Anyone been? I was thinking of hitting it with the wife and kids in July.
I went there two years ago. My first impression was that it was surprisingly unexotic. This is Borneo, after all, but there were 7-11s. MacDonald’s, a Mercedes dealership, etc. After shopping at the Gap on Borneo, I couldn’t help feeling that there were no more truly remote wild places left on Earth.
That said, it was interesting. Go white-water rafting, and take a trip to see the orangutans.
The US State Department issued a warning about traveling to Sabah. I had planned on traveling there the beginning of this year but changed my mind for several reasons.
travel.state.gov/malaysia_announce.html
I have heard from many that if you want a peaceful place to visit then that would be it! Some hotels are quite remote.
I have heard from some expats that lived in Brunei, that their travels to the heart of Borneo are extremely remote rainforest jungle trips in canoes. I heard of no stories of 7/11’s etc. Where did you go exactly? http://www.gluckman.com/Kuching.htm
By the way, Borneo can be very dangerous. There were some tribal wars a couple of years ago between the Dayaks and Madurans in southern Kalimantan in the Indonesian part of Borneo. Really disgusting stuff. Does anyone remember this? I remember some horrid stories and scenes on TV as I was in Bali at the time. Here is a link to something I found from a quick search. http://www.rnw.nl/hotspots/html/indonesia010226.html
If you want some place exotic to go with the wife and kids, try Siem Reap, Cambodia for a trip to Angkor Wat.