Today has probably been one of my best days of the trip so far. I had no plan, met up with Ezi from the hostel, and just went with the flow of things.
It started at 10am when my new buddy, Ezi (Izham from Kuala Lumpur) invited me to join him on his short trip to Kinabulu's National Park. I gladly took up the invitation and joined Ezi in our walk to the long distance bus station. It makes things so easy if you find someone to spend time with if they can speak the local language (Malay).
He was able to negotiate a very cheap 40RM 1.5 hour taxi ride to the foot of Mt Kinabulu. This compared very well to the 15RM or so 2.5 hour bus ride. In the taxi, I met a very unique fellow, 'Wildu' who is on holidays from Kuala Lumpur. Once again, I was really impressed by the friendliness of the Malaysians and their genuine interest in Australian life. We compared notes for most of the journey and arrived at the park at 12pm.
Ezi and I walked for about 30 minutes and found an isolated cafe, passing by some stunning scenery around the Kinabulu park area. I left the ordering up to Ezi, who chose typically Malaysian dishes including green vegetables, soup, chicken and fish, all for the princely sum of $6 for two (including drinks).
After refuelling, we headed up the hill to the park's entrance. The difference in entry fees between foreigners and locals is astounding - about 500% all up. Whilst Ezi only had to pay 3RM to gain access, I had to pay 15RM. Everything in the park had a price attached to it but I figured it was going to a good cause. We spent about an hour or so navigating the base of the mountain including a very nice garden. Being backpackers on a budget, we sneakily joined a tour group for no cost. The tour guide gave Ezi a few dirty looks but we benefited by learning about the poisounous and edible plant life. A very interesting tour!
Apparently, we had to go to Kandasan (about 20 minutes from the park) to catch our pre-arranged taxi back to Kota Kinabulu. Having no other form of transport, we decided to hitch hike. Given that I was with a local Malaysian, I didn't really mind, even though I have never done it before and don't really advocate it. But it added to the fun and adventure of the day. Before not too long, a truck stopped and picked us up. A very jolly fellow, he didn't speak a word in English but Ezi was our translator. Ezi will be heading to Melbourne in February for 4 years of study in Finance. Life is particularly good for Malaysians who complete a degree internationally, especially UK, USA and others like Australia.
Kandasan was an interesting place, with no tourists whatsoever. But the town was set in picturesque surroundings and had pretty friendly people.
The weather quickly turned bad so it was good to be heading back to KK. In hindsight, I'm very glad I didn't climb the mountain... to tell you the truth, even though I made Taman Negara, there is something about mountain climbing that doesn't do it for me. Other tourists have assured me of how 'self-fulfilling' it was, but after hearing a fellow hosteller's 3 falls on slippery granite, I was very glad to give it a miss. I'll get my self-fulfilment through other means!!!!
I am very glad to be sitting here today, given the maniac of a taxi driver we had on our return to KK. He was a terrible driver with speeds up to 120km on mountain roads. And the weather was terrible. Fog was setting in, rain periodically made the driving more hazardous, and incoming traffic made for a terrifying drive back. Why on earth does he need to overtake so much I kept thinking? Malaysian drivers are terribly impatient... makes life as a pedestrian very tough. But I thought to myself that this driver has probably done this trip many times and knows the conditions/road intimately. But when he started to yawn, lean forward, and drive crooked, I held on tight for dear life!
I was extremely relieved to turn up to the hostel unscathed. After a bit of a break, Ezi and I hit a local Indian restaurant. I had a unique meal of a mix of chicken and vegetables inside pastry which looked something between a pizza and pancake. Like all other meals here, it was delicious. I am thoroughly enjoying the food here, but like to mix up the Asian with the western. I can't stomach Asian for 3 meals a day. The breakfast of 2 minute noodles don't really do anything for me.
Tonight I met a couple from Holland who are travelling RTW for a year. Patrick and Carolien are on their way to New Zealand for about 9 weeks - spending most of their time in the South Island. They were great to talk to... they're at the 4 month point of their 12 month trip and are loving it. They were able to fill me in on a lot of details, especially in relation to the first month ... I still feel like a tourist and getting use to some elements of the world of a backpacker. Of the nationalities I've met, I'm really enjoying meeting up with the Dutch (makes me hang out even more for my visit to Holland in May/June). I've met up with a few Dutch... including the guys on the Taman Negara trip, and even in the tourist office here in Kota Kinabulu. The Dutch are down to earth, friendly and great travellers... I find there to be a really distinct difference between the Germans and Dutch I've come across.
To maintain my sanity, I think it's going to be really important to maintain a balance between busy/relaxing/touristy days and a wide range of accommodation types. I don't know how budget backpackers stay in $6 a night hostels for the duration of the trip. I'm glad that my budget gives me some flexibility, but I'm already behind by about a week!
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