#NInjaVerdict: Kuala Lumpur, Borneo and Singapore

If you’ve thought about visiting Asia but think it’s too chaotic, or unclean, or expensive, then we might have the answer ….. Have you considered Malaysia and Singapore?

Our trip went from Kuala Lumpur to Borneo – Kota Kinabalu, then into the Sepilok/Kinabatangan area – before finishing in Singapore. These countries are orderly, clean and they even drive on the left-hand side of the road!

We arrived in Kuala Lumpur at night. After check-in, we relaxed in the rooftop bar of our hotel, the well-located Santa Grand Signature, with a Tiger beer and admiring the view. You’ll soon see why they call Kuala Lumpur the ‘City of Lights’!

We were only there for a few days so, mindful of time constraints, booked a tour of the main sights. This included must-sees like the Batu Caves, a Hindu temple complex nestled within a limestone hill. You’ll recognise the massive golden statue and rainbow-coloured staircase and indeed, thousands of people make the pilgrimage to this fabulous site every day. A trip to the Central Market, which contains a huge food court, was included and we tried the local speciality Nasi Lemuk – fragrant coconut rice with chili paste, eggs and a meat of your choice. Highly recommended, and it was so good that we went back that night for more! If you aren’t keen on ‘foreign’ food, don’t worry, all international cuisines are available in this 24-hour city. Malaysians love to eat!

The Petronas Twin Towers are the crown jewel of Kuala Lumpur and the tallest identical skyscrapers in the world. They are at their best at night, when they glow with a stunning silvery light.

NInja Tip – walk an extra ten minutes to the colour-changing Saloma Link Bridge. You’ll get away from the crowds, an amazing view and a fantastic, insta-worthy photo.

The humidity in KL means you need to be sure to take time to relax, and over the course of our stay we made great use of the Santa Grand’s rooftop pool. Other must-sees included Menara Kuala Lumpur, better known as the KL Tower. Here, for a very reasonable price, you’ll find a cool escape from the heat and 360-degree views of the city.

The city feels safe, liveable and it’s very affordable. Three days was enough for us as we had somewhere much more exciting to go to next – Borneo.

Borneo is HUGE and Asia’s largest island, shared between three sovereign countries: Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Our next stop, via a 2hr 30min early morning flight, was Kota Kinabalu, a coastal city and the state capital of Sabah.

We had planned a more relaxed time for our four days here. We stayed at the Horizon Hotel, which, again, was picked for its great location – always our number one consideration!

The weather can be changeable in Asia in September, but we were very lucky and only saw a couple of heavy rain showers during the whole trip. We spent time wandering round the markets, and along the sea front. We ate a lot of Char Kway Teow (a delicious smoky-sweet rice noodle dish), took in the sunset from Tanjung Aru beach and walked to Jesselton Pier to book a trip to the nearby islands.

NInja Tip – this is a much cheaper option than booking via an online operator – and it’s worth every penny.

It was an early start and a quick 20 minute boat trip to Mamutik, the smallest island within the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, with its white-sand beaches and crystal clear waters. You only need to go to knee depth in the water to start seeing the colourful fish swim around you, and it’s a real treat to swim a bit further out to the coral reefs and see huge shoals surround you. Beware though – the damselfish bite!

After around four hours, we took our second boat trip to Sapi – a larger island around 15 mins away. Snorkelling isn’t as good here, although we did see some fish, but the warm water is perfect for bathing. The islands are something you can’t miss when in Kota Kinabalu. The city was more of a base for us than a destination it its own right, though it is very popular with Malaysians. We liked the relaxed atmosphere and the waterfront, and it was a useful jumping-off point for exploring Sabah.

The next day we left at 7am for a pre-booked tour of the Kundasang area, including another of our trip highlights – paragliding. Soaring through the air above the countryside was great, but all too short due to a lack of wind that day. We viewed Mt Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South-East Asia, and spent some time in a traditional Bornean village.

We had lunch beside Poring Hot Springs but didn’t go in due to time constraints. Our final stop was Desa Dairy Farm, high up in the mountains. It’s much cooler up there and with the grey skies, drizzle, green fields and Friesian cows, it was beautiful and just like being at home in NI. It was great to see these places but the long bus journey was hard going – the bus we travelled in was tiny and the rural roads weren’t in great condition. It took well over three hours to get back to Kota Kinabalu by which time everyone was very tired and very cross. Not recommended for anyone with travel sickness!

Next day it was another early start for the short flight –around 45 minutes – to Sandakan. We had booked a tour with River Junkies and they picked us up at the airport. Our first stop was Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre, where we caught our first glimpse of these amazing creatures – literally translated from Malay as ‘men of the forest’. The Centre rescues orphaned, injured and displaced orang-utans and rehabilitates them back to the wild. We were able to observe feeding time and saw a mother and baby play together on a platform. We then walked next door to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, which operates along the same principles for the elusive and vulnerable sun bear.

After a short break, it was a two-hour drive to Hornbill Lodge, our simple but fabulous base for three days of river cruises, trekking and night walks. We were deep in the jungle along the Kinabatangan River but if you want to see wildlife in its natural habitat, this is where you need to be. Over our time there we were lucky enough to complete the Borneo Big Five – sightings of orang-utans, proboscis monkeys, pygmy elephants, saltwater crocodiles and rhinoceros hornbills. It didn’t look as though we would see elephants until our final evening cruise, when our guide had a tip that one elephant was bathing in the river. We travelled to a safe position nearby and were amazed when the rest of his troop – around thirty elephants of all ages and sizes – gradually joined him. What a privilege to spend a couple of hours watching this family play, wash and fight in the shallows!

Other animals we spied during our time included the Malay civet cat, slow loris. lizards, bats, frogs, snakes, insects and countless macaque monkeys! Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, of course, but that uncertainty actually makes it more exciting. You’re constantly looking into the trees wondering what might be there. Getting out on the river at dawn, surrounded by jungle, looking for wildlife in the trees and along the banks, was exactly the kind of travel experience we love.

River Junkies drove us to our next hotel, the Sepilok Jungle Resort. We had been looking forward to a day in the Rainforest Discovery Centre, which is located in the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve. This huge area of rainforest is home to over 300 bird species and has a 620-meter long, 25-meter high steel skywalk which lets you walk through the treetops – these old trees are massive!

Whilst slightly disappointed that we hadn’t seen any more wild orang-utans we were looking forward to a swim in the hotel pool. Sepilok Jungle Resort is rustic, and genuinely in the middle of the rainforest. On our way to the pool – a ten minute walk from the cabin due to the size of the resort – we heard a noise above and were amazed to see a mother and child orang-utan swinging through the trees. It really felt like a very special moment, just quietly watching these beautiful, intelligent apes. The rainforest, wildlife and sheer sense of being somewhere completely different were exactly what we had hoped for when we booked the Jungle Resort.

The next day it was yet another early start as we flew back west to our final stop, Singapore. The city was extremely busy and preparations for the Singapore Formula 1 race were well underway. We took a Grab ride from the airport, and the driver was really happy to chat to us about Singapore life and provide recommendations.

NInja Tip – If you are travelling to Asia, please download the Grab app. It’s by far the easiest and most reasonably priced way to get around.

We stayed at Kesa House, a boutique hotel ideally situated in Chinatown.
The contrast between the huge high rises of Singapore and the jungle we had just left was almost comical. Singapore is one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world but if you like walking, and can stand the heat, much of it can still be explored on foot. The city is as clean as you’d imagine, felt really safe, and it’s easy to explore.

We liked wandering through distinct areas like Chinatown, Kampong Glam and Little India, heading towards green spaces like Fort Canning Park and ending up at the Gardens by the Bay and the futuristic Supertrees – definitely the highlight. Make sure you see them at night and again during the day. You’ll feel like you’re in a sci-fi movie.

What we liked most about this trip was the variety. We went from skyscrapers and city streets, to tropical islands and sunsets, to rainforests and wild animals, and finally to one of the most modern cities in Asia.

Also, Malaysia works particularly well for a solo traveller. It is affordable, interesting and varied, and you can combine independent travel with organised wildlife excursions without having to spend the entire trip on a group tour.

The easiest way to get there? Etihad Airways from Dublin. We travelled to Abi Dhabi on their (twice daily) spacious Airbus A350 service and beyond on their extensive network. Economy seats are well-equipped with entertainment screens, device holders, charging ports and Bluetooth pairing capability – and you’ll be impressed by the food selection on offer!

Malaysia and Singapore are the perfect gateway to future travel across Asia. Once you have experienced the colourful and friendly welcome you’ll undoubtedly receive, you will be left wanting more. Safe, clean, and very reasonably priced – what’s stopping you??

So why not visit your LOCAL NInja travel agency and ask them to plan your next NInja adventure to Malaysia and Singapore!! #belikeaNInja