Not so WILD Borneo
Trip Start
Sep 05, 2006
1
42
89
Trip End
Ongoing
Kota Kinabalu,
Malaysia
Monday, January 29, 2007
Bear with me here, Im not quite sure what I'm trying to express or how exactly to express it. I'd imagine that most of you might be looking at that map of south east Asia, and noticing where I am on that map you must be thinking 'man, hes really out there in the cuts, out in the bush in the wilds of Borneo. When I look at the map, I think the same thing a lot of the time, but it couldn't be farther from the truth. Id expect myself to have realized this by now, but this continues to amaze me. Since I've had a couple days to take in the city of Kota Kinabalu, I've been wandering around a lot. Today, my wild and crazy Borneo adventure landed me in a mall. There are several malls in KK, but this one rivals malls like Walnut Creek, or for all you Colorado folks, Cherry Creek. Its really posh here, and this one even has a water front with swanky bars and seafood restaurants. The cities in Borneo are not wild at all, and are in fact incredibly modern. Bars and restaurants are lined with flat screen TVs and soft lights pulse underneath the bar top while businessmen, local and foreign, sip on stout drinks in their fancy clothes. Young girls walk around with mobile phones that possess technology I dont think I've ever seen before. There is a new resort condominium living complex going up along the waterfront whose interior designs are so space age, each unit is complete with a lap pool, and the complex itself has hovercraft access for all of us who drive hover-crafts. When westerners think of Borneo, most of us probably have no idea where it is to begin with, and if we do, your average person might consciously or subconsciously think that Borneo's residents are third worldly, backward, poor, and out of touch with the global economy. I find myself constantly expecting to be out in the bush, roughing it with the locals, living off the land but its just not like that. Two seconds in any Borneo city will throw these misconceptions out the window. Granted...Borneo is home to an impressive rainforest system, and lots and LOTS of farmer families. Like the photos one might get on a BBC report, the people who inhabit these lands might look dirty (farmers get dirty in the US too), dress in beat up clothes (who wants to wear nice clothes while working on the farm), and might be eating their lunch on the roadside. But thats just not the complete picture. As I was strolling through the mall today, I was clearly the worst shopper in that mall. All the women were dressed to impress, elegantly so, with class and men wore collared shirts and slacks. The mall was chalk full of Gucci shops, Levis shops, and all kinds of designer clothing and technology vendors. I on the other hand, have little idea about the latest technology in video, music, and communications, I smell terrible, and I'm wearing clothes that haven't been washed in weeks despite continued wear. I wandered around with my head just starring up through the levels upon levels of shops and had no idea where to begin.
I think life is so much the same here as it is in the US for a lot of people, its just the people look a little different, the wealth looks a little different and the poverty looks a little different. However, the inequality gap here and in the US feels very much the same. Its not that Borneo's poor are living in slums of burning garbage as they do in India, rather their lives are equivalent to a poor working family's in the US. Same for the rich.
Like I said, I'm not exactly sure what I'm trying to express, and I know that there are places that I've been in the world where I would not say these things, India, Nepal and Vietnam in particular. It is interesting to encounter this feeling in such 'wild' places though.
Comments
How interesting and not surprising
So much of the world, including the US, is divided betweeen the 'haves' and the 'have nots.' Has been that way for a long time, and will likely to continue for years. Perhaps one of the most significant challenges you face (and all your friends) is to figure out how you will tackle HUGE global issues in this context. How will we deal with global warming in rich and poor countries? How will we deal with health issues? Rich versus poor? How will we deal with food and water allocoations? Rich versus poor? Your generation will have to face these enormous questions like no other generation has. Your trip is giving you a perspective that will allow you to make a difference based in experience, knowledge and practicalilty. Good for you. Keep it up and keep us informed. We are living vicariously through you!
Love,
Mom
thanks
John, I continue to look forward to reading your travel blog. Today I was reminded of themed shopping in Las Vegas and I really enjoyed learning about the botany of bananas several entries ago! There's a good chance that I'll never visit any of these exotic places but your excellent commentary and great pics are the next best thing. Thanks for the insights. Give Kristina a hug for me when you see her! Namaste, Catherine
TdeL
Hey John
Any chance of heading back to Malaysia to check out the Tour de Langkawi? It started yesterday and lasts a week.
rob
Langkawi
Hey rob,
Yah, im aware that the TDL is going on, I guess my timing wasnt right. Who races that anyway? Its a peculiar place to have a bike race as well, especially a multi stage race over so many days. Its a small island, I drove around its entire perimeter on a small, slow motorbike when I was there.