So Mum finally arrived, minus her bag but she handled it like a trooper.
Fortunately the case was delivered to the hotel 5 hours later, just as we were working out what of my manky backpacker wardrobe she might be able to purloin.
We're staying at the Shangri La Rasa Ria and it's immense!
It's the most incredible 5 star hotel right on a private beach with a huge choice of pools and restaurants.
It's taking a bit of getting used to (I'm managing though) and it's slightly alarming that a glass of wine here is the same price as my nightly room rate in the hostel last week.
Mum keeps insisting 'Your Dad's paying!'. I hope he knew that before reading this post, although actually he'll be relieved to hear that frugal Steph's still in town to some extent.
Incredibly the hotel has its own nature reserve and works with the government to help rehabilitate young orangutans.
There are 2 here at the mo and they'll stay until they're about 6 when they'll be transferred to somewhere less hands on like Sepilok.
They'll stay there for a few years before being released into the wild if it's judged they'll be able to survive.
I never realised the whole process took so long.
When we went to watch the orangutans feeding, it was captivating seeing how they swing through the trees to get to where they need to be.
After a while, a troupe of about 10 smaller monkeys joined them, each taking turn to pinch as much fruit as they could carry while still being able to climb to a quiet spot to eat it in peace.
After the viewing we carried on our ascent to a canopy walk on a walkway amongst the treetops.
The view was amazing and gave us a really different perspective of the resort.
Not to mention, as we discovered later, getting up close and personal with the many insects that bite.
Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: A week of luxury in Sabah Borneo
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