Dear friends,

I had a spectacular first trip to East Asia, visiting South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

But, it was time to head Southeast.

Originally, I had this grandiose plan of visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. I quickly scrapped that idea. Instead, I would focus on Malaysia and Indonesia, two countries that can’t be covered in decades, much less two months.

I found a direct flight from Taipei to Kota Kinabulu, part of Sabah, and the Malaysian-controlled section of Borneo. I’d read about Kota Kinabulu due to the presence of whale sharks in its waters (it's my dream to swim with them) and was curious to learn more.

I soon found Borneo is also the section of Malaysia with the largest mountain and biodiverse nature preserves, where you can spot the Borneo Big 5: pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, orangutans, rhinoceros hornbills, and estuarine crocodiles. I decided to travel to Kota Kinabulu, brush up on my diving skills, and see an animal or two.

Kota Kinabalu is in Sabah at the top of Borneo (also known as East Malaysia and Kalimantan) a diverse island that has areas governed by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. More than 30 Indigenous groups live in Sabah, and I was able to see a traditional bamboo dance, or magunatip. Originally, this was a dance to welcome the return of Murut warriors, but today it’s more for entertainment and cultural celebrations as dancers use agile movements to dance between clapping bamboo poles without trapping their feet.

Near Kota Kinabalu, I took a cruise along the Bongawan River. We rode boats through mangrove forests, searching for the proboscis monkey, a notoriously shy animal that you’re not guaranteed to spy. Along the way, smaller monkeys jumped from branch to branch, aiming to steal passengers’ food.

Toward the end of the tour, our boat captain circled back after seeing proboscis monkeys in the trees. Everyone oohed and ahhed and snapped photos of the monkey’s notable nose. After the tour, we went to a beach that looks like the reflection of a mirror when the sun sets. As it got darker, we boarded the boats to watch thousands of fireflies light up the mangroves along the river banks.

My second day in Sabah, I went diving with the excellent dive operator Scuba Junkies for a three-dive adventure. Although we didn’t see any whale sharks (they typically come through in March or April), I did spot a massive sea turtle, giant puffer fish, sea snakes, an electric clam, and a stingray. Visibility in Kota Kinabalu is not great, but for better diving in Borneo, you can take a short flight toward Sipadan Island, which has some of the clearest waters in Malaysia.

To see more of the Borneo Big 5, you’ll need to visit Sandakan, the gateway to the Kinabatangan River, and nearby orangutan and sun bear sanctuaries. Since I was in a time crunch, I wasn’t able to visit this trip, but other travelers highly recommended the area. One day, I hope to return to Borneo, spending time in Sandakan and Sipadan Island, before heading to Sarawak, Brunei, and Indonesian-run Kalimantan.

Until next week,

Ash