Saturday April 2 – Day 8 – Orangutans and Caves

We were up early at 5:15 a.m. – we didn’t waste a minute on this tour – and took full advantage of both day and night! We watched the jungle go through its morning ritual of waking up – first the daylight emerges in the sky, then the mist drifts off the water like steam from a boiling pot; shadows of the vegetation start to grow in the water and gentle pink hues from the waking sun colour the ripples left by boats. The birds start to sing, motor boat engines burst into life, and after a few magical moments in the half light the sun comes up and life is in full swing both on the river and along its banks. Fueled by a cup of coffee we got back into the boats. It was a paradise just sitting in the boat. This boat ride concentrated on the birds: eagles, oriental darter, kingfishers, and so many more we didn’t identify. Back on the river bank we ate breakfast, packed up our stuff and got back on the boats for the journey across the river to our buses and Sandakan.

About 15 minutes into the drive, we pulled off the road and drove up to the Gomantong Caves. This was an option,  and Ray and I almost didn’t go thinking that no cave could equal the Ngligli Cave in Western Australia. We were grateful for having changed our mind at the last minute. We were rewarded a hundred times over. Walking along the boardwalk through the forest to get to the cave, one of our group spotted an organutan low down in a tree about 10-12 feet away.  This characterful ape is so fun to watch and so we took about 20 minutes to watch her and talk to her. She sat there on the branch quite calmly holding her baby. We slipped over the fence and got right to the bottom of the tree she was in. She eyed us up and down, but obviously did not feel threatened by us at all. The thrill of seeing all the animals in their natural settings is very powerful and often brings tears to my eyes.  And the Orangutan was the reason we were on the Sabah tour!

Eventually we dragged ourselves away and headed once more to the cave. It was full of birds and bats and we were grateful for the hard hats to protect our heads from falling poop! I am not sure how to describe the experience of this cave. Our guide said it was “wondrous” and “disgusting” all at the same time, and that is an apt description. The cave was an enormous cavity dug into a cliff of limestone rock. It was maybe 100 feet high and 80 feet wide and there was a wooden walkway covered with bat amd bird poo all the way around on 3 sides. There were some teams in the cave collecting birds nests, which is a Chinese delicacy. The middle of the cave was black poo. We wondered if this was collected for fertilizer but never really got a firm answer from our guide on this. The pungent smell of stale urine filled our nostrils. The shards of light shining through the openings in the cave illuminated the sides of the cave and made even the bird poo look amazing!!

All too soon, we were back in the buses for our 3 hour drive to Sandakan. We had a couple of loo stops on the way. One of the uncomfortable things about travelling the roads here is the ever present smell of diesel fumes that fill the air. Emission standards are lower, cost of fuel is low, and engines are constantly left running to keep the vehicles cool inside.

We arrived at the Sandakan Hotel in the centre of the city around 2:00 p.m., took a few minutes to settle our room, then went across the road to a little café for lunch. We have found the Sabah Malays truly kind and friendly with the most genuine of smiles and the people in the restaurant were that. The first question after we sat down was “Where are you from?” “Canada” we answered, which brought a blank amazed stare, then realization, and the response “That is a long way away!” In the streets, at attractions, and restaurants, the Sabahans greet you warmly. It creates an atmosphere of community despite the fact that we white people stand out like a white cat on a black rug!

Sandakan was a British colonial town which was completely destroyed by fire in WWII by the Japanese. It was rebuilt after the war but the buildings aren’t really that attractive, although the location hemmed in by the grey waters of the Sulu Sea and the deep green of a ridge of hills gives it some character.  It does have some interesting history though and we set out to find out about some of that.

After we spent some time in the lobby trying to get internet, we headed up the 100 steps to The Agnes Keith House. The 100 steps are just steps that take you from the police station in downtown Sandakan up the hill to Jalan Istana. We turned left and headed over to The English Tea House and The Agnes Keith House. Agnes Newton Keith was an American author who married a New Zealand chap called Harry Keith, the Conservator of Forests for Sabah from 1931 to 1952. Agnes wrote a trilogy about her life in Sabah: “Land Below the Wind”, “Three Came Home”, and “White Man Returns”. The house was magnificent. It wasn’t the original, sadly, which was destroyed by the Japanese during the war, but when they returned to Sabah after the war the Keiths had the house rebuilt along a similar style to  that of the original house. The house was big and roomy and crate-barrel furniture made out of Sabah wood filled the various rooms as it would have done in the olden days. The bedroom was huge with an enormous king size bed in the middle of the room. Hanging on the walls were pictures describing events in Sandakan in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Lying on the tables were binders of stories about the colonial times in the area and there was even one book with ghost stories told by various visitors to the house! The house was a neat find.

Agness and Harry were interned during the Japanese occupation but were eventually freed by the Americans. Their family now lives in Victoria BC.

The house closed at 5:00 p.m. and after taking some pictures of the beautiful restored garden and the house we headed back down the 100 steps to the hotel for a shower, then out to a roof top restaurant for dinner, followed by bed! Our guide told our group not to walk around the streets of Sandakan alone after dark but to stay in groups. As we set out on our short journey back to the hotel, in our little group of 3 Canadians, including a prison guard as our third companion, the town seemed like a ghost town. There was virtually no one in the streets, very little traffic, and an eerie anaesthetized atmosphere had settled over the town.