Venturing into Borneo and Sandakan

On buying a sim-card for the phone it was off to bed as it was a 4am start to catch a plane to Sabah…
Flying out from KL demonstrates just how spread out the city is with suburbs stretching into the distance - it also demonstrates how much palm oil has redefined the landscape of this wonderful country. On our flight across the country it was possible at times to see little else but palm oil groves - However, worse was to come as landing in Kota-Kinabalu I noticed a prevalence of palm trees…
The flight over the sea was wonderful with scenes straight from the book “earth from the air” with sea mounts, blue/green shallows leading to the depths and glistening surf churning onto untouched island beaches.
Taking off from KK I see little else but stands of palm trees in uniform blocks across the landscape - ok they are still trees but the habitat has been radically altered… The only break comes when the highlands begin and in this area the rain forest holds on against the tide of palm groves channelling into the lowland valleys… It was easily possible to pick out the huge areas of land under new development having exposed red soil where logging had progressed, in some cases the felled trees where still visible in organised rows. Plantations are universally blocks of trees striped with road ways to recover the nuts for processing. It is amazing how the landscape has been changed and is patterned by the hand of humans… Shocking.
There remain some areas of rainforest in the lowlands near rivers and in patches as you approach Sandakan but it is having to compete against the palm fronds which appear as spiky grass from a few thousand feet up!

Sandakan is a small town on the coast with a Naval base and small market - the roads are well maintained and the shops can provide for your mod cons and daily requirements. Once again the food here is excellent and cheap if you are prepared to eat from food stands ;)
However, for a colonial treat take a walk up to the “English Tea House & Restaurant” at the top of the hill behind the town (15mins walk up some stairs and along a forest flanked pathway). You will find a wonderful restaurant with lovely staff who will sit you at a table with fan and wet towel to mop your brow if you are as sweaty as I was!! I settled into the tranquil and frankly idyllic garden on a wicker chair and ordered pink lemonade (£3ish)… Then the ‘High Tea’ (£5ish), which comes with English tea (or coffee), 4 tarts (the baked kind!), 2 cucumber sandwiches and 2 large mouth-wateringly warm scones with cream and jam - Truly a relaxing environment in which to unwind after two connecting flights (the first ran 1 hour late 0_0)… The restaurant lawn also has a Croquette game laid out, which is the first sight to greet you as you ascend the steps to the front entrance. So bring a friend and have a go and let yourself be transported back to classic family days in the garden - you may like it ;)
At the end of my High Tea and desert the owner ‘Rory’ came over and introduced himself and asked with real interest my views on the ‘English Tea House & Restaurant’, he turned out to be a warmly welcoming man with a great knowledge of the local area. Just, yet another reason to visit :)
I am staying at ‘Sandakan Backpackers’ for two nights and am already impressed with the excellent compact dorm room with AC and the hot water showers - it is located near the food stands and in walking distance of the bus station and all attractions. Once again I would recommend this for those on a budget (£5 a night). Also if the taxi is unable to find the place just ask to be taken to one of the local land marks… KFC… Yep from here its easy to walk to the hostel (1min away).