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Category Archives: S. E. Asia

Borneo: Orangutan Break-In, Night Safari and Tea Plantation

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  Orangutan Break-In   We were down for breakfast at the Myrne River Resort in Borneo when David told us that there had been an Orangutan Break-in!   Most of the cups and glassware had been removed from the Coffee and Snacks station in the centre of the Restaurant because a wild Orangutan had wandered into the open-sided restaurant and started smashing everything in the Coffee station!   Gulp. I almost choked on my coffee, as I glanced around to see if there were any orangutans lurking nearby. We had heard of lots of different types of break-ins, but never … More… →

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Children Hide Inside Tree in Sabah, Borneo, World War ll

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  It was time for the Borneo Jungle Walk in Sabah, Borneo.   As we entered the jungle, the first thing to walk across was a swinging rope bridge, which David managed with ease.    I won’t say how T managed on the rope bridge, but  I have this vision of him with arms and legs sprawled in all directions between the ropes. Suffice it to say that he looked like he had had “ten too many”.     Voodoo in the Jungle   Real Borneo jungle is choking with trees and foliage of every description, and the way the … More… →

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Borneo River Safari: Gigantic Butterflies and Tree-Climbing Crocodiles

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  Gigantic Butterfly   Relaxing on the deck before our Borneo River Safari, something moved beside my chair. I looked, and made a small gasp. There was a huge creature fluttering on our patio window a foot away from me! I stood up, stepped back… and took a closer look.   Well, it was just a butterfly! But it was the most gigantic butterfly I had ever seen. We were in the middle of jungle after all.   It was kind of pretty too, in fact, beautiful. For a few moments, I was mesmerized just watching her, probably with the … More… →

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Bird’s Nest Soup: Most Expensive Soup in the World

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Travelling through the mountains of Borneo, we made a stop at Gomantong Cave, known for its ancient Bird’s Nest harvesting. A delicacy in this part of the world is Bird’s Nest Soup.   Inside the Cave The first half-kilometre into the cave is a beautiful forest.   Not only is this magnificent cave full of the priceless bird’s nests of the Swiftlet bird, it is also full of bird poop, bats and cockroaches! There were actually piles of bat dung 8-10 feet high, and the walkway was 3 feet off the ground. Not my favourite cave.   David Tseu, our … More… →

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How To Make Roti in Borneo

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  One of our stops on our way to a new jungle resort in Borneo was for Indian food. What a treat it was to watch this guy making each individual fresh roti, and with a bright smile that showed how much he really seemed to enjoy doing it. To watch it was true art.     How to Make Roti   Starting with a little ball of dough he starts stretching it and throwing it in the air until it is paper-thin and two feet across!   Then he folds the thin dough many times into a square, oils … More… →

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Borneo: Rare Sighting of the Cutest Pygmy Elephants

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A Rare Experience   We felt extremely privileged to see the Pygmy Elephants in Borneo.   These Borneo Elephants are the cutest elephants you have ever seen! They look like they are straight out of a Disney movie. They have big baby-face heads, big floppy ears, chubby tummies, straight husks and long tails. Apparently, they are quite gentle unless extremely provoked.   Playing in the Mud   At first the Pygmy Elephants were walking into the forest, but they must have decided that we needed a little show, and slowly they started to turn around and come back.   It … More… →

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Borneo: Stripped Naked By An Orangutan

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  Sepilok Orangutan Nursery   We were still giddy from seeing the wild Orangutans that morning.  After returning to the gorgeous Sepilok Nature Resort, we had lunch and a short break before we headed to the Sepilok Orangutan Nursery and Rehabilitation Centre.   The Orangutan Nursery and Rehabilitation Centre houses orphaned and stolen baby orangutans. Many of the little orangutans were originally pet orangutans that had been illegally kept as pets; some were orphaned babies whose Mothers had died or been killed. They were all babies or between 1-2 years old.      Stolen and Orphaned Orangutan Babies   The … More… →

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Private Tour of Wild Borneo

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    The Wilds of Borneo   Wild. Untamed. Natural.   Full of natural jungle and wild animals! Wild Boars, Macaques, Elephants and Orangutans.     Private Tour of Borneo   We highly recommend a private tour of  Borneo. To drive to, and find, the wild animals and accommodation in the depths of the jungle on your own would be a very challenging experience, and it’s doubtful that you would have the inside of knowledge of a professional local guide.   Just take a look at this fabulous Itinerary created by our private tour guide, David Tseu (We’ve added prices in … More… →

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Why You Should Skip Manila – But Definitely See The Philippines Islands

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  Skip Manila in the Philippines. It is a big, noisy, busy, dumpy, dirty city. Sorry to be so blunt, but that is the truth. Unless you like big, noisy, busy, dumpy cities, that is.     Leaving El Nido   Leaving the fantastic islands of El Nido, Philippines, was difficult, and as we flew over the Philippines towards Manilla, it was with a wistful goodbye. We will always remember these gorgeous plush lagoons and islands.   When we were told that El Nido was voted the best island in the world, we were a bit doubtful. We thought the … More… →

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El Nido Videos: Above and Beyond To Cruel and Unusual

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    Arrival El Nido Airport   The Philippines were gorgeous. We can never forget the amazing colours of the ocean or the sweet people, but something else pops into our heads as soon as someone mentions El Nido, Philippines. The lovely welcome and the not-so-lovely departure from El Nido Airport. We’ve mentioned this in earlier posts (Getting To The Best Island In The World), but we also want to share our videos of arrival and departure with you so you can truly feel a connection to these experiences, and just so you know what to expect if you go to El … More… →

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5 Jaw-Droppingly Stunning Islands of Palawan, Philippines

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    Dazzling Colours   5 of the most stunning islands in the world are off El Nido, on Palawan Island in the Philippines. Majestic and breath-taking views in every direction simply made this one of the most memorable tours (and we usually dislike tours) that we have ever taken. Simply jaw-dropping.   We hope our photos demonstrate the true beauty of El Nido, Palawan Island, and the stunning islands surrounding it. Palawan Island was named the best island in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine, 2016.   We were skeptical, but now we have to agree.   The jaw-dropping and changing … More… →

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Getting To The Best Island In The World: El Nido, Palawan Island, Philippines

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  Cebu to El Nido   We were on our way to El Nido, Palawan Island, Philippines, voted as holding the #1 spot for the “best island in the world” (Travel + Leisure Magazine), 2016.    Arriving at Cebu Airport for our flight to El Nido, there were colourful shops with every kind of Filipino packaged foods and snacks. One shop even had the Filipino delicacy, Lechon, proudly displayed in an airport shop window. Lechon is a special dish where the entire pig is spit-roasted over coals, with the crisp, golden-brown skin served with liver sauce.   We had to take a … More… →

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S. E. Asia: “99% Of What We Worry About Never Happens”

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  Malaria   As many of us have said before,   “99% of what we worry about never happens, and the other 1% we can handle.”   And so it was with our fears of Malaria, and fears of the side-effects of the drugs to prevent Malaria. It’s a well-known fact that some of them make you feel really sick, and who wants that to ruin your trip.   First of all, I was given Doxycycline, an antibiotic that apparently is also effective against Malaria, but not with the adverse effects of Malarone or Choroquine or Mefloquine. It was great. … More… →

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Philippines: DapDap, Lapu Lapu

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  DapDap, Lapu Lapu has such a nice ring to it that I went around repeating it over and over again like a 7-year-old. It sounds like a child’s song. “DapDap, Lapu Lapu… DapDap, Lapu Lapu…DapDap, Lapu Lapu…”   The address of our hotel in Cebu, Philippines was Dap-Dap, Lapu Lapu City, Cebu, Mactan Island, Philippines.    Losing My Shoes On The Long-Haul Flight After a gruelling 25 hours of flying across Canada and across the vast Pacific Ocean to Cebu, Philippines, we had barely slept. It was strange with the time difference – we had left Monday night yet … More… →

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