Orangutan Encounter

On day 3 in Sabah, we took a 2 hour bus trip to another Shangri-la  resort further up the coast. Shangri-la Rasa Ria's unique feature, besides the beautiful beachfront and resort facilities, is the opportunity to come face-to-face with orangutans in it's orangutan education centre, next to the resort.

Rasa Ria resort view from the outdoor dining in the entrance.

A very steep walk up through the rainforest, along a windy path of wooden steps covered in moss, takes you on a tour led by a guide to a viewing platform. Here the Orangutans swing past you and gaze right at you from the branches above your head.

Up here, I discovered a new found love for these wild orange creatures. The educational DVD and information given to us by the Rasa Ria tour guides really opened my eyes to the harsh reality of what happens to these animals in the wild.

The orangutans came very close to the people standing on the viewing platform, but never reached out to grab or take anything. They came and went as they pleased as the people took photographs and videoed them.

When we headed back down the hill, we all thought the tour was over.
The tour guide came out from behind a tree with a very small orangutan hanging from his arm. The baby orangutan held him close, and clutched at his arms like a child would to its mother.

Baby Ten-Ten

Before Ten-Ten fell

I purchased a souvenir from the shop that told me a little more about Baby Ten-Ten, who is now approximately 3 years old.

Baby Ten-Ten

On the bus ride home I became so excited for the next few days in Borneo. Soon my dad, mum, aunty and I would be flying to Sandakan for a day trip to see the Sepilok Rehabilitation centre and various other tourist attractions Sandakan has to offer.
I couldn't wait to meet more of these endangered animals and explore the other side of Sabah.

Gym Fanatic Fantasy

(Note this blog post will be focusing on the gym facilities)
On the afternoon we arrived at our hotel the weather was showing us it's worst, so we decided to take ourselves on a tour around the Shangri-la and see what facilities the resort has to offer.

My one and only hobby back home is the gym. I go morning and evenings up to 6 days a week. So when I stumbled across the gym at the resort, I had opened the glass doors to heaven.

Outside the gym, the large glass windows give the tred-mill users a front row glimpse of the islands beyond the water. The gardens outside the window shelter a small pond where large fish swim.

In Singapore, the gym facility I was offered at the hotel was smaller than my bedroom. (Not a large bedroom) So I found myself hurrying down to the Shangri-la gym whenever the weather turned sour late in the afternoons or early mornings before our large buffet breakfast.

The TRX came in handy and the cardio equipment were more up to date than the equipment at my local fitness first in Sydney.

Keeping my workouts simple overseas

Beginning with cardio I wandered off to the back of the gym to see what they had to offer.

I did weighted lunges, squats with a medicine ball and used resistance ropes to add resistance to single-legged squats. (Similar to a CX works class)

On other days I did push ups with my feet in the TRX and did other basic abdominal exercises on the yoga matts.

Benches, dumbbells and seated curls kept me feeling tight, with some seated tricep dips on the side.

It didn't take long to work up a sweat. Even early in the morning the temperature would quickly rise to 27 degrees around 10am. But the air-conditioning wasn't bad at all.

Feelin' Sassy In Sabah

On Arrival in the entrance hall in Kota Kinabalu's Shangri-la Tanjung Aru, I looked out over the gardens and the pool. An enormous black cloud was looming far off in the distance.

Winds picked up and began tossing flower arrangements that were perfectly placed together in neat bundles before the storm picked up.

Flowers greeted us at the entrance to the Shangri-la.

Before I could pick up my bags and carry them to my room, the rain began to spit through the blinds, as the people in the lobby desperately tried to tie them down.


It was like Sabah wanted to greet us with a grand entrance, wind, rain, hail and sunshine. The lobby gave me a front row seat of the storm. I felt like I was a storm chaser, and I had struck gold in the centre of it. Little did I know that storm wouldn't hit the top of the list...

The calm after the storm.

Weather Warning

Late September in Sabah marks the early beginning of the monsoon season for the typhoon belt. So when you look up the weather, don't be alarmed or throw a tantrum when you see 'Chance of Thunderstorms' labelled under storm clouds with lightening bolts jolting out from underneath. The weather man is just being kind enough to be honest with you, and give you the heads up that around 3pm, there may or may not be a thunderstorm. (Let's go with yes)

Sabah is commonly referred to as 'The Land Below The Wind' because it is located just below the typhoon and monsoon belt.

I believe we were given false guidelines by the travel agent who said that October-March mark the wet season, and that April-September mark the dry season.
If I were a meteorologist/scientist/weather-woman I would title September as 'not-so-wet.'

To be totally honest, looking back now, I don't think we had one day without a little rain. But that isn't so bad. After sweltering in the heat, traipsing around the markets and having the sun burn into the back of your neck on a walking tour of the landscapes, a little rain is a gift from the heavens.

How's that for a view.

View from the left wing of the resort.

I'm a bit of a thrill seeker myself, so these severe weather warnings gave me something to look forward to when the day had been lazy and un-eventful relaxing by the pool.

In my opinion, the excitement of waking up and not knowing what to expect makes the trip so much more thrilling and much more memorable.