Malaysian Borneo
I flew from Krabi to Kota Kinabalu with Air Asia for really cheap. Realized I had not spent as much money as I thought so I treated myself to a 5-star hotel (I was used to live in the cheaper side of hotels/hostels). Then after a couple of days my friend arrived (again) and we checked in to a hostel located around Jalan Gaya (Gaya Street). From there we went on a white river rafting on the Padas river and also planned our expedition to climb Mount Kinabalu.
On our way to Mount Kinabalu we stopped at Sabah Tea Garden and Poring Hot Springs before finally entering Mount Kinabalu National Park. From the entrance to the base camp it took us roughly 3 hours to walk (mountain guide speed) which gave us plenty of time to drink tea at base camp and enjoy our clothes that would not fully dry due to the extremely cold and moist climate.
They woke us up at night to start the ascension to the peak so we could see the sunrise, but we were greeted with cold rain and clouds instead. Back in Kota Kinabalu my friend left for Thailand again and I aimed for Semporna. But first I had to fly to Tawau and then take the bus to Semporna. I had booked a bunch of nights at a place called Singamata Reef Resort with the intention to learn to dive. And eventually I got me PADI Open Water certificate. And I also made an amazing drift dive with sea turtles around an island called Palau Sibuan (which at that time is the farthest east I’ve ever travelled).
I really wish I had had the time to take a trip to Brunei or dash over to the Indonesian side of Borneo too. Or to see the orangutans on a jungle trekk.
