The Limetree Hotel Kuching

... inside the terminal and once inside I had to pass through more soldiers with machine guns to approach the counter. Then once inside the departure hall I noticed the place was crawling with machine guns inside and out.

I have found the perfect airport job that requires absolutely no people skills or personality. It seems that Indians and Sri Lankans like to arrive in the departure area and rack out for a nap. They just can't seem ...

... down for a rest. 3 hours later the rest of our group arrived (we were glad we had gone on ahead), Mark was surprised as he wasn't sure they would make it. At 2am the next morning we were woken by one of the staff to hear that the park ranger wasn't permitting anyone to summit due to bad weather - heavy rain and 70mph winds! Although we were we disappointed we were glad to be going back to sleep and 3300m still felt like a huge joint ...

Flight to Kuching couldn't have gone any better. Kevin got to play video-games all flight and Chelsey got served Ferrero Roches with their amazing meal on Air Malaysia.

First impressions: Men with machine guns in airport - Kevin went straight to them to talk so that he could check out the guns....Chelsey was chatting with them and didn't even notice the guns strapped across their chests.

After managing to figure ...

... the cliches relevant to people stuck somewhere or stranded in the dark. For example:
"Heyyyyyyyy"
"Helloooooo oo"
"We need your help"
"Is there anyone out there?"
"Can anybody hear me?'"
"Somebody?" (often followed by a quieter "anybody")

And yes, you do feel very ridiculous doing it, i was quite disapointed in myself for the lack of originality that came to mind when shouting for rescue.

The river is only about 5 metres across so ...

... how far away the boat was, whether I could get back, if the current was too fast and where was Erin. I lost concentration and breathed in a lovely mouthful of seaweed, popping up spluttering and further panicked. I kept on trying but my panic was approaching insurmountable. In the meantime everyone else was having a lovely time. James called me over and suggested that I put on a life jacket to give me buoyancy and help me keep my head up and consequently my snorkel ...

... In the blazing sunshine and extreme heat of kuching we decide to pop into the ethnology museum which has welcoming air conditioning. We learn about native culture and bits and bobs about Sarawak, its peoples and its animal and plant life.

It is our last night in Kuching and so head out to a popular local restaurant called The Junk which serves very good Italian food. We both had pizzas which were very nice, the service was just a little slow.

... complete with cheek pouches and impressive weight and character. We watched them from a respectable and safe distance - a great sight and the photos we took captured only a glimpse of what orangs are like - a memorable first! Once the fruit has gone, they disappear into the treetops. Great sight though!

Back to the Hilton. Then a stroll along the river front shopping parade (oddly termed a bazaar).
The usual mix of tourist tat, ethnic ...

... and mouldy but better than we had thought. Then we headed off into the jungle. In all the tourism brochures we had seen about Bako there was a photo of a stack in the middle of the sea surrounded by cliffs, so we went in search of it. We walked down to the beach where we were greeted by the strange sight of trees growing out of the sand, and then entered the jungle. We had walked about 2 steps when we saw a group of the elusive ...

... roof top patio. The kitchen was a nice touch because there is a large grocery store (Ting & Ting) just down Jln Tabuan that has lots of selection (and the cheapest water we had seen in Borneo - 1.5 liters for 0.90 RM0. The B&B Inn claims to be the only licensed hostel in town and had a special that advertised 3 Stella Artois (or Skol) for 10 RM. Although we would've preferred an A/C room for 40 RM, they were not available, so we paid 35 RM for a fan room ...

... dos veces al día. Los animales son libres de aparecer cuando se les llama, lo que es aprovechado como una atracción turística. Sin embargo, no siempre se tiene la suerte de poder verlos.

Llegamos a una explanada de hierba donde ya había algunos turistas esperando. A la hora correspondiente, nos condujeron al grupo, unos 40, a un mirador de madera dentro de la selva, rodeado de árboles y maleza. Los cuidadores nos pidieron silencio, antes de ...