#UberBorneo — exploration of Asia’s largest island
Borneo! Before it Disappears!
In exactly four days, I’ll be on my way to Borneo!
About a year ago, Sameer Sattar showed me the Borneo Rainforest Canopy Walkway photo, and we knew we had to go there sooner than later!
This photo was really just a trigger, to further explore the 130 million year old rainforest and its surrounding areas. It was very captivating to come to terms that such a place exists. Reading more about it, we discovered the walkway is not nailed into the trees and takes support without disturbing the habitat and gives chance to explore the untouched rainforest.
Taking a step back, here’s some context and my history about the love of traveling. In past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to travel across continents, mostly on work, but some on my own. Lately, I’ve also matured and started to appreciate how beautiful the planet earth we live on. The diversity in culture, people, demographies, climate, flora & fauna, history and heritage and everything in between, that’s distributed across the globe is just awe-inspiring. It’s like an addiction, where with more travel, brings it the kick to travel even more!
During this past decade or so, my best friend Sameer Sattar, also happened to go through a similar phase of discovery (yes, quite co-incidental). Of-course he was in a different league and is a lot ahead of me in this journey. But while at this, we decided we are going to travel to as many places as we can, locally within India, as well as the world outside. This is when he also founded his own startup called Uber Traveler (feel proud to be helping him with this one). It was really his dream, where he wanted people to see the place not like a tourist but understand the culture, the food, the very people. This was our way of saying — “friends lets dream, travel and discover this planet together”.
Let’s get to talking about the trip — #UberBorneo. In this last week of September we are going on an expedition to explore one of the most biologically diverse regions of the world. Borneo consists of 2 regions Sabah and Sarawak. Sabah being the most diverse in nature. From the 130 million years old Rainforest (70 million years older than the Amazon), the Pygmy Elephants (only found in Borneo), Orangutans, Proboscis Monkeys, to the underwater marine world of Sipadan and Mabul Islands (one of the top five diving spots in the world).
In addition to the nature, flora & fauna, there are also the incredible Bajau people — an ethnic group of people who live on water all 365 days a year, visiting mainland only for fresh water and other basic necessities. These are the Sea Gypsies of Bajau! The idea to visit this ethnic tribe called the Bajau Laut came from Les Stroud’s documentary “Beyond Survival”. It was awe-inspiring to know about the Bajau Laut. Sameer decided at that very moment to visit & meet this magnificent bunch of people in the Sulawesi Sea.
It is estimated that Borneo rainforest will be depleted by 2020. That thought of this biologically diverse place being wiped off the face of the earth, was a scary one. We knew we had to visit Borneo; Before it Disappears.
As you will note in the map above, we will be covering most of Borneo from the east to the west. Here’s a short list of our itinerary: Kota Kinabalu, Sepilok , Orangutan Rehab Centre and Forest, Gomantang Caves, Kinabatangan River, Semporna and Tawau.
And here’s a set of photos to showcase some of the what we will be covering in our trip!
A trip to Borneo is not done without visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehab Centre.
The first official orangutan rehabilitation project for rescued orphaned baby orangutans from logging sites, plantations, illegal hunting or kept as pets. The orphaned orangutans are trained to survive again in the wild and are released as soon as they are ready.
The sanctuary is located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve which covers an area of 4,294 ha (10,610 acres), much of which is virgin rainforest.
It’s one thing to visit a 170 million year old rainforest but another to live amidst it.
We start our journey by spending a couple of days with Osman and his family in their house deep into the Kinabatangan Rainforest by the Banks of Kinabatangan River.
This is the closest to wildlife that we will be staying I guess!
Kota Kinabalu is a cultural melting pot. Here Chinese meet Malays and Bruneis, Javanese, Filipinos and even a couple of Europeans, all of whom have brought along their own cuisine.
In between visiting the rainforest and the waters, we will also be ensuring that we try out the local specialities offered at the various kedai kopi (often in buffet form) and shun fast food chains from the famous Night Market to the Street Food Joints there. This place is a haven for seafood.
As part of the #UberBorneo trip, we will be spending a day with the Bajau people!
These sea gypsies of Bajau are an indigenous ethnic group of Maritime Southeast Asia. Bajau continue to live a seaborne lifestyle, making use of small wooden sailing vessels. Many Bajau people do not set foot on land except to trade fish and sea cucumbers for rice and fresh water, build new boats, or bury the deceased. In fact, they sometimes report feeling “landsick” when they do! Even when their fragile, driftwood settlements are decimated in the typhoon season, or ransacked by pirates, they just take to their boats and start to build a new house.
At the last leg of #UberBorneo we head to Sipandan Island. Part of the Earth’s Coral Triangle and one of the top five diving spots in the world. It will be a first for all of us on this trip!
