Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2012 : Borneo

[article below is partly adopted from Lonely Planet]

It's a countdown of two months before heading to the year of mystery, 2012. A lot of people have planned to do a lot of things: studies to career,  relationship to marriage, and a long to-do list. Only a few choose to let go of these life burden and get packed on another kind of journey: Travel.

再過兩個月就即將邁入充滿未知數的2012年。大家都已經開始在規劃各式各樣的行程和目標， 以填補對未來的不確定。 從學業到事業，從感情到親情，蓄勢待發的準備在人生的下一個跑道上衝刺。鮮少人有想過用另一種方式開始人生的旅程 : 旅遊。

When people talk about the best places to travel, it’s often all about a city or a country. But if you forget to think regionally you could miss some of the world’s best travel spots. Here are Lonely Planet’s picks of the regions to put on your map from Best in Travel 2012. Chosen by a panel of Lonely Planet experts, they’ve been written up by Lonely Planet authors to give you that most contagious of ailments: the travel bug.

當人們提起去旅遊的地方，通常想到的是一個城市或是一個國家，鮮少會有人用區域性旅遊的方式來規劃行程。這樣的話就會錯過了一些世界最佳旅遊地。寂寞城市(Lonely Planet)旅遊網站因此推薦了一些2012年全球最佳旅遊區域，而位於赤道上的婆羅洲(Borneo)就是必遊的十大景點之一。



Borneo, which includes Sabah & Sarawak of Malaysia, is selected as Top 10 Regions Best in Travel for 2012. Besides its UNESCO Heritage site Mulu National Park & Kinabalu National Park, it is also well known for its exotic culture and exciting nature. Here is what Lonely Planet’s Asia Pacific Travel Editor Shawn Low has to say about Borneo : 

Borneo is to Malaysia and Indonesia as Hawai‘i is to the USA – a tropical island getaway. And the secret is nearly out: Borneo is one of the last remaining tropical paradises that won’t break the bank. The East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, tiny but oil-rich Brunei and Indonesian Kalimantan are home to the world’s oldest rainforests, the region’s third-highest peak and some of the world’s best diving. The indigenous Dayak peoples add a layer of intriguing cultural complexity and, of course, there is also that cutest of primates – the cheeky orang-utan. Better still, your budget will go a long way here. A typical meal in a local coffee shop will only set you back US$2 and tourist numbers are only 10% that of mainland Malaysia or Indonesia.

對於婆羅洲, 寂寞城市亞太區旅遊編輯Shawn Low做了以下的簡述:

"婆羅洲對於馬來西亞和印尼來說就好比美國的夏威夷 - 一個熱帶島嶼天堂。其奧秘在於婆羅洲是其中一個僅存的不需要花大錢卻能擁有天堂般享受的熱帶地區。東馬的沙巴州和砂拉越州，小而富的石油生產國汶萊，以及印尼的加里曼丹擁有全世界最古老的熱帶雨林、全區域第三高峰和世界著名潛水地點。當地的原住民達雅族的民族色彩以及可愛的人猿(orang utan)增添了這旅程的趣味性和魅力。更好的消息是，在當地的咖啡店用上一餐只需少過2美元，您的旅費可以在這裡用上很長的一段時間。同時當地的旅客只是馬來西亞和印尼大城市景點裡的10%，不需要擔心有人潮擁擠或人滿為患的憂慮。"

So what are you waiting for? Book a cheap ticket via Air Asia to Kota Kinabulu, Kuching or Miri to start discovering this virgin rainforest. 你還在等什麼呢? 趕快訂一張便宜的亞航機票, 從亞庇, 古晉或是美里開始您的熱帶雨林探險之旅吧。

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