Borneo Baby!

Tuesday and Wednesday we visited the island of Borneo.  By the way, Dear Reader, Borneo is the third largest island in the world.  It is shared by the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, the Indonesian state of Kalimantan, and the small nation of Brunei.  But, enough of the trivia.

Tuesday, we were in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.  

We did the city tour excursion through Oceania.  The first stop was at the Heritage Village and Sabah Museum.  We walked around the village and went into one of the houses.  

We ended up at the museum which exhibited old trains and cars.

Next, we drove to Sabah State Mosque for a photo stop.

Then it was off to the Night Market and Handicraft Market.  There was the usual array of fruits, peppers, and fish .  We tasted some delicious mango but we passed on the Dorian fruit.

The handicraft part of the market had many stalls selling  basically the same stuff.  We made no purchases.  It was interesting to see that most of the people tending the booths were women who appeared to be bored. Unlike most markets where the vendors are very pushy, here they were totally laid back.

The last stop was a photo stop by the Tun Mustapha Tower. It is the tallest building in Borneo at 32 stories!

We thought that the tour was quite good and our guide was great.  A good sense of humor and just the right amount of information.  We had mostly light rain throughout which kept things from getting too terribly hot.

Wednesday we were in Brunei, country number 96 for us.  Brunei is a rich country ruled by a Sultan or King and has very strict Muslim laws.  It's the oil, baby.  We passed on tours that highlighted the Splendor of the Sultan (been there, done that in Abu Dhabi and Dubai) and opted for the Oceania excursion - Mangrove Cruise and Visit to Water Village.  First up was a bathroom stop (hey, it's a bunch of old people on the tour) where I had the chance to take some good photos of a mosque.

Then we got on a boat and rode to the water village.  These water villages are traditional ways of life for the Malay people.  The houses, while looking primitive, have all of the utilities - water, electricity, and internet.  We visited one house where we were treated to local cakes.

                                        

We have seen many cats as we traveled around this part of the world.

Then we got back on the boat for the mangrove cruise.  As we cruised the river, we passed the modest house of the Sultan's second wife.  Actually, it is his second second wife.  Oh, for the life of a Sultan!

The main attraction is the proboscis monkeys that live in the groves.  We did get to see a few in the trees but they were too far off to really get a good look.  If you look carefully you might be able to pick one out in the photos we took.

It was another good excursion with an interesting young guide.  It was another overcast day making it warm and muggy.  We've had quite a change from the cold of Japan to the humid heat of the tropics.  It really makes us appreciate our mild Southern California climate.

Coming up is 2 welcome days at sea before we arrive in Semarang (Java), Indonesia.

Peace and blessing,

Linda and Larry