Return to Borneo - Day 9

WELCOME BACK MR. NEWMAN

We found it very hard to leave the river this morning - I don't think we've ever become quite so attached to a place on our travels before. We'll definitely be back! It was hard saying goodbye to Rose too. She's really young, so it was like hanging out with a good friend. And her wildlife knowledge is incredible.

Over the weekend there had been a rugby 10s tournament in Sandakan, and we shared our small flight to Kota Kinabalu with some happy players. In the departure lounge they had countless photos taken with a small shield so I'm guessing they did well. One guy stood out as he towered above all the little Malaysian men. 'I bet you he's from NZ', I said to Shanon. Sure enough, he was. No matter where in the world you are it seems there's always a Kiwi nearby!

Arriving back in Kota Kinabalu felt like arriving home. I organised all our transfers and tours this year, and last, through Wildlife Expeditions. The majority of the staff we've met from that company are excellent people and it was wonderful to recognise a lot of them at the airport. That cool feeling continued when we got to our hotel, the Shangri-la Rasa Ria. Most of the staff are the same as last year and we felt so content to be back.

While we were waiting for the lady checking us in to come back with our passports we noticed her consulting with other staff in the reception area, so we had a brief panic they'd lost our reservation. Of course not! This resort is excellent. It turns out they'd figured out that we spent 7 nights here this exact time last year and staff members came over to welcome us back. As we were getting escorted to our room the manager came rushing out to shake our hands and say wonderful things to us. Our room turned out to be another upgrade - to an ocean view room this time. We're really having unbelievably good luck on this trip.

When we came back from buying lunch we found a welcome card and fruit basket waiting for us. And a few minutes later an invitation to join their invitation-only club was delivered. We felt like such frauds as we're definitely not the type that usually makes annual visits to 5-star resorts. It's only because our dollar goes a long way in Sabah that we're able to stay here. After being treated so wonderfully here it's going to be so hard going back to staying in hostels on next year's trip.