Andy managed to squeeze in his customary early morning run, before we said goodbye to the jungle and started our journey east to the city of Sandakan.

After a couple of hours drive we arrived at Labuk Bay, and the Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary.

The sanctuary is blessed with birds and monkeys from Borneo’s wildlife, notably the rhinoceros hornbill, long tailed macque and orangutans.

After sitting out in the heat watching the birds come down for their banana feeding, we waited for the midday lunch to be laid out for the orangutans and macque.

The monkeys are used to the watching visitors and joined us in the shade. Up close they are the most beautiful and intriguing creatures.

The offspring of these macque are ginger haired at birth and slowly change colour over time.

The sanctuary is well established and has help and funding from car manufacturer Proton.

The proboscis monkeys are so unique looking, with the males having different colourings about their body giving the appearance that they are wearing jackets. Their noses are what really makes them stand out and unusual in appearance.

It was amazing to be up so close to these incredible monkeys as they feasted in their family group.

Being such a hot day, the monkeys were keen to keep cool and dip in the water bowl near where they were fed. Some even jumped in, much to the amusement of the watching tourists.

After the monkey sanctuary visit we stopped at a local market for lunch on our way to Sandakan. Andy went for a savoury black bean pastry.

The Chinese market was busy with locals and the food was incredibly tasty and cheap, costing just £1.50 for banana fritters, pastry and a drink.

Once we arrived Sandakan, we visited the memorial park honouring Australian and some British POW soldiers during WWII, when the Japanese imposed death marches across the country. Of the 2,500 prisoners, only 6 survived the marches, all from Australia after they escaped.

Ben our tour leader showed us round the park and explained that as the Japanese departed they burned all that was left in the camp, as a result there was little evidence of its existence, save for a couple of old machines that sit in honour of those who died at the camp and on the marches.

Mid-afternoon we arrived at our hotel for a 2 night stay and were pleased to be greeted by a pool and sunshine.

In the evening we headed into the waterfront for dinner with the rest of the tour group for some chicken curry and Tiger beers. A nice treat to finish another enjoyable day of this magical tour of Borneo.

Looking forward to tomorrow when we will be visiting Sun-bear and orang-utan sanctuaries to see both in their natural habitats.