I spent Tuesday to Saturday in Singapore staying with my friend Cara, husband Sam and newish baby daughter.
It was good to get to the condominium after my flight. I was more than a little delicate on Tuesday. I retired straight to bed on arrival and pretty much did not emerge until 6pm.
We then headed out for some food at a local Chinese venue (the Chinese make up about 70-80% of Singapore's population). I had 'chicken-rice' - it is no more exciting than it sounds, but after a day of not eating tasted delicious.
The days that followed were a nice mix of sightseeing and normal activities.
We visited the old colonial part of Singapore and the thriving Central Business District (CBD). We took the elevator up 56 floors to the top of Marina Bay Sands - this is a newish (opened June 2010) complex comprising three high rise buildings (supposedly in the style of a deck of cards) with a 'boat' on top. The boat includes a viewing deck known as the skypark and a 150m pool for residents of the hotel. The view was pretty cool and the pool is amazing. It is apparently the largest sized pool in the world found at that height
The complex is designed for rich Chinese. It has designer stores and an expensive hotel and a casino to rival those in nearby Macau.
After our day of sightseeing we retired to the Singapore Cricket Club, a truly ex pat experience. It is quite prestigious, but my friends Sam and Cara have managed to get membership. Typically sophisticated we drank beer with our dinner.
We decided to have a sports day on Thursday. This involved tennis at the apartment block in the morning followed by an 8km jungle run (for me) in the afternoon. What sort of nutter runs at 2pm in 32degree heat? Me apparently. I didn't stop sweating for an hour afterwards. Dinner was take-out from the Thomson Plaza, one of the many indoor food centres that sell an incredible range of foods which are cooked fresh for a mere 3-$5 (about £.250).
Friday began with tennis again and then I was booked in for a full body Javanese massage. She was not a shy lady and happily pummelled every area imaginable. She certainly exerted herself and belched twice over the course of my hour session (I think my appointment coincided with lunch). I left greased up with oil and floppy.
In the afternoon we went to the urban planning museum. Very interesting to see how well you can plan on a micro scale -Singapore is a city-state and really not that big an island (smaller than greater London) and when they run out of land they simply reclaim more from the sea! It was all designed according to a visionary masterplan - transport links are excellent, there are food outlets pretty much everywhere and green spaces are valued. Water is supplied by means of 15 man-made reservoirs which also serve as recreational spaces and waste is shipped out to an offshore landfill site.
Following my bus-man's holiday I took a hot and sweaty tour of some temples and sat in Raffles Square watching the workers start their weekend and contemplating the human condition. It was then time to head to the famous Raffles restaurant for dinner.
What a buffet! It was a culinary delight and I had six plates worth of the food. Very enjoyable.
On Saturday we fawned over orchids at the botanic gardens and then it was time to fly to Mumbai.
I arrived into Mumbai around 9pm Indian time to find out that my visa was not valid. The rules had just changed (you have to leave 2 months between re-entry periods). I sucked up to the immigration man who took me off to an office full of jobs-worth and I was rewarded with a re-entry permit form. Not before I had been well and truly grilled on why the hell I would travel via Mumbai and not spend a decent amount of time there. Fair question.
I took a cab to my pre-booked 3 star Best Western Emerald Hotel.
On arrival, I had an interview with the manager who informed me that several rooms were unavailable due to electric failure. And lucky me I was upgraded to the 5-star Sea Palace across the road.
Several more interviews later and I was escorted to room 108 by a grinning bell-boy (although boy is not quite correct as he was at least 50). He took great pleasure in showing me how everything in the room worked (including pulling back the covers of my double bed) before I shooed him off with 100 rupees.
I left to fly home the following afternoon.
It was a long flight and Heathrow welcomed us with chaotic queues at immigration. I waited one hour to enter the UK.
Still the cab ride home was entertaining. My driver's best friend is the some of Idi Amin! Apparently he had around 50 children. In case you're wondering how we got on to that subject it was the Scottish connection - Idi Amin loved Scotland. See the film Last King of Scotland if you haven't already.
And so endeth one great trip.
Monday, 30 August 2010
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Goodbye Borneo
I arrived back into Borneo on Sunday evening and basically had dinner and went to bed. The next day (Monday, 23rd August) I was up early to go and see orang-utans.
There is a rehabilitation centre at a place called Semaggoh about 20km away from Kuching. The centre rescues orang-utans that have been orphaned (for whatever reason) and then enables them to live in semi-wild conditions in the National Park. The Park is not large enough to sustain them, hence there are two supplementary 'feeds' a day, one at 9am and one at 3pm. I think there are around 20/25 orang-utans currently living there. They range from 29 year old males, including 'Ritchie' the dominant male to a female baby of only 1 month.
I went for the 9am feed.
I think we were very lucky as quite a few orang-utans came down that morning including the sizeable Ritchie and other mothers and babies and adolescents. There were a lot of people there and I couldn't help but feel a bit sad that their existence amounted to this. I'm sure it's better than a zoo, but being stared at twice a day whilst you try to feed can hardly be enjoyable for them.
In the afternoon I mooched around. I went to some museums and then sat in some gardens for a while, quietly perspiring in the heat. I then went for a drink and resigned myself to souvenir shopping.
I decided what I was going to by and came back to the places later on after I had showered. It was particularly hot on Monday.
One of the places had all sorts of indigenous souvenirs and the shopkeeper, who is of the Iban tribe, personally writes a statement of meaning to accompany every gift you buy.
Whilst I was waiting for him to write my statement they offered me a beer and I sat down and started chatting. Three hours later and I was still there (the shop had now closed) and I was getting increasingly spooked by all the shaman faces and war masks bearing down on me.
I was very hungry so we left to get some food.
They then invited me to a karaoke bar. I'm loathe to turn down an opportunity to sing in public and Asians love their karaoke, so off we went. Someone's brother drove us. I've know idea where we went but it was about 25 minutes out of Kuching.
The place was dead on arrival, so our party of four took it in turns to sing. I was treated to Malay and Indonesians love songs and then sang some of our own favourites - the Beatles, Wonderwall, Backstreet Boys etc.
At about 1am the place started filling up. Remember this is a Monday night. Everyone was well up for singing and vying for the microphone.
Word got around that it was my last night and I was constantly plied with drink. The bar owner personally said that I would not go without a drink that night.
And everyone got down. Malay people can bump and grind. Great fun. The first time I have been able to bust some of my own moves in a long time!
We left about 4am and I got back to a locked hostel. Several minutes of banging later and I was in. I 'slept' for about 2 hours and then left to get my flight to Singapore.
The 1.5 hour flight felt like hours in my fragile state. But, what a great way to leave Borneo!
There is a rehabilitation centre at a place called Semaggoh about 20km away from Kuching. The centre rescues orang-utans that have been orphaned (for whatever reason) and then enables them to live in semi-wild conditions in the National Park. The Park is not large enough to sustain them, hence there are two supplementary 'feeds' a day, one at 9am and one at 3pm. I think there are around 20/25 orang-utans currently living there. They range from 29 year old males, including 'Ritchie' the dominant male to a female baby of only 1 month.
I went for the 9am feed.
I think we were very lucky as quite a few orang-utans came down that morning including the sizeable Ritchie and other mothers and babies and adolescents. There were a lot of people there and I couldn't help but feel a bit sad that their existence amounted to this. I'm sure it's better than a zoo, but being stared at twice a day whilst you try to feed can hardly be enjoyable for them.
In the afternoon I mooched around. I went to some museums and then sat in some gardens for a while, quietly perspiring in the heat. I then went for a drink and resigned myself to souvenir shopping.
I decided what I was going to by and came back to the places later on after I had showered. It was particularly hot on Monday.
One of the places had all sorts of indigenous souvenirs and the shopkeeper, who is of the Iban tribe, personally writes a statement of meaning to accompany every gift you buy.
Whilst I was waiting for him to write my statement they offered me a beer and I sat down and started chatting. Three hours later and I was still there (the shop had now closed) and I was getting increasingly spooked by all the shaman faces and war masks bearing down on me.
I was very hungry so we left to get some food.
They then invited me to a karaoke bar. I'm loathe to turn down an opportunity to sing in public and Asians love their karaoke, so off we went. Someone's brother drove us. I've know idea where we went but it was about 25 minutes out of Kuching.
The place was dead on arrival, so our party of four took it in turns to sing. I was treated to Malay and Indonesians love songs and then sang some of our own favourites - the Beatles, Wonderwall, Backstreet Boys etc.
At about 1am the place started filling up. Remember this is a Monday night. Everyone was well up for singing and vying for the microphone.
Word got around that it was my last night and I was constantly plied with drink. The bar owner personally said that I would not go without a drink that night.
And everyone got down. Malay people can bump and grind. Great fun. The first time I have been able to bust some of my own moves in a long time!
We left about 4am and I got back to a locked hostel. Several minutes of banging later and I was in. I 'slept' for about 2 hours and then left to get my flight to Singapore.
The 1.5 hour flight felt like hours in my fragile state. But, what a great way to leave Borneo!
Sunday, 22 August 2010
Miri
Miri, Wednesday 18th August 2010
On Wednesday I left Kuching bound for Gulung Mulu National Park in the east of the island. My flights meant that I had to go via a city called Miri on the coast with a connecting flight to Mulu on Thursday morning.
I travelled on MasWings which is part of Malaysian Airlines and seems to serve the cities and towns of Borneo.
I arrived into Miri at about 2pm. I purposefully arrived late as it is reputed to be a bit of a dive. The rumours were true.
From the airport I went straight to my hotel, the Pacific Orient, a grimy mid-range place that kind of represented the city with it's below the surface dirt and slightly seedy air.
I left the hotel pretty sharpish and made for the tourist information, mainly to get information about Mulu, but also hoping for something to fill the afternoon.
The tourist officer recommended I go up to the oil museum on the top of Canada Hill. I asked him the direction and he responded that I should take a cab. 'How many minutes walking I asked?'. 'Oh about 30 minutes' he responded but you should take a cab.
Of course I walked and it was a sweaty climb and did involve a precarious crossing of a four lane highway (the city was not planned for the pedestrian), but it was a filler!
The museum itself was not so interesting to me; mainly an opportunity for Shell to market themselves. I did manage to extract some interesting facts though.
[Amusing interlude: Miri feels much more Asian than Kuching and definitely more seedy. For the first time since entering Borneo I was getting stared at a lot. On entering the oil museum two men jumped to open the door for me and one asked if I was single. I admired his direct approach].
Miri was born from oil. It is where the first oil well was dug in Malaysia in 1910 - one hundred years of drilling almost to the day (Wednesday August 10th). There are now 624 oil wells in the Miri Oil Field. Well number 1 became known as the 'The Grand Old Lady of Miri'.
Oil is the reason why Miri achieved city status in 2005 and is responsible for the relative wealth (and all the trappings that this brings - prostitution and the like). But, evidently some good has come from it from an infrastructure perspective.
I met a guy who I met earlier in the week on the walk down and we agreed to meet for dinner. We went to 'ladies night' at the local bar and drank lots of beer under the watchful eye of the proprietor who wore hotpants and tucked the notes into her waistband.
I retired to the hotel a little later than planned to the sound of booming music. I realised my room lay directly above 'Secrets' nightclub and 90s rave anthems seemed to be a favourite... time for the Bioears.
I was woken to telephone wake-up call at 6am (1 hour earlier than asked for). I was not amused, but at least I got my flight on time and could get out of this place!
Thursday 19th - Sunday 22nd August, Gulung Mulu National Park
I also flew to Mulu by MasWings but the plane was a tiny, lightweight aircraft. It was a short flight, just 25 minutes, but quite fun and great to see the rainforest from above. I was acutely aware of the irony of flying by plane to admire the beauty of a rainforest. It didn't sit too well with me. Nor did the knowledge that the National Park is actually land of the Penan tribe, nomads who were forced off their land so the Park could be set up. But more on that at a later date.
We arrived at Miri airstrip at 10am, basically a field with a bit of tarmac.
People were jostling for lifts to the Park HQ so I decided to avoid the crush and walk the 1.5km instead. It was pretty hot and luckily someone took pity on me and picked me and all my rucsacs up on his return journey.
Gulung Mulu National Park is the largest National Park in Sarawak, some 52,566 ha (compared to Kubah at 2,230 and Bako at 2,728). The dominant forest type is mixed dicterocarp (also the dominant forest on the island generally) but also has peat swamp, kerangas and montane forest. Now excuse the stats: there are 80 species of mammals, 270 birds, 130 reptiles, 50 fish species and somewhere in the region of 20,000 insects! Phew...
The Park is also a World Heritage Site and consequently is less 'free' than the others I have been too. You have to register and it's near on impossible to do anything without a guide. I see it as a rainforest experience for the novice.
However, it does harbour some incredible natural and cultural heritage, including Deer Cave, the largest cave passage in the world. This is also home to some 2-3 million wrinkle-lipped bats and it's the cave that everyone is familiar with from 'Life of Mammals'.
I booked to visit the cave on Thursday afternoon and I troop with around 19 others along a jungle trail to the opening. It was not really the jungle experience I'd become accustomed to, the only mammals I heard were of the human kind chatting about all sorts of drivel. Anyway....
I'm going to find it hard to write about the Deer Cave in a way that will do it justice on paper. I don't think I can. The place is incredible. Firstly the scale is immense, the interior is almost cathedral-like; there are irregular forms of rock and tiny pinholes through which a torch beam of light shines down and then there are the sudden openings through which a lush layer of vegetation can be seen. One such opening is known as the 'Garden of Eden'. It was truly beautiful, like walking out of the gloom and into paradise.
As you walk deeper into the cave you become more aware of the clicking bats and the restless activity above your heads and the stench of ammonia (from the bat's guano) pervades your senses.
This is a living chamber and a home to millions of bats, tiny swiftlets and numerous other oddities that thrive on bat shit!
I walked slowly back through the cave. Without meaning to get too sentimental I did feel like I had witnessed something unique and was quite moved. It felt life-affirming. Those experiences are so special and I felt quite emotional to be there and be part of it.
On exiting the cave we wandered to the 'bat observatory' to await the daily exodus of bats at sunset. They leave on mass to go and feed some 40km away at the coast.
It was raining and was shaping up to be less of 'Life of Mammals' moment and more of a bat trickle. However, they did come; and between the hour of 18:00 - 19:00 groups of bats rushed out. You cannot see them at the mouth of the cave as their dark shapes are hidden but once they break the skyline they dance and twirl around one another, snaking together in spirals and curves, entwined in an exit dance before heading to the coast.
I wondered what it was like to be a bat at that moment; do they tremble with excitement before they flee the cave? Something we will never know.
On my remaining days at Mulu I visited some other caves (although it was difficult to top Deer Cave) and did some trekking. I enjoyed the park culture and staying in a large dorm and eating communally and drinking beer. It was quite relaxing.
Yesterday afternoon we returned from a trek and it started to rain; in torrents. It rained all afternoon and all night and into this morning. It was like some sort of biblical storm. Everywhere was underwater this morning; in some places waist deep! Luckily all the buildings are built on stilts.
Several flights were cancelled this morning, but I made mine this afternoon. Quite lucky really. I enjoyed the 'down-time' and finished two books but was itching to be off. Also hanging around the dorm starts to lose it's appeal. Looking around at the various bodies in repose and glum-looking people reminded me of a hospital ward. Good to get out!!
So, here I am back in Kuching but for one day longer only. Tomorrow I'm on a 7.20am (!) bus to go and see the orang-u-tuans. I hope to snatch a glimpse.
Jungle Spots
- a female stick insect hanging on with one arm to a gate; she is about 30cm long. A bit like cliffhanger.
- a bright red beetle wandering slowly on a trail.
- fireflies. Beadlets of light suspended in the night. Apparently the males signal to the females and if she responds with light he's in there.
- Raja Brooke butterflies sucking salty water.
Some notes on 'Jobs Worth'
1. The man who controls the elevator in the Thomson Clinic Singapore. And you thought working in a basement was bad..
2. The lady who dusts water bottles in the main bazaar, Kuching.
3. The man who sweeps leaves of the jungle trails in Gulung Mulu National Park.
On Wednesday I left Kuching bound for Gulung Mulu National Park in the east of the island. My flights meant that I had to go via a city called Miri on the coast with a connecting flight to Mulu on Thursday morning.
I travelled on MasWings which is part of Malaysian Airlines and seems to serve the cities and towns of Borneo.
I arrived into Miri at about 2pm. I purposefully arrived late as it is reputed to be a bit of a dive. The rumours were true.
From the airport I went straight to my hotel, the Pacific Orient, a grimy mid-range place that kind of represented the city with it's below the surface dirt and slightly seedy air.
I left the hotel pretty sharpish and made for the tourist information, mainly to get information about Mulu, but also hoping for something to fill the afternoon.
The tourist officer recommended I go up to the oil museum on the top of Canada Hill. I asked him the direction and he responded that I should take a cab. 'How many minutes walking I asked?'. 'Oh about 30 minutes' he responded but you should take a cab.
Of course I walked and it was a sweaty climb and did involve a precarious crossing of a four lane highway (the city was not planned for the pedestrian), but it was a filler!
The museum itself was not so interesting to me; mainly an opportunity for Shell to market themselves. I did manage to extract some interesting facts though.
[Amusing interlude: Miri feels much more Asian than Kuching and definitely more seedy. For the first time since entering Borneo I was getting stared at a lot. On entering the oil museum two men jumped to open the door for me and one asked if I was single. I admired his direct approach].
Miri was born from oil. It is where the first oil well was dug in Malaysia in 1910 - one hundred years of drilling almost to the day (Wednesday August 10th). There are now 624 oil wells in the Miri Oil Field. Well number 1 became known as the 'The Grand Old Lady of Miri'.
Oil is the reason why Miri achieved city status in 2005 and is responsible for the relative wealth (and all the trappings that this brings - prostitution and the like). But, evidently some good has come from it from an infrastructure perspective.
I met a guy who I met earlier in the week on the walk down and we agreed to meet for dinner. We went to 'ladies night' at the local bar and drank lots of beer under the watchful eye of the proprietor who wore hotpants and tucked the notes into her waistband.
I retired to the hotel a little later than planned to the sound of booming music. I realised my room lay directly above 'Secrets' nightclub and 90s rave anthems seemed to be a favourite... time for the Bioears.
I was woken to telephone wake-up call at 6am (1 hour earlier than asked for). I was not amused, but at least I got my flight on time and could get out of this place!
Thursday 19th - Sunday 22nd August, Gulung Mulu National Park
I also flew to Mulu by MasWings but the plane was a tiny, lightweight aircraft. It was a short flight, just 25 minutes, but quite fun and great to see the rainforest from above. I was acutely aware of the irony of flying by plane to admire the beauty of a rainforest. It didn't sit too well with me. Nor did the knowledge that the National Park is actually land of the Penan tribe, nomads who were forced off their land so the Park could be set up. But more on that at a later date.
We arrived at Miri airstrip at 10am, basically a field with a bit of tarmac.
People were jostling for lifts to the Park HQ so I decided to avoid the crush and walk the 1.5km instead. It was pretty hot and luckily someone took pity on me and picked me and all my rucsacs up on his return journey.
Gulung Mulu National Park is the largest National Park in Sarawak, some 52,566 ha (compared to Kubah at 2,230 and Bako at 2,728). The dominant forest type is mixed dicterocarp (also the dominant forest on the island generally) but also has peat swamp, kerangas and montane forest. Now excuse the stats: there are 80 species of mammals, 270 birds, 130 reptiles, 50 fish species and somewhere in the region of 20,000 insects! Phew...
The Park is also a World Heritage Site and consequently is less 'free' than the others I have been too. You have to register and it's near on impossible to do anything without a guide. I see it as a rainforest experience for the novice.
However, it does harbour some incredible natural and cultural heritage, including Deer Cave, the largest cave passage in the world. This is also home to some 2-3 million wrinkle-lipped bats and it's the cave that everyone is familiar with from 'Life of Mammals'.
I booked to visit the cave on Thursday afternoon and I troop with around 19 others along a jungle trail to the opening. It was not really the jungle experience I'd become accustomed to, the only mammals I heard were of the human kind chatting about all sorts of drivel. Anyway....
I'm going to find it hard to write about the Deer Cave in a way that will do it justice on paper. I don't think I can. The place is incredible. Firstly the scale is immense, the interior is almost cathedral-like; there are irregular forms of rock and tiny pinholes through which a torch beam of light shines down and then there are the sudden openings through which a lush layer of vegetation can be seen. One such opening is known as the 'Garden of Eden'. It was truly beautiful, like walking out of the gloom and into paradise.
As you walk deeper into the cave you become more aware of the clicking bats and the restless activity above your heads and the stench of ammonia (from the bat's guano) pervades your senses.
This is a living chamber and a home to millions of bats, tiny swiftlets and numerous other oddities that thrive on bat shit!
I walked slowly back through the cave. Without meaning to get too sentimental I did feel like I had witnessed something unique and was quite moved. It felt life-affirming. Those experiences are so special and I felt quite emotional to be there and be part of it.
On exiting the cave we wandered to the 'bat observatory' to await the daily exodus of bats at sunset. They leave on mass to go and feed some 40km away at the coast.
It was raining and was shaping up to be less of 'Life of Mammals' moment and more of a bat trickle. However, they did come; and between the hour of 18:00 - 19:00 groups of bats rushed out. You cannot see them at the mouth of the cave as their dark shapes are hidden but once they break the skyline they dance and twirl around one another, snaking together in spirals and curves, entwined in an exit dance before heading to the coast.
I wondered what it was like to be a bat at that moment; do they tremble with excitement before they flee the cave? Something we will never know.
On my remaining days at Mulu I visited some other caves (although it was difficult to top Deer Cave) and did some trekking. I enjoyed the park culture and staying in a large dorm and eating communally and drinking beer. It was quite relaxing.
Yesterday afternoon we returned from a trek and it started to rain; in torrents. It rained all afternoon and all night and into this morning. It was like some sort of biblical storm. Everywhere was underwater this morning; in some places waist deep! Luckily all the buildings are built on stilts.
Several flights were cancelled this morning, but I made mine this afternoon. Quite lucky really. I enjoyed the 'down-time' and finished two books but was itching to be off. Also hanging around the dorm starts to lose it's appeal. Looking around at the various bodies in repose and glum-looking people reminded me of a hospital ward. Good to get out!!
So, here I am back in Kuching but for one day longer only. Tomorrow I'm on a 7.20am (!) bus to go and see the orang-u-tuans. I hope to snatch a glimpse.
Jungle Spots
- a female stick insect hanging on with one arm to a gate; she is about 30cm long. A bit like cliffhanger.
- a bright red beetle wandering slowly on a trail.
- fireflies. Beadlets of light suspended in the night. Apparently the males signal to the females and if she responds with light he's in there.
- Raja Brooke butterflies sucking salty water.
Some notes on 'Jobs Worth'
1. The man who controls the elevator in the Thomson Clinic Singapore. And you thought working in a basement was bad..
2. The lady who dusts water bottles in the main bazaar, Kuching.
3. The man who sweeps leaves of the jungle trails in Gulung Mulu National Park.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Facing the fear
So a few days since I last wrote and a lot has happened. I've been staying in a couple of National Parks, so will try and fill in the gaps as best I can.
Kubah National Park, near Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo; Sunday 15th August 2010
On Sunday, I spent a lazy morning waiting on my lift out of Kuching. I went to Sarawak Women's Museum which sounds like a great idea in principle. It was quite boring though - just a lot of profiles of elite women. The third point in the write-up is 'husband's name and profession'!
When I got to Kubah NP I checked in to my dormitory jungle lodge to find out I was the only person staying the National Park that night!
I trekked the summit trail up to the highest point in the National Park (2,988ft, just shy of a Scottish munro, but I figure that the physicality of the trek puts it up there). It took me 1.5 hours up, 1 hour down. The view at the top was stunning; they have built a viewing platform above the tree canopy so there are great views around.
The heat was relentless and it was a real slog; thank god for cans of 100 plus! On the way down I got caught in one of the many rainstorms and this started the constant soakings I came to expect at least once a day.
Once down I made myself a frugal meal of noodles, fruit and biscuits (tasted delicious to me) and waited for the sun to go down before trekking up to the frog pond, home of up to 50 species of tree frogs (150 have been recorded in Borneo to date).
I was aware of all the sounds of the jungle; the honk of the hornbill somewhere in the distance, the wind through thick foliage, the crash of a brittle leaf falling to the forest floor. Quite atmospheric.
A strange barking begins around the lodge and I start to get freaked out. Everytime I move around the lodge it seems to follow me. I can't see anything in the half-light. I knew that if I could see the animal I would be less scared, but it remains hidden. I close all the curtains and my imagination runs riot. I try to be rational and tell myself that nothing can kill me in the jungle and I will trek up to see the frogs.
I leave at 7pm to walk thirty minutes to the pond. I feel strangely calmer when I'm outside again. I reach the pond and all is quiet to begin with, just the occasional chirrup. I circuit around the pond a few times shining my flashlight on the various tree leaves.
I spot my first frog in a tree about a metre away from me. It is tiny, irridescent green and maybe 5-10cm across, looking bewildered as the flashlight shines on it. As time passes and my searches become bolder, more frogs come into view. Some are literally at my eye level and huge!
After forty five minutes or so the sound is deafening; a cacophony of frogs calling deep into the night. I leave after one hour conscious that my flashlight is disturbing them.
I walk back down, no need for a torch as the moon is shining so brightly. Stars twinkle in the night sky bordered by the by the black silhouette of the canopy rainforest. I notice lights darting off to my left and right - fireflies; lighting up the sky like diamonds.
As I turn a corner I lose the moonlight and am enveloped by the dark night. The thirty minute walk down seems timeless, like I am suspended in the night.
In the distance I can see a light; I know it is my hostel.
I wander in and slowly begin to process my evening. Tonight has truly been one of life's marvels. And ironically people are paying 1,000s RM (malaysian currency) to stay in luxury resorts here and I have experienced all of the this for a few British pounds. Oh and the price of a pack of super-noodles.
Frog Encounter
A flashlight unfurls the coat of darkness
and it's golden beam reveals:
tiny eyes,
amphibious forms,
Green,
Black,
Red,
Brown
and stripes.
Suspended on a tree leaf,
or motionless on leaf litter,
Mouths opening in unison
to expel a mating cry.
Bako National Park, Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th August.
Today (Monday) I travelled Bako National Park to the north of Kuching. I awoke early having not slept on account of the strange barking in Kubah and banging around the lodge.
My pick-up arrives punctually at 8am and it takes about an hour to reach the gateway to Bako NP. From here you commandeer a boat (if you're a single traveller like me); otherwise it's all part of the package.
The twenty minute boat ride to the park is glorious. Although it has been raining incessantly since the early hours of the morning, the clouds and mist cast a beautiful light across the skyline. Looking south you see the imposing figure of Mount Santubong; the summit visible above a ring of cumulus clouds.
Arrival is a bit chaotic. There is one park attendant and everyone must register on arrival. You also have to decide which trail you are walking and enter it into a log book (all a bit pointless I think because if you get lost or injured in the jungle you probably are done for).
There are many daytrippers and most just hang around waiting to be told what to do. They are almost all dressed in standard issue plastic, yellow ponchos (perfect wildlife spotting attire), looking forlorn as the rain pours down.
I opt for the Tajor trek, through thick, steep jungle at the beginning before opening out into heathy, open forest, then moving to the coast.
After 3.5km you reach a waterfall, which is pretty average really. I trek on for a another 500m through thick jungle, cutting a trail as I go, before a steep descent to a beach at the northern end of the park. The beach is secluded, there is not a soul around, so I strip off (I forgot my swimwear) and go for a dip. Of course I have only been in ten minutes when three French people arrive!
It's a beautiful beach, mangrove sands as far as the eye can see, home to tiny burrowing crabs living in little pinholes. They rummage through the beach mud looking for edible detritus and leave little mud balls in their wake. A monitor lizard slinks around a rock and tries to steal my food. Otherwise all is peaceful.
I arrive back to my dorm room around 4pm totally exhausted. I shower whilst looking out to massive bearded pigs grubbing around on the grass. They are truly ridiculous looking and run on strange hooves that gives the impression they are balancing on stilettos. Naughty macaques are everywhere and if you are not careful they will whip the food right off your plate.
There is one eating place - a communal canteen where everyone gets together to eat food and drink beer. I have an interesting conversation with some Australians.
I go to bed at 9.30pm. There is no electricity, so no light and no fan. It is so hot you can scarcely breathe. I am woken abruptly around 3am when the fan and strip light suddenly come on all blazing at once. I was not impressed.
I get up at 6.30am to try to catch some proboscis monkeys on an early morning feed. Baby macaques are playing on the beach at high tide and bearded pigs chase one another across the grass. I take the Telok Delima trail and see nothing for 45 minutes or so and eventually I hear some crashing overhead and am rewarded with a view of a male proboscis monkey feeding. Proboscis monkeys are native only to Borneo. They have a huge nose and pot belly. They are known as 'Orang Belanda' in Malay which means 'Dutchmen'. I love that blatant bit of racism!
I do a number of treks over the course of the day. I have a stand-off with an adult male macaque on one of the trails - he goes for me with teeth bared, snarling. I was quite scared and unable to move forward until a group came along behind him and chased him off with sticks!
I climb up steep, trails with knarled roots underfoot to be faced with incredible coastal views at the top and shorter jungle trails with diverse botany.
At 4pm I wade out to meet my boat at high tide. Seven of us chug along and get back just in time to take the last bus home.
I am exhausted and reeling from all that I have seen. I feel and look feral. It's good for the soul.
Today I fly to Miri before heading to another National Park - Gulung Mulu tomorrow. It is home to the most extensive range of limestone caves in the world and the rainforest is 180 million years old!! Incredible.
Kubah National Park, near Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo; Sunday 15th August 2010
On Sunday, I spent a lazy morning waiting on my lift out of Kuching. I went to Sarawak Women's Museum which sounds like a great idea in principle. It was quite boring though - just a lot of profiles of elite women. The third point in the write-up is 'husband's name and profession'!
When I got to Kubah NP I checked in to my dormitory jungle lodge to find out I was the only person staying the National Park that night!
I trekked the summit trail up to the highest point in the National Park (2,988ft, just shy of a Scottish munro, but I figure that the physicality of the trek puts it up there). It took me 1.5 hours up, 1 hour down. The view at the top was stunning; they have built a viewing platform above the tree canopy so there are great views around.
The heat was relentless and it was a real slog; thank god for cans of 100 plus! On the way down I got caught in one of the many rainstorms and this started the constant soakings I came to expect at least once a day.
Once down I made myself a frugal meal of noodles, fruit and biscuits (tasted delicious to me) and waited for the sun to go down before trekking up to the frog pond, home of up to 50 species of tree frogs (150 have been recorded in Borneo to date).
I was aware of all the sounds of the jungle; the honk of the hornbill somewhere in the distance, the wind through thick foliage, the crash of a brittle leaf falling to the forest floor. Quite atmospheric.
A strange barking begins around the lodge and I start to get freaked out. Everytime I move around the lodge it seems to follow me. I can't see anything in the half-light. I knew that if I could see the animal I would be less scared, but it remains hidden. I close all the curtains and my imagination runs riot. I try to be rational and tell myself that nothing can kill me in the jungle and I will trek up to see the frogs.
I leave at 7pm to walk thirty minutes to the pond. I feel strangely calmer when I'm outside again. I reach the pond and all is quiet to begin with, just the occasional chirrup. I circuit around the pond a few times shining my flashlight on the various tree leaves.
I spot my first frog in a tree about a metre away from me. It is tiny, irridescent green and maybe 5-10cm across, looking bewildered as the flashlight shines on it. As time passes and my searches become bolder, more frogs come into view. Some are literally at my eye level and huge!
After forty five minutes or so the sound is deafening; a cacophony of frogs calling deep into the night. I leave after one hour conscious that my flashlight is disturbing them.
I walk back down, no need for a torch as the moon is shining so brightly. Stars twinkle in the night sky bordered by the by the black silhouette of the canopy rainforest. I notice lights darting off to my left and right - fireflies; lighting up the sky like diamonds.
As I turn a corner I lose the moonlight and am enveloped by the dark night. The thirty minute walk down seems timeless, like I am suspended in the night.
In the distance I can see a light; I know it is my hostel.
I wander in and slowly begin to process my evening. Tonight has truly been one of life's marvels. And ironically people are paying 1,000s RM (malaysian currency) to stay in luxury resorts here and I have experienced all of the this for a few British pounds. Oh and the price of a pack of super-noodles.
Frog Encounter
A flashlight unfurls the coat of darkness
and it's golden beam reveals:
tiny eyes,
amphibious forms,
Green,
Black,
Red,
Brown
and stripes.
Suspended on a tree leaf,
or motionless on leaf litter,
Mouths opening in unison
to expel a mating cry.
Bako National Park, Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th August.
Today (Monday) I travelled Bako National Park to the north of Kuching. I awoke early having not slept on account of the strange barking in Kubah and banging around the lodge.
My pick-up arrives punctually at 8am and it takes about an hour to reach the gateway to Bako NP. From here you commandeer a boat (if you're a single traveller like me); otherwise it's all part of the package.
The twenty minute boat ride to the park is glorious. Although it has been raining incessantly since the early hours of the morning, the clouds and mist cast a beautiful light across the skyline. Looking south you see the imposing figure of Mount Santubong; the summit visible above a ring of cumulus clouds.
Arrival is a bit chaotic. There is one park attendant and everyone must register on arrival. You also have to decide which trail you are walking and enter it into a log book (all a bit pointless I think because if you get lost or injured in the jungle you probably are done for).
There are many daytrippers and most just hang around waiting to be told what to do. They are almost all dressed in standard issue plastic, yellow ponchos (perfect wildlife spotting attire), looking forlorn as the rain pours down.
I opt for the Tajor trek, through thick, steep jungle at the beginning before opening out into heathy, open forest, then moving to the coast.
After 3.5km you reach a waterfall, which is pretty average really. I trek on for a another 500m through thick jungle, cutting a trail as I go, before a steep descent to a beach at the northern end of the park. The beach is secluded, there is not a soul around, so I strip off (I forgot my swimwear) and go for a dip. Of course I have only been in ten minutes when three French people arrive!
It's a beautiful beach, mangrove sands as far as the eye can see, home to tiny burrowing crabs living in little pinholes. They rummage through the beach mud looking for edible detritus and leave little mud balls in their wake. A monitor lizard slinks around a rock and tries to steal my food. Otherwise all is peaceful.
I arrive back to my dorm room around 4pm totally exhausted. I shower whilst looking out to massive bearded pigs grubbing around on the grass. They are truly ridiculous looking and run on strange hooves that gives the impression they are balancing on stilettos. Naughty macaques are everywhere and if you are not careful they will whip the food right off your plate.
There is one eating place - a communal canteen where everyone gets together to eat food and drink beer. I have an interesting conversation with some Australians.
I go to bed at 9.30pm. There is no electricity, so no light and no fan. It is so hot you can scarcely breathe. I am woken abruptly around 3am when the fan and strip light suddenly come on all blazing at once. I was not impressed.
I get up at 6.30am to try to catch some proboscis monkeys on an early morning feed. Baby macaques are playing on the beach at high tide and bearded pigs chase one another across the grass. I take the Telok Delima trail and see nothing for 45 minutes or so and eventually I hear some crashing overhead and am rewarded with a view of a male proboscis monkey feeding. Proboscis monkeys are native only to Borneo. They have a huge nose and pot belly. They are known as 'Orang Belanda' in Malay which means 'Dutchmen'. I love that blatant bit of racism!
I do a number of treks over the course of the day. I have a stand-off with an adult male macaque on one of the trails - he goes for me with teeth bared, snarling. I was quite scared and unable to move forward until a group came along behind him and chased him off with sticks!
I climb up steep, trails with knarled roots underfoot to be faced with incredible coastal views at the top and shorter jungle trails with diverse botany.
At 4pm I wade out to meet my boat at high tide. Seven of us chug along and get back just in time to take the last bus home.
I am exhausted and reeling from all that I have seen. I feel and look feral. It's good for the soul.
Today I fly to Miri before heading to another National Park - Gulung Mulu tomorrow. It is home to the most extensive range of limestone caves in the world and the rainforest is 180 million years old!! Incredible.
Saturday, 14 August 2010
When it rains, it rains...
Gulang Santubong, August 14th, 6.57pm.
Today my plan was to climb mount Santubong (c.810m), between the village of Santubong and Damai beach resort. I was woken at 8am to my hostel room phone ringing. Sarah managed to somehow get through from Canada. We spoke for about 45 minutes which was very nice despite the 15 hour time difference which meant I had literally woken up.. Anyway, too much information, but it has a point - my room is quite cell-like - there are no windows and a small bed in one corner, a small desk in another and much welcome air con. But, the lack of light means I won't wake up. I currently have no watch and mobile is kapoot so zero way of telling the time. So, lucky me I had a nice chat and got woken up.
I got to Santubong about 10am. I think I was a bit ill-prepared again. I've been quite blase travelling this time, but occasionally I get a wake-up call like I did today. Anyway I was wearing trekking sandals and had sufficient water so thought I would be ok.
You have to register at the start so they know who is on the mountain and ideally they take a mobile number, but obviously mine is on the blink. So, I off I went into the jungle enjoying the sounds again and the rich plant life. After twenty minutes or so I was soaked in sweat and realised this trek was going to be harder than I thought. I passed some workers mending a bridge and I forded a river next to them. I fell in, much to their amusement. I passed on, ego bruised a little.
The path started to get steeper and there were frayed ropes and tree trunks to hold on to at some points. Everywhere was slippy and I was getting a little nervous. The worst bit was a vertical drop. The rope was frayed and the rocks looked treacherous. I threw my bags down and then gingerly made my own way down. I worried about my ability to get back up again. I felt fear at this point. It's that sort of gut wrenching, throat gripping fear which only happens once or twice. The last time was on a trek on my own in Peru.
Anyway, ever the bloody-minded one I carried on.
And then the rain started. It's a rainforest. It rains a lot. It comes down in torrents and I was soaked through in minutes. There is absolutely no point in wearing waterproofs. It was weirdly calming and I was suddenly aware of the overwhelming, pungent smell of wild garlic.
I continued with water pouring off me, treading ever more carefully as the path turned to river. I saw an opening (if you've ever spent long periods in a jungle you'll know how inviting a open glade appears). I made for it and had reached a junction - the summit 2.5 hours or the easy(!) route down, 45 minutes. I thought I would continue up.
I saw a sprightly young guy coming down towards me who informed me that he had made it to the top, but that it was even harder than the way I had come. He talked of more frayed ropes and slippery rope ladders. Alarms bells started to ring.
So, the mountain or the rain or a combination of the two defeated me and I continued back down, sopping. Eventually it stopped and I sunned myself on a rock, drying out myself and all my soaked flight e-tickets and ho hum passport!
From the bottom I walked 2.5km back to my original start point to sign out.
The afternoon was spent in Damai Beach Resort; actually a horrible self-contained resort. The only saving grace was the beach which was stunning, looking out to Malaysian hilltops. Oh and they served food and beer.
Notes on food and drink:
I'm inadvertently eating like a Muslim at present (it's Ramadan) i.e. little during daylight, mainly because the heat kills my appetite and then several meals in the evening.
I had a Malaysian fried rice dish the other day - made with vegetables and pieces of chicken and prawn.
Today I ate Sarawak (the region I'm in) Laksa - basically a soup made with fish curry sauce, filled with noodles, chicken pieces, prawn, raw vegetables and sliced omelette. Very hot, but delicious.
Drinking is a must. Isotonic drinks are a favourite here and I've been enjoying several cans a day of '100 plus' - 'helps you maintain an active lifestyle', probably similar to the role that lucozade plays in treating diarrhoea!.
Top traveller tip
Internet places are few and far between in Kuching, but there is a Hilton hotel. The last couple of days I've been pretending to be a guest and have been getting unlimited access for free. Love it.
Tomorrow I spend a night in Kubah National Park and will hopefully see some tree frogs. On Monday/Tuesday I stay in Bako National Park, where I might finally get to meet a loris. We are similar in many ways..
Today my plan was to climb mount Santubong (c.810m), between the village of Santubong and Damai beach resort. I was woken at 8am to my hostel room phone ringing. Sarah managed to somehow get through from Canada. We spoke for about 45 minutes which was very nice despite the 15 hour time difference which meant I had literally woken up.. Anyway, too much information, but it has a point - my room is quite cell-like - there are no windows and a small bed in one corner, a small desk in another and much welcome air con. But, the lack of light means I won't wake up. I currently have no watch and mobile is kapoot so zero way of telling the time. So, lucky me I had a nice chat and got woken up.
I got to Santubong about 10am. I think I was a bit ill-prepared again. I've been quite blase travelling this time, but occasionally I get a wake-up call like I did today. Anyway I was wearing trekking sandals and had sufficient water so thought I would be ok.
You have to register at the start so they know who is on the mountain and ideally they take a mobile number, but obviously mine is on the blink. So, I off I went into the jungle enjoying the sounds again and the rich plant life. After twenty minutes or so I was soaked in sweat and realised this trek was going to be harder than I thought. I passed some workers mending a bridge and I forded a river next to them. I fell in, much to their amusement. I passed on, ego bruised a little.
The path started to get steeper and there were frayed ropes and tree trunks to hold on to at some points. Everywhere was slippy and I was getting a little nervous. The worst bit was a vertical drop. The rope was frayed and the rocks looked treacherous. I threw my bags down and then gingerly made my own way down. I worried about my ability to get back up again. I felt fear at this point. It's that sort of gut wrenching, throat gripping fear which only happens once or twice. The last time was on a trek on my own in Peru.
Anyway, ever the bloody-minded one I carried on.
And then the rain started. It's a rainforest. It rains a lot. It comes down in torrents and I was soaked through in minutes. There is absolutely no point in wearing waterproofs. It was weirdly calming and I was suddenly aware of the overwhelming, pungent smell of wild garlic.
I continued with water pouring off me, treading ever more carefully as the path turned to river. I saw an opening (if you've ever spent long periods in a jungle you'll know how inviting a open glade appears). I made for it and had reached a junction - the summit 2.5 hours or the easy(!) route down, 45 minutes. I thought I would continue up.
I saw a sprightly young guy coming down towards me who informed me that he had made it to the top, but that it was even harder than the way I had come. He talked of more frayed ropes and slippery rope ladders. Alarms bells started to ring.
So, the mountain or the rain or a combination of the two defeated me and I continued back down, sopping. Eventually it stopped and I sunned myself on a rock, drying out myself and all my soaked flight e-tickets and ho hum passport!
From the bottom I walked 2.5km back to my original start point to sign out.
The afternoon was spent in Damai Beach Resort; actually a horrible self-contained resort. The only saving grace was the beach which was stunning, looking out to Malaysian hilltops. Oh and they served food and beer.
Notes on food and drink:
I'm inadvertently eating like a Muslim at present (it's Ramadan) i.e. little during daylight, mainly because the heat kills my appetite and then several meals in the evening.
I had a Malaysian fried rice dish the other day - made with vegetables and pieces of chicken and prawn.
Today I ate Sarawak (the region I'm in) Laksa - basically a soup made with fish curry sauce, filled with noodles, chicken pieces, prawn, raw vegetables and sliced omelette. Very hot, but delicious.
Drinking is a must. Isotonic drinks are a favourite here and I've been enjoying several cans a day of '100 plus' - 'helps you maintain an active lifestyle', probably similar to the role that lucozade plays in treating diarrhoea!.
Top traveller tip
Internet places are few and far between in Kuching, but there is a Hilton hotel. The last couple of days I've been pretending to be a guest and have been getting unlimited access for free. Love it.
Tomorrow I spend a night in Kubah National Park and will hopefully see some tree frogs. On Monday/Tuesday I stay in Bako National Park, where I might finally get to meet a loris. We are similar in many ways..
Friday, 13 August 2010
Jungle Trek
Kabu National Park, near Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, Friday 13th (!) August 2010
So, today i got out of the city. I was eager to get to the jungle which is one of the main reasons I came here. I was up at 6.30am - yes I'm on holiday - mainly so I could get breakfast and catch the earliest bus to the Park and avoid trekking in the heat.
The bus was due to leave at 7.30am and I stood at what I thought was the correct bus stop for a good 40 minutes, occasionally asking locals if I was in the right place. Ninety percent of responses were affirmative. Then I asked some old bloke and he directed to a place that I did think might be a bus terminal as buses moved freely in and out! My bus had long gone so I commandeered a mini-bus from a random who took me direct to the park for a fee (bartered down from what could have been excessive).
I was the first in the park and the ranger Dominic (!) was keen to tell me all about it, devise me an ideal route and make sure I was properly equipped. I was wearing board shorts and trainers, but before you laugh I was told this was sensible as I would be able to see and feel any leeches crawling up my legs.
So armed with litres of water and other rations I headed into the jungle. I did not meet anyone for 3 hours. It was so great to be back in the forest. It's a sensory overload with birds and insects calling, the increasingly frenetic screams of monkeys and the rich plant life from massive fig trees to tiny orchids. The heat was breathtaking; I was soaked in sweat in minutes. I love it though. Feeling truly at one with nature and yourself and noticing every tread, every breath and every beadlet of sweat that trickles.
I finished up at a treetop viewpoint looking north towards Bako National Park where I'll be heading in a few days. Bako has animals on tap - apparently long-tailed macaques and lemurs will literally come up to you. You can also see proboscis monkeys, bearded pigs and a wealth of bird life.
Kabu is more secluded and the animals are more shy, but I think it's more appealing for that i.e. it does not attract many visitors. I'm going back tomorrow night to complete the summit trek and to spend the night in one of the rainforest lodges. You can go out to a pond (which began as a scrape created by bearded pigs) and see tree frogs by torchlight.
I took the bus back this afternoon. It was 15 x cheaper and took twice as long. I was surrounded by school kids going home for the day.
A few things to note (mainly for dad) -
- I didn't get a single mosquito bite, so either the jungle formula I'm using is super strong or the bugs are less imposing than those in the Amazon.... famous last words.
- Despite my inappropriate attire, I didn't get a single leech or tick on me!
- The mosquito hairnet was not worn. But, it may be one for the evening trek.
ps Dad when are we writing our travel book??
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Three Days Three Countries
So, I'm now in Borneo at one of the only internet points in Kuching, a city in the east. There is also a queue and I have been waiting one hour, so this won't be the long prose I intended.
It is Thursday night at 21:45 and I thought the title was appropriate as I have indeed crossed into three countries in the last three days.
I will write more later but my reflections on all three are as follows:
Mumbai, India (Monday 10th August 2010; c.12 hours).
1. It helps to have a good, local guide. My guide was called Freni, incredibly well-informed and she took me to a myriad of places in the short time we had - Gandhi's sometime residence, the place where the Dhobi washermen wash clothes outdoors - this includes a hot and cold wash and ironing spot, the gateway to Mumbai, a large fort entrance at the South of the city built for British Royalty, a huge variety of architectural styles courtesy of the many occupants and two groundwater fed gardens at the highest point of the city.
2. The international airport is new and does not represent any of external Mumbai; even the arrivals area is muted and controlled by soldiers, not the baying masses I expected to see.
3. The city proper is hot as hell, visceral and in your face on all levels.
4. There is a real spirit of endeavour and enterprise in all the people. We could learn a lot from their aspirational desires and will to work.
5. Small idiosyncratic things that become apparent to you like the universal rolling of the head when things don't quite go the way they should.
Singapore, Wednesday 11th August.
Singapore is about everything Mumbai is not. From the moment you arrive in the airport you can then carry on with the minimum of thought or worry. I did feel a bit like a robot with a constant presence and guiding arm around me. I can imagine that if I spent a lot of time there the urge to rebel would be massive.
What I sampled of the food though is amazing. My friend Sam took me to a local restaurant called Longhouse and we ate like Kings sampling a vast array of food types - indian, malay, chinese, whatever dish you fancied.
Kuching, Borneo, Thursday 12th August.
On the flight over I could see the patches of slash and burn and smoke rising from cleared virgin forest. A sign of our global demand to consume and quite stark when seen from above.
Kuching is a large city, although sleepier than I imagined. I spent the day strolling around, then took a boat across the Sarawak River (I'm staying on the south side) to walk around. There is an orchid garden, an amazing array of flowers but the most interesting bit was the 'rehabilitation centre'. Lots of poor, wilting plants taken away for tlc. Cute.
I took a small boat down the river at sundown and had some stunning views of the Sarawak mountains as the sun set. Simply stunning.
Tomorrow I'm going to a nearby National Park to get a taster for the hardcore jungle trekking I'm planning later in the week.
Malaysian are very kind and hospitable. I have already experienced this on numerous occasions.
The heat is enduring. It makes me wilt, but it also slows everything down which is nice.
Finally, after 2.5 years of flight abstinence I did not enjoy my longhaul, 2 night flights in a row experience. There is only so many ways you can bend your legs on an economy flight and it doesn't help that you are fed curry and beer at 12.30am. Of course I didn't have to eat it, but it seemed rude not too!
It is Thursday night at 21:45 and I thought the title was appropriate as I have indeed crossed into three countries in the last three days.
I will write more later but my reflections on all three are as follows:
Mumbai, India (Monday 10th August 2010; c.12 hours).
1. It helps to have a good, local guide. My guide was called Freni, incredibly well-informed and she took me to a myriad of places in the short time we had - Gandhi's sometime residence, the place where the Dhobi washermen wash clothes outdoors - this includes a hot and cold wash and ironing spot, the gateway to Mumbai, a large fort entrance at the South of the city built for British Royalty, a huge variety of architectural styles courtesy of the many occupants and two groundwater fed gardens at the highest point of the city.
2. The international airport is new and does not represent any of external Mumbai; even the arrivals area is muted and controlled by soldiers, not the baying masses I expected to see.
3. The city proper is hot as hell, visceral and in your face on all levels.
4. There is a real spirit of endeavour and enterprise in all the people. We could learn a lot from their aspirational desires and will to work.
5. Small idiosyncratic things that become apparent to you like the universal rolling of the head when things don't quite go the way they should.
Singapore, Wednesday 11th August.
Singapore is about everything Mumbai is not. From the moment you arrive in the airport you can then carry on with the minimum of thought or worry. I did feel a bit like a robot with a constant presence and guiding arm around me. I can imagine that if I spent a lot of time there the urge to rebel would be massive.
What I sampled of the food though is amazing. My friend Sam took me to a local restaurant called Longhouse and we ate like Kings sampling a vast array of food types - indian, malay, chinese, whatever dish you fancied.
Kuching, Borneo, Thursday 12th August.
On the flight over I could see the patches of slash and burn and smoke rising from cleared virgin forest. A sign of our global demand to consume and quite stark when seen from above.
Kuching is a large city, although sleepier than I imagined. I spent the day strolling around, then took a boat across the Sarawak River (I'm staying on the south side) to walk around. There is an orchid garden, an amazing array of flowers but the most interesting bit was the 'rehabilitation centre'. Lots of poor, wilting plants taken away for tlc. Cute.
I took a small boat down the river at sundown and had some stunning views of the Sarawak mountains as the sun set. Simply stunning.
Tomorrow I'm going to a nearby National Park to get a taster for the hardcore jungle trekking I'm planning later in the week.
Malaysian are very kind and hospitable. I have already experienced this on numerous occasions.
The heat is enduring. It makes me wilt, but it also slows everything down which is nice.
Finally, after 2.5 years of flight abstinence I did not enjoy my longhaul, 2 night flights in a row experience. There is only so many ways you can bend your legs on an economy flight and it doesn't help that you are fed curry and beer at 12.30am. Of course I didn't have to eat it, but it seemed rude not too!
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Monsoon
Monsoon.
Rain like bullets.
Firing down from a leaden sky.
Bouncing off pavements.
Penetrating layers
Seeping through soles.
Seeking the earth the drops
skid along roads
Down roof tops and drain pipes
Urban trees
Dusty soldiers of cities
Relish the wet wash.
Grass bent and brown
from blazing hot days and summer tread
Go green from the first moisture touches.
People stand.
bedraggled
wet t-shirts out.
Monsoon.
Short
Sharp
Wet
Rain like bullets.
Firing down from a leaden sky.
Bouncing off pavements.
Penetrating layers
Seeping through soles.
Seeking the earth the drops
skid along roads
Down roof tops and drain pipes
Urban trees
Dusty soldiers of cities
Relish the wet wash.
Grass bent and brown
from blazing hot days and summer tread
Go green from the first moisture touches.
People stand.
bedraggled
wet t-shirts out.
Monsoon.
Short
Sharp
Wet
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