From humble beginnings as a two-person home-office operation, Sticky Rice Travel has blossomed into one of Sabah’s most respected travel companies – with a passionate and energetic team, and an office located in the heart of Kota Kinabalu. Our travel consultants are with you from the start of your trip-planning to the last day of your adventure, and our highly experienced guides are some of the best in the business. Join us for meaningful adventures in Malaysian Borneo!
DIRECTOR
Corporate world drop out, Jessica left the constraints of the corporate desk to head back to her hometown in search of something more. But the journey home was longer than expected, as she made a detour backpacking through Europe, Asia and then residing in Vietnam for a few years as a rock-climbing assistant, before finally making the move home to Kota Kinabalu. Once home she was quick to plunge into the deep blue becoming a dive master in just 8 months. She has an inescapable itch for the outdoors, but has found a balance by spending half her time at the Sticky Rice Office and the other out guiding National Geographic Adventure’s Indochina destinations. What excites her the most when travelling is the people and culture, the common thread among communities’ worlds away.
DIRECTOR & IDEAS MAN
Sometimes, things just fall into place by accident. Signed up for a global volunteer program in Indonesia, the program was re-routed for Sabah, Borneo where Charlie would unknowingly reside for the next 8 years. On the Kinabatangan he assisted in setting up community initiative programs for the community at Abai Village, in 2008 and then later working with the Penan Community in Sarawak. It was also during his time on the Kinabatangan that he and Atteh, our Sticky Rice Travel Nature Guide, first met. Guiding for National Geographic Adventure groups in Borneo, Charlie also trains our nature guides providing them with first hand knowledge and experience. Besides guiding, he is also an avid photographer, which goes hand in hand with his passion for wildlife, culture and travel.
GENERAL MANAGER
Grace joined us after almost ten-years in advertising, leaving the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur for a more active lifestyle in Sabah, and a better work-life balance with Sticky Rice Travel. Grace loves to cook, and enjoys treating her friends to weekend feasts. She doesn’t have a specialty dish, and prefers to cook sans recipe, using simple ingredients that bring out hearty and rustic flavors. You could say that her food is a reflection her personality – honest and straightforward. When it comes to traveling, Grace likes to focus on finding the right travel buddy, with the idea that she’ll have fun wherever she goes as long as she’s with the right people.
SALES MANAGER
When Jeremy is not preoccupied with being a Sales Manager, he uses his free time taking a refreshing swim or engrossing in a good read. As an inquisitive wanderer, he shoots off to destinations with great food, culture, and people. One place he is particularly fond of is Sandakan. A piece of advice he holds dearly is no better way to predict the future than to create it. Jeremy enters the office with a 100% self-discipline; a personal attribute that is important for him.
SENIOR TRAVEL CONSULTANT
From humble beginnings Herda approached Sticky Rice Travel taking interest in the targeted marketing and community project work that is encompassed within the company’s business model. Enjoying beach lined destinations such as Bali and Boracay as long as there is sand between her toes Herda is happy to soak up the experiences. Known around the office for being organised and result oriented Herda has her finger on the pulse at all times. In her downtime she loves long beach walks and loves to get away to the tip of Borneo (Kudat) to enjoy the sea breeze. Herda would love to one day visit Sulawesi & Bora-Bora, the culture of a destination is what particularly drives her curiosity whilst travelling. Secretly a diva on the dancefloor and 21 at heart Herda knows how have a good time. She can be forgiven for being somewhat biased but Herda maintains that the best place on earth to live is right here in Sabah.
TRAVEL CONSULTANT
Wendy is definitely someone who won’t shy away from the social crowd and is very comfortable around her peers. She brings her A-game and positivity to the office every morning with her infectious laughter that would surely put a smile on your face. She is a woman of steel as she is always able to take on whatever tasks that are given to her.
NATURE GUIDE – TEAM LEADER
Not many people can say they’ve introduced the royal couple to an orangutan and her baby. Dean can! Although he couldn’t get them to shake hands. Fueled by a curious personality, with the jungle as his classroom, Dean started guiding in his late teens. From nature novice to jungle guru, Dean quickly excelled, and joined Sticky Rice Travel after having won the esteemed Best Specialized Tour Guide award at The Sabah Tourism Awards in 2015. Further proof that we’ve got the best guides in the business!
NATURE GUIDE – TEAM LEADER
Rain or shine, Bedley is always bright with a smile. While working as a ranger at a nature reserve for Orang Utans, he first encountered these gentle great apes at the age of 21 years old. From there, it was no turning back as his enthusiasm for the wild wonders of Borneo grew beyond the orang utans leading him to getting his nature guide license and joining the Sticky Rice Team.
NATURE GUIDE
The ever-illusive Razis Nasri, aka Atteh, is rarely seen around the quarters of Sticky Rice Office, but spends most of his days guiding within the rainforest of Danum Valley. A part of the Sticky Rice team since the beginning, he’s enthusiastic about Borneo’s wildlife, landscape and people. Whether it’s a ukulele or his camera in hand, Atteh has an exciting spirit about him that is easily contagious.
NATURE GUIDE
The Stickies team is made up of a bunch of hardworking adventurers, which is what drew Akhmal to come knocking on our doors. His job as a guide gives him ample opportunities to share his love for Borneo and share a laugh with his guests while on adventures. With Mount Kinabalu being his favorite destination, it’s no wonder he enjoys rock climbing and running in his spare time. He credits his mother for the person that he is today, providing him with endless support and advice whilst living life by “always dreaming big and working hard for it”.
FLEET TEAM LEADER
Coming from a long line of guides in his family, Azriel hails from Kiau Village on the foothills of Mt Kinabalu where most of the mountain guides are from. His first ascent on the mighty mountain was at the age of 12 as most of his friends began climbing as paid porters. Apart from being a driver and nature guide, he is quite the gardener, often selling his homegrown vegetables to earn extra money in his teens and currently has a nice patch of golden pineapples back home.
CAPTAIN
Patric at the age of 18 began his career working as a car dealer, though with a prevailing interest in tourism and strong passion for the natural world he decided to pursue a career change. Starting off as an in-house and soon becoming an outgoing and incoming driver within Tabin. During his time working within a forest reserve he became totally captivated by wildlife and now expresses his passion to all the guests he comes across. These days Patric is based in Lahad Datu as one of the resident Sticky Rice Travel drivers.
ACCOUNTS MANAGER
Sweet and kind by nature, you can’t help but feel all fuzzy inside when it comes to Birtha. As the Accounts Manager, she aspires to help the team in recognizing their strengths and motivating them to bring out their very best. It’s no surprise why her colleagues and friends often describe her as very helpful and supportive. When she’s not in the office she’ll be treating herself to a spa by means of a massage to ease the stress from looking at numbers all week long!
SENIOR ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE
Living life by the advice, “Your last mistake is your best teacher,” is what motivates John to try his hand at a variety of interests such as cooking, singing, hiking, running, and photography. His vigor for travel is influenced by his appreciation for picturesque scenery and architecture in destinations such as Turkey, Semporna, and many more. Citing his parents as his pillars of strength, John is inspired by them to always maintain a positive and passionate nature – making him the type of friend everyone needs and the perfect addition to our pool of talented Stickies.
ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE
The romantic of the office, Siti dreams of strolling the streets of Paris baguette in hand while singing to Edith Piaf. Her sweet smiles belies her motorcycle driving skills – after helping her mother with dinner, she is known to pull the longest wheelies in Kota Kinabalu on her to a Karaoke session. Her incredible ability to manage both numbers and endless paperwork makes her an invaluable member in our team of number crunchers.
WEBMASTER
Karen is a blessing in disguise when it comes to managing and improving Sticky Rice Travel’s website. A true master when it comes to ensuring our online presence is on point Karen is our go-to for everything web related and has her finger on the pulse ensuring our website looks and feels amazing! Karen finds pleasure in travelling, gastronomic escapades, and photography and a keen enthusiast for editing and designing. One fine day, Karen wishes to live in Holland because of the weather, stunning flowers, and exquisite-looking buildings.
