A story from a trip with Intrepid in Borneo!
“An Intrepid trip,” I hear Kiddi say to me enthusiastically. “We could do a 13 day trip around Borneo!”, he shouts before he starts to recite the itinerary. All I hear is something about turtles, “OK, lets do it!!!”, I say just to shut him up.
That was 7 months ago.
The trip entailed a hell of a lot more than turtles, let me tell you. It was also challenging, strenuous and pushed boundaries! But more importantly we had fun, we laughed and we made fantastic friends (I'm not talking about leeches).
Day one: Group meeting at 6.30pm
We meet our tour leader Stacey, and the rest of the gang in the hotel lobby. Kiddi comments that everyone (a part from Louise) is very old? Actually that is the only thing he says to me the whole evening. I try to point out that “old people” can be fun, might have funny stories, that he might learn something from them etc. etc. but he is not having any of it. I also point out to him that I'm old too? “Yes, and you smell”, he answers back and snigger's. I give up. Tough love it is! We are going and that is it, old people or not!
Day two: Travel to Klau village & dinner in local home.
We arrive in Klau Village after driving up, up, up, don't look down, windy roads. We are greeted by our host Sappinggi. He is local legend, a mountain extrordinare! He has the most beautiful smile and a kind gentle aura that very few people posses. We watch local children dance and are invited to join in. Kiddi kindly refuses with the lame excuse that he has not brought his dancing card. I have a feeling that it has something to do with the fact there are no disco lights and a DJ is not playing Lady Gaga.
Sappinggi invites us to his house for dinner. The food is divine! After dinner Sappinggi talks about the mountain that we are planning to walk up and then he brings out the RICE WINE! A drink that is supposed to help us forget that we are walking up the mountain. We play a fun drinking game! Everyone drinks two fingers or two swollen fingers to start with and then we have to introduce your selves. Am I going to be the Human Rights Lawyer from Scotland? I some how do not think I will get away with it? Especially since Peter is on the trip! Kiddi could be a Swedish underwear model! No probs, there! Some of the gang go home and some stay on to drink more? The pictures that emerge the next day are hilarious but I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to divulge the content or who was involved?
Day Three: Head to the base of MT Kinabalu to prepare for the climb.
We go for a walk around the village, up a hill, down a hill and then back to the village. We see a mum with a beautiful boy, a little cute puppy, amazing landscape, a humongous spider and then Mt Kinabalu in all its entirety. We can not believe that we are going to walk up there? Or crawl? We buy walking sticks and water bottle holders from the family with 16 children?
I had not planned to walk up Mt Kinabalu but I get caught up in all the excitement and agree to give it a go.
Day four: The climb begins.
On the bus to the roots of Mt Kinabalu Kiddi tells me a story from when he was younger about falling out of a tractor and I nearly pee my self with laughter.
Slow and steady is our motto as we all start the climb. Kiddi equipped with his ipod raises ahead (he has longer legs than we do). The rest of the gang walks together and we cheer every time we have walked another 0.5 Km! We stop and eat snack, walk some more, we stop and eat lunch. On the way up I listen to Peter and Louise talk about history. It is nice to listen and not talk. At 4K mark the group breaks up and Peter and Peg walk ahead. Katie and I pare up with Robbie (Sappinggi's son). He has us laughing so much that we do not even notice that we have walked to the top. (Well, to Laban Rata). When we walk into the lodge Kiddi is sitting at a table cool as a cucumber. It had only taken him 3 hours to walk up but 5 hours for the rest of us. For the rest of the day we talk about the walk, play Scrabble and eat dinner. Everyone is in bed by 7 o'clock. 7 o'clock PM!!! Some people fall asleep right away others tumble and turn and only manage to sleep a little bit until Stacey's alarm starts beeping at 2 o'clock. I decide not to climb the last 3K but Kiddi on the other hand is excited and ready to go!
Day 5: The Summit!!
Kiddi comes back from the top just before 8 o'clock and collapses on my bed. He tells me that they had climbed up in the the dark and cold for a few hours and then the sun had come out. Reaching the to had been an amazing accomplishment! Of course it is!
The gang eats breakfast together and then there is only one thing left to do. Start the descend! Kiddi and Louise go ahead, Stacey, John and Sue over take us at some point. Katie and I take our time, talking for nearly 3 hours non stop. Walking down is harder than we thought it would be and as we get closer to the start line, our legs stop responding to instructions from the brain and completely do their own thing. After the o.5K sign there are steps going up hill? Who put them there? Is this a joke? No one remembers them being there the day before?
Day 6: Poring Hot Springs
We spend the day at the Poring Hot Springs soaking in the swimming pools, sunbathing and talking to Louise. I'm so looking forward to a nice hot shower but there is only cold water? It just did not make any sense? Cold shower at the Hot Springs?
The hotel is in a nice spot right in front of the Hot Springs. The deco is a little bit dated and the room is needing a good deep clean. There are no chocolates on the pillows just creepy crawlies that we have to fight before we go to sleep. The beetles are so big that they could be mistaken for birds! Boundaries are pushed like never before...
Day 7: Jungle Camp
Driving, Mengaris Village, river cruise, raining, setting up a hammock, nice food and an evening walk? We were both so worried about leeches that we can not really focus on anything. I think that I am been attached by one and make a complete fool of myself? I'm asked by one the local guides if I'm OK. I'm OK except my ego is a little bit bruised. This was supposed to happen to Kiddi! No me! Kiddi got bitten by one in the end. He does not seem to mind as he is not aware that it has happened? I was a little bit worried that he might need a blood transfusion as he was looking a little bit pale? How much blood do the fuckers suck?
The best thing about the day is going to sleep in the hammock. The best, best, best! Someone screamed in the night! I bet the person had a nightmare about our new blood sucking friends?
Stacey was right! The best night sleep on the trip!
Day 8: Home stay Program
Most of us could not wait to leave the jungle for a nice shower? Or the water scuba shower? The jungle is humid and we are feeling like hot sticky pudding with out the tasty smell.
At lunch time we meet our home stay family. Grandma, grandpa, mum, dad and two gorgeous boys! Grandma gives us amazing lunch and then we each take a turn to have the a scuba shower. Then we play with the boys. It is easy to play “monster” in any language! We all sit on the sofa and the older boy falls asleep next to me and then the little one falls asleep in my arms! I'm a super nanny after all????
In the afternoon we are supposed to walk to a cave but it gets canceled because of the rain so we go on a river cruise instead! We get to watch loads and loads of monkeys. Fabadosi!
When we get back to the nice people at Mengaris Village, they teach us how to cook Malay food. Kiddi and Katie are in charge of the chicken and the lady that helps them falls in love with him (What a surprise?). She tells him that he is gorgeous and that he looks like a Hollywood actor! The rest of us cook vegetable dishes and donuts. After dinner we dress up in Malay clothes and watch a dance and music show. Wonderful! The old lady banging the drums at the front is a rock star!
I just want to add that we slept in separate rooms at our home stay. I heard crying in the night? Not sure if it was the little boy or Kiddi.
Day 9: Sandakan
I get woken up at 7.00am. Kiddi opens the door and I can see right away that he has something very important to tell me!
“Grandma, is baking donuts!”, he says in a Chandler Bing voice. “What!”, I say jumping out of bed. “Donuts, like real donuts”. “Oh, yeah”, he answers. “OH.MY.GOD!”.
When we sit down at the breakfast table there is a SPREAD of donuts and hot chocolate. I wonder how many donuts I can eat? Kiddi wonders how many donuts he can eat? And eat? And eat? How many donuts we ate I can not tell you? What happens in Asia, stays in Asia is our motto. Our new motto? But what I can tell you... they were warm and scrumptious! How many calories??? Stop, don't spoil it....!
When we leave we are like two kids that have eaten too much sugar! Hyper! Silly! Over excited! Goofy! We can not believe it when grandma hands us a bag of donuts and water when we leave! Have we died and gone to donut heaven?
Day 10: Turtle Island
During the day we snorkel and sunbathe on the beach. We are just killing time before all the excitement that is going to happen in the evening!!!!
After dinner a man pokes his head around the door and shout's, “turtle ”. Everyone jumps up and we follow him as he runs down to the beach. There is a turtle walking on land and another one digging a hole. The man leads us to a turtle that is actually laying eggs. It is one of those surreal moments in life! We are watching a turtle laying eggs! OMG! The poor turtle is not aware that the eggs are being gathered and put into another safe hole, away from lizards and other creatures that may eat them. Then we walk down to the shore to watch around 80 little baby turtles being released into the sea. Adorable!
Day 11: Sepilok
At Sepilok Rehabilitation Center we get to watch Orangutans being feed. In the morning one Orangutan makes a grand entrance by walking along the walkway before he jumps into a tree waiting to get what I can only assume bananas from the two nice men on the platform. In the afternoon more Orangutans show up, two with babies!
Later on in the afternoon we also get to see Proboscis monkey's. We are all impressed with their large noses! Some people are actually more impressed that others? Only three worlds can describe this day!
Amazing! Beautiful! Wow! (Of course spoken with Australian accent;).
Day 12: Kota Kinabalu
We drive to Kota Kinabalu and we have a very relaxing afternoon. In the evening we eat our last dinner together. Peter writes a beautiful poem for Stacey.
Day 13: Departure
Kiddi jumped out of bed at 7:45am complaining about his back hurting! To me that is a sign of old age? I do not dare mention it to him though? As far as I remember, old people smell?
After breakfast everyone starts to go one by one... or two by two.
It is sad that the trip has come to an end!
Fantastic trip! Fantastic tour guide! Fantastic people! Cheers everyone!
