- 05 th Feb 2013
New Jersey native Violeta Tentomas, founder of new Sydney-based label West 14th, spent her summer exploring the wilds of Borneo. Here, she shares her holiday highlights and packing essentials.
Summer reminds me of fun, outdoors and adventure, so we travelled to Borneo over summer. It is exactly what I needed. Borneo is an island between Malaysia and Indonesia and it’s divided between these two countries and Brunei. We spent our time on the Malaysian side of the island in the Sabah area.
We climbed Mount Kinabalu, which is 4,000 metres high, to reach the summit at sunrise, and journeyed down the curvy river of Kinabatangan to spot rare wildlife (which paid off with a rare sighting of wild orangutans). Then we visited Semporna, and finished off in the remote rainforest of Danum Valley to stay in an ultra-luxe, peaceful lodge. The experience under the sea on Pom Pom Island was a standout – incredible snorkelling and beautiful white beaches right outside our door – and the inspiration from this experience is already being put to work in the new season.
You should research and plan your trip before you go. As we were looking for an adventure, we expected to be able to show up and travel at our own pace. We were quick to realise how far apart places are and guides are required to accompany you. Who knew? I would highly recommend dining at the Filipino fish markets for dinner. Pick your fish, fresh from the day’s catch in Kota Kinabalu.
I’ve developed a warm-weather holiday uniform over the years of travelling. To save on luggage space, my advice is to bring only your favourite pieces! For me this includes cut-off denim shorts paired with loose-fitting tees for daytime tooling around cities with big dark sunglasses. I bring a couple of bright coloured bikinis and cotton gauze maxi dresses for lazy beach-hopping days. Always wear a wide-brim hat for sun protection. For night it varies from silk mini-dresses with strappy sandals matched with newly discovered market bangles, or silk West 14th camis with silk shorts.
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