A trip to Borneo – pt 2
Once we had decided to skip the last night in Kundasang we made the best out of the time we had left there. A stopover at the hot springs made for a nice break while driving back to KK, we especially enjoyed the tree top walk a lot.
After not being successful at finding dinner for Nick’s birthday dinner (hence cup noodles) we all loved the local fish market in Kota Kinabalu (such good fish).

The next morning we hopped on a tiny plane that flew us across Brunei into Mulu. The only other way to get there is by boat. And when flying over the terrain it’s clear why, I have never seen such dense and unspoiled tropical jungle in this vastness. Amazing. You really do feel like in the middle of a huuuuuge breathing and beating forest there. We were a bit late with booking and places there are very limited so we kind of had to splurge at the Marriot in Mulu. But it was so worth it. Beautiful, quiet, no wifi in the cottage like rooms that were stilt house like hovering over the green. Amazing sounds at all times. also crazy humidity but that was somehow ok. No wifi in the rooms as well – perfect. We had such a good time there, went on walks and swam in the pool, had cocktails while a tropical rain came down, reading, dreaming, sleeping. The main reason to go there are the caves – some of the worlds largest and longest one accessible. Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We hiked through 3 caves, swam in the longest cave river worldwide and tried not to step in bat shit on the way 🙂 Just mind-blowing and amazing and highly recommendable. If felt like tourism done right, nothing feels crowded or hard selling, the walkways are in great shape, the insides of the caves are beautifully lit, the tour guides great- go there if you can!
It was hard leaving there especially when we realised that the hotel we had booked before we flew back to HK was overrun with company incentives, had a poolside activity program in full volume and felt generally like the opposite of where we just left.
So all in all, Borneo was a huge positive surprise for us and we will be back, for sure!