A secret no more. This summer, my Facebook account is flooded with notifications of friends posting ‘Anawangin Getaway’ albums containing 100+ photos each. Even back in 2008 when we first visited the cove, it was already getting crowded during weekends. Now that two years have passed, you may ask, “Is it still worth going to?”….
Author: Gay Mitra
Tanjung Aru Beach
To cap off our 9-day northwest and eastern Borneo vacation, Shervin and I spent our last dusk sauntering along Tanjung Aru Beach in Kota Kinabalu. Each of us only shelled out P11,749.20 for the entire trip (including roundtrip tickets, terminal fees, my travel tax, accommodations, food, transportation, souvenirs and admission fees). By executing well-thought-out decisions,…
Into the Rainforest
Nature lovers who flock to Sandakan are certainly pumped up. Sure it’s a gateway to ecotourism, but many are not aware that this rainforest has also witnessed a dark past. Nope, I’m not just pertaining to the diminishing number of wildlife. A POW Camp was once set up in Sandakan, and a gruesome “death march”…
Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
Sabah, Malaysia will leave ecotourism, jungle tourism and wildlife sanctuary fanatics infatuated. If not, madly in love. As written on one if its brochures, “Eco-treasures from mountain high to ocean deep”. In Sandakan alone, there are at least 5 destinations where tourists can learn about ecosystem protection. Due to time and budget constraints we were…
Sandakan Sights
Sandakan was once under the governance of the Sultan of Sulu. Imagine if the Philippines still owns the resource-rich east coast of Sabah, the economical gain must have been heaps. No wonder our ol’ dictator President Marcos set up an operation to take back the land, which unfortunately led to the Jabidah Massacre – but…
East Malaysian Borneo: Sandakan
This former capital of British North Borneo is a 6-hour bus ride from Kota Kinabalu.Though two of Sabah’s main tourist attractions can be found here, the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center and the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, the city still remains a not so beaten track. Sandakan, a bustling port town.After checking out of Summer Lodge,…
Valentine’s Day Date: Camping at Pulau Mamutik
Our second Valentine’s Day together and we still haven’t celebrated it over a romantic candle-lit dinner in a swanky resto. As a backpacker couple, we have more than a dozen other mushy ideas of our own. And yes, camping is one of them. Our tent, Hurley. His first trip overseas.Although we weren’t able to secure…
