Lessons Learned in Borneo

[ Editor's Note: Want to know what an overachieving super star looks like? Look no further! Introducing: Alice Kung, a medic, TV/movie actress, model, adventurer, and martial artist. Say THAT ten times fast! We're beyond honored to have her writing for us, and her first post about her travels is simply fantastic! I hope you enjoy! ]

As far as travel photography is concerned, I’ve learned that bigger is not always better.

Sure, a high-end camera helps me take nice, big images.  But before I invested in a DSLR, I had just as much fun (if not more!) with my Olympus Stylus 720 SW shockproof/waterproof camera.  There’s something to be said about a camera that you can take anywhere, swim with, drop onto concrete, and not have to worry about.  As Chase Jarvis put so eloquently, “The Best Camera is the One That’s With You.”  Or if you prefer the iconic words of Paris Hilton, “That’s Hot.”

As a student, I figured that my limited funds were far better spent on things like travel and exploration instead of camera equipment.  There is something to be said for simplicity and the sheer joy of traveling and taking pictures.  There’s an inner tourist in all of us.  So today I went back into the archives and dug up some favorite images from a past trip to Borneo, all shot with my trusty point-and-shoot Olympus.  Incidentally, if I had brought cases of camera gear with me on that trip, it would have been lost in transit with the rest of our luggage… which leads me to my first tip.

Tip #1: Keep as much of your core equipment as possible as carry-ons.  Including a change of underwear, just in case.  In our case, we had 3 connecting flights to get into our starting point, Kota Kinabalu.  Our luggage arrived 2 days later.  Case in point: I failed to bring underwear in my carry-on and thus had to purchase Malaysian underwear, which runs considerably smaller than the conventional American sizes.  I’m a size Small in the US and apparently an XL in Malaysia, no joke.

Borneo is the 3rd largest island in the world and is comprised of territories from 3 separate countries- Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.  It houses one of the world’s oldest rainforests, impressive biodiversity, and an extensive cave system.  One cave alone- Deer Cave, houses several million bats and has accumulated guano (bat droppings) up to 330 feet (100m) high.  For the nature and wildlife enthusiasts, this is a gold mine.

Tip #2: Camera gear is no good if you can’t carry it to your ultimate destination.  My friend and I did a 2 day climb to the summit of Mt Kinabalu.  At 13,435 ft (4095m), Mt Kinabalu is the 20th tallest mountain in the world.  We did not have sherpas.  To reach the summit on day 2, we awoke at 2 a.m. to start the arduous hike to the top to capture the sunrise.  This involved headlamps, ropes, stumbling in the dark, and freezing temperatures, but the view was well worth it.

Tip #3: Unless your camera is waterproof, you will need a drybag in Borneo.  Much of your travel will be done by boat.  Humidity, rain, and your own perspiration are all enemies to your equipment so invest in a good one.

Tip #4: Borneo is great for overcoming phobias.  You name it, Borneo has it.  Insects the size of your forearm, precarious rope bridges, bloodsucking leeches that leap from the trees, sharp rocks that have been known to impale the careless hiker, bats… the list just keeps going.  With a proper guide and a good head on your shoulders, most adventurers will do just fine.

Tip #5: Afraid of leeches? Me too.  This was my number one fear prior to my trip. After doing reams of research, I found that the best way to avoid the bloodsuckers is to invest in a pair of $10 leech socks, duct tape (to keep the leech socks up), salt, cigarettes (leeches hate tobacco smell so we crushed up the insides and put the powder in our leech socks), and DEET.  If the DEET isn’t repelling leeches, at least it masks body odor.  Also, you’re better off first in line on your trek.  Leeches sense body heat, so the first hiker will wake them up, and they’re more likely to go after the 2^nd or 3^rd hiker.  Tiger leeches can leap off of the tree leaves, so check your necks.  I did not suffer the bite of a single leech.

Tip #6: If you are wearing sunscreen and DEET, keep in mind DEET will diminish the effectiveness of your sunscreen.  To help avoid this, apply the sunscreen first and allow it to absorb/set for at least 15 min, then apply DEET afterwards.

Monsoons come on unexpectedly- this one completely flooded the trail and converted our nice luxurious wooden path into a seemingly impassable swamp.

We certainly did not come this far to stop, so we proceeded, barefoot into the jungle into knee-deep water.  We were rewarded with hundreds of incredible insects all along the wooden rails, seeking refuge from their flooded groundcover.  If you are an entomologist, this is the place for you.  I am the opposite of an entomologist but could not resist the opportunity to photograph these amazing creatures.  This is one instance when a DSLR with a good zoom would have been helpful, as I preferred to not get too close to some of the more poisonous critters.

We made our way to the Mulu Caves just before dusk to capture the exodus of millions of bats leaving to start their day.  Streams of bats funneled out from within the caves in these pulsating ribbon formations in the sky.  This went on for about 30 minutes and slowed down to a trickle as the late-risers finally emerged.  It was not uncommon to feel bats slapping against our heads and shoulders as they captured mosquitoes circling overhead.  In my opinion, this is a must-see on any Borneo trip!

My Olympus did eventually die during a snorkeling trip several years later, but only after years of significant use and abuse  (I’m on the market for a new ultra-durable point-and-shoot, if any readers have suggestions please leave me a comment).  Sure, these images are not as big or as spectacular as some of the ones I’ve caught with my DSLR.  But having that small point-and-shoot- the size of a deck of cards- gave me the advantage of no excuses.  It was never too rainy, too heavy, too precious, or too “packed up in my backpack with the wrong lens on” to take out and shoot, so I took pictures I never would have taken otherwise.  And, I took chances that I never would have taken otherwise.  So stop making excuses and travel, be bold, go somewhere you’ve always dreamed of and capture a new perspective from your lens.  I learned in Borneo that if you aren’t a little afraid, you’re probably not challenging yourself.  Maybe I should put that in quotation marks and make that my motto.  Take that, Chase and Paris.

The 11-night trip ran about $1200 per person, excluding flights.  There are many travel outfitters to choose from, but we used www.borneomainland.com.