Dominated by mountains and lush rain forest, hot and humid Sabah in the Malaysian region of Borneo is the perfect home for a staggering variety of killer beasties and deadly plant life. From a cute-looking mammal that can kill with its armpit sweat to a magnificent mountainside plant that will swallow and digest just about anything, in Borneo, looks are more than deceiving -- for the uninformed, they can be deadly.
Borneo Rain Forest
First up is the challenging task of capturing a water monitor -- a powerful lizard that's known to be venomous. Not surprisingly, the aggressive reptile puts up a fight, and Mike doesn't want to raise the beast's stress levels any further.
Gomantong Caves
This 65-million-year-old cave system is home to a million bats and a 100-foot-tall pile of bat poo, known as guano, that contains a lethal concoction of bugs and parasites. Mike conquers the massive mountain of excrement to marvel at the notoriously hardy cockroaches that thrive there. He wisely opts to wear a face mask for his visit; if he breathes spores from fungi called histoplasma, he knows he could end up with anything from mild flu-like condition to full blown heart failure.
LOCATION: The Gomantong Caves are an intricate cave system inside Gomantong Hill in the Lower Kinabatangan area, Sandakan division, in the Malaysian state of Sabah.
Mengkabong Water Village
Dr. Mike cruises the waterways on the hunt for cannibalistic mud crabs and the odd-looking Hauran fish. Part snake, part fish this carnivorous species has a host of medicinal uses from helping blood clot to acting as a painkiller and reducing swelling caused by osteoarthritis.
LOCATION: Mengkabong Water Village is a traditional Malay fishing village where houses are built on stilts and connected by narrow wooden planks that rise out of the river; it is a 40 minute drive from Kota Kinabalu.
Mount Kota Kinabalu
At over 4,000 meters, or around 13,000 feet, it's home to a scary-looking plant with a cunning feeding system. The giant pitcher plant might be beautiful but it has a seriously sinister side. What looks like a pool of water within the plant is actually full of digestive enzymes and acids. With its digestive system on the outside, this pretty plant is a death trap for insects and even small mammals.
LOCATION: Mount Kinabalu is a prominent mountain in Southeast Asia. It is located in Kinabalu National Park (a World Heritage Site) in the east Malaysian state of Sabah, which is on the island of Borneo. It's the tallest mountain in the Malay Archipelago.
OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST
Poring Hot Springs
Poring is a small tourist resort in Sabah, Malaysia. Located 40 km southeast of the Kinabalu National Park Headquarters, in the district of Ranau. The town is home to the Poring Hot Springs, a popular recreation and tourist complex. The springs are known for their therapeutic properties, and the waters, with their sulfuric minerals, are reputed to ease aching muscles.
Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary
The Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre was set up in 1964 to rehabilitate orphaned baby orangutan. Set in the lush 4,300-hectare Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, the center under the administration of the Wildlife Department of Sabah attracts tourists and researchers alike, giving them the opportunity to watch the orangutan up-close in their natural habitat.
Gaya Street (Sunday Market)
Originally named Bond Street, Gaya Street, located in the Kota Kinabalu Central Business District, has been the center of business for over 100 years. Every Sunday morning, the length of Gaya Street is closed off to traffic to make way for the Fair. Shop for anything under shady trees and over-sized umbrellas, like batik sarongs, fruits and flowers, arts and crafts, footwear, antiques and souvenirs, cakes, even pets and herbs. This is the best place to experience the cross-section of the local population.
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