Downtown Sandakan. (743k) Fishing village Sim Sim on stilts near Sandakan. (641k) Fishing village Sim Sim on stilts near Sandakan. (1038k) Fishing village Sim Sim on stilts near Sandakan. (793k) There was quite a bit of garbage in the water around Sandakan and Sim Sim. (925k) Longhouse near Gulung Mulu National Park. All the native people have been settled in villages long ago. They all have TV and sell trinkets to tourists. (829k) Some of the houses are a bit ramshackle. (1059k) Still life in a village on the Kinabatangan River. (923k) This longhouse burned down a while ago. (980k) Improvising is frequently necessary and cost efficient. (496k) House on the Kinabatangan River. (1427k) Hotel near the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. Most of the hotels and lodges were quite luxurious. (1043k) This was the only time during the whole trip that it really rained hard. Fortunately, it was during a break between the morning and afternoon excursion, so I didn't miss anything. I had shorter rain showers a few times, but nothing major. (981k) The sign says "Do not put anything in this area". (751k) The largest mosque in Kota Kinabalu. (718k) Entrance to a Buddhist temple in KK. (700k) Buddhist temple in KK. (1102k) Beautiful plant arrangement in a Buddhist temple in KK. (874k) Statue in a Buddhist temple in KK. (757k) Elephant statue in a Buddhist temple in KK. (713k) Ceremonial drum in a Buddhist temple in KK. (807k) Incense burner in a Buddhist temple in Sandakan. (714k) Bonsai tree in a Buddhist temple in Sandakan. (779k) Inside a Buddhist temple in Sandakan. (1139k) The reverse swastika is a symbol for good luck in Buddhism. It is frequently seen in Buddhist temples. (1084k) Cars were mostly modern. (890k) The spelling of many words is like in German. For instance "Bas" is pronounced like the English word "Bus". There were a lot of words that were originally English, but were spelled phonetically, just like "Bas" in this case. (800k) The early afternoon flight taking off from Mulu. (494k) All the internal flights in Borneo with MASWings were in these ATR 72-500 airplanes. (631k) One of the ATR 72-500 departing. (418k) Fishing boats in KK. (685k) Gun boats of the Malaysian Navy. There are sometimes pirates in the area, reportedly from the Philippines that necessitate armed vessels. A few years ago pirates abducted a boat with tourists. (599k) This was the speedboat that transported us to and from the Turtle Island and on the Kinabatangan River. (513k) The speedboat was very fast. My GPS measured it at 50 km/h (31 mph). (585k) Car ferry on the Kinabatangan River. (781k) Local transport is often on rivers with these small speedboats. (940k) Boat builder in a local village near Mulu. (1113k) Local produce market. I was surprised to see the vegetables wrapped individually in foil. (737k) Locals fishing in Sandakan. (837k) He caught a fish while I was watching. (979k) Fishing gear in Sim Sim. (586k) Fish trap on the Kinabatangan River. (774k) Sifting of grain. (758k) Local kids swimming in the Kinabatangan River. (818k) Local kids playing on the Kinabatangan River. (816k) Most people seem to wash up in the river. (969k) Doing laundry in the river. (1001k) Produce farms on Mount Kinabalu. (1113k) Banana plant. (1082k) Growing Durian (Durio zibethinus, german: Durian, french: Durian). I did not see (or smell) a ripe Durian. They reportedly smell horrible. (805k) Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis, german: Kautschukbaum, french: Hévéa). They are making a come-back because the alternative is all petroleum based, which is getting more and more expensive. (960k) Burning the rain forest to clear for agriculture. (641k) Local dance group. (593k) Local dance group. (578k) Dancer with the local dance group. (555k) Dancer with the local dance group. (730k) Dancer with the local dance group. (644k) Canopy walkway. These wobbly bridges are high up in the canopy, as high as 30 m (100 ft). I am afraid of heights, so it was quite a challenge to negotiate these canopy walkways. (1.5M) Canopy walkway. (980k) Canopy walkway from the ground. (1430k)
Dr. Günther Eichhorn Travel Website
Soaring website