We were all assembled at the reception centre on Turtle Island at the crack of dawn for our ‘return’ voyage back to the Sandakan mainland and onwards to the Bilit Adventure Lodge, in spite of the heavy rains battering the island.

Nevertheless, we boarded our same craft as the day before, in the pelting rain, ready for what seemed like the journey of a lifetime – and set off with great urgency, because, apparently, if the weather got much worse the captain wouldn’t be able to see. And nobody – wisely – seemed to believe that was a good idea.

So off we went, on a very rocky journey sat only a few feet from the waterline. There was, at one point, a temporary interruption as we’d seemingly ‘lost’ the other boat that should have been trailing us. I’ll be the first to admit I breathed a great sigh of relief firstly when any kind of land came into view, and then secondly when we pulled up alongside the jetty once again.

Ray shepherded us quickly from boat to minivan, and we were soon back en-route – via a short stop in Sandakan town to pick up snacks – to our next stop, Bilit Adventure Lodge, roughly 2 hours away.

Set right on the Kinabatangan River, the weather had thankfully taken a positive turn when we arrived, just in time for – yes – another, brief, boat ride from one side of the river to the other.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Sandakan and the surrounding area was experiencing very intense, once-in-a-generation floods, and this did impact parts of the trip – for example, we should’ve stopped at one or two other places first on the drive, instead of going direct, but were assured we would cover anything outstanding on our return journey.

Bilit Adventure Lodge, likewise had been impacted by the floods, despite remaining fully functional.

On arrival, we were greeted at the large dining area set right on the river, before being presented with juice and our room keys, which Ray escorted us to.

Overall, it was a major step up, and a world away from, the facilities on Turtle Island – which were just so much more primitive.

Bilit Adventure Lodge is set out in a very traditional style, but comes with all modernities, including air con and, thankfully, hot water showers.

Our room was set in a larger chalet block, similar to Turtle Island, but was very spacious, clean, and comfortable. The double bed was freshly made up with white linens and there’s even a little window nook where you can stand and look out, only a few feet over the surrounding wetlands.

Our bathroom was also clean and functional, with toiletries provided, and after a rainy, late night at Turtle Island, we made full use of the hot shower several times during our stay.

After lunch – again, provided as part of our stay – it was time for our afternoon wildlife sightseeing boat trip.

It’s incredible really, because Ray and another guide could easily spot wildlife within seconds, whereas I – and likely most of the rest of the boat – took ages even after being told what to look for combing the view trying to pick out different shades of green, grey or brown.

We were quite lucky to see a range of wildlife out basking in the late afternoon sun – a lizard resting on a branch at first, birds of so many different types, and even two proboscis monkeys chilling out.

At one point, there was talk of elephants nearby and we were all quickly decanted onto land to try look for them – alas, we could hear them in a nearby forest but they’d apparently been chased away by nearby plantation workers. Despite hanging around and staying as quiet as possible for close to an hour, there was no joy to be had.

After that, it was time to return to the lodge, by which time the rain had started coming down very heavily once again, and the river had become far more agitated.

As we ate our dinner, we learned unfortunately that for safety, the night walk would have to be cancelled and there was talk about whether the lodge itself might need to be evacuated for all guests.

Would we be up early once again for a departure? Well, unlike every other group, we decided to purchase a (very reasonably priced) bottle of wine from the staff and make a night of it – surrounded by complete wilderness.

I’ll cover what happened next in my next post!