I had made a new friend, Yvonne, while scuba diving in Sipadan and her change in schedule meant she could join me in Sukau.
We didn’t know much about where we were going but had heard through some locals that it was the best place to go boating to find monkeys and to look for the famous wild Orangutan.
Leaving Semporna to Sukau would turn into a long day with failed attempts at hitching a ride, failed negotiations and long walks in the sun trying to get settled.
We started off getting a good deal on a nice bus to the junction that would head to Sukau.
Only way there is by a private driver or taking one of the many buses that head towards Sandakan.
They drop you off at the junction and from there you can hire a taxi.
Problem with Borneo is the high prices for buses and taxis.
They are difficult to bargain with and aren’t as cheap as other places in Asia.
The taxi driver wanted almost 20 dollars to take us 15 minutes down the road.
We opted to test out luck on hitching a ride.
Thanks to Yvonne, she managed to get a truck to take us.
Our plan was to try the less busy and less known village of Bilit.
The driver was so nice and took us down the road to the next junction to head towards Bilit.
We then walked down towards bilit (3km) in the sun failing to hitch another ride.
We arrived in the super small village of Bilit and after failed attempts negotiating with the local boat guy, we failed to find a homestay for less than $140 dollars.
We were blown away by the pricing, and unhappily we had to start the long walk back to the main road.
With our big bags and smoldering sun we hit the road feeling a little discouraged.
About half way back to the junction we managed to get a ride in a palm oil truck.
We ran after the truck and he stopped and let us in. He didn’t speak English but managed to bring us all the way to Sukau for free.
We got lucky and were feeling optimistic. Once we arrive in Sukau we got lucky finding the first place available after a local recommendation.
Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Borneo: Sukau
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