Bali

The minute we landed in Bali, we wondered why we hadn't been back in 8 years. Things have changed a lot but mostly in a way that suits us. The new airport is modern and efficient. No more visa on arrival.

We decided to spend 3 nights in Seminyak. Disini Villas are an oasis right in the middle of the action.

Traffic is terrible around Seminyak, so it's good that we could walk everywhere. Nirvana has live music and sports on TVs. Corner House has very good coffee and breakfast.

The beaches are grotty but the sunsets are amazing. We chose La Lucciola for sunset and dinner. Try Potatohead or Ku De Ta if you're trendier than us!

We stayed in Ubud for 6 nights and loved it. It's grown and changed so much since we were last here but mostly in a good way. It's managed to retain it's sense of calm and tranquility.

There are a lot more tourists ( mostly day trippers ) but the restaurant, bar and live music scene is great now.

We stayed at Yulia Villas within walking distance of all the evening hot spots.

We hired a scooter to zip around during the day.

We had multiple massages every day and visited Venezia Spa twice.

We ate an amazing lunch at Locovore, one of Asia's top 50 restaurants; a pretty unique dining experience.

Naughty Nuri's ( the original ) still serves up the best ribs in Asia from a roadside shack and try Murni's Warung for good Balinese food.

There's live music nightly at about 20 places but we liked LOL, Laughing Buddah and No Mas. Every place does cocktails and happy hours but No Mas has a truly world class cocktail bar.

We journeyed out on different countryside roads most days.

On Friday we joined Su of Bali Bird Walks for a great morning spotting birds in the rice paddies around Ubud.

We now find ourselves in Sanur for 3 nights at Sanur House, a quirky guesthouse with a wonderful pool and very good coffee.

This is the first time we've stayed in Sanur and we are pleasantly surprised. Whilst Bali's beaches are no where near as good as Thailand's, Sanur has a 5 km boardwalk dotted all along with  bars and beach clubs, where you can lounge all day, dine with your feet in the sand and enjoy cocktails and live music in the evenings.

Jimmy's Sports Bar has Super Rugby and you can party to live bands at Casablanca till the early hours. But the best find in all of Sanur is Massimo's. Possibly the best Italian food outside Italy and the gelato counter out on the street has a constant queue. We loved it so much we went back 2 nights in a row. Sanur is also noticebly cheaper than Ubud or Seminyak.

Next trip to Bali we're going to skip the Seminyak/Kuta area and rather do Sanur for a few days and Ubud for a few days more, before heading to the far West and North. 

If you're a first time visitor and especially if you dive, you should add the Gili Islands too.

Singapore to Perth

Singapore. The best thing about traveling is getting to hang out with such awesome friends. I've told you before, I have the greatest friends ever; from Australia to Zimbabwe and everywhere in between.

At Picnic in Wisma Atria, Neil found  better Japanese souffle pancakes than he had in Japan.

Four nights in Perth for the Fringe Festival and we saw some good shows.We also enjoyed a great lunch at Petition Kitchen and very good natural wines at Wines of While.

I tried vegan avo ice-cream at Whisk. Actually tastier than it sounds. ( Neil had a cronut with salted caramel DAIRY ice-cream.)

We spent four days with Nikki, Robin and young Sasha in Mandurah.

Frogmouth owls in the palm tree outside their home.

Dolphins playing in the wake of their boat.

Borneo and the Orangutans

Sunday 2 February

From Kathmandu to Kota Kinabalu. It sounds like the title of an exotic novel but it was a bit of a trek, 2 flights with a transfer in Singapore and no sleep that night.

Monday 3 February

An afternoon nap and we make it to the shore by sunset. After a wander around the Night Market,we eat dinner at a Thai Restaurant in The Waterfront complex.

Kota Kinabalu is known for it's sunsets and cheap seafood and is popular with Chinese tourists. For good beaches you have to island hop in the area. I wouldn't recommend it for more than a necessary stop over.

Tuesday 4 February

After an early 40 minute flight to Sandakan, we are met at the airport by Jamil, our guide from Borneo Eco Tours. We go directly to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Orphaned and captive orangutans are brought here, cared for and eventually released back into the wild. Since the 1960s they have released 760 Orangutans.  There are no fences here, so the Orangutans can come and go as they please. Youngsters are taught to survive by older individuals and are usually 5 to 8 years old before they can be reintroduced to the wild.

At the feeding station on the morning we visit we find one large wild male and about 5 juveniles from the centre.

After feeding, the juveniles make their way to the nursery to hang out with the youngsters.

The next stop is the Sun Bear Sanctuary, where the roaming area is fenced off and tourists can view the bears from canopy boardwalks.

After lunch at a local hotel, we board our speedboat for the 2 hr, 93km ride upriver into the jungle to Sakai Eco Forest Lodge, with it's beautiful river setting.

From the river you don't see much encroachment from the palm oil plantations. One side is a protected forest area but on the opposite side it's just a strip of riverine forest backed by plantations.

After tea and check in, we did our first river cruise. The birding and monkey watching was fun and we were very lucky to see a wild pygmy elephant.

Wednesday 5 February

Our morning boat trip left at 6am.

It was still misty on the river. We had lots of sightings of Proboscis Monkeys; what weird looking creatures.

This pic is borrowed.

We also enjoyed the birds, especially the Kingfishers, Hornbills and the Red and Black Broadbills.

Back at the lodge, breakfast was served and at 10am we did a walk through the forest. We were so lucky to see the wild orangutans, 1 mother with a 4 day old baby and 2 young males. The animals at the rehab centre are bigger than their counterparts in the wild due to a better and easier accessed diet.

In the afternoon we did another boat cruise to the lake.

Thursday 6 February

This morning on our final boat safari we finally saw the Rhinoceros Hornbill. These birds are highly endangered due to some local tribes, using the horn as part of their traditional dress. Of course we all remember the exotic pictures of the "Head Hunters of Borneo" in National Geographic magazines of the 60s and 70s.

In the afternoon we were driven to the Gomangtong Caves. Here, 10 million Edible Nest Swifts roost. The bird nests are highly sought after in China as a delicacy. The cost per gram is higher than Rhino horn. 

The birds breed 3 times a year and once the eggs hatch, the nests are harvested from the rooves of the caves. There is a community of guards and there families living at the entrance to the cave to protect this valuable asset from poachers.

But it is the most disgusting place with the vilest stench of guano hanging in the air. The mask is to cope with the stink and has nothing to do with protection from Coronavirus.

Walking through the cave is gross. The boardwalk is crawling with so many cockroaches, you have to stomp as you go and loads of rats run around over the mountains of bird poo. Interesting to see but one of the worst things I've done in a long time. And people eat these nests! You've got to be crazy! I've got the heebie jeebies all over again just writing this.

One positive aspect about this cave visit is that 3 million bats also live in the caves and just before sunset they start to swarm out of the top of the caves in a seemingly endless stream. The humming sound produced by the flapping wings is pretty loud from the ground.

Friday 7 February

We wake up to the sound of rain on our villa roof, happy that we aren't out on the river this morning. After breakfast we transfer back to Sandakan by speed boat to catch our flights back to Kota Kinabalu and Singapore. I can highly recommend Borneo Eco Tours and Sukau Lodge.