We got up early today for a morning cruise, to see if we could spot more wildlife. Unfortunately, we didn’t see much more than what we saw the previous night, but the morning mist made for some eery photos. There were a few other boats from other operators out, and it was amusing to watch all the boats converge on a single point whenever anyone suspected another boat of seeing anything. The cool breeze was also a welcome change from the pressing humidity.
I think we saw a few more macaques, some snakes and a few different types of bird, before we returned to the lodge to pack up for a 5+ hour drive to Sandakan (we even got a decent coach today!)
Midway through our journey, we made a toilet stop at a most random location where there seem to be nothing but a pile of shops which all seemed to sell the same things. Donny informed us that there is sometimes a market here, pointing out the empty stalls.
A bit further on, we stopped to check out a massive cave at Gomantong which is notable for its bat population and as a source of bird’s nests. The story behind edible bird’s nests was quite interesting - the market is apparently quite lucrative and there’re all sorts of laws and sanctions put up to protect the industry, as well as the birds themselves and the safety of the gatherers.
The cave charges 30 ringgit (about £5) for photo privileges. You enter via a quiet shop front from which you pay an entrance fee and rent a helmet (to save your head from bat droppings rather than rocks, I would guess) and follow a walkway which goes around the cave. There was bat shit and cockroaches everywhere and it stank as such. Much to our collective disbelief, there were little huts (with beds) all around the cave where the gatherers stayed while they were working.
We finally reached Sandakan where we would be staying at a nice hotel within easy reach of everything. We would be staying here for a single night before we leave for Turtle Island.
For lunch, we went to a dainty English restaurant which overlooked the city high up on a flight of many steps (and more steps!), which featured afternoon tea and croquet!
After our delightful afternoon tea, we wandered around Sandakan before meeting up again towards the evening for dinner at a rooftop restaurant! Donny was really spoiling us today …
