Bako and some other thoughs

After spending some days again in the rain forest, I have been thinking too much. My head feels like it´s exploding or heated up and partly I feel like the bottle of sparkling water that I bought today; the cap had been open, and all I got was not even a sound when I cracked the cork.

Do people care about people?
What keeps someone from helping each other?
When was the last time you helped someone without asking?
How come it is so hard to help strangers nowadays?
Do I have any friends anymore, who might help me, when I get in trouble in Finland?

In Bako National Park I had enough time to observe the visitors, and I started feeling better, from my last depression on the day I arrived. I can certainly say, that I hate the fat older people that complain about everything and wear their face upsidedown all the time, no matter what happens..and also complain if they do not see any animals next to the information center,just because they´re too lazy to walk further...or that who does not even look at your direction when it comes to sharing a boat or a van to get to civilization. AND I was happy to find people who with I can share my feelings now, when I hourly closer to the date I am leaving the country and arriving to my own..that is going to feel like a foreign to me, again. That is also very depressing.

It seems that most of the people at home, or who never have been traveling, does not understand the mixed feelings at all. Most of them do think this is just holiday, but the truth is that one has to be prepared every day to new challenges...even going out to have a breakfast can be a struggle in its own way. Not to mention the information gathering, booking tickets, getting all sorted out etc. And in the end it is a huge job. And then there´s all questions.

What is the reason for you to stay home or to travel?

Toiletries

Now, to the shower. Which actually reminds me about the toiletries I brought with me and wanted to test on my trip. Here we go; a topic for a new blog entry.

OK, the washing cloth I did,was pretty much chapter 8 after the 2 weeks in Semporna...Had to throw it away, but the small hankies I made of 100% bamboo cloth are still working very well. Very useful indeed of for the toilet use!

Other toiletries I brought with me were the soaps, of which I forgot one at Jukkas place in Singapore, maybe even the best one, my shampoo..Anyway, I had to work my way through the rest organic soap bars. It was noticed that they attracted the fauna quite a lot. One morning we woke up in Pulau Derawan (in the Indonesian side, you remember?) and one of my soaps was missing. The only track was the half eaten leftovers with claw- and tooth marks on the other soap...maybe a rat had been curious about the soaps and took one sample to eat.

Other remarks on toiletries has been the oils that I normally have to use a lot in Finland. Not in here, only in very special occasions. It is so humid in here, that my skin feels fine. Except for my cuticles that keep to stay as dry as always. On the other hand I have gone back to the-way-back-in-Thailand- discovery and that is baby talcum. The best and useful method to feel refreshed a sweat free, just toss some of it (in your genitalia area and )all over your body, and voilá - you´ll feel totally fresh!

Make up is totally overestimated while traveling, but yesterday meeting Sallyanna after staying in the bushes for the past 3 days, I started thinking about looking nicer..I am in the Sarawak Capital goods sake...

The good sun lotion is very essential. I took the wrong turn in the beginning and tried to use the new Natuc lotion, that did not work at all. Not for me. I went to buy some Japanese stuff with factor 65 and that was working a bit better. It even had this menthol cooling effect in it. Nice! The rest of teh trip I have been using again my well trusted, tested and working Favora Sun Gel. Even if the factor is 15, it works wonders!

And now, totally, I need a shower!

National Parks near Kuching, part I

And finally some text in here too.
At the moment I feel lazy and even if I did wake up early enough to get myself to the famous Sunday Market of Kuching, I decided to sleep long (and maybe start to get used to the rhythm back in Finland). I still have the time for Sunday market when I get back from my last visit to National Parks.

My first stop was Gunung Gading National Park. A one and a half hours ride by bus to Lundu town and then a walk for half an hour. I was lucky to get there by nightfall and did a short walk around the forest before settling down to my hostel room. I was the only guest and facilities were good. I don´t mind bringing my own food and preparing it in a good kitchen and afterwards enjoying it on the porch, accompanied by writing a letter to Wajska. The next morning it was raining and there was no guides around, but the park personnel told me directions how to see the Rafflesia and I took my change to discover the world outside the plank walk. It paid off, as you can see in the pictures, and I did not even step on the buds!

I got a ride back to Lundu town with some workers going to the town office, got back to Kuching, and there had to negotiate a ride with a taxi to Kubah National Park.

All public transportation is very poor to that direction and the information just is not given to foreigners! The normal price for a one way trip is 40Rm and one old guy asked a taxi for me to take me there for 35Rm. That taxi guy was nice enough to give me his number to get myself back, but I found my own way, as you´ll read from the following chapters. Ok, all good when I reached the Park, only it was raining heavily, but what the heck, I got a real RAIN FOREST experience. The night was pretty much as I expected; alone in the hostel (which was even nicer than the previous one) but not as alone as I thought in the beginning...

I went to bed after inspecting the wounded grass hopper on the wall. I spotted a HUGE bug on ceiling over my bed, but I thought to leave it alone, because it might never bite me. I was too easy on that one...I woke up after some hours and the THING had made it´s way to my head end of the bed and was about to take the few steps and tangle in my hair. With the help of the kitchen tools I managed to get the bug (after a 20min fight, boy it was strong!!) out to the porch! Then I slept the rest of the night without interruptions. Hah, and the French guys in Kuching were talking about small bed bugs...

The next day started with less rain and I thought to get myself through the most popular Watefall trail. It was humid,and it was also scary to walk though the jungle on my own, thinking about all the animals that were probably lurking behind every tree, I just could not see them. The first encounter the previous day had been a red tailed squirrel, today it was a wild cat or a skunk on the road. I also saw a few smaller than small squirrels around the trees, big and colorful butterflies, a lot of insects and the flora was amazing. It took me more than 2 hours to reach the waterfalls as I was so intensely taking photos of everything.

On my way back I run into 2 other humans! I was surprised, and those people were staying in the hostel with me. They were from France, apparently, but they never told me that...It was a very awkward feeling to sleep under same roof with people who totally ignored you. It is a common, unwritten law among travelers that you at least say something to the people in the common area. You do not have to be the best friend in any way, but show some respect to the others, just say hello and tell/ask where you´re from and maybe change a few words about the trail or something, or leave the others think that at least they can ask something if there is a need to. That was a very strange encountering indeed and it did leave me with a lot of thoughts.

After the 2 nights I started my trip back to town. I thought to try my luck with hitchhiking back. At first I took a ride with a man who took me to the main road intersection and from there I got a ride with beautiful lady Sallyanna. I bought us drinks on our way back and we had a good conversation! She promised to take me shopping some local Sarawak layer cake next weekend before I start my trip back home!

Now, to the shower. Which actually reminds me about the toiletries I brought with me and wanted to test on my trip. Here we go; a topic for a new blog entry.

Kalimantan Borneo ~ Sangatta

I have been thinking about my whole trip myself after Simone and I separated. I try my best of luck down by the memory lane and write about the trip before arriving in Kuching. To make the story more interesting to my dear readers, I will write it topless.

Since Simone left I was just trying to calm down, relax and get better. Before she went on her way, we did another trip to another hospital and to yet another doctor. THE hospital was one of the most expensive in town, with a nice lake inside the building, swan boats, fountains etc. The female doctor made the dame examination as the previous one, gave me a prescription, and this time the medication was mixed by hand and then put into small capsules, to be enjoyed 3 times a day. Unfortunately it was not that easy.

The next day I was still weak an my head was only slightly better. During my stay, I had been to Pondok Bambu- restaurant down the road next to our hotel, and got to know Helena who run the restaurant. After Helena, I met his brother Tommy, later another bro Hanz and their mother... They all suggested me to see a lady who is good in curing illnesses using traditional methods. There I went.

The modest Muslim lady was concerned about my situation and really wanted to cure me. She gave ma a good traditional massage with herb oils and some chanting. Later she took me into their living room saying she wants to give some more treatments. Tommy translated to me that she was asking what have I had wrong with my stomach lately... The lady took some more oils, herbs, vegetables like onion and carrots and made a mixture of these. With the mixture she then treated my joints and ears and finally pulled the bad spirits out of me. She told me that I had been crossing some bad energies on my way in Borneo and those had started to follow me, that was the reason of the headache. The next morning I should feel better and if not, she would treat me again. She also said that if I did not come to see her now, my travel would have stopped there.

The next morning the headache was gone, and still is.

The rest of the time in Sangatta continued with good conversations, drinking good coffee with friendly laughters. I was totally adopted by this wonderful Chinese family and the sisters from Warung Bone3. I was almost spoiled, getting free coffee, breakfast, food, took me to fishing, gave me rides on scooter...you name it. I wish I am able to give as much of myself when I have some visitors the next time!

On my last night I wanted to help on my own to promote Pondok Bambu. I told Helena to ask her youngest brother to make some flyers that I could give to people while walking to the hotspot with my laptop. People were REALLY amazed to see a WHITE person handing out something and they were curious...I haven´t heard yet if someone came after the promotion but I hope to find out soon. I mean, what the heck- those people were shouting after me anyway, why not get some fun out of it.

~ ~ ~

The day when I left came too soon. I was crying on my way in the bus, because it was again a stress to be moving after such a nice time in a small town, even if I did not see the orangutans - I got something 10 times better; FRIENDS.

Wind cave near Kuching

Wind Cave Natural Reserve

Sangatta fishing trip

from Samarinda to Balikpapan and Pontianak

Arriving to Kuching. It is quiet. No one is calling after me, but I almost shout out loud. A WESTENER! Another, one more...many. The first joy is gone. I have been thinking how I might look like in the eyes of the local people, now I know: ridiculous.

Today in Kuching I have seen in one hour more white people than in the whole time in Kalimantan, where it was us 2 (Me and Simone), The Team America at Pulau Derawan and some random Swiss guy who had been sailing up the river with a boat transporting timber (getting material for his thesis).

The past week needs the own posting, but some info about my previous leg of the race around Borneo. Started yesterday at 06.00.

Samarinda City Center-> anghot (small van made to a bus) to bus terminal (30min)
Samarinda bus terminal -> bus to Balikpapan (2 1/2 hours)
Balikpapan bus terminal ->anghot to Balikpapan Airport (20min)
Balikpapan -> to Jakarta by Lion Air (2 1/2 hours)
Jakarta -> transfer flight to Pontianak, by Lion Air (1 1/4 hours)
Pontianak airport -> city, private transportation (!!!) to the Bus Terminal (time...)
Pontianak -> by night bus to Kuching (10hrs)

Arriving in Kuching at around 07.00 the following morning. Only a bit tired.



Now, I have the Air Asia ticket to my connecting flight in Singapore, 2 weeks left and I can start to think about home. But first, some jungle, some beach, some culture, some museums.

AND I have;
Working wireless in my room,
A warm shower
A western sitting toilet AND toilet paper
Hostel management speaks English
It is quiet
Beer from the front desk ( ice cold)
NO ants or other bugs
Kitchen with facilities
Electricity 24hrs