Home Again (in four days anyway)-- Sore-y Seems to be the Hardest Word

I'm not going to bore you to death with all the details that I can't remember, so I'll give you the Dane Clark version. Mr. Clark was a colleague who liked complicated stories summarized into four or five words maximum.  All in all, it's been pretty much perfect, with so many amazing things along each day.

Day 1 of the Discovery Sabah Tour -- Go to Mt. Kinabalu Park, go for a leisurely walk in the jungle, with the towering peak looking straight down to you.

Day 2 -- Walk/hike/die for 8 hours up the mountain, but not sore or stiff when arriving at the summit camp. Go to bed at 7:45pm, I think I was one of the last to go to bed. Slept magnificently.

Day 3 -- Starts at 1:30am, climb to the top starting around 2:45am, get there at 5:30 am just in time for the sunrise, get back down by 8am. Have breakfast for a second time. Then continue down all the way to the very bottom, down a different route than which we came up. Officially almost dead, as the sore muscles from the day before finally kick in.

Day 4-5 -- We stay at an amazing jungle retreat, at Kinabatangan. Unfortunately, no one can really walk without pain.  Two afternoon cruises on the river, one in the morning, a walk in the jungle somewhere in between. Great food.

Day 6 -- All still in utter pain, as we head to Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation/Sanctuary Centre. Amazing morning and afternoon feedings. In between, a bunch of them hiked over to where we were eating lunch in the restaurant.  I asked the volunteer honourary warden if they liked Hamburgers or Chickenburgers (that's what most of us had for lunch that day) ... she replied, in a very abrupt manner "I'm not answering that". Anyway, we stay at a gorgeous almost luxury place right beside the Centre. By nighttime and a hour or so in the pool, going up stairs is bearable.

Day 7 -- Selingen Island (Turtle Conservation Island)  two islands belonging to the Philippines are right beside us and the beach is a perfect picture postcard, though the snorkeling water was very shallow at low tide. Some turtles, in a massive surprise to all of us, hatched in the sand right beside us and the race was on to get into the ocean.  The real action should have really been on the other side of the island, after dinner ..... but we got some bonus action.

After 8:30pm, the drama got fun. On the designated beach away from the snorkeling area, the mother turtle swims up and about half an hour later, she is ready to drop exactly 100 eggs into the sand pit, slowly, one by one by one by one which takes around 20-30 minutes. The park ranger gets his men to notify us and only then are we allowed to come out and watch the magic unfold.  After her eggs are all dropped (and unknowingly from her point of view collected by the staff member) she is measured and her ID tag is noted for future reference. In fact, she is a return visitor to lay eggs, as all mothers return to their beach in which they were born. Something to do with magnetic crystals in their brain. Must research this when I get home ... or maybe ask some science teachers ??   :o)

Immediately after, around 73 turtle hatchlings are released into the ocean, two months after the eggs were dropped by their mother. At nighttime, they have a much safer entry into the ocean, since their natural predators would not be aware of them, and after all, it's pitch black, unlike the ones we watched earlier in the afternoon.  We are all very, very lucky to see all of this up close and personal.

Day 8 -- Leave the island for a early morning return speedboat ride back to Sandakan. All the local Muslims are celebrating the end of Ramadan and wearing their best colourful clothes to celebrate.  Almost feels like Burma again, a chance to take colourful pictures of everyday people doing everyday things. But today is not just any day, it's a holiday and all are celebrating.

We fly back to Kota Kinabula and the markets and the waterfronts are full of even more locals decked out on their Monday best (sounds weird ... I know). Last real day of the tour.

We might go to the cultural village tomorrow and then go kayaking with our tour guide the next day ... as he has some time off. Sounds great, I can get some more exercise while sunburning ... Wow ... sign me up for hard labour and lobster training ...

I'll be back .... just around the corner.

:o)

Gonna Make You Sweat ...

It's tough to put the last 6 days into words ... so many things, so many images, so many drops of sweat pouring out of you. I won't even try to recreate everything in words.

Two days in Bako National Park ... we stayed in a run down national park chalet that almost had a real bathroom, but boy was the food ever good !!  Made up for that for sure. Spent most of our time hiking around the trails, followed by a few nice beaches to swim around at the end. Most of the other entertainment centered around three types of monkeys to stare at. One was adorable and not shy, one was a pain in the bum and not shy in the least, especially around our cabins, while the last was ... well I can't say much because he was far up a tree, and with the lighting, it was tough to really see his face. [late edited added on part] But I just went over my pictures just now, and I was surprised how many times I almost got his face.

The fireflies at night were cool too, as well as some of the other insects that only really come out at night.

The short flight from Kuching over to Mulu National Park was a bit depressing and confusing at the same time.  You see the huge scars on the land where the forest has been cut down. The palm oil plantations are huge rectangles, side by side in huge tracts of land, so at least it's still green. But the scars made for logging roads, or mining, or just the logging of the area is just depressing. The lungs of the planet are being removed for progress, as many would argue the area needs development just like any other area of the world. I suppose if I flew over areas of Canada, or BC specifically where clear-cutting had happened I'd feel the same.  But it's just more depressing knowing that being able to replant a tropical rain forest is just a bit trickier, if not almost impossible. I wish I knew more about it all ... maybe I don't.

But the cottage I stayed at the Mulu National Park was great ... the hostel room had four massive beds and it was just me, my own little castle. Perfect to put all my stuff on all the beds so I could figure out what exactly I should bring me for the following three days while hiking.  It took awhile, but the decision to figure out what should be sent ahead of me was easier than I thought .... 8 kg and $40 later ... but not everything could be carried anyway.

The park is amazing ... that's all there is to say.  Imagine the most amazing cave system  in the world (and the biggest cave opening in the world) it is there. Imagine millions (yes, that's right millions) of bats living in this cave and most of them coming out in swarms at 6pm ... they are all there way up in the sky just like a flock of crows.  Imagine suspension bridges over rivers that make the Capilano Suspension Bridge look like child's play and make you seem like you are in the middle of an Indiana Jones movie. There's 5 of them. Imagine the most amazing sounds coming from every direction while walking 20 km in the jungle ... and it's every second. Vines more than frequently dangle from the treetops, as you are waiting for Tarzan to swoop by; but he never did.  It's very relaxing despite the heavy pack on your back, as the sweat just saturates all your clothes.  The strangest part is, you are covered by the canopy above you from the sunrays, but as soon as you stop, the sweat just keeps pouring on.

The only snag was on the first day of the hike the water level on the river was very low and we had to push our canoe a large amount up the river. The first time I didn't realize we'd have to get out and got pretty much my entire shorts soaked ... but that was ok, I changed after we visited a simple village and had my swimming shorts on the rest of the three days. Then it felt more like an adventure, not like an exercise to keep my wallet and passport dry.  Luckily everyone was in good spirits while pushing our three canoes over and over and over, so morale stayed strong, when it could have easily gone south.  Luckily day two and three the canoes weren't necessarily to push, as our boatmen were pretty clever guys, and the water levels were just high even so that we weren't needed. We got really rained on though the second day of hiking, so the camera had to be put away. A real shame, there were some very beautiful red bark trees that lined the riverside, which gave us gorgeous contrast with all the greenery. I was hoping for more of the same trees on the next day, but apparently they all went on vacation to Redwood National Park in California. Hope to see them in the upcoming 10 days, but I wont' hold my breath.

The first night at Camp 5 was more than basic, which was ok, but the rooms (well, they weren't really rooms per se) were pretty tricky to get a real sleep. No pillows, just my pack and a mosquito net. Then the good news and bad news. The bad news was we had swarms of wasps in our eyes and ears pretty much the entire time, the good news is they didn't sting. But  5 or 6 wasps at a time around your shoes, hanging clothes, & food got pretty aggravating after a few minutes, let alone the 15 hours we were there.

The second night we stayed at a local house within a Iban Longhouse. I had a pretty good idea of what it was going to look like, but then we got there and it wasn't anything I thought it would be. In former tours they actually went to a traditional longhouse, but the cleanliness and overall practicality wasn't very good. So we stayed at a families house, and all 12 of us were able to fit all our mattress, pillows and bug nets within their living room. And their house was one of 34 houses that were all connected together in one long house. One row of 34 houses on one side, and 34 more on another ....

Anyway, we are in Limbang now, and I'll finish this later ... gotta go to pick up my laundry. First time in about a month and a week I've had it done.

Ciao for now.

Welcome to the Jungle -- Try Whistling This -- See you Soon

Not much to say, despite sneaking in three song titles ... I changed hotels, then hopped onto a shuttle bus to the Sarawak Cultural Village, which was about 45 minutes away. Nice drive out of the city, the tourist attraction is right beside a fancy resort called Damai Beach Resort.

I was very suspicious that it would be a complete tourist trap, but luckily, it wasn't.  Seven very good examples of the different types of people that live in the state of Sarwak. Tall house on stilts,  Iban Longhouses, other longhouses, so pretty much one from each native group. Not cheesy at all, just a good example of things I'll see when we enter the real thing on our jungle treks.  A good way to spend the afternoon, especially when you've already walked up and down the riverside a few times.  On the "Who Cares?" file, I bought two very intriguing bird whistles at one of the village houses.  Oh boy the sounds they make for such a little thing !! I can't wait to use it on late students while I'm looking down the hall at them. Kinda like giving a kid a slingshot for Christmas, or the year we got "Hungry Hungry Hippos". Except with these things, no one gets hurt, just annoyed. They cost $2 each, so it's almost free entertainment ... if you know what I mean. Hehehehehehehe ....

After I got back, we met the group at 6pm. Our leader is a real local character, not very old, from Sabah State, in the north half of Borneo. He's not our leader for the entire 19 days, just the first 10.  Mostly young couples in the group this time around, completely the opposite to the group in Myanmar. Two mothers with their young daughters, one German and one English, but the English daughter is a lot older, about 16 or so, so it should be interesting to see how we all make out with these isolated jungle circumstances. It's not Disneyland for sure ... not even Euro Disney.

Lots of Germans ..... Danke !!

So we leave for the Bako National Park tomorrow, for three days, and then fly over to Mulu National Park. Lots of nights sleeping in one large longhouse, all with the bugs and mosquitoes flying around.  I bought my Off ... let's just hope it works.  I won't have any access to the web for about a week at least ... so I'll see you soon.

Be good ...  :o)

What am I Doing Hanging 'Round?? / Photograph -- Kuching, Malaysia.

I don't think Def Leppard  had orange hairy primates in mind when they sang "Photograph" back in 1983. I don't think Michael Nesmith of the Monkees did either. I don't care, I'll use both anyway.

Kuching is a pretty neat little place, much more modern than I ever imagined. Nice riverside, although my current hotel is a long walk away. But that's ok. Walked around last night after figuring a few things out, and got today's stuff organized.

Hopped on a shuttle bus to see the ultimate animal I've never seen yet ... the Man of the Forest, the Orangutan at the Semenggoh. I know we will see them again on the tour, but I've heard more than a few people say the ones down here at better, closer, and better to photograph.

I know they are right.  At 3 pm, you are allowed to walk along a trail, but none came out after hearing the master's call for about thirty minutes. But that was ok ... as five were around the main entrance area, doing their usual things. Hanging around (hahaha), eating bananas, swinging from rope to tree to rope and just being who they are.  I loved that zoom lens, and took about 400 photos though maybe I've kept 250 for now. I'll have to edit some more tonight. They are usually really hard to photograph since so many things can be in the way, but this was like taking candy from a kid. So easy .... worth the $15 shuttle and entrance fee.

So tomorrow, I'll head to the Sarawak Cultural Village before the group meeting at 6pm. I sincerely hope it won't be a tourist trap, I'll have to keep my fingers crossed. Anyway, there's about 12 of us on our tour, many older people it looks like, parents with kids, etc, as I dropped by the tour hotel a few times already. I haven't met the tour leader Danny yet.

The weather is fantastic, hot, dry, barely a cloud in the sky.  I think my arms got a little red today. I just have to drink lots of water still ... I can't under any circumstance get sick in the next three weeks.  This will be a completely different trip.

Either Side of the World

Boy ... what a difference a few hours on a plane can make.  Three hours after leaving Yangon, and arriving in Kuala Lumpur, you remember just how modern the rest of the world is ... three hours is like 40 years.

So here's the deal ... my plane was suppose to leave at 6:50pm, and arrive at 11 pm at KL. However, in Myanmar, they have a very strict rule on planes leaving the country. That plane can only leave AFTER all the incoming passengers clear customs, just in case there's someone who shouldn't be allowed in and as a result, they potentially send them back on the return plane. So .. we are delayed about an hour and a half.  Now you're are thinking ... big deal?  Ahh ... but I have a shuttle bus for my hotel and the last one leaves at 12 midnight.

Then I find out the Air Asia (Low Cost Carrier) terminal we arrive at is about 15 km from the International Terminal and THAT's where the shuttle leaves. On top of that, I have to clear customs and get my bags too.

Quick as a flash, I get through customs in about ..... 1 minute. I'm serious, I give him my passport, I get it back, Bob's your uncle !!  Go to the baggage belt, get it in about 2 minutes. I'm thinking this is too good to be true, for now.  Then I find the area to get my inter-terminal shuttle. It leaves at 12:30 am, and I tell the driver I need to get to the Concorde Inn. He tells me it's his second stop ??? What ??  His broken Indian English was confusing. I stay on, and we go ..... and get to the terminal by around 1am. We pass the hotel twice, but keep on going, and I figure he'll drop me off last, since he is the last bus of the night, and no taxi drivers wanted to help me since I was going so close by.

He drops me off at the teminal, and says to phone the hotel. I tell him three times I don't have a phone. He doesn't seem too worried about that small detail. He says "No problem, you phone them, they will pick you up". I go inside the International Terminal Building and I have their phone number. I see five pay phones nearby .... ALL of them are out of service. Yay .... but luckily, like an angel that God has nicely strategically placed for me, I find some young women just off duty from their store in the terminal. One lets me use their phone, at around 1:10 am and the hotel tells me to wait for about half a hour as the driver is on call, but will get there. Whew .... I say thanks and give the woman a big hug (she was actually very pretty) and although this is a cultural no-no (since it is very, very Islamic and conservative) I don't care. She was clever enough to figure out I meant no harm and just wanted to show sincere appreciation.  So, as I wait, the group of women get picked up by their company transport van and they all wave and are still smiling.  So ... good, they get it. I'm in my room by 2:15 am. Piece of cake, like I said.

Hotel was very nice, very comfy bed and had a few hours of sleep until  BOOM ... BOOM ... BOOM ... thunder and lighting storm all night long. I get up at 9 am, actually feeling rested, ready for breakfast.

Heaven ....

Cereal, waffles, fruit, bacon .... juice. The first real breakfast I've had since Koh Chang in Thailand.

Flight to Kuching ... piece of cake.  Although I forgot I had bottled water in my bag while going through security. The security guys laugh at my stupidity and I down it right then and there. Only to find out after I go down the stairs that there's a massive water cooler dispenser in the gate waiting area. I suppose a tank of water is safe than a 500 ml bottle. After 11 years, airports are still funny places ... I have given up figuring the whole mess out.