1. London to Kuching - Had a door-to-door pick-up service to the airport & then flew from Heathrow to Kuching, via Kuala Lumpur, with Malaysia Airlines. Very good flight. Good service, loads of room, lovely cabin crew.

2. Kuching - Headed straight to the Hotel Hilton, set on the banks of the Sarawak river. In the afternoon we took a coach tour of Kuching and visited the Sarawak Museum. That night went to James Brooks Bistro on the riverfront. starter, main & a few drinks each for £8 for both of us.

3. We walked to the shopping center this day & had a mooch about. Alex bought a couple of Timberland shirts, but that was about it. Spent the afternoon lazing by the pool and then had a foot massage. That night went to a different restaurant just across from the hotel but wasn't very impressed when I saw a rat running past me!!!

4. Kuching to Batang Ai - Travelled by coach to Batang Ai. Stopped in Serian, a local market, where we had chinese lunch & watched some Indonesian women selling wichity grubs (gross) Stayed at Hilton Batag Ai Longhouse Resort. Went for a swim as soon as we arrived, then settled in before dinner.

5. Batang Ai - Travelled by longboat along the Ai River & into Batang Ai National Park. It took about 2 1/2 hours to reach our destination and the final 30 minutes we travelled through rapids. One of the boats hit a rock & sank. The poor people in the boat were washed up the river but they were fine, just a bit shocked. We reached a small beach area and then took a walk up a very steep ridge. Got back to the beach for a lunch cooked by the boatmen. They cooked traditionally by hollowing out some bamboo and stuffing it full of the food and then cooking it over the fire. Very nice. Then the heavens opened. I've never seen rain like it. We got back in the boats and headed back the way we came from, back through the rapids but this time in the hammering rain.We then visited the Delok Longhouse and had a drink of rice wine with the chief. Got back to the hotel and had dinner and drinks in the bar.

6. Batang Ai to Kota Kinabalu - Drove back up to Kuching for our flight to Kota Kinabalu with Malaysian Airline. We arrived at our hotel, Magellan Sutera Hotel and Spa, and once we dropped our luggage in our rooms we headed straight to the pool. It was great as it was open until 9pm so we had plenty of time. After the swim we got changed and had some dinner in Al Fresco restaurant. The food was amazing. Had a very peaceful nights sleep.

7. Kota Kinabalu - Today we went on a nature walk on Gaiya Island (a short boat ride from the hotel). Then we went to Manukan Island for a barbeque lunch and some sunbathing. Didn't think much of Manukan. It was VERY touristy and there were jellyfish. The sea was corally so you had to really watch where you were stepping. After lunch the heavens opened again. And yet again we were on a boat, in the sea in the pelting rain. Got back to the hotel and once the rain was gone sat by the pool. Dinner again in Al Fresco.

8. Kota Kinabalu National Park - Today we visitedKota Kinabalu National Park and also stopped at Nabalu Village en route. Very interesting market in Nabalu. There was a whole pig on a table all cut up into bits, including the head (got photo's if anyone wants to see) Did a nature walk in the foothills of the park and visited the botanical gardens. Went for lunch at a Chinese restaruant which had stunning views down the mountain and then visited Poring Hot Springs. We climbed up to the jungle canopy walkway which was just a ladder with a plank of mdf over the top. Swayed quite a lot and was very scary. We then went for a dip in the hot mineral springs but took too long to fill the bath so we just had a dip in the cold rock pool which was refreshing. Had a long drive back to the hotel. We went into town to a very good seafood restaurant. You choose your fish from a tank. Was very cheap.

9. Today we had a free day so just chilled out by the pool. In the evening we went to Spice Island restaurant (Indian/Malaysian) The food was lovely and very reasonable. The staff were so lovely and then there was a huge fireworks display outside.

10. Kota Kinabalu to Danum - Had a VERY early start. Was woken at 4.15am and the hotel kindly opened the restaurant for us so we could eat before we left. Flew with Air Asia Express to Lahad Datu. Had a 3 hour very bumpy bus ride to the Borneo Rainforest Lodge in Danum. After lunch we had a nature walk and saw our first wild monkeys. Went back to the lodge and then after dinner we went on a night drive. As soon as we got on the back of the truck guess what? Yep, it started raining. We got drenched, but we did see a Samba deer & mouse deer and that was about it. Got back to the lodge and went straight to bed.

11. Danum - Got up at 6am for an early morning walk to the canopy walkways. They have just added an extension and it was brilliant. I hate heights and I still climbed up 2 ladders up the side of a tree & walked across. Walked back to the lodge for breakfast, then we set straight off on the coffin trail. This was a very steep walk up 1.3km and took about 90 minutes. Very hot & humid but the view at the top was amazing. All you could see were treetops for miles around. On the way back down we stopped at the natural pool/waterfall for a dip to cool off. After lunch we relaxed in the lodge lounge and spotted rhino hornbills nesting in the trees. After dinner, we took a night walk through the forest. Was very spooky in the dark. Saw loads of frogs, samba deer, snails, frogs, more frogs & some frogs.

12. Danum to Sukau - We were getting dressed and our tour manager hammered on the door saying a wild orangutan had been spotted. So we all jumped into the back of the truck and headed to where it had been spotted. It was very high up in the tree but was amazing to see. After breakfast we got back on the road and headed to Sukau. Stopped at a hotel in Lahad Datu for lunch on the way. On the way we stopped at Gomantong caves. This is one of the biggest caves in SE Asia & they collect birds nests from here for the famous soup. It smelt but not as bad as I thought. The floor was VERY slippery and just as I was about to grab the rail someone pointed out to me the hundreds of cockroaches crawling around. I spent the rest of the time with my hands in my pockets and my head down. AS we were just about to come out of the darkness, something pooed down Alex's back!!! We reached our lodge, Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge and after dinner (sarongs compulsory for men & women) we went on an evening boat cruise. Saw lots of Proboscis monkeys settling down for the night, Also saw owls, many different birds. And the, yep, you guessed it. It rained again. And once again, we got a soaking.

13. Sukau and Kinabatangan River - After breakfast we went on a morning cruise down the river to Oxbow Lake. Saw lots of animals, birds, snakes, otters, butterflies. We climbed out of the boat and went on another walk. We spotted a bird that can imitate over 50 different types of animal. Back on the boat and headed back to the lodge for lunch. It was once we got back I realised a leech had got me. After lunch we went on an afternoon cruise. This was the best cruise. We saw hundreds of proboscis monkeys, long tailed macaques, red leaf monkeys. When we got back to the lodge we were told that the ministers wife was visiting so there would be huge celebrations there that night. After dinner, they had karaoke and dancing. We had a brilliant night & everyone let their hair down. Although my Crocs flip flops got stolen!!!

14. Sukau to Selingan Island - We took a speedboat directly to Selingan Island. Turtles visit this island 365 days a year so they have hatchlings constantly being released. We spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach but couldn't swim because of the jellyfish. After dinner we sat in the restaurant area waiting for "The Call" Our call came at 9.05pm and we headed to the beach and watched the turtle laying 156 eggs. Once it was over we took the eggs to the hatchery and the ranger buried the eggs in the sand. Then we collected the babies that had hatched that day and headed back down to the beach. We then released them into the sea. It was a lovely site to see but sad to think only 1% of the turtles reach adulthood.

15. Sandakan, Sepilok and Kota Kinabalu - We left the island early and had breakfast at the jetty in Sandakan. We then went to the Sepilok orang-utan sanctuary where orphaned orang-utans are taught how to survive in their natural habitat - We arrived in time for feeding. We saw 5 orangutans, including Mr. G, and took over 170 pics!!!! It was very hot here (47 degrees) with no shade. We then visited the Sandakan Memorial Garden which was where the POW camp used to be. Read the very sad story about the death marches. We then went to a hotel for lunch and then flew back to KK. Returned to the Magellan Sutera.

16. All the other people on our tour left on this day but we extended a couple of days, it was also our wedding anniversary. Once we'd waved everyone off we got back to the room and they had put a huge red ribbon around our bed & scattered rose petals in the bath. Then room service arrived with a cake for us & a bunch of flowers. We had dinner in Ferdinand's restaurant and were treated like royalty.

17. This afternoon we went to the Spa for our Yin Yang treatment. The room was lovely with 2 massage beds and a jacuzzi over looking the sea. She was a bit hard with me but it was well worth it.

18. After a day of chilling by the pool, we left the hotel and flew back home. The flight was full but I still managed 8 hours sleep!!!!

I hope I haven't bored you!!!