Kinabatangan
Luckily, Borneo is one of those locations where conscientious tourism is positively encouraged; it provides an alternative income to destructive industries, and an incentive to preserve the stunning landscapes that attract so many visitors.
My previous travel to Asia took me exclusively to urbanised areas. Tokyo in particular blew my mind. Blithe belief in my own sophistication became coweringly provincial as I realised exactly how many variations on the humble sock I’d failed to imagine during my decade in London. I missed the whole “gap year in Cambodia” trend by a couple of years, already employed by the time my younger friends were on their 70s-inspired Vietnam holidays. So rural Asia – spectacular, tropical and thrillingly jungly – has been a big empty box on my travel tick-list for some time. And whenever I look at my big world map, Borneo always conjures the most vivid images.
Sipadan island - one of the world's top diving sites
I’ve done my research on Borneo. The island is the world’s third largest, after Greenland and New Guinea, and is divided among three countries: the Malaysian provinces of Sabah and Sarawak, the Indonesian province of Kalimantan and the oil-rich Sultanate of Brunei. Temperatures range between 23 and 30 degrees Celsius. The rainy season, with its unpredictable cloudbursts, runs from November to February, leaving plenty of sunny months for diving and exploring the jungle. Diving here is excellent, particularly on Sabah’s stunning reefs, where large and rare species like the hawksbill turtle and giant clams coexist with the charming frogfish, nudibranchs and numerous shark species. There are also numerous river safaris and massive caves to explore in Sabah and Sarawak.
Mount Kinabalu
On land, jungle treks are available to suit every level of fitness and endurance. I yearn for a full-on mountainous trek with only canvas between me and the squawk of rainforest creatures. I dream of scaling Southeast Asia’s highest peak: the 4,095 meter Mt. Kinabalu; and trekking through the Maliau basin, a large area completely surrounded by a high limestone escarpment (like a caldera). This area is often called the ‘Lost World’ as the impenetrable rainforest makes it virtually impossible for humans to inhabit this area. As a consequence, many new plant and animal species have been found here.
When will I make it there? Very soon I hope!
Editor’s note: Having been to Borneo many times, I can absolutely recommend it as the perfect adventure destination. The island is home to some of the most pristine tropical rainforests, stunning beaches, the best diving spots and an intriguing mix of tribal cultures. There are various gateways to Borneo; Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Kuching in Sarawak are the most popular. These two cities are serviced by a variety of airlines from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Seoul.
About the guest writer
This guest post is contributed by Michael Shaw. He has written numerous travel-related articles for a wide spectrum of online publications. Currently, Mike works for Red Mud Media.
What a great pairing of description and perception. Mike is a great adventurer, and storyteller. Those two together yield great articles like this. I look forward to reading more of his articles. Great stuff!
It certainly sounds like the perfect adventure destination!!!