Seed hunting in the rainforest today. Long trek through. Wonderful!
How many different adjectives are there that mean the same thing as amazing?
Ankle deep in swampy mud. Lying with the ants. Spotting Orang-utan nests (but No orangs yet) strangled trees, troupes of monkeys, tiny squirrels, giant blue millipedes that curl up in a ball. All awesome. Am I getting repetitive??
Love Borneo!!
Had another ace day. Long! After another shit sleep (had earplugs to try and drown out the sounds from the mosque which half worked but it was too hot anyway) we got up at 4:30am to go for a river cruise. This time is the best to see wildlife and the sunrise made amazing colours (see previous pic!) We saw absolutely loads of monkeys, a lizard that was the size of a small croc, a kingfisher. Man, its ace here.
Then we were off seed collecting. This entails boating down the river until Thaing, one of the guides, sees the tree we need. These trees have a specific fruit that contains the seeds and is apparently the favoured fruit of the Orange-utans. We then disembark, Filkri shimmies up the tree and throws down the fruit, which we then collect.
We had a great stomp through the jungle today and when we came across a tree Thaing suddenly stopped and gestured for us to be quiet (he is deaf and doesn't speak) he gestured to Filkri. Bees. We had to tiptoe around which I found difficult cause I was pissing my pants at Chris, another volunteer, who misheard and thought that we were hiding from a beast Haha! Funny shit!
More later x
As you could probably tell from the tone of my previous post me and Laur were pretty anxious when we first arrived here. Anxious to do things right (we were handed a sheet outlining appropriate behaviour and customs) anxious about living here. Fear of the unknown! When our current host asked if I would like a shower I knew i had to say yes (this is customary). But I was scared of the communal flip flops, the huge red ants, geckos on the walls, the bucket and hole in the floor. When offered our first meal I was scared to eat with only my right hand using my fingers. Worried about the meal itself.
Now, just one day later everything feels very different already. The bucket shower is cool and refreshing after the long, hot and humid day. The food is delicious (sedaap!) and the one hand a fun challenge.
Today we have planted tiny seedlings that will one day be trees for the orange-utans. We travelled through the rainforest by river boat to collect the fruit that bear the seeds to be planted. We spotted wild monkeys, both tiny ones and big prosbiscus monkeys, swinging from tree to tree. The villagers are not only kind and friendly but funny and interesting. And most of all we feel safe. Very safe.
This is going to be a great 4 weeks. Hard work is ahead but bring it on.
X
Just amazing. Will post later after I've eaten. Settling in and seen WILD MONKEYS. Happy days xxxx
<p>Ok, here goes. We arrived at Sandakan and at first it seemed there was noone there to meet us. Then a Malay man with a small child approached us with a sign bearing our names. He spoke no English but indicated that he was our lift to the village.</p>
<p>We drove for 2 hours through palm oil plantations, something neither me nor Laur were prepared for. I'll take a video on the way back. Miles and miles, stretching over hills and valleys as far as the eye can see. Not a speck of rainforest, just spindley, uniform rows of palms. Useless habitat for wildlife, spreading across the landscape like a parasitic virus.<br>
We drove through entire deforested areas, the diggers ploughing sand and soil dust into the air.</p>
<p> Eventually we pulled into Bateh Puteh. Small, delapitated wooden houses, chickens, goats, small children. Very friendly and welcoming people. But noone from GVI, just a couple of other tired volunteers that have been here for a couple of weeks. </p>
Palm trees still dot the area, planted between patches of rainforest, Sungai Kinabatangan curling its way through. Hot. Very hot.
We were relieved to hear that we were to be in the same homestay and were led there. The house is one of the nicer ones in the village, right next to the mosque. More about that later. There is very little furniture but we have a proper, clean bed each. They speak a little English and are so friendly. We sorted our bags out and then it began. Wailing from the mosque. It is Ramadan and the praying had begun. The twist? There is a LOUDSPEAKER attached to the mosque the points straight into our room. This goes on and off for 4 hours, sometimes for am hour at a time. Monotone singing, chsnting, whispering. We are slightly hysterical about this cause it although we respect their culture it is so unlike anything we have experienced.
Right, got to go- off to work. More later, with pics xxx
So here's an update after waaay too many lime margharitas last night with an Aussie couple we met. They were a bad influence, I tell ye!
Had a day in KK yesterday, discovered ridiculously cheap markets that sell the most beautiful clothes, jewellery and bags. We shall be paying it a visit before we return! Had a drink on the Marina ( see previous pic) and wandered down to another interesting market near there. We lasted 4 seconds, my god the stench was incredible. Laura was all, "Hold your breath!" But you can't walk through a market like a deep sea diver so we bailed like a pair of true British wimpy tourists hah.
The people here are so friendly and welcoming. 50% of the population are Muslim yet so tolerant considering it is Ramadan. We are taking the opportunity to drink and bare flesh whilst we can, although this pair of pale English roses are now a scabby lumpy mess already thanks to the mozzies. Safari strength repellent my arse! I dread to think how bad it is going to get in the jungle!!
Our flight to Sandakan to begin our jungle adventure is tomorrow morning, big changes ahead! No lazy beery evenings watching spectacular sunsets or exposing legs and shoulders to the sun. Instead, living with the community of Batah Puteh and becoming one of them. Excited? Yes. Nervous? Most definitely.
I'll take some more pics of where we currently are and upload them on here later.
I've been exploiting the free WiFi at the hotel we are at now so not sure when the next update will be. Will do my best!
See you in the jungle, chaps!
Xxxx
Had amazing day in KK despite going arse over tit on my flip flops TWICE. Got one more full day here until jungle time so off island hopping via sea kayak! 1 kayak, 5 islands, 2 crazy girls ay the helm! Can't wait.
Will do a proper update tomorrow. Love you!
Selemat Tinngal! Xxxxx
Walking sandals, Trail shoes, Mozzie net. Things the natives neither use nor need. Us weak pathetic Westerners! Maybe after a few weeks I'll shed them all and come home with healthy calloused feet and Chuck Norris Mosquito repelling skin.
