Borneo - I'm in love!!
Trip Start
Nov 26, 2008
1
9
10
Trip End
Ongoing
Pontianak,
Borneo,
Indonesia
Sunday, May 18, 2008
It's a shame about all the natural disasters going on at the moment. Sometimes it seems whenever Asia seems to be improving something knock them back. In Kuching the other day there was a storm going on outside about 2am, just a normal storm but strong enough to send a few things flying. It was horrible though to think of the people living in shacks in the slums on the other side of town. Makes you realize how devastating Burma's cyclone must have been.
On a happier note though, I here the UK's been getting some decent weather! I can't imagine it. I can't wait to get to a cooler, less humid climate. My skin is shriveling! It's nice to hear from you, I love getting emails like that when I'm over here.
It's been a while since I last wrote, guess I got lazy J I've just left Borneo which was amazing. Fell in love with the place, apart from a few hassles. It's predominantly Muslim so a single girl walking around by herself gets a lot of unwanted attention. I think it's considered culturally weird for Malay women to go anywhere alone aswell so I was asking for trouble really. That plus the corn coloured hair! Every stopped and stared, all cars would beep, mopeds would turn around to hassle and follow me, at bus stations drives would grab me to try and get me on their bus, it was ridiculous. And men kept on giving me their business cards, I've got a stack of the blasted things. After being there a week I decided to wait for Jenny who I traveled Cambodia and Laos with. That helped me, but she said I was going to cause a car crash if I didn't cover my hair!
Ah well, it was amusing. Before Jenny got there I went on a 3 day rainforest safari. It was on the Kinabangtan river in East Borneo. In the morning before heading to camp we went to Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary. We saw loads of adorable orangutans there up close, I later went back again, I fell in love with those creatures! It took a good 3 hours to get to camp including 1 hour by boat, then a 15 minute walk through knee high mud (recent rains had turned the area into a bog) but eventually we made it to our rainforest sanctuary. This little sanctuary was basically a boardwalk with little aviary style huts on the side. It felt like being on the wrong side of the bars in a zoo! Early in the morning around 5ish we'd have cheeky macaque's (nightmare monkey's that like to steal everything) looking through the bars longingly at our bags, wanting to steal all our stuff. They were quite successful with a few people too. They took shoes, clothes, and the condensed milk plenty of times. It was a constant war with them!
In the 3 days, 2 nights we were there, we went on 2 morning river safari's (6am), a night river safari, and day and night jungle treks through the rainforest (the night one scared me senseless!). We saw plenty of crocs, proboscis monkeys (the funniest looking creatures I've ever seen), millions of birds - we had 3 very keen Danish birdwatchers with us, they had binoculars and huge cameras and insisted on stopping for every single bird, I didn't have binoculars but I liked the first few hornbills, around the 15th I started getting a wee bit bored! - umm, gosh I can't remember. Seeing orangutans in the wild was the highlight. We saw 2 together in one tree which is unusual as they are solitary animals so were probably getting into mischief. And there was one right by our camp, we walked under it whenever we went to the jetty. Love those animals. I held a scorpion, saw a tarantula (I sqealed!) and mangrove snake (more squealing), all sorts of spiders, caterpillars, lizards and plants that were far more interesting than you'd expect. Saw the smallest frog in Asia, 11mm, that was a nightmare to find, and plenty of other adorable frogs. I think I have a thing about frogs. In the camp we got hassled constantly by the monkeys, wild bearded pigs roamed round freely, and civet cats turned up at midnight, which I wasn't warned about and subsequently made me jump out of my skin! We washed by throwing buckets of muddy water that was pumped out of the river / swamp. That was a little too close to nature for me, I stank! I also felt at one with the mozzies. We had torrential downpours every day from 2-4 which was used as a great excuse for a nap. In between all that we'd play volleyball and lounge in hammocks. I wanted to stay longer, returned to civilization though, I had to get straight on a bus back to KK, 6 hours, and was suddenly aware of how smelly I was. Jungle living is not good for personal hygiene!
I got off the bus at Kinabalu National Park, I'd booked to climb the mountain the next day and was terrified. I'd convinced myself I wouldn't make it as I haven't exactly been keeping the fitness levels up for the last 5 months. It also didn't help that Jenny had been feeding me facts about it being 3 times the height of Ben Nevis at 4095 metres. I have no idea why this bothered me as I've never climbed Ben Nevis but there you go, the mind can be an irrational thing when it feels like annoying you. Also I'd seen Claire (cousin) a couple of weeks before who couldn't walk as her legs were so stiff after climbing!
The night before I met a guy called James in my dorm who was also alone so we agreed to share a guide which was good news for my bank. He did however keep mentioning mountains he's climbed in the last 6 months which didn't help my confidence. So next day we set off at 8am. Pick up our guide from reception, get a minivan to Timpohon Gate, the starting point, where our guide tells us to follow the path and he'll catch up later. I'd just paid 70 ringitt for him and he was already slacking! The first part was 6km, with 7 rest stops en route. I thought it was great! So much fun. James wasn't so impressed with the 3 million steps and was calling me Billy as I was hopping up them like a mountain goat. I think he was a bit peeved as I'd been going on beforehand that I wasn't sure I make it, turns out it was no problem! We stopped at each rest stop and chattered away to people going up or down, I loved that part, until James would drag me away to do some more walking. Whenever he couldn't find me I'd be talking to someone, whenever I couldn't find him he'd be hidden behind a tree with a load of guides smoking a cigarette. No wonder he struggled! I did feel bad though as he was suffering from altitude sickness before we even reach Laban Rata. Laban Rata was the rest stop for the night before going up to the summit. It was about 7 degrees there and I was frozen. We went to bed at 6pm, shivered, then got up at 2am for the rest of the climb. I rented a jacket from Laban Rata, it was an adorable bright orange thin jacket that did absolutely nothing. I teamed it with a bin bag against my skin, a few other layers, and my pyjama bottoms as they were full length. Also had my 60 ringitt trekking shoes (yep, less than what the guide cost) which have now become my best friend. It's pitch black when climbing to the summit, I had a headtorch, and started walking. It was more steep steps (more like walls than steps!) like the previous day for the first half hour. Then we reach a rope. This surprised me I'll be honest. Without thinking I grab the rope and haul myself up...then froze. I suddenly decided to develop a fear of heights. I just had no idea how I was going to get down. There was a steep drop beside me and my hand on the rope was the only thing keeping me alive...basically the story of Asia's health and safety laws. Anyway, the first bit was the worst, the last slog to the summit was more steep slopes. You need the rope but it wasn't a steep drop. It was 2.8 km to the summit and James started growling after the first 1km so I left him to it. I got there at sunrise to the most amazing view. I loved it. I wanted to dance around but there wasn't much space and a big drop beside me to Low's Gully so thought better of it. Everyone was sweet, congratulating everone. One guy proposed to his girlfriend. Then they all set off back. And I was still there. By the time frostbite had set in on my fingers and buttocks James turned up. He didn't look good. He could barely stand for the altitude sickness. I felt quite sorry for him. Then we set off back down, me hopping and jumping, him growling. We were quite the pair.
Going down was not fun. I jarred my knee, was limping and not impressed. Worth it though. Now I need to go find more mountains to climb!!
5 days later I could just about walk again.
I've also been to the Niah Great Caves to see my ancestors! It was a huuuuge cave. Pitch black. Terrifying. Jenny turns into a gibbering wreck on slippery surfaces for some reason and I'm not too keen on the dark so we were quite a pair, squealing the whole way through with one torch between us. Bats were swooping over our heads and super humongous grasshoppers were blocking our path on the boardwalk...however when there was light it was pretty wicked. I had my picture taken next to Batu Niah (town) Sungai Niah (river) Niah Cave Inn (self explanatory) and any other sign I could see!
Well those were the highlights of Borneo, I'd better not mention everything as I'm sure you have other things to do today!
I'm in Pontianak now. If you ever get the urge to come here...don't. It's on the equator line but the equator monument is being renovated. No one speaks a word of English and everyone claims to not understand a word of my Indonesian Bahasa. I get harassed just as much as in Malaysia but the women and children are sweeter, they just giggle hysterically and hide. Makes buying food and drink kinda difficult though. Actually I'm being cruel, it's not all bad, I'm just being cranky as it's lonely, and it's the harassing that I remember most. There's been some sweet people. Walking here to use the internet a guy on a moped did a rather questionable U turn on the busy road, and drove after me. I ignored him at first as usual as I try to encourage them. It was only when I stopped that I realized he just wanted to shake my hand! He gave his name, I gave mine, then he drove off looking pleased as punch! I also walked past a school sports day the other day and all the kids stopped and cheered as I walked past. I went bright red! And at 6am every morning in my hotel these 2 women walk round persistently knocking on doors until the person answers to offer coffee and food. First lady I said no too and closed the door, the second I shouted through the door but she kept on knocking. So I open the door, she immediately get's her foot in, barges in, sits on my bed then starts setting up her little market stall in my bedroom whilst chattering away in Bahasa!! These things I don't mind though, even at 6 am!
Badminton's the national sport here. There as obsessive over it as the English are about football. Everywhere I go there's big screens showing matches, and crowds of locals cheering away at the screen. In my hotel lobby there's a tiny TV that all the guests crowd around, sitting on the floor, on the stairs, getting very exited! It may have been lost in translation but I'm sure one guy asked me who my favourite player was. I didn't have a clue so I said Lucy Chafe, a welsh player, - I think they may be scouring the channels for her now! Checking in after that I changed my last name!
Well, tomorrow I get a ship to Semarang on the mainland. Should take about 40 hours so I've opted for 1st class. It's cost me an extra 100,000 rupiah (about 5 pounds) to go 1st rather than economy (in Bahasa it's ekonomi, clinic - klinik, bus - bas, now where do you think they get these words from?!) but Jenny made me promise I'd spend the extra money just in case! She's got a point, economy is basically deck class, you run on, grab some floor space then wait for 40 hours. I've got a cabin so at least I can lock it and get some sleep. Semarang's not in the guidebook. I know this because I finished my last book yesterday and seeing as I have no one to talk to, and nothing to read, I've taken to reading the guidebook cover to cover! Ah well, not long now.
Yet again I've written loads. Once I start chattering away I can't stop!
