Return to Bali, Indonesia - Journal no. 20
1st October to the 31st October 2011
Meeting a friend at Bali airport
Arrived in Denpasar, Bali after a short flight from Yogyakarta with the intention of meeting a friend flying in from Kuala Lumpur on the evening of the 3rd October.
Birgit, a German lady, and I met on the Perhentian Islands in September and we’d been corresponding ever since. We determined that it would be nice to travel together for an undefined period. She being an avid diving enthusiast, although not such an adventurous travel, her admission, and some of the remote places that I had intended visiting provided superb dive sites.
The plan was to meet at the airport and make our way to Padang Bai about 2½ hours along the south coast of Bali. Stay overnight at the superb Puri Rai hotel before catching the fast boat to Gili Trawangan in the morning. Birgit had organised accommodation on the island and a day later at the extravagant Holiday Resort, Lombok. A moment of comfort before sleeping on the hard floor aboard a traditional boat over a four 4-day period.
Well everything pretty much ran to plan, apart from a delayed flight from KL. The connecting transport, overnight accommodation and even the ferry service worked fine and on schedule. Some of the time spent in Indonesia clearly helped to understand the process of getting round.
It was an interesting journey from Bali to the Gili Islands, though, rough seas and 1½ hours trapped in the boat interior with diesel fuel permeating into the cabin didn’t help. Many of the passengers looked decidedly green round the gills by the end of the crossing!!
Island of Gili Trawangan - no motor transportation
Three beautiful and idyllic islands form the chain known as the Gili’s, Trawangan, Meno and Air, and are just across the bay from the larger Island of Lombok, considered as the gateway to the Nusa Tenggara archipelago.
Set in the Indian Ocean Gili Trawangan is small, about an hour to walk round, and largely flat with a high point of about 700 meters above sea level.
The island enjoys a very Bohemian life style almost disconnected from the 21st century. It’s relaxed, the people friendly, the setting stunning, and the beaches excellent. There’s good accommodation, with many bars and restaurants, with little or no congestion apart from the odd horse drawn cart or bike.
Birgit and I talked for most of the journey from the airport to the islands, about what we had been doing since last we met. I guess we were just high on life and perhaps pleased that we would be travelling with some one even if only for a short while. We arrived happy, delighted at the choice of destination, refreshed, with a sense of adventure and ready to experience the simplicity that the island had to offer. Everyone we bumped into seemed genuinely pleased to see you. There wasn’t the constant touting for business so common on the mainland or a need to avoid traffic hurtling towards you from all angles.
Relaxing Bohemian paradise
There are few places in the world that I’ve warmed to so easily as Gili Trawangan. There are no police there isn’t a need for them. There are no roads simply a sand track with lighting provided by lanterns or fairy lights; placed there by the small sympathetically designed low rise hotels, shops, guest houses, etc.
There are lots of areas where you can congregate and idle away the hours. Elevated, covered and cushioned seating pagoda’s looking out across the bay, small beachside cocktail bars with flaming poi nighttime shows along and many fish restaurants displaying the catch of that day, to name but a few.
Smallest cocktail a source of fun!
Looking out towards Lombok Island across the Indian whilst sipping cocktails later in the evening we stumbled across Tobias and Angelica, we met earlier that day, at the aptly named Sunset bar (we went there to see the sun set).
After drinks we all decided to move on to restaurant recommended by Tobias.
Anyway, the culmination of the evening, after a one prawn avocado, with no avocado, cocktail, a very disappointing diner, a hefty bill and a second diner, as we were still hunger Birgit ordered and received what we thought was the smallest cocktail ever. It proved a source of great amusement to all of us for many days afterwards, however, a great evening nonetheless.
Beach overlooking Lombok Island
The island continues to delight with its simple, engaging and very relaxed life style. ‘Magic mushroom’, is often uttered to you as you pass by, a local drug readily available and with no law enforcement frequently used. There is an occasional late night party, invariable not to intrusive. The islanders seem to work closely together to create what I have to say is probably one of the best places that I have visited in Indonesia thus far.
Diving off the Gili’s with ‘Dream Diver’s’
We managed to pack in three dives in whilst in the Gili’s, one on the first day and two on the second with the aptly named Dream Divers. Diving was superb, with good visibility and lots to see.
When you arrive at a diving school there is a process of preparation, signing forms, proof of qualification or experience and equipping yourself with all the gear. Invariable a wetsuit, BCD, regulator, flippers, tank, goggles and weights.
Day one - The afternoon of the 4th October, Birgit and I carried out our first dive at a place called ‘Coral Fan Garden’ to a depth of 19 meters,
Day two - The second and third dives were to 20.9 meters ‘Bounty Gili Meno’ and 20.4 meters at the ‘Trawangan Slope’. The last and most enjoyable dive, a drift dive, you go with the current, in this case about 2 kilometres.
Diving off Trawangan Island
The dive boat is moored along the beach about ½ kilometre away. All the heavy gear (BCDs and tanks) is wheeled along on a cart whilst the remaining gear carried. The three Gili islands, namely Air, Meno and Trawangan, are set close together with deep channels and fast moving currents between, so invariable a rough ride. As the boats are narrow, we generally gear-up before getting on board, apart from putting on the regulator, heavy tank and flippers. Its then simply a case of sitting on the side of the boat and falling off backwards into the water, between hull and outrigger, stabilise yourself and descend.
All were effectively in the channel between the islands where the slope falls away steeply to well over 24/25 meters, possibly deeper. The sides are dotted with coral suggesting that the islands formed around an outcrop of rock with the sand deposited there over a period of time.
We saw probably 20 to 30 Green Back Turtle up to a 1½ meters in length, possible some of the biggest Bump head fish at 1½ metes by a meter, squid, Trigger fish, Jack fish, Blue Trivially, Lion fish and Moray eel to name but a few.
Trip across the Lombok strait
After a couple of dives that day we had arranged to travel by local boat to the island of Lombok. The local boats are very much like the long boats in Thailand, narrow and unstable. Two arms stretch out at right angles to the hull, front and back, about 8’ either side to two replaceable outriggers made of bamboo, almost as long as the boat. It aids sideways stability and certainly stops the boat from rolling over.
Once you move away from the protection of the islands, however, and into open water the boat dips and rises quite violently, splashing water up and onto the top deck. I hadn’t realised it was a sign of things to come on a much longer boat trip to Flores Island, great fun nonetheless.
Landing at Bangsal, Lombok
As with all boat landings here it’s straight off the boat onto the beach this time at Bangsal, no piers or jetty’s.
It reminded me when we first arrived on the Gili’s there was a very large lady of 60+ being pushed and pulled between the handrail of the express boat much to everyone’s amusement. Two guys from behind and two in front, all sense of dignity lost.
It was then simply a minibus ride the 35 kilometres to the hotel through undulating, dry and very bleak countryside.
We decided, or rather Birgit did, to stay in the aptly named ‘Holiday Resort’ about 5 kilometres from Senggigi on the island of Lombok. I think we both determined that it might be advisable given that we would be spending the next four nights on a thin piece of foam on a boat deck. We also needed a good Internet connection to sort out the Flores Island trip, book flights from Labuanbajo to Bali, Bali to Kuala Lumpur, KL to Tawau in Malaysia along with overnight accommodation in KL.
The hotel was superb, a particular feature an en-suite garden with a bathroom in lost in the foliage. There’s a large out door pool adjoining the beach, club, restaurants, shops and the rooms were keenly priced as well.
We spent a delightful evening together at the hotel and managed to organise the next phase of our journey primarily through a mutual contacts recommendation, Debbie & Graham.
A visit to Senggigi in the morning would be necessary to conclude our onward flight itinerary from Flores to Bali, problems with booking over the Internet. It meant a rushed start, as the tour company would be picking us up at 10.30am. Anyway we managed to make all of the connections and by 11.30am we were heading across the island of the Lombok to the port of Mataram.
The trip to the harbour took approximately 3 hours, collecting food supplies along the way, in particular several live chickens our last supper, so we had been reliably informed.
We finally arrived a little apprehensive at what barely passed for a dock to see our boat for the first time, not what we expected.
Conditions on board our boat
What can I say about the ‘Medang Jaya’ that the pictures fail to convey. It would appear to have low water line, so perhaps a concern in high seas. There is an open sun-deck (front), covered foredeck (the dining area, mats only) with wheelhouse and crew quarters centre of the boat, kitchen area and single WC to the rear.
The top floor or the sleeping quarters has a plastic cover over, about 4 foot high at the apex, extending down the sides and with a ladder to the front and rear.
A cage attached strapped to rear contains 4 sacrificial chickens, our last meal. The food throughout the trip I have to say was superb.
Our local boat, ‘Medang Jaya’
After stowing the luggage, ruck sacks in the hold, day sacks up on top and only after marking out our respective sleeping area its time to move on to our first port of call, Gili Bola.
Over the next few days, I guess, we’d gradually put names to faces; there were 14 passengers and 5 crew-members on this particular trip. Shane a rather outspoken 36-year-old Australian fireman, Mark a somewhat subdued and intensely serious American broker, 3 Dutch guys, Eerwin, Suzanne and Hubert, two great French ladies Laetitia and Maeion, 4 Germans Jakob, Fabian, Alana and Sophie, a lady from Denmark Marienka along with Birgit and myself, most in their early twenties.
First night on board - end of day one
We arrived safely after a reasonably uneventful journey although an opportunity to get to know everybody. There were no shower facilities on board just the sea and we quickly came to the conclusion that it would be best to live in the clothes that we had on. The end of the day signified a time to explore the island and snorkel.
Birgit and I opted to spend more time exploring the sea-life, as we were reluctant to clamber over and damage the coral leading to the waters edge. Around 6.00pm we chugged our way on until about 8.00pm, enjoying our first meal on board.
I’m not sure if it was the sea air, excitement, long coach journey or a certain amount of physical exertion it wasn’t long before everybody turned in for our first uncomfortable night on the hard floor, rocking gentle form side to side at anchor.
Calm before the storm – day two
We were woken around 4.00am by the sound of the diesel engine coughing and spluttering into life, a sign of things to come. The destination for today, Moyo Island and a walk inland to the waterfalls of the same name with a chance for a fresh water bath, then onto Satonda for a swim, snorkel and relaxation.
With the ablutions over, a quick snack of banana pancakes and coffee or tea we’d arrived at Moyo.
As described already, it’s about a 2 to 3 kilometre hike to the waterfall and a climb up the face of the fall to a 4-meter deep pool above.
We arrived back at the boat around 10.30am, after a short swim it was time for a brunch of fried rice, vegetables, fried tofu and fresh fruit.
At some point the boat continued on its relentless journey to Satonda, approximately 2 hours away. The plans on arriving, swim, bathe and spend time snorkelling before moving on.
The next phase of the trip, sailing for 18-hours across open seas, by line of sight only and with no radar through the night to Kalong Island. At some point, tired, exhausted or bored we turned in for the night, completely oblivious of what lay ahead.
Stormy waters ahead
Who could tell the impending danger that would present itself throughout the night and early morning? I think it was about midnight that events took a dramatic turn. We were some distance from land and the wind and sea had increased steadily in intensity rocking the boat violently in all directions. The waves I estimate were about three to four meters high, with the wind gusting to near gale force.
There were two life belts that I come across at some point whilst looking round the ship and had already pretty much determined that if the sea overwhelmed the boat we wouldn’t survive!
Neither Birgit nor I were afraid, it was just proving very difficult to stay in our defined bed area and sleep, if you turned over you would be thrown physically across the floor. At one point I was more concerned that if we sank my travel photographs would be lost forever, the things we think about in adversity.
Kalong bay and sheltered waters – day three
We finally steamed into the bay formed by Kalong and Komodo Islands to be greeted by the sun rising over the headland. We were tired, battered, bruised but safe!
After some coffee and banana fritters all was well again with the world. Todays’ agenda climb to the top of Varanus Komodoensis or Ora point on the island of Kalong, swim and bathe in the bay before heading to Red Beach Komodo.
Kencana tour route or the official guide
Map of our intended route as follows.
Day 1 - Lombok Island to Gili Bola, for a swim, snorkel and explore the island before moving to overnight mooring.
Day 2 – Gili Bola to Moyo, explore the island with a dip in the waterfall, before moving onto Satonda Island and overnight trip to Kalong island.
Day 3 – Continued 18 hour trip to Kalong Island & Red Beach Komodo, climb to the top of Ora and visit Komodo Island.
Day 4 – Trip to Rinca island to see the Komodo dragon running wild, swim off of Kelor Island and then to short trip to Flores Island.
Komodo Island, World Heritage National Park
It’s funny to think until fairly recently, the last 100 years that is, the Komodo dragon was unknown outside the Nusa Tenggara archipelago. Not surprising though when you considered the number of island that form the country of Indonesia (17,520) most unoccupied or sparsely populated.
Komodo and Rinca, two of the three islands where the dragons are found, are pretty much as depicted in the old Hollywood film, ‘The Land that Time Forgot’, possibly an apt title as well. A species largely locked away and left alone on a remote island outpost, with little commercial or medicinal value to those that would exploit, remarkable!
The Komodo dragon, one of the few remaining links with the dinosaur, is found on three islands all around Komodo and only in Indonesia.
They grow to about 3 meters in length, weigh in at around 100 kg, are able to sense blood from a distance of 8 kilometres and can run at 18 km per hour. They eat deer, boar and water buffalo amongst other things.
The undulating island habit is hot, dry and a hostile, though clearly these goliath-sized lizards are well suited to survive and there numbers are increasing. They eat just once a month, consuming a large mammal, equivalent to a deer or part of a water buffalo. They hunt mainly in the cool of the day and sleep the rest of the time. They appear to hunt in packs, especially when tackling the much larger prey. Like the pig, boar and hyena they consume the whole carcass, bone and all. The teeth retract into the gums when not in use.
After spending time on Komodo, we sailed and moored close to the island of Rinca for swim, a drink and, hopefully, a quiet night.
Paralysing bite, on the island of Rinca!! – Day 4
We landed on the island of Rinca the following day to wandering round what is a largely a wildlife sanctuary where the Dragon’s roam freely, a chance to see them in their natural habitat.
We were very fortunate to come across an incredibly rare site the moment a full-grown deer is brought done by a single bite from a Juvenile Komodo Dragon, the extraordinary cocktail of bacterium within the mouth does the rest by disabling the nervous system paralysing the animal, eventually killing it. The predator just sits and waits for the animal to stop flaying and for the toxin to take effect before moving into to consume its prey whilst still alive!
It seems harsh and cruel, but it’s the rule of the jungle. We hung around for about 10 minutes before moving on. I think we were all conscious that we were present at the start of a diner party and only the first guest had arrived, more would soon appear.
Some of the rangers returned later and apparently much larger Komodo’s had arrived tearing the carcass apart.
Clear waters on Kelor beach
After spending about three hours wandering round just a small part of Rinca Island, in what is an open reserve where you are tracking the lizards on foot in their natural habitat it’s time to return to the boat.
A point of note the island is largely uninhabited, home for the rangers and people that work there. There are some 1,050 Komodo’s living on the island and sufficient prey to sustain their increasing numbers.
Two hours further on is the beautiful and secluded beach of Kelor Island, a chance to swim, snorkel and bathe before heading to Labuanbajo.
1st October to the 31st October 2011
Meeting a friend at Bali airport
Arrived in Denpasar, Bali after a short flight from Yogyakarta with the intention of meeting a friend flying in from Kuala Lumpur on the evening of the 3rd October.
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| The wide sandy Kuta Beach, Denpasar, Bali in Indonesia |
The plan was to meet at the airport and make our way to Padang Bai about 2½ hours along the south coast of Bali. Stay overnight at the superb Puri Rai hotel before catching the fast boat to Gili Trawangan in the morning. Birgit had organised accommodation on the island and a day later at the extravagant Holiday Resort, Lombok. A moment of comfort before sleeping on the hard floor aboard a traditional boat over a four 4-day period.
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| Ferry terminal in Padang Bai |
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| Puri Rai Hotel in Padang Bai, Bali |
It was an interesting journey from Bali to the Gili Islands, though, rough seas and 1½ hours trapped in the boat interior with diesel fuel permeating into the cabin didn’t help. Many of the passengers looked decidedly green round the gills by the end of the crossing!!
Island of Gili Trawangan - no motor transportation
Three beautiful and idyllic islands form the chain known as the Gili’s, Trawangan, Meno and Air, and are just across the bay from the larger Island of Lombok, considered as the gateway to the Nusa Tenggara archipelago.
Set in the Indian Ocean Gili Trawangan is small, about an hour to walk round, and largely flat with a high point of about 700 meters above sea level.
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| Arriving on the Island of Gili Trawangan |
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| Birgit and I all smiles and relaxed |
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| Sandy beach of Trawangan with Lombok beyond |
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| The busy high street on Gili Trawangan |
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| Principle means of transport on the island |
Relaxing Bohemian paradise
There are few places in the world that I’ve warmed to so easily as Gili Trawangan. There are no police there isn’t a need for them. There are no roads simply a sand track with lighting provided by lanterns or fairy lights; placed there by the small sympathetically designed low rise hotels, shops, guest houses, etc.
There are lots of areas where you can congregate and idle away the hours. Elevated, covered and cushioned seating pagoda’s looking out across the bay, small beachside cocktail bars with flaming poi nighttime shows along and many fish restaurants displaying the catch of that day, to name but a few.
Smallest cocktail a source of fun!
Looking out towards Lombok Island across the Indian whilst sipping cocktails later in the evening we stumbled across Tobias and Angelica, we met earlier that day, at the aptly named Sunset bar (we went there to see the sun set).
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| Tobias, Angelica, Birgit and I at Sunset Bar |
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| The beautiful sunset over the Gili Islands |
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| All smiles despite a disappointing meal at the Beach Club |
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| Smallest cocktail source of amusement |
Beach overlooking Lombok Island
The island continues to delight with its simple, engaging and very relaxed life style. ‘Magic mushroom’, is often uttered to you as you pass by, a local drug readily available and with no law enforcement frequently used. There is an occasional late night party, invariable not to intrusive. The islanders seem to work closely together to create what I have to say is probably one of the best places that I have visited in Indonesia thus far.
Diving off the Gili’s with ‘Dream Diver’s’
We managed to pack in three dives in whilst in the Gili’s, one on the first day and two on the second with the aptly named Dream Divers. Diving was superb, with good visibility and lots to see.
When you arrive at a diving school there is a process of preparation, signing forms, proof of qualification or experience and equipping yourself with all the gear. Invariable a wetsuit, BCD, regulator, flippers, tank, goggles and weights.
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| Large Bump Head fish, about 2m x 1m |
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| Simple traditional dive boat |
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| Birgit self portrait in the waters around the Gili Islands |
Day two - The second and third dives were to 20.9 meters ‘Bounty Gili Meno’ and 20.4 meters at the ‘Trawangan Slope’. The last and most enjoyable dive, a drift dive, you go with the current, in this case about 2 kilometres.
Diving off Trawangan Island
The dive boat is moored along the beach about ½ kilometre away. All the heavy gear (BCDs and tanks) is wheeled along on a cart whilst the remaining gear carried. The three Gili islands, namely Air, Meno and Trawangan, are set close together with deep channels and fast moving currents between, so invariable a rough ride. As the boats are narrow, we generally gear-up before getting on board, apart from putting on the regulator, heavy tank and flippers. Its then simply a case of sitting on the side of the boat and falling off backwards into the water, between hull and outrigger, stabilise yourself and descend.
All were effectively in the channel between the islands where the slope falls away steeply to well over 24/25 meters, possibly deeper. The sides are dotted with coral suggesting that the islands formed around an outcrop of rock with the sand deposited there over a period of time.
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| Green back turtle |
Trip across the Lombok strait
After a couple of dives that day we had arranged to travel by local boat to the island of Lombok. The local boats are very much like the long boats in Thailand, narrow and unstable. Two arms stretch out at right angles to the hull, front and back, about 8’ either side to two replaceable outriggers made of bamboo, almost as long as the boat. It aids sideways stability and certainly stops the boat from rolling over.
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| Locals and I lounging on the top deck of the local boat |
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| Birgit all smiles on the top deck |
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| Crossing the Strait between the Gili and Lombok Island |
Landing at Bangsal, Lombok
As with all boat landings here it’s straight off the boat onto the beach this time at Bangsal, no piers or jetty’s.
It reminded me when we first arrived on the Gili’s there was a very large lady of 60+ being pushed and pulled between the handrail of the express boat much to everyone’s amusement. Two guys from behind and two in front, all sense of dignity lost.
It was then simply a minibus ride the 35 kilometres to the hotel through undulating, dry and very bleak countryside.
We decided, or rather Birgit did, to stay in the aptly named ‘Holiday Resort’ about 5 kilometres from Senggigi on the island of Lombok. I think we both determined that it might be advisable given that we would be spending the next four nights on a thin piece of foam on a boat deck. We also needed a good Internet connection to sort out the Flores Island trip, book flights from Labuanbajo to Bali, Bali to Kuala Lumpur, KL to Tawau in Malaysia along with overnight accommodation in KL.
The hotel was superb, a particular feature an en-suite garden with a bathroom in lost in the foliage. There’s a large out door pool adjoining the beach, club, restaurants, shops and the rooms were keenly priced as well.
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| Excellent diner at the Holiday Resort, Lombok |
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| Trying to sort out ongoing flights over breakfast |
A visit to Senggigi in the morning would be necessary to conclude our onward flight itinerary from Flores to Bali, problems with booking over the Internet. It meant a rushed start, as the tour company would be picking us up at 10.30am. Anyway we managed to make all of the connections and by 11.30am we were heading across the island of the Lombok to the port of Mataram.
The trip to the harbour took approximately 3 hours, collecting food supplies along the way, in particular several live chickens our last supper, so we had been reliably informed.
We finally arrived a little apprehensive at what barely passed for a dock to see our boat for the first time, not what we expected.
Conditions on board our boat
What can I say about the ‘Medang Jaya’ that the pictures fail to convey. It would appear to have low water line, so perhaps a concern in high seas. There is an open sun-deck (front), covered foredeck (the dining area, mats only) with wheelhouse and crew quarters centre of the boat, kitchen area and single WC to the rear.
The top floor or the sleeping quarters has a plastic cover over, about 4 foot high at the apex, extending down the sides and with a ladder to the front and rear.
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| Birgit and I on the top (sleeping) deck of the 'Medang Jaya' |
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| Kitchen or galley at the back of the boat next to the WC |
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| Kitchen preparation area on the 'Medang Jaya' |
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| 'Medang Jaya' home for 4 days and nights |
Our local boat, ‘Medang Jaya’
After stowing the luggage, ruck sacks in the hold, day sacks up on top and only after marking out our respective sleeping area its time to move on to our first port of call, Gili Bola.
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| First day out and the first sunset |
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| Early night for most |
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| Some of the fellow travellers on the fore deck |
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| Cocktail hour on the Medang Jaya |
First night on board - end of day one
We arrived safely after a reasonably uneventful journey although an opportunity to get to know everybody. There were no shower facilities on board just the sea and we quickly came to the conclusion that it would be best to live in the clothes that we had on. The end of the day signified a time to explore the island and snorkel.
Birgit and I opted to spend more time exploring the sea-life, as we were reluctant to clamber over and damage the coral leading to the waters edge. Around 6.00pm we chugged our way on until about 8.00pm, enjoying our first meal on board.
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| The table is laid for diner, good wholesome simple food |
Calm before the storm – day two
We were woken around 4.00am by the sound of the diesel engine coughing and spluttering into life, a sign of things to come. The destination for today, Moyo Island and a walk inland to the waterfalls of the same name with a chance for a fresh water bath, then onto Satonda for a swim, snorkel and relaxation.
With the ablutions over, a quick snack of banana pancakes and coffee or tea we’d arrived at Moyo.
As described already, it’s about a 2 to 3 kilometre hike to the waterfall and a climb up the face of the fall to a 4-meter deep pool above.
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| Landing on the beach at Moyo Island |
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| Dip in the fresh waterfall on Moyo Island |
At some point the boat continued on its relentless journey to Satonda, approximately 2 hours away. The plans on arriving, swim, bathe and spend time snorkelling before moving on.
The next phase of the trip, sailing for 18-hours across open seas, by line of sight only and with no radar through the night to Kalong Island. At some point, tired, exhausted or bored we turned in for the night, completely oblivious of what lay ahead.
Stormy waters ahead
Who could tell the impending danger that would present itself throughout the night and early morning? I think it was about midnight that events took a dramatic turn. We were some distance from land and the wind and sea had increased steadily in intensity rocking the boat violently in all directions. The waves I estimate were about three to four meters high, with the wind gusting to near gale force.
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| Birgit all snug and smiles before the storm |
Neither Birgit nor I were afraid, it was just proving very difficult to stay in our defined bed area and sleep, if you turned over you would be thrown physically across the floor. At one point I was more concerned that if we sank my travel photographs would be lost forever, the things we think about in adversity.
Kalong bay and sheltered waters – day three
We finally steamed into the bay formed by Kalong and Komodo Islands to be greeted by the sun rising over the headland. We were tired, battered, bruised but safe!
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| One of the luxury live-aboard dive boats |
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| 'Madang Jaya' moored in Kalong Bay |
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| Both of our boats moored in the bay formed by Kalong and Komodo Islands |
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| Posing on Ora Point with fellow travellers |
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| View from on top of Varanus Komodoensis or Ora Point |
Kencana tour route or the official guide
Map of our intended route as follows.
Day 1 - Lombok Island to Gili Bola, for a swim, snorkel and explore the island before moving to overnight mooring.
Day 2 – Gili Bola to Moyo, explore the island with a dip in the waterfall, before moving onto Satonda Island and overnight trip to Kalong island.
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| Official route taking over the 4 day period |
Day 4 – Trip to Rinca island to see the Komodo dragon running wild, swim off of Kelor Island and then to short trip to Flores Island.
Komodo Island, World Heritage National Park
It’s funny to think until fairly recently, the last 100 years that is, the Komodo dragon was unknown outside the Nusa Tenggara archipelago. Not surprising though when you considered the number of island that form the country of Indonesia (17,520) most unoccupied or sparsely populated.
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| Sailing across the Bay to Red Beach, Komodo Island |
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| Young Komodo still able to bring down a full grown animal |
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| Generally hunts in the cool of the day |
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| Able to run at 18kmph and smell blood from 8km away |
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| Entrance to Komodo National Park |
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| It can grow up to 3m in length and weigh 100kg |
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| The remote barren island of Komodo during the dry season |
They grow to about 3 meters in length, weigh in at around 100 kg, are able to sense blood from a distance of 8 kilometres and can run at 18 km per hour. They eat deer, boar and water buffalo amongst other things.
The undulating island habit is hot, dry and a hostile, though clearly these goliath-sized lizards are well suited to survive and there numbers are increasing. They eat just once a month, consuming a large mammal, equivalent to a deer or part of a water buffalo. They hunt mainly in the cool of the day and sleep the rest of the time. They appear to hunt in packs, especially when tackling the much larger prey. Like the pig, boar and hyena they consume the whole carcass, bone and all. The teeth retract into the gums when not in use.
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| Sun setting on Komodo Island |
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| Birgit and Suzanne enjoying a cocktail |
Paralysing bite, on the island of Rinca!! – Day 4
We landed on the island of Rinca the following day to wandering round what is a largely a wildlife sanctuary where the Dragon’s roam freely, a chance to see them in their natural habitat.
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| Arriving on the islands and sanctuary of Rinca |
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| Local house boat close to Rinca Island |
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| On the move, always a time to be weary |
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| Alert and looking for a threat or diner perhaps |
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| Single bite from a young Komodo paralyses the deer |
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| The Komodo eats the deer whilst its still alive |
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| Its the dry season at the moment, however, Rinca still supports 1,000 Komodo |
Some of the rangers returned later and apparently much larger Komodo’s had arrived tearing the carcass apart.
Clear waters on Kelor beach
After spending about three hours wandering round just a small part of Rinca Island, in what is an open reserve where you are tracking the lizards on foot in their natural habitat it’s time to return to the boat.
A point of note the island is largely uninhabited, home for the rangers and people that work there. There are some 1,050 Komodo’s living on the island and sufficient prey to sustain their increasing numbers.
Two hours further on is the beautiful and secluded beach of Kelor Island, a chance to swim, snorkel and bathe before heading to Labuanbajo.
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| The beautiful clear waters off the Island of Kelor |
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| The secluded Kelor Beach and hour from Flores Island |
It’s about an hour from Kelor to Labuanbajo and by the time we’d reached port almost all on board had opted for some form of accommodation on land, lack of sleep I guess.
Birgit and I stumbled on a very pleasant hotel, perched on the hill overlooking the harbour. It was cheap, clean, had a comfortable bed, a ceiling fan, an en-suite shower with a terrace overlooking the harbour what more could you ask for!
Night out on the town of LabuanbajoIts funny how at the end of a trip like this the friendship seems strongest, or perhaps it’s the realisation that you won’t have to see each other again, just joking. In reality it’s likely that I will bump into Marienka in Sulawesi and Laetitia and Maeion in Cambodia.
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| The harbour town of Labuanbajo |
The Germans in our group stumbled across the Mediterrano restaurant and were suitably impressed so we agreed to meet there later.
We’d arranged to gather at 7.00pm and surprisingly everyone turned up even the rather strange American guy Mark, a point of discussion throughout the trip. Similar words may have been uttered about me behind my back for all I know, we were both of a similar age, single and perhaps searching for something, although not clear what. He seems very fixed in his way, I know because we had a very frank discussion over breakfast the following morning.
I digress, the choice of restaurant was inspired, the food probably the best yet had in Indonesia, the service both prompt and professional and the price reasonable.
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| Eerwin and Suzanne |
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| Sophie and Alana |
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| Alana and Birgit |
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| Laetitia, Maeion and Eerwin |
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| Suzanne and Fabian |
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| Jakob and Sophie |
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| Marienka and Shane |
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| Dower American Mark and Hubert |
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| Marienka and I |
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| Alana, Birgit and Laetitia |
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| Diner at the Mediterrano restaurant |
Marienka provoked everyone to an exchange of Facebook addresses and or e-mail addresses so hopeful we will keep in touch. I’d like to think that I would bump into some of the long-term travellers along the way, we shall see.
German pals Jakob & Sophie
Fabian and Sophie are girlfriend and boyfriend. Sophie’s almost finished her University degree Fabian on the other hand is a teacher and needs to carry out some practical work first. Jakob, interestingly enough trained as a nursery school teacher. Both intend working in Asia for a period and as there well over 6’ they’ll certainly command respect if for no other reason than they will tower over their pupils.
The Germans, Dutch and Shane are remaining in Flores to do some diving, Mark is travelling across Flores and Marienka off to Bali.
Summary of our trip to Flores
In all it was a fantastic trip, tinged with some danger especially the nighttime sailing through stormy waters although with some great people. The dynamics between Birgit and I were affected along the way and as with all journeys in life lessons can be learnt. I realised that travelling on my own could make your more insular so clearly I need to be mindful of that in the future. We’d seen some fantastic sites throughout the 4-day trip, with memories that will linger for many years to come. In particular the sight of the deer bought down by a juvenile Komodo dragon and eaten, something that most rangers have never seen.
Bandar Udara airport, Komodo Labuanbajo
After two nights in the quiet frontier town of Labuanbajo, it was time to move on again. All credit to Birgit she agreed to stick with me despite the fact that it meant leaving Indonesia only a few days after arriving. I needed to leave the country as my 30-day visa expired on the 12th October.
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| Local airline back to Denpasar, Bali |
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| Small local airport at Labuan Bajo |
When we met some days previously I outlined my plan. I had original intended flying from Bali to Tarakan in Indonesia or to be precise Kalimantan, take a bus across the border into Malaysia. Head to Semporna and the diving area known as Sipodan, after spending a few days we would cross back into Indonesia on a new visa, visit the archipelago of islands known as Pulau Derawan, fly to Sulawesi to travel across the country to Makassar before moving onto to Medan in Sumatra.
Two things became apparent along the way Birgit in fairness at my suggestion was hauling her 18kg dive bag and equipment, luggage and day sack. The second we travel in different ways. I like to move on and cover a lot of ground, Birgit prefers to linger and saviour the moment, especially when it comes to diving.
Despite some problems with the Internet booking, we arrived initially in Denpasar, then KL and finally Tawau as schedule over a two-day period. We were met at Tawau airport and driven to Semporna.
Arriving in Semporna
Birgit had managed to organise three days accommodation with an option for a further days stay, along with 9 dives over three days, 3 in the illustrious waters around the island of Sipodan.
Apparently only 125 divers are allowed to dive the site in any one day. Part of the reef conservation program.
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| Stilted buildings around Semporna harbour |
Small open boat to the island of Mabul
Formalities over its was just simply a question of taking an open boat to Mabul Island. There must be a tidal variance of about two and a half meters so getting onto a small open boat lying in the water many feet below proved interesting, as the tide was out, a case of clinging to the jetty sides whilst descending 10’ to the boat, no ladders.
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| Small boat to Mabul Island |
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| Mountains and stilted houses line the bay |
Diving off of Mabul, Kapalai and Sipodan islands
Birgit and I arrived early afternoon and were greeted by a cheery welcome by both longstanding residents (holidays makers and divers) and staff alike, which was great. We’d elected to share a twin room on this occasion, which was fine. Nothing fancy, a window, two beds, some hooks and a fan that worked between the hours of 6.00pm and 6.00am.
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| Houses, hotels, restaurants and shops surround the island |
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| Home stay accommodation and dive center |
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| Lounging on the sun-deck of the home-stay |
Every movement made, people wandering around, the sea bumping into the structure, a boat gentle kissing the side reverberates throughout the platform, a particular problem at night.
Mabul itself would appear to be an Atoll, an elevated section of flat land or sandbank surrounded by a coral reef about 300 meters out, with a shallow shelf between land and reef. To the seaward is a steep slope plummeting to well over 25 meters. There’s a huge tidal variance of about 2 to 3 meters, twice daily, making getting on and off the jetty to the boat very interesting at times.
There were six dive instructors, Nick an Englishman, Marcel an Italian, two Russians, two local guides with all of the other staff Malaysian. Staying at the time were an English couple Andy and Stacey, along with Kelly a pharmaceutical rep from the USA, Brian from the USA and various others although very remiss of me, the names escape me.
Food, water, coffee, tea and squash were all include and the food again I have to say was plentiful and good.
Day 1 - dive one. The first dive was off the reef at Kapala Island, close to one of the crass resorts at 400 Euro’s a night. A reef and sunken village dive, to almost 19 meters for 41 minutes. Lots to see, Painted Frogfish, White Leaf Fish, lots of Crocodile fish, a fight between a small Moray Eel and an Octopus (the Octopus won), Red Fire Goby, Nudi Branches and lots of Lion Fish.
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Day 1 - dive two. The Paradise Reef off of Mabul Island, to 17.3 meters and for 53 minutes. We saw loads of Turtle, all of the above, Scorpion Fish and Porcelain Crab to name but a few. No third dive.
Day 2 - dive one. Eel Garden off of Mabul Island, to 18 meters for 1 hour 6 minutes with visibility about 10 meters. We saw some eel, although not as many as had been promised, lots of Crocodile Fish, Turtle and Nudi Branch. The dive was a success on the one hand because of the time spent under water, however, it marked the end of my dives around Sipodan.
Nine dives over three days
Nine dives over a 3-day period, a tall order for a novice diver perhaps. One of the problems about diving in an around Sipodan is that you pay in advance particular if you intend diving on Sipodan. We had planned three such dives at a cost of £120, just for the permit. Everything started off reasonably well; by the 2nd dive, however, I was experiencing difficulty equalising on my right side.
When ascending or descending you need to balance the pressure, generally done by holding your nose and blowing. I opted to miss the third dive of the day to allow time to recover, however, the following day after the first dive I realised that I’d contracted an ear infection meaning I would miss all further dives and with no refund!!!
Sipodan dive sites
The area around Sipodan is consider as some of the best dive sites in the world and rated as such in the PADI dive league table in the top 10.
I think that there is some fantastic diving in an around Sipodan, Mabul and Kapalai Islands. Clearly there is a huge collection of unusual specie to see, some peculiar to the area. However is it worth it and does it live up to the hype, categorically, no! Its expensive, the accommodation is basic for the money and I’ve dived on far better sites.
The trip out through the harbour sets the scene. I’ve never seen so much crap floating in the sea before, plastic bags, bottles, crisp packets, cartons, flotsam, etc. This is supposed to be a protected area and a managed reef. Most of the high-class resorts seem to dump raw sewerage straight into the sea.
Local life on Mabul Island
The island of Mabul is very small, probably no more than a mile long and a similar distance across. Looking down one of the open wells, the sides would appear to be formed from rock, probably coral. I suspect that sand has washed over the coral elevating a section of land above sea level, sufficient in size to live on. Clearly the people on the island, a lot from the Philippines, hack out a living based on the coral, sea life and sea. Everything else is shipped in by small boat from the mainland, as there is little if any land to grow things.
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| One of the many mock traditional stilted resorts |
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| Simple existence on the island of Mabul |
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| Happy children all smiles on Mabul Island |
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| Island life on Mabul |
Judging by the many dilapidated structures, perhaps due to a lack of raw material, I would guess the people are struggling to make a living. Clearly some are employed by one of the many hotels, home-stays, lodges, in-house bars, restaurants or dive shops.
There are a few local stalls, a few simple shops, a large school but no doctor or chemist and it’s a 1½-hour boat ride to Semporna. Rubbish is dumped pretty much where it’s thrown with sewerage I assume ejected into the sea.
Then you have the extravagantly built stilted lodges, hotels, resorts, home-stays and bars that either occupy acres of precious land, straddle the reef or are built on an elevated sandbank. Set aside the obscene amount of money charged to stay in one of these places, what sort of signal does it convey to the local people just trying to survive!! The whole thing is extraordinarily insensitive surely the process of managing anything has to involve a benefit to the community. You can’t do it in the long run if the people are not in accord.
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| Local school hugging the shore on Mabul |
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| Diving platform and oil rig off shore |
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| Sunset over Mabul Isalnd |
An onboard lift descends to the seabed and reef, fine for the disabled, so all you need do is press the bell to go down and when you’ve finished assemble on the lift platform and press the bell to be brought up!
Birgit and I decided to go our separate ways
Birgit and I had decided to part. She’s opted to stay on for another six days of diving leaving on or around the 22nd October to catch the return flight back to Kuala Lumpur and eventually to Germany. I on the other hand have decided to bail out, initially to Kota Kinabalu and then to a resort north of Kota Kinabalu, primarily to recuperate.
Coming back on the boat, I met and befriend a young government official called Mohammed, married with a young son they all live in Semporna. He’d been on Mabul Island in an official capacity. It materialises that he is due to be transferred to London shortly and is a little concerned about his spoken English, hence his interest in me. Anyway, within minutes of arriving in Semporna, the many friendly greetings and Mohammed’s insistences on taking me to the bus station by car to buy a bus ticket to KK, I decided on impulse to spend the night in Semporna.
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| Isolated homes in the bay farming seaweed |
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| Dragon Inn, Semporna |
The room at the Inn was much better than on Mabul, twice the size, with a fan, large en-suite with a hot water shower and cheap at only 77 MYR.
After spending a very pleasant evening in Semporna, clearly a town with aspirations to be more than it is certainly when you consider all the new quayside developments springing up, I board the VIP Dyana bus to Kota Kinabalu.
It’s a double decker or continental touring bus with 7 luxury seats downstairs and about 30+ seats upstairs. It would take all of the 9 hours predicted and some to reach KK, but that was OK.
The overland luxury coach service in Malaysia, both on the mainland and in Borneo or Eastern Malaysia is as a very effective and comfortable way of getting round. The first time that I took advantage of the service was on the Kota Bharu to Kuala Lumpur run. Comfortable wide reclining chairs, refreshments served as part of the service, an onboard WC and a meal stop.
The Dyana service was even better. Clearly the luxury coach is still an unusual site in Sabah, as it seemed to command a lot of local interest wherever it stopped en-route.
Two night in Kota Kinabalu before moving on
After spending a couple of nights in Kota Kinabalu and catching up with the Camps team, I felt it was time to move on. Mel had recommended a place called ‘Manana Beach Resort’, some distance north of KK, run by a friend of hers Yan.
A car would pick me up the following morning the 18th and whisk me along the coast to the small fishing village of Kampung Pituru Laut or Kota Belud. A boat would take us, I say us I was travelling with a very talkative Canadian lady that had just flown in, to a private secluded beach and the resort.
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| Isolated and secluded cove & beach at Manana Resort |
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| Cottages and restaurant nestle in the trees |
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| Tiaan, Daniel, Tai and Peter |
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| Samantha, Tiaan, Phillip and Tai Thompson |
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| The lovely Thompson family on their way back to New Zealand |
The resort is somewhat Bohemian in its presentation, and comprises a small private sandy cove a short distance by water from a fishing village. Surrounded on all sides by hills and tropical rainforest, its some distance from anywhere. There are private rooms with a shared bathroom, several beach front-chalets with an en-suite and all built in a traditional style using natural materials. There’s a covered area with hammocks, an area for camping, a restaurant, lounge, secluded, quiet, remote and with no Wi-Fi or mobile phone connection so it’s an ideal retreat. There’s not a lot to do apart from laze around on the beach and perhaps take the occasional walk.
People they come and they go
The resort isn’t particularly busy at the moment, I guess low season, although there have been a nice lot of people passing through over the six days. The lovely NZ Thompson family left a couple of days after I arrived, with the two Swedish guys Daniel and Peter departing in the afternoon. The Canadian lady Christine left Saturday morning, thankfully, very talkative and confrontational, along with Shirley and her husband in the afternoon. The same day two detective constables from the UK arrived, Beth and Vicky, along with a UK teacher Andrew and his friend Victoria, currently working in Sabah. So no shortage of interest!
‘Manana Beach Resort’ chilled, remote and quiet
The Manana Resort is a really great place to chill, read a book or two and just forget about the world. A fantastic location, quiet, a short distance by boat from the village of Kota Belud (although its pretty much a group of local shacks than a village) the food’s not great but who cares, it’s just so quirky.
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| Manana Staff - Awie, Mantoor, Aali and Wan |
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| Sun setting on the beach & cove |
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| Serene, tranquil and with a beautiful sandy beach |
If you're in Kota Kinabalu and you fancy time-out on the beach I would suggest that you pay the place a visit. Take the road heading north from KK to Kudat, it’s about an hour out, I guess about 40 kilometres and then turn left to the village, clearly signposted.
I returned to KK today to try and organise a final attempt at climbing Mount Kinabalu, at a reasonable price. I’ve heard such good stories from so many people whilst travelling round; I feel it’s worth one last attempt.
The two-lady detective’s, Beth and Vicky, suggested approaching a tour operator called Sureya. They managed to organise a tour at the last minute for about 550 MYR per person.
I hadn’t realised that the company that monopolises access to the mountain and Sureya are one of the same, however. Every other company has to add on a commission to the price charged so clearly there was only ever going to be the one option.
Attempt on Mt. Kinabalu
Facts and figures about Mt. Kinabalu and the related high points – There are several peaks that form the granite-topped Mt. Kinabalu all of varying heights. Alexandra’s Peak at 4,003mtrs, St. John’s at 4,091 meters, Low Peak at 4,095mtrs (our destination), King Edward at 4,032mtrs, the Ugly Sisters at 4,050mtrs and Donkey’s Ears at 4,050mtrs.
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| The many peaks that make up Mt. Kinabalu |
Overnight stay at Mamma’s
The trip started the morning of the 28th October with a 1/1/2 hour mini-bus ride the 60 kilometres to Kinabalu Park, or the main entrance. After a fairly uneventful journey we were deposited at the Park Gates. I say we, there was a tall, thin, pasty-faced American travelling three rows in front of me that stepped out at the same time. Weston’s his name and he lives in Seattle, when he’s there. He’s travelling very much like me round South East Asia financed by on line gambling.
After checking-in with Sureya and discovering the price for a room was 160MYR for a dormitory and 650MYR for a double bedroom, I decided to look elsewhere. Just a short hike down the main road is a nice lodge called Mamma’s, at just 30MYR a night for a single. Weston stumbled on the same place. We later decided to hitch a ride to the nearby town of Kumasi for some lunch and cash.
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| Kumasi with Mt Kinabalu shroud by cloud |
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| Weston and I posing on the terrace of Mamma's |
The town of Kumasi is known as the garden centre of Sabah simply because its temperate climate, high precipitation and fertile soil are good for growing all types of produce, very apparent when you count the number of road-side fruit and vegetable stalls.\
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| Diner with friends - Chazy, Ayna, Razan & Elinzia |
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| More friends for diner - ? , Khai % Weston |
Climbing Mt. Kinabalu
The agenda for the 29th October; meet our guide a guy called Azim at around 7.30am at the Kinabalu Park Headquarters and then take a mini-bus ride approximately 4 kilometres to the start of the trail, Timpohon Gate, 1,866m above sea level. We would ascend 1,407m spread over 6 kilometres across steep, rocky terrain hopefully ending up at our lodgings for the night at the Laban Rata Rest house. All sounds very simple, I can tell you it wasn’t!!
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| Terrace to the Laban Rata Res House |
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| Looking down the mountain at the Rest Houses |
From 2,700m, Layang Layang Hut, and beyond the ground is strewn with boulders that you have negotiate your way round or over. We arrived at the lodgings for the night at about 12.00pm, taking 4 hours to do the first section, not a bad time supposedly.
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| The Mt. Kinabalu Trail |
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| Long trail up the mountainside |
Bleary eyed, after an 1½ hours sleep, well fed we’re off for the last 2.7 kilometres to Low’s Peak 4,095m above sea level and well above the clouds. We made good time, although it didn’t seem like it at the time. The first part of the walk alternated from wooden steps to clambering over boulders. From Sayat-Sayat Hut at 3,686m and beyond the terrain changes to steep sloping granite with guide ropes to help pull your self up.
On top of the world
The last section to Low’s point, effectively a very narrow pinnacle, was particularly taxing although we made it nonetheless summiting at 5.30am. It took us just 3 hours. Hooray!!
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| Light from the head torches mark the trail up to Low's Point |
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| Azim, our guide, and I on top of the world |
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| Dozen or so successfully climbers on the summit |
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| The beautiful colours of the early dawn sky |
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| The thermals forced over the mountain top as the sunrises |
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| Moment of reflection on top of Low's Peak |
All the way down the mountain trail you could see a line of slowly moving lights from the 180 other weary climbers head torches. We hung around until about 6.00am and then decided to head down to about 3,900m to take better pictures of the various peaks in sunlight.
We spent what seemed like an eternity, admiring the surroundings, taking pictures and enjoying the sheer beauty and colours of the dawn sky, clearly it wasn’t.
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Ugly Sisters & Donkey Ears as the peaks are known
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| Guide and I with posing with South Peak behind |
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| People still on there way to the top |
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| Looking across the surrounding area |
Let me say the realisation of what you climbed or walked up in the dark by torch light is completely different in the cold hard light of day, so in the circumstances we made, I felt, good time with our descent. Awesome nonetheless!
Difficult descent down the mountain trail
We’d ascend 2,229m over the morning of the previous day and early morning of the second day. Walking, hiking or climbing 8.7 kilometres up and a further 2.7 kilometres back down to the Rest House, taking approximately 8½ hours.
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| Clambering down the slippery polished granite mountainside |
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| View of the mountain range seen from Kinabalu |
We both pretty much agreed that it would be best to make the return trip down as quickly as possible for all sorts of reasons.
Ewen Moore, a fellow climber, Product Manager for a Clapham based travel company had offered Weston and I a ride back to KK in a mini-bus that had already been booked and paid for. In addition we felt that if we hung around at the lodge to long we would probably fall asleep, stiffen up in the meantime making the process of descent that much more arduous.
8.30am we set out the 6 kilometres downhill, and for tired and over extended muscles it took all of mine and Weston’s grit and determination. By the 4-kilometre mark my left knee hurt despite popping several painkillers, causing me to favour the right leg. Eventual the right started to give way by about the 2-kilometre point. Finally, at 11.30am I limped through the Timpohon Gate, Weston the young gangly chap that he is had hurtled on ahead.
When a trip like this is over there’s a tremendous sense of achievement, along with memories that will stay with you forever and in the short term a certain amount of pain and discomfort!!!
What a month!!
What a month indeed, starting in Java, return flight and short stay in Kuta, Bali to meet Birgit. Whistle stop tour of Gili Trawangan and Lombok before taking the 4 day, 4 night boat trip on a traditional boat through the beautiful Flores Sea, taking in Kalong, Komodo, Rinca and Kelor islands along the way. Short stay in Labuanbajo, before a taking a hop-skip and a jump to Tawau, Malaysia to dive off of the world-renowned dive site of Sipodan.
Chilling out along the Malaysian coast at Manana Resort before finally climbing successfully Mt. Kinabalu. I’ve met and spent time with some fantastic people along the way.
Birgit I had a great time travelling with you and I wish you all the very best in the future.
I’m not going to tell you what’s next, although it’s certainly a divergence from my original plan. Visiting Sulawesi and Sumatra can wait for the moment, as can Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. The weather isn’t great in any of the three countries at present. The prospect of moving around constantly in torrential rain, damp or saturated cloths smelling of wet cat, really doesn’t appeal. The roads will either be flooded or occasionally washed away making progress very slow.
It’s been a month for making lots of new friends. Travelling with Birgit certainly provided both entertaining and rewarding. Others like the German couple that we met on Gili Trawangan, Tobias and Angelica, the twelve passengers on the Flores Island boat trip. Rani a lady I met in Bali on holiday from Sulawesi, or Mohammed the rather shy government official in Semporna about to be posted to the UK office. The lovely Thompson family, Phillip, Samantha, Tai and Tiaan from New Zealand, the two Swedish logging scientists Peter and Daniel along with Awie, Wan, Mantoor and Aali who work at Manana Beach Resort. Its also been a chance to re-kindle friendships with Melanie, Sophie and Yanti from Camps International whist in Kota Kinabalu.
Then there are the guys that I met at the Mt. Kinabalu lodgings namely Chazy, Razan, Khai, Eliniza and Ayna as well as Weston the American that I climbed the mountain with, along with Ewen. The list is endless and I guess in some ways its what makes the trip even more worthwhile.
In conclusion
The 2nd November and as I write the conclusion to this month’s tale of events I’m still hobbling around.
Looking at the photos though I wouldn’t have missed the opportunity for the world, so Claire thanks for insisting that I climb the mountain.
Well I’m back in Kota Kinabalu now, just sorting out the next phase of the trip, catching up with friends and acquaintances before moving on again. Its funny how things seem to revolve around certain key places, Kuala Lumpur and KK have both fallen into that category. I’ve lost count as to how many times I’ve passed through both cities now, certainly KK seems almost like a second home.
Perhaps my subconscious is trying to tell me something, we shall see, its certainly not a difficult place to come to terms with and at the moment property, land and construction are cheap here, the only missing element what to do.
The Open University has a connection with Malaysia so it would certainly be possible to complete my Geology degree here. Anyway I’m just throwing, ‘spit against the wall to see what stick’s’.
