Sat. Jan. 19, 2008
We had an early start from Vancouver
today. Having my first alcoholic drink at 11:00a.m. on Singapore Airlines
(champagne of course!). I am happy to report that the chairs lay down
almost flat! We get to sit upstairs on the 747 in business class for the
next 11 hours. Have had a snoop through the menu and am certainly not going
to go hungry. Can’t wait to arrive in Borneo but right now am looking
forward to another glass of champagne and a wonderful sleep before I get
there. Ta- ta for now.
Tues. Jan. 22, 2008
Managed to go for a walk last night in
Tawau around the hotel and of course got lots of stares and even a couple of
whistles. I was dying of heat since women are not supposed to show their
shoulders. I was missing my tank tops upstairs in our room.
Could not stay awake until 7:00 pm, so went
to bed around 6:30 pm. Woke up at 10:00 pm to use the washroom and again at
3:00 am. Dozed in and out of sleep until 6:30 am and decided to get up and
go downstairs for the buffet breakfast. We are feeling pretty good now
after all that sleep and am even going to crawl back into bed and close my
eyes while Damon is in the shower. It is only 8:00 am. We are driving to
the lodge today and can’t wait to see what the day will bring.
Drove about 5 hours to Borneo Rainforest
lodge which took most of the morning. We arrived to our fabulous
accommodations, had lunch, got settled and started on our hike. We got
about 5 minutes into the hike when it started to rain. It is unsafe to be
in the jungle during a downpour because the rain may cause trees to lose
their branches or there may be a flash flood. Before the downpour, we ran
into a Liana which is a climbing vine. That is a first for me.
We sat on our deck before dinner and saw a
couple otters swimming in the river, birds, and a flying squirrel. We also
saw a bearded pig which was very exciting until we found out it is a
resident at the lodge. Still neat to have seen it so close.
We went on a night drive tonight but the
animals did not cooperate. Saw a couple birds and some deer but that is
about it. Maybe we will have some better luck tomorrow during the night
walk.
Time for me to go to sleep as we hit the
trail at 6:30 am for some bird watching. I will certainly need some coffee
for such an early start. Goodnight.
Wed. Jan. 23, 2008
Went for an early morning hike but didn’t
see too much. We met a couple (Martin and Denise) who have joined our
group. They live in London. We talked a little bit about our weddings
which was nice to remember again. It seems so long ago now.
Our hike later in the morning after
breakfast was a difficult trek. We climbed 300’ to the top of a look out
which was amazing and went for a dip in a fresh water pool half way back
down. It is so humid here in the rainforest that even sitting here you get
hot. On our way back down to the lodge we found a lizard that had just
dropped a couple of eggs, right on our path! She had not even had time to
bury them yet. I hope they are safe on that well used pathway. We have
just finished watching a couple monkeys in the trees across the river
jumping from branch to branch. Very cool! This afternoon we are going for
a relaxing and short walk and tonight we are going on a night walk. I am
really looking forward to seeing some amazing things. It all depends on the
animals though. Wish us luck!
Saw lots of frogs and spiders and a couple
of sleeping birds. Saw a tiny bug that glows which is probably to attract
the opposite sex. That’s all we saw tonight but the sounds here are
amazing. The cicadas (grasshopper type bugs) are extremely loud. The night
is humming with activity. As I was sitting here on the deck, a deer went
running by me. Had to yell at Damon to come out here quick, he almost
missed it! We had such a busy day today with an intense trek and a couple
little ones, added with a restless sleep last night, and I am exhausted! I
am even looking forward to sleeping on that hard bed.
PS Still watching the deer.
Thurs. Jan. 24, 2008
Went for a walk this morning and did not find much.
Had a lazy afternoon sitting on the deck reading and watching for wildlife.
Saw something floating in the water and knew it could not be a croc or an
alligator since they did not have them here. Thought it may be a lizard or
a snake and after a little research found out it was a monitor lizard. We
watched it float down the river and out of sight.
We had decided earlier that we would go back to the
fresh water pond for another swim at 3p.m. but when we arrived to meet
Amrafel he said there was an orangutan sighting and would we rather go check
that out. No brainer there. Watched the orangutan for about 2 hours swing
from tree to tree and almost got peed on. It started to rain but luckily we
had our brand new bright yellow matching rain coats. I was so proud of
trekking through that dense bush not even caring about the leeches. I was
on a mission.
The male orangutan we were watching had a cold which
you could tell because he was eating the bark of a certain tree which they
only eat when they are sick. He threw down a piece of bark so we were able
to see the teeth marks on it. He finally settled in for the night at around
5p.m. and we got to see him build his nest which he made by breaking off the
branches of trees and covering himself. Truly amazing and once in a
lifetime!
While we were still so excited about our encounter with
the orangutan we ran into some other primates – red leaf monkeys and
macaques. The macaques are very territorial and can be quite dangerous so
we had to be careful while we watched them for about 20 minutes or so.
What an amazing day! We are so very lucky to have had
such a wonderful experience. Some people leave without ever having seen a
thing. We are going to try our luck again with the night drive so hopefully
I will have something else to report. For now, I am going to have a shower
and head out for dinner and celebrate with a glass of wine. Salut!
There is now a Japanese film crew staying at the lodge
so we had fantastic lighting when an owl stopped by for a quick hello during
dinner.
P.S. The wine hit the spot!
On the night drive this evening we saw a sleeping
pheasant, mouse deer and a flying squirrel. We also heard the elephants but
they were not near to us. On the way back to our lodge the deer came to say
hello and hang out right by our balcony. They are regulars I think.
Tomorrow is going to come to early so it is lights out
for us. Bonne nuit.
Fri. Jan. 25, 2008
Had a long drive to our next lodge and was disappointed
to find our room had two single beds. Can you imagine! On our honeymoon!
I hate single beds and it is right against the wall so I can whack my hand
against it all night. I am not really looking forward to my sleep tonight.
Needless to say I was not a happy camper in that respect.
After getting settled in our “not so great” room we
headed out on our afternoon boat tour which was incredible. We saw lizards
and tons of monkeys with their babies. We watched the macaques for a while
and went further to find a family of proboscis monkeys. They are very funny
looking with the biggest noses you have ever seen. The male looks like a
fraggle (remember them?) The female has a pointier nose than the male. We
watched them for quite awhile and then the male decided life would be better
on the other side of the river. He took a leap as far as he could and belly
flopped in the water, a rare occurrence to see, and swam the rest of the way
and made it to the other side. Very cool indeed. Usually it is the female
that goes first, in case there is a croc, so the leader of the family is
still alive when it is all said and done.
Damon is still sick so he has suffered all day and is
now resting beside me (on the other bed) and I think he will not eat a thing
for dinner. We are not sure if it is food poisoning or the flu. I think it
is the latter. Must get ready for dinner, they are going to ring the bell
soon – don’t ask. Hope the food is good at least.
Food is good and they even had french fries! Had a
couple and they hit the spot.
The night cruise was great! Saw lots of beautiful
sleeping birds, owls and crocs. Our guide picked up a baby croc that was
about 6 weeks old. Soooo cute. We also spotted a cat but he was quite far
away so only saw his red eyes when the spot light was on him. I may think
of a couple more things to add tomorrow but I am so exhausted from our early
morning with the orangutan. A demain.
P.S. On our way to the lodge we ran into two herds of
pygmy elephants. They had babies with them so we are lucky if we even got a
picture of their backsides. They are very protective of their babies so
they quickly ran into the bushes when our car came around the bend.
Saturday January 26, 2008
Got up at 5:30 a.m. for our morning boat tour and
jungle walk.
Watched the proboscis monkeys again this morning. They
are my favourite monkey. We also saw a rhinoceros
hornbill which is an amazing looking bird. We saw lots of other birds which
I can’t remember all of them. We saw egrets, herons and many small colorful
birds. We are going on a walk along the boardwalk at the lodge and will
learn about the trees and plants I think. There are only 4 people at the
lodge right now so we will be a small group.
I forgot to talk about the early morning walk which
consisted of trekking in calf deep mud and mosquito infected jungle. We
didn’t see a thing. That is sometimes the case. Must
go. Don’t want to be late for the walk. The naturalist here is a
little strict. Adios.
Loved the nature walk. We
were shown and explained about quite a few plants. We even got to taste a
few. Two of them had a wonderful sour flavour and
one of them was quite spicy. Winston also told us about the poisonous
plants and how to use them to kill animals and also humans.
Must go to lunch so will continue later.
The nature walk usually last about an hour but since
our group was so small I think Winston was really enjoying himself. Our
group was only 4 of us. There are supposed to be 17 people for dinner
tonight so the peace and quiet will be no longer.
Must say I had a great sleep last night and I wonder if
that had anything to do with my own bed. May have to re-think the bed
thing.
We now have a couple hours to kill before our afternoon
boat tour. Not sure what I will do but even doing nothing is OK with me.
Had a very exciting afternoon. Lots to tell. Went for
an afternoon boat cruise and saw two snakes, viper and python. Swiftlet
birds nests, almost like the nests for birds nest soup that the Chinese pay
a ton of money for without the saliva though.
We went to see the bats sleep under an overhang of a
huge cliff when I heard what sounded like a land slide. I was terrified as
I thought the whole cliff was collapsing and we were right under the
overhang. Turns out that we were very lucky to be where we were as a huge
tree snapped in half and came tumbling down the cliff landing a meter away from
the boat. Our guide got soaked from the splash. Thank goodness we lingered
for as long as we did because 5 more seconds and this could have had a much
different ending. It was not our time to go I guess. Fifteen seconds of
sheer terror feels like a lot longer. When the whole thing was over I found
myself crouched and facing the opposite way and thought my life was over. I
had to have two beers to help my frazzled nerves. I was the only one who
heard the sound of the tree falling. Everyone else just heard the huge bang
when the tree hit the water. We are all thankful to be alive.
After our terrifying experience, we got word (thank
goodness for cell phones, even in the jungle) that the elephants were near.
We raced to the spot in our boat, asked the local if we could use the path
in the back of his yard, and there they were. Unfortunately we were in a
mosquito infested area and I am sure I got a few more bites to add to my
collection. The lodge we are staying at has two elephant crossings. These
are gaps in the boardwalk that allow them to pass through. Elephants always
use the same path so we are hoping they will come tonight. We have
requested a knock on the door, no time restriction, if this happens. They
have also been known to use the lodge, outside our rooms, as scratching
posts. Apparently this can be quite terrifying if you don’t know what is
going on. People have thought it was an earthquake in the past – yikes.
After all the excitement I am ready for bed. I am
looking forward to sleep and hope it is interrupted by the elephants. Hope
I have more news tomorrow.
Sunday Jan. 27, 2008
I am happy to report that the pygmy elephants woke us
up at 5:45 this morning. Watched them from our bedroom window crashing down
trees with their trunks and trampling the plants. It is amazing the
destruction they cause. The locals have sound guns blasting every 5 minutes
or so to keep them away from their gardens. Dogs are barking, elephants are
screaming and the tourists are all trying to have a look at them. No wonder
the elephants are agitated.
Went for breakfast, packed and got in the boat for our
2½ hour boat ride to Sandakan which we will fly out of tonight. Before
heading to the airport we are going to the Orangutan rehabilitation centre.
They rescue animals who’s habitat was destroyed by the palm oil plantations or their
mothers murdered by humans who might want the babies as pets. They teach
the Orangutans how to survive in the wild and release them. Very neat to
see the Orangutans up close and personal. We were there for feeding time so
we saw four Orangutans which included a four year old still clutching to its
mother. They are not sure which male is the father but think he is the one who
has already been release back into the wild. Not only do they have Orangutans but also macaques. They are very playful and mischevieous and
very fun to watch. One even had a two week old baby with her! The baby was
trying to climb up the stairs to the feeding platform and shook all the way
up as the muscles are not very strong yet. He did make it up into his
mothers waiting arms. So cute!
We made our way leisurely to the airport and I am now
waiting to check in for the flight. We are of course early and no one is at
the counter to take our luggage. Must be off as someone is here now to help
us although I have no idea how people get to budge ahead when we have been
here more than an hour.
Monday Jan. 28, 2008
We have just spent our first day in Brunei and it is
quite beautiful. I will start off by saying that there is no alcohol sold
here. Could have used a beer while we sat by the pool for a couple hours
this afternoon.
Damon and I were a little shocked when on our flight
over they say a prayer before the safety briefing. (Royal Brunei Airlines)
I am not sure if that worried me more! We were not really sure what was
going on at first but when looking at the front screen we realized we were
in the middle of a muslim prayer.
Went to see the biggest mosque in Brunei and it really
was beautiful. Everything was gold plated and it seats 500 women and 3500
men. There are of course separate sides for men and women. Did
you know women don’t have to go the mosque and pray every week but the men
do? Probably because women have to take care of the children and make
the dinner. When we got to the mosque I had to wear
this black potato sack because I'm a woman. Damon thought this
was very funny and couldn’t help but have fun at my expense – “you need to
walk ten steps behind me” he says. Ha! Ha! Very funny Damon.
We also stopped at “His highness the Sultan’s” palace.
Can’t really see it from the road as it is hidden but the entrance way is
magnificent. The Sultan’s daughter came home while we were looking at the
gates so we caught a quick glimpse of the back of her head and her whole
entourage.
Damon and I were fascinated with the fact that you may
have up to four wives here.
Here are the rules:
- Your first wife has to give permission
- You have to be able to provide for all the wives.
Separate houses etc.
- Your time has to be divided equally.
This came up when our guide mentioned that the Sultan
divorced his second wife and married another. Now he only has two wives.
It took Damon and I a couple of seconds to recover from that one!
The two of us are so exhausted tonight from our early
morning flight and busy day. As soon as we got to our hotel we were hand
washing some clothes in the bathtub. No coin laundry here. For lunch we
went to the shopping centre for something quick and easy. I was starving by
3p.m. For dinner we walked to the night market and each got a plate of
noodles for $.80 Canadian. They were really good too! I even got Damon to
splurge on a Sprite!
We are staying at the Sheraton hotel while we are here
for two nights. It is so nice to be able to have a hot shower and
not have to worry about bugs. This is an absolute luxury! It feels so nice
to have a soft bed again. Speaking of which, it is time to hit the hay as
my writing is now getting sloppy.
Tuesday Jan. 29, 2008
Went for another huge hike today. I can’t believe how
hot it is here. Our clothing was soaking wet after our trek.
We took a 45 minute boat ride(boat taxi), a 20 minute
car ride and then hopped on a motorized canoe and arrived at our hiking
start point and walked up this steep, rocky, slippery path to a canopy
walkway. Damon took one look at this and there was no way he was going up.
I however was up for the challenge and climbed 50 meters to the top. What a
gorgeous view and a little nerve racking.
After our canopy walk we hiked back down, went for the
most refreshing swim in the river and had a wonderful lunch. Came back to
the hotel (I love air conditioning) went to the pool, had a little nap, a
shower and time to hit the town.
We walked around town for a bit and the kids all love
yelling hello to the tourists. We wave back, say hello and they burst into
giggles.
We went back to the night market for dinner but I
decided to splurge on a $4.00 dinner tonight. I had sweet & sour prawns
with rice and Damon had beef with noodles.
While we were eating dinner it started to rain and it
is amazing how quickly they get those umbrellas up over the tables. They
even get lights strung from there somehow. We are now back in our room
drying our clothes with the hairdryer as our clothes are still not dry even
after two days.
We leave Brunei tomorrow at noon on Singapore Airlines
and I look forward to some champagne at take off since this country is not
allowed to sell alcohol. Can’t wait to wear tank tops again and have a beer on
the beach. We are so lucky to live in Canada, especially as a woman. This
country has wonderful things also, like a VERY low crime rate and housing is
cheap and school is paid for through college. They also get free medical
care with no waiting. There are wonderful things but isn’t freedom to wear
and say what you want when you want important too? If you are Christian you
can not preach your faith. Oh well, I am not the one who lives here so it
doesn’t matter to me. People seem to be happy enough here.
Must check on my clothes, surely they will be dry by
now.
Feb. 1, 2008
Woke up early yesterday morning to make our way to
Kuredu Island in the Maldives. I have never been in a float plane before so
was feeling a little nervous.
While we were waiting for our plane to the main island
Male, this guy approached Damon handing him his passport and customs card.
I told Damon, I think he wants to borrow your pen so he can fill out his
card. He shook his head no when Damon tried giving him his pen. We
realized he wanted Damon to fill it out for him. He was from Bangladesh and
didn’t speak a stitch of English. Damon was not happy about filling this
out for him but did as much as he could. Everything in the passport was
hand written and he only had one name. We knew he would have problems when
Damon couldn’t fill out where he had come from and why he was coming. We
assumed to work since there were quite a few of them. After filling out the
customs card another one approached wanting the same thing. The look Damon
had on his face made me giggle because it was exactly the look uncle Peter
would have given in the same situation. After filling the second card,
along came another. At this point I could not hold my laughter in anymore.
Seeing Damon’s frustration over this was too hilarious. After Damon
finished the third customs card he said to the guy “now don’t go telling all
your friends. I’m not doing any more.” I thought I was going to pee my
pants!
While on the float plane we saw a pod of dolphins but
other than that, non eventful.
We finally arrived in Kuredu and I am telling you it is
heaven on earth. No mosquitos, the whitest sand I have ever seen and
turquoise water. We are very close to the equator and that sun feels hot!
Right after getting settled in our water villa, we went snorkeling right off
our deck. We saw the biggest parrot fish I have ever seen and we could hear
him crunching on the coral. We saw many colourful fish but decided to head
back to the deck as we could feel our backs burning. It is nice to be able
to go into the water right off our room.
After our hectic day of doing nothing we decided to go
for lunch and a couple beers, mmmmmmmm so good! Came back to our villa and
watched a huge sting ray right off our deck.
Our villa has a light that shines down on the water so
we are able to see the fish swimming underneath us.. Quite a few fish were
hanging out there until a reef shark decided it was hungry. There was a
huge splash, which scared me to death, and we are still not sure who won.
I think I got the flu Damon had earlier in the week
because an hour or two after lunch I had my head in the toilet bowl. Hope
it is all over and done with today because I have things to do and people to
see!
As I sit here on the deck, I am watching Damon go for a
morning snorkel. Can’t wait to hear about his excursion.
Mon. Feb. 4 2008
We are now on our way home, boo hoo. We are stuck at
the airport in Male as our flight to Singapore doesn’t leave until
11:00p.m. The last float plane left at 3:30p.m. Oh well, we are sitting in
the last of the sun on the pier and will enjoy one last sunset.
The last few days have been fantastic! We have been
snorkeling in our “front yard” walked around the island a couple of times
and met a wonderful couple from England (Paul & Katie.) We have had a few
beers and lunch with them a couple of times and invited them to share our
sparkling wine we got from the hotel since we were on our honeymoon. Damon
won’t drink it and I certainly wasn’t going to attempt it on my own.
We went on a sunset cruise and found some dolphins
along the way. They were jumping and spinning and swimming right along side
the boat. They are so quick so it was really difficult to get a picture but
how amazing!
Our days mostly consisted of lazing on the deck,
eating, drinking, sleeping and the odd walk. We needed a little relaxing
time after all the adventure and hiking the previous week and a half.
Not feeling to keen on going back to work and putting
on makeup and doing my hair. Haven’t done that since leaving Vancouver.
Once or twice I felt like putting on a little gloss and mascara. It is to
hot and humid. It would just melt off.
What a wonderful trip we have had I can truly say the
honeymoon is over.