Back to Kuching again!

  Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Thursday, April 9, 2009

So as Kuching is the main jumping off point we did have to return post Bako and spent the previous night hammering the Tigers (beer not the animals).

7am my good lady raises me and after my 3 hours kip I'm in shit state.  And hungover.  Or drunk?  Richie most certainly is anyway.

We are off to another National Park but only for the day.  This one is Guning Gading.  Richie starts off with us but retreats to bed due to his stumbling.

Anyhow, Guning Gading is famous for being one of the homes of the Rafflesia (largest flower in the world - wow I hear you all scream) and one of the most accessible in Borneo so we hit the jungles again (my trekking boots are taking a decent pounding at the moment!) some 2 hours away.

Having quite some time spare we ignore the 20mins walk sign to the Rafflesia and start trekking off another isolated path uphill.  An hour or so later we pop out into a beautiful deserted waterfall.  No sooner had we arrived, what seemed like a million miles away from anywhere then I need the jungle lav.  And not the easy one either.  Sparing you the detail I did have to hotfoot it over some rocks and erm, well, complete the transaction.  My mind was split between being bitten somewhere by a snake or being spotted by someone. Thankfully I think we were the only ones in the whole National Park that day.  And the only snake was the one between, ah-hem...I divulge.

Anyway, the bottom of the waterfall presented itself at the right moment as we were baking hot and I dived in (read that as tip-toed and whaled like a girl - it was about minus 2) for some refreshment.  Cracking stuff.  Sadly due to a camera 'error' we cannot access the pictures for this so you'll have to picture me in my keks swimming in a waterfall.  Not missing a lot.

Now in making the most of our time here we do the long trek and save the wee 20-minute jaunt to the Rafflesia until right before we need to leave (one bus a day to this place).  In climbing about 10,000 steep steps in 30 degree heat, 100% humidity we clearly realise it isn't this way and make for a different option.  After half an hour we finally find the right track to find the freaking area shut 'for maintenance' and come away plant-picture less!

Looking through our fish tank in Tracks

Back to the digs for a freshen up and after an un-explained change in management due to unforeseen circumstances we mosy out for a quiet evening.  I woke up later that night needing to check Frank the old chap as he was led on his back on the bunk opposite and not breathing.

He was alive.

Best bit comes at 6am the next day as we head out to an Orangutan sanctuary (Semenggoh).  Cath and Rich are in the kitchen eating breakfast and I'm dithering half asleep in the dorm, trying not to wake French & Frenchier and a Malay chap by dropping my deodarant can on the floor, then my pocket full of change across the tiled floor and then trip over my own bag, when I hear an almighty crash in the next room and Richie flies past me into his room (he had a little private room next to our dorm) absolutely doubled up in laughter.

Now, as it happens, old Frank has toddled at his slow speed through the room towards the kitchen.  In trying to keep quiet Cath & Rich close the sliding french doors.  As they watch him approach he does nothing but walk straight into them causing amusement all round.  Post-door-walking incident we can't look him in the eye.  Richie can't without pissing himself.

And again

Anyway, the day was fabulous.  It cost less than 2 quid for all three of us to go to the rehab centre for the Orangutan's and having visited Sepilok (the famous one) a few years ago, this place was far better.  Based in the middle of the jungle, it was a little more 'open' so to speak.

Orangutans

Highlight of the day was meeting the monster 'Ritchie' who's photo's show his size.  Fantastic trip out.

The big boy

That evening we have a flight onto Miri further up the coast.  Not very 'traveller' esque I appreciate, but the cost of flying with Air Asia is so low, once you have an 18 hour bus journey, food/drinks and one nights stop somewhere in the middle, a 30quid flight in an hour wins hands down.

And some more

Massive queue at the counter when we get there and being Brits we join the back to make it neater.  40mins later and some Granny just walks in front of us with her trolley.  This not conforming to our queue-ing standards we hatch a plan to oust her from this position she's jollied.  Cath does the 'backpack slide' involving throwing bags in front of her as she cleans them out like a proper scrum half.  We agree to lose the battle and spend the next 20mins laughing at her as she gradually nails everyone with her trolley to reach the front.  We consider asking for the seat behind her on the plane so we can kick it for an hour but decided against it.  I think it's only at home where anyone does queue (read 'Richie in India 2004' on our previous blog for info on how it doesn't work there either).

It was an early start!

Off we fly...