Sukau continues .

 Lots of river cruising today. Started the first pre breakfast, hoping to see the wildlife as they were waking up . The next one was in the afternoon leading into dusk . The last one was at night in pitch darkness as there was no moonlight . 

We saw quite a few crocodiles in the water , one in the afternoon we saw thanks to the monkeys screeching. Lots of Proboscis monkeys , a snake ( creeped Jeevan out ) , monitors , owls , eagles, kingfishers and hornbills . We realised how lucky we were to see Orang utans yesterday, we spent around 7 hours cruising today and saw none . 

Mr. Aji and Jerry are amazing guides , they are such good spotters , able to find things hidden in the jungle . Mr. Ari has an ongoing project to assist with Orang Utan conservation which includes building bridges across the river for them to cross ( illegal tributaries built have lead to isolation ). 

 I disappointed not to see a Pygmy elephant but I guess we will have to come back again .

Lots of laughter at lunch with our adjective animal A-Z game. Also a lot of having to remind the children to be quiet and finding new games to play in the afternoon cruise when it was getting too long for them .   

Sukau - Kinabtangan River Safari Day 1

Our 3 days with Mr. Aji started today . I was not sure what to expect exactly as he had no website , I found him via TripAdvisor reviews . 

His son , Jerry , picked us up and gave us a run down on Sabah . It has been taken over by Palm trees . Over 60% of the forest is now Palm Trees , the law changed in 2004 to stop further deforestation but sadly it was too late .

We arrived at Mr. Aji’s B&B and then went on a 3 hour river cruise along Kinabatangan , a 560km river ( longer than Sri Lanka) .  Within 5 minutes we saw a gigantic crocodile on the bank and it slid into the water towards us . That had Aanya wanting us to turn back and then we spotted a baby crocodile that she was sure was eyeing her , luckily for her no more crocodiles after that .

We were very fortunate, we got to see 3 Orangutans including a mother and a baby . The baby was jumping between trees while the mother was resting in her nest . We could see the mother slowly adding more leaves to her nest . I never knew they had nests and they make a new one every day ! 

We saw heaps of monkeys including the Proboscis monkey with its phallic nose , a few hornbills, herons and kingfishers . The kids did well with being so long on a boat and were singing Christmas carols on the way back .

After dinner we headed for a night trek in the jungle . It was very muddy and honestly a bit scary . Jerry had a machete with him which instead of feeling protective had me more worried of what we might encounter . We also heard growling, hissing and then sounds made to scare the elephants from the Palm plantations . Luckily we encountered nothing other than some beetles, spiders and scorpions .A scorpion made its way on to me  , Jerry made us check our pants before getting in the car otherwise it would have surely bitten my butt ! 

Lived to see another day . 

 

Travel to Borneo

 Travel day today . Kuala lumpur to Borneo. We are heading to the Malaysian side of Borneo , I did not know it was an island owned by three countries. 

Flight delay meant more time in the airport lounge . We were the only ones in there so got to use the massage chair the whole time - yoga stretch , Thai stretch , relaxation . All of us want the massage chairs for Christmas !

Got to Borneo and we were instantly transported to island time . The music on the way to our bnb was all our college day songs , Aanya was very embarrassed with all my singing. Dinner and darts to end the day . 

Off to the jungle tomorrow, hoping we get to see a lot and not become mosquito food . 

Kuala Lumpur- Day 3

 With not much on the list for the day , it was a relaxed start as we made our way to KLCC Park . 

The last few days we have been playing the  A to Z game as we walk along, today’s version was it had to be about us . Savik had some choice words in there from Imbecile, Lunatic as well as showcasing his expanding vocabulary of rude words !! 

KLCC park was quite fun for us all . It has one of the largest areas of kids play equipment I have seen , including very long rows of monkey bars . Next to it is a water splash area , we didn’t have swim wear with us but it was so so hot that the kids jumped in with their clothes on . There was a lot of laughter as we made a music video of them singing and rolling in the water , quite a few takes till we got the perfect synchronisation. To dry off we walked along the jogging track where Savik took part in an Origami station that was being used for an office team building exercise . The kids also got to be part of a photo shoot for a bunch of girls graduating .

The rest of the day was spent watching a movie , playing Uno and Sudoko while there was a thunderstorm outside.

Kids favourite things- playing in the water and eating Kristy Kremes .

Least Favourite- being too hot in the playground. 

Kuala Lumpur- Day 2

 The morning was spent exploring the streets of Bukit Bintang . Had breakfast from a Chinese Beef Roti place ( we had chicken roti ) , it was really yummy . As per Savik it was better than butter chicken pie which is the highest compliment possible.  After that Jeevan was in Rambutan heaven while the kids and I really enjoyed our spicy mangoes .

We then headed to the largest IT mall in Malaysia where everything was either original or a genuine copy . The kids are getting some premium copy Apple Watches for Christmas 😂😂.

A bit more exploring of malls with kids getting to drive cars around one of the floors before we headed to the Petronas twin towers . Lots of jostling to get a good photo but the storm made everyone run for shelter . 

We walked home in a slight drizzle which was a great way too cool off . 

Not so great things - My hair has definitely been feeling the humidity and doubled in volume. Aanya had an allergic reaction , unsure to what. Some random tears from the kids . 

Kuala Lumpur - Day 1

Auspicious start to the trip with a visit to the Battu caves and the temple.  272 steps to get up there , no complaints from the children and even some running thrown in by Savik . 

The abundance of pigeons and monkeys had the kids both enthralled and scared at the same time . Luckily as they are well fed by the humans they don’t tend to attack you. Received our blessings and then moved on to filling our tummies , Savik was in food heaven with Roti , Dosas and Puris .

 To escape the heat we headed to a mall where Aanya found her favourite drink - bubble tea , she had the biggest smile, while eating a guava there brought me the same joy .

Next up was the Petrosains Discovery centre which was so much better than I had excepted . It kept us easily entertained for 3.5 hours and we ended up having to rush the end as it was closing . My favourite bits were the floating ball through the hoop, the magnetic fields , the puzzles and the mindfulness ball .

Ended the day with dumplings and feeling overall very happy . It’s been a beautiful day of family time , everyone has been so relaxed and happy today . 

12th December- D day .

 Gosh ! We are doing it , a little over a year of roaming the world with the two kids , Savik (9 years old ) and Aanya (7 years old ). So excited for this trip as well as a little bit nervous . 

We are finally off and away . The last few days has been a whirlwind of activity , packing as well as trying to say goodbye to our friends .

First stop Malaysia, the kids have been great when we have visited India and Sri Lanka so I am hoping they are open to all the new adventures that lie ahead of us in South East Asia . 

On day 1 they have been great with the early start , both stating they are a bit scared as well as very excited ( I guess we are all feeling the same way ).

Bit of excitement prior to our 2nd flight ,we had to run to the gate as it was the final boarding call. Following that, had to sit in the bus and the plane for a long time in the hot and humid conditions due to a delay in the flight . I  guess it’s a good preparation for the weather for the next two months . 

Now on our second flight we are all writing our journals wondering what lies ahead .