Sandakan Bay.

Overlooking the beautiful Sulu Sea, Sandakan — a rustic coastal township in Sabah, Malaysia — is steeped in history and embodies Sabah’s diverse biodiversity.

Located 23 kilometers from Sandakan town center, the Rainforest Discovery Center (RDC) offers an ideal introduction to Borneo’s unique rainforests; just take a guided tour through the Plant Discovery Garden where you’ll be introduced to various flora and fauna.

Boat rides on a small lake and environmental education programs are also available.

Established in 1964, the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center occupies the lush 4,300-hectare Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve and is renowned for rescuing orphaned baby orangutans.

Managed by Sabah’s wildlife department, Sepilok attracts tourists and researchers alike, who, just like our
tour guide advised us, must not wear bright-colored outfits, especially yellow, in case the apes mistake us for very large bananas.

Infinity swimming pool at Sheraton Four Points Hotel.
At a viewing gallery, you can watch the park rangers feed the apes with bananas and milk — a monotonous diet that serves to encourage the beasts to fend for themselves and seek other types of food available in the wild.

While at Sepilok, we were also fortunate to be given a glimpse of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC), which will be opened to the public later this year.

Striving to promote sun bear conservation through animal welfare, rehabilitation, education and research, the conservation center has attracted high-profile guests such as American actress Sigourney Weaver (renowned for her roles in the Alien film franchise, Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl and Avatar).

According to the BSBCC website, Weaver did not know about sun bears until the day before she traveled to Sandakan to see the orangutans at Sepilok.

Orangutan rehabilitation center in Sepilok.During her visit in 2011, Weaver was said to have shown a great interest in the conservation of sun bears and promised to support the BSBCC to the best of her abilities.

In the same year, British actress Emma Thompson, her husband Greg Wise and their daughter Gaia also checked out the BSBCC after hearing about the sun bears while on a family holiday in Sabah.

Thompson also promised to take the message about sun bears back to the West and help promote the BSBCC.

Sandakan’s must-visit historical attractions include St. Michael’s and All Angels Church, one of Sabah’s earliest stone buildings, whose construction was started in 1893 and was completed 30 years later.

A museum at Sandakan memorial center.Designed by New Zealander BW Mountfort, the church was initially built using ironwood timber, followed by brick and finally stone, which was sourced from the nearby Buli Sim Sim area.

The church’s windows and doors adorned with white stones were imported from Hong Kong and transported to the church by prison convicts.

One cubic foot of stone weighs approximately 64 kilograms and each stone was painstakingly laid atop one another.

Thankfully, the church avoided major damage during World War II and is one of the few remaining stone buildings in Sabah, one with beautiful stained glass windows that were donated by Australians to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII.

Surrounded by sprawling green lawns, the colonial-style Agnes Keith House was occupied by Agnes Newton Keith, American authoress of Land below the Wind (1939), Three Came Home (1946) and White Man Returns (1951).

Stained glass window at St. Michael’s and All Angels Church.Land below the Wind and White Man Returns were written in the house, which is perched on a hill, offering prime views of Sandakan Bay to the front and the Sulu Sea at the back.

Converted into a heritage house and furnished with reproduced, colonial-style furniture and antiques, it provides visitors with an interesting insight into the history of British North Borneo.

On the first floor, the exhibits clue you in on Agnes Keith’s books and her family’s background.

Occupying the site of a WWII prisoner of war camp, the Sandakan Memorial Park was established to commemorate the deaths of 2,400 Australian and British prisoners of war held by the Japanese, despite being within sight of Allied victory in the Pacific.

You can enjoy a leisurely stroll and quiet reflection time at the well-maintained and beautifully landscaped park, as well as check out the museum, which offers interesting WWII exhibits.

The history conjured up here is also emphasized by the rusting remains of an excavator, generator and boiler that still occupy their original positions near the steps leading to the Commemorative Pavilion.

— Photos by Tan Hee Hui