Day 14 Long journey to Sandakan

Headed to breakfast, we'll miss this view

and the lovely restaurant

Finally managed to spot a pigmy elephant!

We left the jungle behind and headed for the city of Sandakan.

We'll miss all the little customs, such as leaving shoes outside the dining areas.

The nearest that we got to seeing a real pigmy elephant was some elephant poo on the road and this photo at the toilet stop!

We re-traced our steps back to the “swish lounge” in Lahad Datu. Where we had coffee/tea and biscuits and waited in the comfortable lounge whist our guide took the unwell guest to the clinic. 

Boarded our bus, heading north then east on the main road to Sandakan. it was lined with palm oil plantations, in the usual regimented lines, terraced if the land is hilly. The road was bumpy filled with potholes with houses alongside at various intervals

 Our packed lunch from the hotel was pretty disappointing after what we've been eating the last few days, chicken and rice with an apple. Eaten on the bus at a petrol station, far too bumpy to eat “on the road”

After lunch the road became dual carriageway with far fewer pot holes! Still endless palm oil trees though. 

The dual carriageway gave way to single carriageway and pot holes once we turned east towards Sandakan.

Palm oil gave way to the city scape after around 4.5 hours drive.

We visited The Sandakan War Memorial, at the same time as the American ambassador, a wedding and graduation photos.

The war story was very moving.

A further 20 minutes drive took us to our final hotel of the holiday

We are planning to make use of the pool in the morning before checking out.

For our last evening we went to a cocktail bar, rather disappointing. The views were good but the drinks expensive, the cocktails lacking in alcohol!

We then went on to a waterside restaurant and had a delicious meal. The beer and wine costing far more than the food!

Tomorrow we leave for the airport at 11.30 a.m. so no rush. Then  pretty much 24 hour journey until we arrive back home.

We have had an amazing holiday, seen and done so much over the last 2 weeks and made lots of  happy memories.