more from Malaysia
I dint manage to find a pizza place and had to make to with a peanut butter doughnut (malaysia is obssesed with peanut butter) which was intresting ass it wasnt sweet at all. Aftr a nap we got some taxis out to the war memeobial park. The japnease used Borneo as a staging post duing WWII and held around 2000 POWs on the Island, mainly Ozzies. When they war was nearing an end they took them on death marches, in totla 6 people survived only escaping and that is how we know wat happened. Today the area is a park and done really nicely. We were all a little ashamed that we didnt know much about wat had happened. After the park we went to the buddit temple with view over the town. Then we met Han for dinner at the english tea rooms, wehre we got Pimms and red wine as well as English style fish and chips all finished off with a game of croquet and some cheese cake as it was shavouot! After dinner we headed down the hill fort he hotel, almost at the bottom the stairs dissapeared due to land slipp and there being no street lights it became a bit of an assult course! We decided to head out to some bars for a bit. Han chose the first bar which had lots of scantily clad ladies and some strategically placed poles! All the bars we wnt to had karakoe in which was weird espically as it was old skool hots like the back street boys and westlife!! the bar we ended up in was like soemones front room with big sofas and a screen fro the karakoe, which some chinease were slughtering and next door were pool tables which some of us escaped to! Eventually we called it a day.
The next morinign it was off to turtlue island so we had early breakfast, I joined han as I bumped into him as I left the hotel, then we stocked up on supplies. Turtle island is an hour from the mainland and allows only 50 visitors a day. All there is to do is sleep, snorkel, sunbathe and chill out until the evening when the turtles show up. We stocked up on beer, wine and snacks. We got to the island and headed tot he beach for snorkeling and sunbathing. I then thrashed Han in an UNO tournament followed by a nap. Then we attempted a volley ball game with just 6 of us, it is safe to say I will NEVER play for england. By then it was 'happy hour' as Rex calls it so time for a beer. Before dinner there was a video on the turtles then dinner then waiting, The turtles come into the beach once its dark, dig a hole and lay eggs, which is wat everyone wants to see. SO you wait untuil a ranger comes to get you so you can watch the egg laying. That night there wernt many turtles so we waited a good 2 hours then say the egg laying then most people went to bed. Some of us hung around till midnight to watch another turtle. Then it was off to bed ( I nearly fell down the turtle hole due to a little too much red wine!). The next morning it was back to the main land to head to Sepilok where the orang Utans live. We drove over and made it for the 11 feeding. This is a major attraction in Borneo and very disappointing. You walk along a a bit into the edge of the reserve and then the orang utans come along some ropes for some food then leave again. I wasnt feeling it. Anyway we went. Then I went back to sleep off the last of the drink while some of the others went to the rainforest park. After chilling out we went to see the Proboscius monkeys which are only found on Boreno and have very sill y noses. This was more expensive but worth it, we had a 4x4 journey there then when they feed then they do it right in front of you and there were 3 types of monkeys, I like the silver backs. After that we chilled at the hotel, and yet more UNO was played till quite late.
We had a relaxing morning chilling at the hotel then around 11 we headed off to the airport to fly back to KK. We got there everrything going fine, I went to check in and the lady politly told me I was book on the flight the following day! I booked my ticket in January. Well I had to bay 100 ringet more than the last ticket to get on the flight, I was more embrassed and annoyed than anything! The flight was eventless. The place we were staying in KK was out of down and on the beach, it had a swimming pool and everything, it was really nice. Everyone headed into town, but as I didnt want to shop I wasnt going to go until Han offered to take me to Pizza hut! So I got the bus with him we did some jobs he needed doing then we met his friend and went for pizza!! Obviously we ate too much. His friend drove us back in Hans car after a cocktail in their usual hang out. That night was our last so we were having dinner and celebrating Andreas birthday which was the next day. The girls were already a bottle of wine down and it only got messier. I couldnt eat but somehow Han did, he may be small but he dosent half put it away! Then the wine kept flowing and the mssiness began. As the night went on some said their goodbyes and left. Around 12 the hardcore group was still going but they were very drunk, as we decided to call it a night Han started being sick, so we left him to it. The girls decided to so skinny dipping, but only after they had jumped in so they then took their clothes off, at this point andrea realised she had her camera with her! When Han finished being sick I put him in his room, and went back to Faye who was sharing a room with me. I put her to bed then went doen to find the other half naked girls talking to Han in his room and him not noticing their nakedness!!
The next morning there was a lot of filling in of the previous nights events, mainly pieced together by photographic evidence. It was safe to say Han was worst off! Most people including Han had left by 11, I tried to nap, repacked my bag, and chilled by the pool until I had to leave at 5. I flew back to KL and arrived around 10.30, at about 12 I made it to my hostel and crashed out.
The next morning I deciced to find out about trecking in the national park, more jungle. I went to find the tourist info which is closed down and ended up in the Islamic arts museum instead, its really intresting espically the part on the architecture of mosques. After that I went to book my flight for vietnam a week later and headed back tot he hostel to find out if I wanted to treck or dive. After talking to the travel guy, chris, I decided to join a treck that night to the North of Malysia. It involved packing up very quickley and repacking my unwashed jungle gear. I chilled for a bit then joined the 7 others for our 12 hour train journey. We were 3 couples and me and Yan as the non couples. We got on really well, Helen and Tony had taken early retirement for a big trip, Mark and Racel were taking a Gap year, Nacho and annastasia were on a 3 week holiday and Yan had been in india for 3 months voulnteering. We had a great time though not wat we expected.
When we arrived at Dabong we had breakfast and went caving, I say we. I got to the first cave and backed out, by fear of tight spaces kickingin. I chilled out watching the butterflies for an hour instead. The others got messy without me. The guide, uncle, kept appologising for not noticing my dissapearance, I explained I didnt mind! From there we had lunch and then we went to treck up the waterfall to base camp. The treck wasnt hard but the path was we were climbing up tree roots, it was very cool! After 1.5 hours we got to base camp which was at the top of one of the tires of the waterfall about 1000m up. The veiw was stunning. We washed in the pools and chilled out. That was about all there was to do. I introduced everyone to UNO which went down a treat, and helped us to spend the evening. We were an unuaslly large group so 2 of the couples had their own hut then 4 of us were in together on the floor, it was cosy! we intended to get up for sunrise the next day as it rose over our view point. However there was cloud cover. Helena and tony didnt get up as Tony thought it was raining, hed forgotten we were by a waterfall!! I gave up and went back to bed and was joined shortly after by the others. After we got up again we had a late breakfast then were told we were going for a treck at 11. Yo took us on the treck, he is slightly crazy. He showed us how to make animal traps and different plants. Then we stopped for lunch further up the waterfall. After lunch we went down the waterfall to find natural pot holes where the water is reallt deep and you can fully submerge. From here we went back to base camp to chill out, have dinner and go on a night walk, we saw nothing, I was very dissapointed.
The next morning we wernt woken for sunrise so missed it, we wernt woken when we expected to be. We had a very late breakfast which made us late for absailing. So everyone got one go at going down, though Yan and I went again was we decided we didnt need long to pack. Then we practically ran down the track, which was very slippy and like a comedy film with us all sliding everywhere. It was a quick lunch tehn the others got their train up Noth. I had 7 hours to kill. Just as I was ondeing what to do, Uncle's wife asked if I wanted to go to her house to wash and sleep. I was so grateful. I went back and kipped in the hamock then washed and hug out with her family. Auntie Lyn has 4 kids the eldest speaks very good english so she translated. We went for a walk around the village and chilled out in the house. I really liked being with them as they were so welcoming and it was a perfect finish to the trip. After an almost tearful goodbye to the family I got my 12 hour train back to KL.
I arrived about 8.30am and went straight to sleep. When I finally got up I had breakfast with one of the girls form my dorm. We got chatting, she had been working ofr an NGO for 7 months living in the hostel we talked more it turns out she worked for Mercy Malaysia and NGO RedR come over to give training to and she knew our trainers. Its a very small world. I didnt do much htat day I just played on the net did some shopping and had dinner. I bumbed into Adrea and Emma form Borneo who were on their next intrepid trip up through malysia to bangkok. The I hung out on the rooftop bar chatting to chris.
So today I intend to do not much, I know ill be busy in vietnam so im in no rush to do much. Im thinking of going to the artifical beach to sleep and thats about it. Tonight im going out for ladies night cocktails and blue cheese pizza!! I love KL. Friday I fly to Vietnam to meet Lizzie, its all very exciting!