Air Asia Malaysia Travel E-Guide

Air Asia recently published an E-Travel Guide for Malaysia. It has pretty standard recommendations for each state in Malaysia. However, one extra plus is that it has recommended itineraries and a list of local food for each of the states. It also an approximate fares to get to the attractions and some URL listings for attractions.

I would recommend this guide for first-timers to Malaysia.

Link

Travel Idea: Kuching

Ive been to Kuching twice now, once for Batang Ai Longhouse Resort (managed by Hilton) which was awesome, and for the 2010 Rainforest Music Festival (which was also awesome). However, Ive recently found new stuff to do in Kuching which really excites me:

1. Semenggoh Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre

This is apparently better than the Sepilok one that I visited in Sabah - if the reviews on Tripadvisor is to believed. I got such a rush seeing those Orangutans at Sepilok that I feel that the Semenggoh one would be something I would want to do to.

Attraction Details:
http://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-nr-semenggoh.html

2. Kuching Off Road 4WD

I found this on a travel agency website and was glad to see favourable reviews on Tripadvisor on this. It looks like something I would definitely want to do someday - going off the beaten track into the longhouses in Sarawak Borneo. This is what its all about - adventure, indigenous culture. Although I think I would skip the jungle trekking though, leech central!

Attraction Details:

http://www.kuchingoffroad.com/

I would probably want to combine these 2 attractions with maybe a stay at Bako National Park or at Permai Rainforest Resort which I've heard so much about. Well you know if I do this trip, I'll review it here. :)

Sandakan: Hotel Nak

During my trip to Sandakan, I stayed at Hotel Nak after my Jungle Experience. I picked this hotel based on the reviews on Tripadvisor. I knew that after coming out from a 3D/2N Wildlife experience I would like a hotel experience to clean up, have a nice luxurious bath, and indulge in a cafe experience if needed. I was not wrong – this place was great for that purpose.

I booked a Classic Single Suite for RM 88 but when I got to my room, the air conditioner was not working. They upgraded me to a bigger room - and it was really nice. The walls were painted in red and it had a nice seating area, a bath tub, a double bed, tv, tea and coffee making facilities. What was lacking was perhaps a fridge.

The toilet was really nice – even my original Classic Single Suite had a bathtub, and I particularly liked the oriental bowl they used as a sink and the red walls. The shower had a nice pressure and I also liked the ladder they used as a rack to hang the towels.

However, the place was not flawless or without fault. I know that they have recently upgraded the place into more a boutique hotel feel with Chinese/Peranakan touches. However, I feel that they could have done better to ensure that all details were upgraded along. For example, outsides the rooms, the walls were still stained and dirty and my cupboard in room 405 was really old and did not look clean. In fact it looked like it was from the 1980s and has not been upgraded since. They also had only 1 elevator working.

Nonetheless, the roof terrace cafe on the roof of the hotel made up for a lot of things. It is called the Bailin Roof Garden Terrace. Coming from Bangsar Kuala Lumpur, I am perpetually surrounded by chi-chi cafes so I have high standards for ambience and variety on the menu. So I wasnt expecting anything much for a Roof Garden Terrace in Sandakan.

The cafe at the hotel surpassed all these expectations as the food quality and the drinks were of very high quality. Even their Lemonade had some pizzazz and wasnt one of those coloured cordial drinks that chain hotels gave away.

I initially wanted to go get some dim sum for dinner but was turned off by the heavy rain. (Additional tip: dont go to Sandakan during the rainy season). Instead I sat down with my laptop at Bailin and ordered a delicious mojito (RM18) and a plate of chicken wings (RM18). As you can see, these are all KL prices but they taste a lot better. I espcially enjoyed the mojito – although the chicken wings was just so-so. They came in a set of 6. The place overlooked the ocean and there were lots of people there enjoying the environment even though it was rainy.

The staff was also really friendly and helpful. Wi-fi is available only in the lobby and at the restaurant upstairs. Taxi to the airport from Hotel Nak cost me about RM 25 at the time of writing.

Hotel Website:

www.nakhotel.com

Sandakan: Paganakan Dii Tropical Retreat

I planned a trip to Kinabatangan, Sandakan for New Year's 2012 - for the 3D/2N Wildlife Camp experience with Uncle Tan. Upon arriving in Sandakan, I had an overnight stay before officially leaving for the camp the next day. As of such I did not want to spend too much money on accomodation that I would barely be in. I booked a longhouse bunk for RM 30 (which included breakfast) for this purpose.

I saw the picture on Paganakan Dii in a magazine perhaps 3-4 years ago, advertising it as some exotic accomodation in a jungly locale. It offered free transport to Sepilok and it was at a reasonable price so - I definitely wanted to make a trip there at one time.
The longhouse dorm was fine - to my surprise when I arrived at the dorm at 9-ish the lights were off and everyone was sleeping wtihout any fans! I was shocked that the longhouse did not have any AC or fans as it was really humid, furthermore it was the rainy season! However, upon further investigation, it turns out that the longhouse dorm does have fans - it just wasn't switched on.

I immediately plugged in the standing fan and pointed it towards my bunk. The other guests were crazy for not putting on any of the ceiling fans on, as you know how humid it can get in this country. Furthermore, it had been raining in Sandakan - so the humidity factor is even higher than usual.

The staff there were really friendly, and helpful. The breakfast which was included in the rate was okay - self service coffee, toast, eggs and sausage (fine for a free meal). There was also free transfers to Sepilok Orang Utan Centre and the Rainforest Discovery Centre. I also saw on the board that there were also transfers to the Labuk Probisicis Sanctuary for RM 30 per person on the shuttle.

Overall, I found the place reasonable for RM 30 for an overnight stay for a first timer to Sandakan who wants to be near Sepilok. I would probably try the duplex rooms if I were travelling in a bigger group. I had very high expectations for the place based on years and years of expectations and although the place did not commit any huge hotel misdemeanours, it did not meet the huge expectations that I have built up over the years.

Hotel Details:

www.paganakandii.com

Sandakan: Uncle Tan's Wildlife Camp (3D/2NPackage)

Cruising on the Kinabatangan Searching for Wildlife

Coming back from Kenya I have developed an addiction to wildlife viewing – as Borneo was known for the rainforest and as such, its inhabitants such as the orangutan, proboscis monkey and pygmy elephants I decided to take a trip to Sandakan to view these animals on a river safari. I found Uncle Tan's Wildlife Camp (website and details of the package available in the link below) and the 3D/2N package on Tripadvisor – and found it to be fitting to what I want – basically its value for money at RM 390 for 3D2N, it has wildlife viewing, and there are NO leeches as the highlights of the camp consists of river safaris.

I register at the counter and was invited to partake in lunch. It was a so-so affair in terms of lunch – just white rice and selection of dishes to accompany it (mainly seafood and vegetables, perhaps some poultry). The crowd was mainly foreign tourists – just as I expected. I already knew that eco-tourism is not big with Malaysians. Certainly no Malaysians I knew ever camped 3D in Sandakan for orangutan viewing.

After a quickie briefing at 2pm, we carefully wrapped our bags in black plastic bags – as we were going to take a boat upriver for about 40 minutes, whether it was raining or not. The boats were not roofed, so it was vital to keep our belongings dry, especially vital for me as my laptop was in my bag. The journey took about 1.5 hours by land and we arrived at the Bukit Garam jeti for our boat ride.

I was particularly kiasu - as I had on leech socks, raincoat and a life jacket. I wasnt used to the fact that we had to carry our luggage into the boat though. The boat went pretty fast on the river, although there was not much animals that we could see exccept for monkeys (2 species of them) . I enjoyed the boat ride very much and was glad it did not rain – although I had the raincoat just in case. After 40 minutes we arrived at the wildlife camp. We were served coffee/tea and some snacks and shown to our huts.

The huts contain plain mattresses with mosquito nets. However, they had no pillows – nevertheless at least it was on a raised platform where we will be safe from leeches, insects, snacks and the like. Food were stored in a bin to prevent animal coming in and taking our food.

The unfortunate part was that I went during the raining season and it rained during all of our activities, and there werent' many animals visible. The some that we saw was - owls, different species of monkeys, proboscis monkey, a python, birds, hornbills and monitor lizards. While I wouldnt recommend this trip for orangutan/pygmy elephant viewing during the rainy season, the jungle environment was quite a nice change from city life.

Attraction details:

http://www.uncletan.com/

Itinerary:

http://www.uncletan.com/wildlifetour.html#package

Sandakan: Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation centre

Orangutans at feeding times

The Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre was fine. Based on the previous reviews on Tripadvisor and one of the hotel guests comment, I had lowered expectations of the Orang Utan Centre - in fact most people tell me that they prefer the Rainforest Discovery Centre over ths Orang Utan rehabilitation centre. (I didnt quite manage to make it to RDC- due to time and leech limitation issues).

They had a Malaysian Rate for the Orang Utan Centre - its RM 5 instead of RM 50 for non-Malaysians. For RM 5 and RM 10 (for cameras) it was fine - basically its 30 minutes of orang utan feeding at 10am and 3pm. When I was there I saw 2 orang utans clutching their babies having bananas and rambutans. The orangutans were definitely worth the fees - I would feel differently if I were paying RM 50 though.

The Orang Utan Centre also had some facilities such as - free lockers that can fit backpacks, a very clean air-conditioned toilet, an AV room and a basic display room for orangutan information. It also had a restaurant but it was a little overpriced - RM 6 (egg sandwhich ) RM 3.50 (iced coffee), RM 1-2 (hot coffee), RM 2 (mineral water). It also had full lunches such as rice and noodles as well as desserts like ice cream.

More orangutans at feeding times

A few things though - you can't bring in water, bags into the rehabilitation centre as the orangutan may grab them. Since its the rainy season (Dec-Jan), they also sell ponchos for RM 5.
In summary - I'm happy to have gone to Sepilok to see the orangutans at least once in my life as a Malaysian. For RM 5 admission + RM 10 camera - it was worth it. For anything more, Im not sure I would feel the same, as there is nothing much to do there except watch the feeding.
It is more advisable to come over when its not the rainy season in Sandakan - as it was raining almost the whole day - all the guests ran for cover as the downpour came over us in the middle of the feeding. The downpour was equivalent of a thunderstorm - those that cause flashfloods in the middle of KL.