city jungle

Back to Sandakan for a quick CITY TOUR
First stop:
WAR MEMORIAL PARK perched on the outskirts of Sandakan, it tells the story of POWs held by the Japanese & the Death Marches that followed. Much of the information was gathered post war including that of the escapees who survived & journals kept by prisoners. The idea that Australia had the resources & ability to drop in & over run the Japanese a year before the end was a tragedy based on mis-information gathered. To this day the reasons the mis-information wasn't followed up or questioned, isn't exactly known. However anyone helping the allies were killed - reason enough I'd say to keep quiet. I asked SS if he'd like to do ANZAC day here.
Our guide Elod was quite emotional as he shared the information. His family helped the allies in the bid to escape & avoid recapture & for this they were killed. He still feels great fun for the countries that tried to help his.

CHINESE TEMPLE perched atop the city overlooking the harbour. It is ornate & immaculate with the subtly of incense filling the air. Snap & go. It always feels like your nosey in places like this when this isn't your religion or culture. The swastickers were a little unusual.

CHURCH next. Built by Rev Elton before the war it has the scars from early damage, glued back together by the people. Snap & go.

SIM SIM VILLAGE. A traditional water village, built over the polluted waters of Sandakan Bay. Malaysian public housing estates - people apply for a spot & build a house. Often Filipino or Indonesian who can't purchase land. Electricity is provided on overhead lines. Free education offered to children & government medical. Lastly, there is no sewage removed from the houses for treatment.

CENTRAL MARKET the hub of shopping for fresh (& dried) produce. It's cheaper to buy earlier & on the street before the market opens with prices are set.

AGNES KEITH HOUSE. Moving to Borneo after marrying her conservation guru husband, Agnes pens several books on her life in Borneo, including her account as a POW.

We bid our morning guide farewell & had lunch at the adjoining English Tea House. It was lovely albeit the conversation that began about the demands by some that everyone should speak English for them when they travel outside their own country. Don't get me started on that level of ignorance. People forget, English isn't a native language by most. However, if you include those who have English as a second or third language then yes, it does become a majority. So if you travel to say Malaysia, & you can't speak the local language - then yes - expect your trip to be challenging. Idiots.

Idel is our new guide for the afternoon.
Chance for a snooze in the van on our way to GOMANTONG CAVES here in Sabah. It's 1.5ha in black cave & up to 90m high. If you go in understanding they are more significant for harvesting the highly profitable swiftlets nests rather than a tourist destination you won't be disappointed. Swiftlets & bats co-inhibit the cave; with a changing of the guard as it were, every evening around 5pm. Along with other crawly things (rats, cockroaches, spiders & centipedes) the cave can be noisy & it does feel like it's moving around you. There is an annual bat scat removal program & 3 times a year they can harvest the nests taking up to 15ton. That's a lot of bird spit for soup.

The limestone cave system is 3297ha. The caves were discovered by Filipino in 17th century. Local chief requested a sacrifice to protect the swiftlet nest collectors. They still sacrifice a chicken before the collection.

We also saw some Red Leaf monkey. The orange one, not often seen. 4 of them playing above us. We watched the start of the bats leaving the cave. Thousands of them streaming out like vapour from a boiling kettle. Our guide suggested we move to another location, but it turned out to be a disadvantage so we made our way to the accommodation.
Bilit Lodge here in the jungle is a raised series of cabins amongst the trees of the forest. It overlooks the Kimbaton River & we're here for 2 nights & have met back up with some of the folk from Selingan Island. We opted out of night walk given our 5:45am start tomorrow.