I was in Kuala Lumpur without a helmet or riding kit and no idea what was in store but a couple of emails and a phone call later, I was on my way to Sabah. My guide for the next five days, Bryan Wade, met me at the Kota Kinabalu airport.

Shortly after leaving the airport we turned onto a gravel track and Bryan switched to four wheel drive. As we climbed up and up, I caught glimpses of the city lights below but soon we were enveloped in thick cloud. A couple of kilometres later we burst into clear air and I was greeted by the startling sight of the clouds below us illuminated by a bright moon and there, perched on a pinnacle above us, were the twinkling lights of Sinurambi.

We swept into the drive to be greeted by Terry and Rose the owners of this most unusual home. After introductions I was shown to my grand room with great views across to Mount Kinabalu.

Following breakfast the next day I was given a brief introduction to the controls of the Aprilia Pegaso Trail, we then descended the same five kilometres of gravel track down the mountain that we’d climbed the night before. I was given the choice of having my bike ferried to the bottom or having some coaching from five times British Motocross Champion Bryan. Opting for the later I soon felt confident as we set off for the day’s trip.

The scenery that first day was simply majestic. We followed the foot of the Crocker Range before ascending a winding 2,000 metre mountain pass lined on both sides by thick jungle.

As we crested the summit we could see the fertile central valley below and another range of mountains off in the distance. We dropped down to the little market town of Keningau, threaded our way through small back streets to pick up a narrow lane that winds its way along the banks of the River Regalan. Terraced rice paddies and small holdings were being tended by farmers who were amazed at the sight of foreign tourists riding past their isolated homes. Chickens, goats, ducks and pigs all scampered out of our way as we rode through this rural idyll.

We watched a blacksmith forging parangs and hand tools from old truck leaf springs. We called in at a communal village threshing mill where farmers brought their rice. The miller was pain in either rice or money. A trip into the jungle revealed a row of cabins swathed in smoke where villagers were curing huge sides of wild boar over beds of smouldering logs.

Our return journey home involved another crossing of the Crocker Range with countless twists and turns revealing more breathtaking scenery. We arrived home around 4 pm to be greeted by a tray of ice cold drinks. Beer has never tasted so good.

Hospitality back at HQ included top quality food, classically cooked local ingredients with Aussie wines and brandies by the pool to conclude.

We were accompanied on the next day’s ride by a support truck which carried our gear for our two nights’ stay on Labuan Island. The route south took us through forest and along some very isolated gravel trails. We stopped to take photographs of a row of charming old Chinese shop houses bearing the date 1939. This is one of the few buildings left standing by the Japanese after the war. Eventually we reached the flat lands of the Kuala Penyu Peninsula. The scenery and vegetation changed dramatically as we were led down a tiny track through swamp land, dense undergrowth, screw pines and casuarinas to emerge on a vast beach. Kuala Penyu means “Place of the Turtles” and on moon lit nights these leviathans of the sea still emerge to crawl their way across the beach to lay their eggs. For many years the locals have raided their nests and sold their eggs openly in the local fish market but efforts are now being made to protect these endangered spices and their precious eggs.

We crossed the river on a dilapidated old ferry and called in at a fish market where we bought a couple of sea bass. We took them to a nearby open air restaurant where the proprietor happily filleted and cooked them for us. We sat spell bound, looking out across a sparkling sea, watching fishing boats come and go while enjoying a simple and perfect meal.

Progress was much slower after lunch. The laid back pace of Sabah was getting through to us. The support truck had gone ahead to ensure its place on the Labuan Ferry. We meandered our way down country lanes, through tiny villages where the residents were surprised to see strangers and little kids ran out to wave us through.

The nice thing about riding a bike is that you can always get to the front of the queue. As we approached the long line of trucks and cars waiting to board the ferry we were ceremoniously ushered to the front. We grabbed our tickets from the open window of the waiting support truck and rode graciously up the ramp to be first aboard the rickety ferry.

Our hotel for the next two nights was the Manikar Beach Resort, built in 1992 and now a little seedy. The receptionist told us: “The lift isn’t working, the telephone is out of order and the TV has only one channel.” The rooms and the pool were spotlessly clean.

That evening we all clambered into the open back of the support truck for a short ride to a well known local seafood restaurant.

Next morning we split into two groups, the Aussies went off to see the War Cemetery and we went exploring the island and its magnificent Buddhist temple, relaxation and culture.

Instructions were to be down for breakfast for 6am ready for departure for the morning ferry back to the mainland. Once again we enjoyed the privilege of priority boarding and watched hoards of migrant workers clambering onto the ancient vessel. Once across we stopped briefly to fuel the bikes then we blasted south to Sipitang, near the Brunei border. We then embarked on the “Tenom Trail”, a recently completed highway climbing high over the Maligan Mountain Range and eventually descending to the spectacular Padas River George.

After a 350 kilometer day we all returned to Sinurambi exhausted and elated. The evening was spent quietly downloading photos, swapping stories and I prepared for my departure back to the UK the following morning.

Breakfast was depressing with the Aussies setting off for a trip across Mount Kinabalu to Sandakan, the Spilok Urang Utan Rehabilitation Centre and the Kinabangan River with wild elephants and proboscis monkeys while I was headed for the airport!

Discover more at www.borneobikingadventures.com