Frontiers: Sandakan, Borneo

When travelling, it’s sometimes the most unassuming places that manage to leave lasting memories. On first impression, Sandakan is unremarkable, with it’s drab concrete buildings,  damp weather, and lack of noteworthy landmarks. So why Sandakan, and whats so special about it in the first place? 

First and foremost, this is a town on the frontier of wild Borneo. In Sandakan,  the jungle seems to be encroaching into the city streets from the hills. When it rains, as it does nearly every day, it’s torrential, and you’ll want to seek shelter. Though not cosmopolitan, Sandakan does buzz during the daylight hours, with its friendly fish markets, fruit stands, and curry kitchens. There is old industry here, in fishing and hardwood,  and new industry, with palm oil and the occasional tourist – really a lot going on for a small city. While typically Southeast Asia in many ways, there’s a bit more of a sense of being on frontier, or at a dividing line between the new world, and an older, wild one.  This is a welcoming and foreign place, unassuming, and rough around the edges.  Click the link for more. 

.

.

.