Sometimes the weather doesn't cooperate very well while you're on vacation. It's a bummer because it can seriously put a damper on your plans! One of the days we were hanging out in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo this summer, it decided to drizzle all day. Instead of sitting inside doing absolutely nothing, we decided to visit the plants and animals at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. First of all let me say, I would have much rather watched these animals in there natural habitat (we were lucky enough to do with some later in our trip). The park itself was pretty clean, however a lot of the animal exhibits needed some updating (painting, fencing, housing). The animals seemed pretty happy: well-fed, lots of toys, treats, plenty of water. I was most excited ... Read More
Sandakan: River Adventure
There are some remote places in the world we have the opportunity to visit maybe once or twice in our lives (if we're lucky). These places are special because they they are 'untamed' or 'untouched' by human influence. Being able to experience a natural habitat to simply observe is one of the coolest things I've ever done. Borneo, Malaysia is such a place. Sure there's lots of culture and city development, but give it a good hour or two drive, and you're out experiencing the wild. A wild where animals aren't afraid of you. A wild where you could literally get lost and not be able to make it back (it's probably a good thing we had a guide eh?) We took our first river adventure cruise when we were up north in Kota Kinabalu. When we told our ... Read More
Snorkeling Borneo
I've always loved the water. I have a more than healthy fear of the ocean, but give me a safe-ish environment and I'll swim and play all day. You better believe I was super excited about our all-day snorkeling tour we had booked with Scuba Junkie the day before. I should put a plug in for Scuba Junkie and just say that the staff (namely Mel) was fantastic. As previously mentioned in my last Borneo post, we had planned on getting our dive certifications as well, but just didn't have the time and ended up having to cancel our classes. The 8:00am drive into Kota Kinabalu (once again in the tiny van/buses) went quickly, and before you know it we were out to sea headed straight for Gaya and Sapi Islands found in the Kota Kinabalu Marine ... Read More