Day 1 Steely skied and full of rain the Jura morning greeted us as tents were packed up and the bus to Ardlussa was taken. We had surfaced road for about 9 miles to get to the trailhead and this three hours would be the fastest we’d move, by far, for 5 days. The … Continue reading “Mark watch out there is a snake by your foot” – Conquering Jura’s Wild West Coast, July 2017
Author: Mark Gelder
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; May 2017
After spending one day in Malacca I had a couple of days in KL. At first I wasn't too impressed with the city - I was enjoying being in the country. However, I warmed to it in the end, but really near the end - as I was walking in the evening to get the … Continue reading Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; May 2017
Malacca, Malaysia; May 2017.
After arriving into Kuala Lumpur I decided I didn't want to spend all my time in the city and had heard that Malacca was nice. In traditional fashion I made a complete hash of trying to get there involving going on the same, incorrect, loop of the light rail three times (!) whilst getting to … Continue reading Malacca, Malaysia; May 2017.
Kinabatangan River, Borneo; May 2017
Kinabatangan River is basically what, when I was young, I imagined Borneo to be like. Ancient forest impossibly full of life with a river meandering textbook perfect through the trees - the only realistic way to travel using it. Then deforestation - recently Palm Oil fuelled - has robbed much of the island of this. … Continue reading Kinabatangan River, Borneo; May 2017
Sepilok, Borneo; May 2017
This covers two short stays in Sepilok before and after I went to the Kinabatangan River. After a long bus journey from Kota Kinabalu it was rather nice to arrive at the Forest Edge Resort in Sepilok. It's a resort that has been pragmatic accommodation within its grounds which have great facilities and the best … Continue reading Sepilok, Borneo; May 2017
Mount Kinabalu, Borneo; May 2017
Mount Kinabalu is accessed, normally, from Kota Kinabalu and you are required to go with a tour company who will organise accommodation and a guide. It's not too cheap and you have to really want to climb it otherwise I suspect you might regret the cost. The day started quite early since the national park … Continue reading Mount Kinabalu, Borneo; May 2017
Kota Kinabalu, Borneo; May 2017
KK is just a town - a hub to get things done. There is nothing particularly remarkable about it. Well, that's not true - the night market is excellent. It is, however, a great place to stage other activities from. The mountain bearing a similar name brought me to the town. I'd built in a … Continue reading Kota Kinabalu, Borneo; May 2017
Bandar Seri Begawan, Borneo; May 2017
A day in BSB the capital of Brunei. Now, there is plenty to do in Brunei with time and money such as visiting the rainforest to name one. However, a day restricted to the capital does not exactly scream opportunity. This is entirely my fault - I was passport stamp hunting and got my comeuppance! … Continue reading Bandar Seri Begawan, Borneo; May 2017
Mulu National Park, Borneo; May 2017
Mulu Park is in east of Sarawak just south of Brunei and isn't accessible by road - it's a day's journey by boat or a short hop in a plane. There is very little the other side of that journey in terms of amenities - it's the park and a number of homestay like accommodation … Continue reading Mulu National Park, Borneo; May 2017
Niah National Park, Boreno; May 2017
Niah is a national park centred around the huge Niah Cave which has anthropological significance. There is a lot (relatively speaking) of rainforest surrounding the cave, but I didn't have time to explore that and was focussed on the cave including its burial sites and paintings. I had to repeat steps of my previous journey, but … Continue reading Niah National Park, Boreno; May 2017
Mark's Hikes & Travels 