One of the main reasons I was excited to go to Borneo was to see the famed and endangered orangutans. My wish was granted on my first full day in Borneo after a quick flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan and an hour cab ride out into the jungle. Before embarking on our Kinabatangan river… Continue reading Close Encounters at Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, Borneo
Category: Southeast Asia
Adventures in Bako National Park, Borneo
It was my second day of traveling alone in Borneo. I’d spent a few days searching for crocodiles on the Kinabatangan river followed by another four days dodging pirates in Mabul, but those days had been with friends; now, here I was, heading to a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Borneo to… Continue reading Adventures in Bako National Park, Borneo
Is Mabul Island Safe? Why I Went Where They Told Me Not To
After visiting Mabul Island in August, each person I met throughout Borneo gasped when I told them I had just come from that region. “Isn’t it really dangerous?!” they would cry. Since I had made it out alive, I’d shrug and say it was fine. I hadn’t been so indifferent a few weeks prior,… Continue reading Is Mabul Island Safe? Why I Went Where They Told Me Not To
10 Things I Learned in My First 10 Days as a “Solo Female Backpacker”
I fought back the tears as I hugged Chelyn goodbye at the airport in Borneo and wished her a safe flight home. Not so much because I would miss her (though I would, of course) but because I now faced 10 days of travel in a third world country– as well as Singapore and peninsular… Continue reading 10 Things I Learned in My First 10 Days as a “Solo Female Backpacker”
Crocodile Diaries: Adventures On the Kinabatangan River in Borneo
Click click. The buzz of the motor muffled the satisfying click of my shutter as we cruised up the Kinabatangan river. The sun beat down on us from a clear azure sky flanked by wispy clouds in the distance, and reflected pictures in the muddy colored water of the lush green trees along the banks.… Continue reading Crocodile Diaries: Adventures On the Kinabatangan River in Borneo
Jungles, Beaches, Monkeys, and My Epic Trip to Borneo
It’s midnight. Eighteen long hours of travel and I’ve finally arrived, sweaty and exhausted, at the hostel in Borneo. We have five hours until we have to be back to the airport to catch our morning flight. I expect some hugs and giggles when I see my friends, some chatting and catching up before getting… Continue reading Jungles, Beaches, Monkeys, and My Epic Trip to Borneo
Holy Crap I’m Going to Borneo Next Week! (Wait, where?)
Up until a few months ago, the only thing I could describe about Borneo was head hunters. It was the ultimate example of somewhere totally remote and exotic. Then I overheard someone describing their recent trip to Borneo, and I gasped. Wait, people can actually GO to Borneo?! It was in that very moment that… Continue reading Holy Crap I’m Going to Borneo Next Week! (Wait, where?)
Bali’s Magic and How I Got My Groove Back
The taxi driver occasionally glanced at the road as he swerved around the hairpin turns and played chicken with oncoming traffic on the narrow highway; most of the time his eyes were fixed in the rearview mirror at my face, while he waved an arm about, emphatically describing to me Balinese life. He pointed… Continue reading Bali’s Magic and How I Got My Groove Back
That Time I Ate Wilbur: A Pig Roast in the Philippines
As we near the quintessential American holiday of Thanksgiving and my facebook news feed brims with statuses of thankfulness and “how the hell am I going to cook this turkey” fears, I find myself wondering if this will be my last Thanksgiving celebration in this country for a while. Since I’ll be moving to Korea… Continue reading That Time I Ate Wilbur: A Pig Roast in the Philippines
Travel Tuesday: Sunsets and Beaches of the Philippines
When I was trying to decide what to share this week for Travel Tuesday I knew I wanted to talk about my trip to the Philippines last year, but where to begin? There are so many stories… Like the night we slept on a beach as the only inhabitants on a tiny island; or the… Continue reading Travel Tuesday: Sunsets and Beaches of the Philippines