Stella Artois, Tequila and Lychee liquer

After the flower, I went to check out the Orang Utangs the second time. The bus driver already recognised me and gave a discount of 25% (20 euro cents :) This time I had more luck and it was amazing to see those creatures in the wild. There are 20 in the area, this time a mother with older son and tiny baby came out. It was funny to see, how the mother forced to older son to give up the food he had gathered. Each time! Pretty cheeky.

In that park there is one alfa male called Ritchie, unfortunately he did not come out. When he comes out, all the others retreat. There used to be 2 other alfa males in the rehabilitation centre, but they had to relocate them because of the numerous fights with Ricky to take his throne. He always won though. But one lost his eye and another a finger and it was better to dispatch the alfa males to different centers to avoid deadly fights in the future.

Coming back to the hostel, there was no one again. I started to look into flights already as the most obvious things were done. But then I heard actually another human's voice. Person checking in! And it turned out to be a solo traveller! Excellent. A guy from Scotland called Joseph. I closed my laptop happy to engage in conversation.

 What followed was a cool 5 days of doing trips daytime and drinking in the evening. The typical backpacker life, let’s say, but I can only do it for short periods at once, otherwise would spend a year drinking straight up. Being so out of practice the next day I found myself on a bamboo mat in the hostel living room. Interesting choice of bed.

That day was obviously not good for sightseeing, but excellent for watching a movie. Wednesday, as Zaki new immediately, is a day with half price cinema tickets. 1,20euro a movie! Gotta love those prices. Btw Zaki knows all the cheap options as his hobby is fishing. “Fishing girls,” as he explained without slightest remorse. As he has a wife and 3 kids he can’t spend too much on his hobby.

Next day we went to the Fairy cave. It was absolutely an awesome cave. Huge and partly lit with the sunlight, so you could see the rock formations against the green fern-like-looking-plants growing everywhere. The light broke through to this part of the cave really in a way that you think you are in a fairy tale.

One day we also rented a bike to go to the beach and to the fisherman’s village. It was this huge flashy hotel with pool and all and Joseph declared “Yep, now I know where all the English are!”. It was a hot day, well it’s over 30 degrees every day, so I was definitely going to the water. Just like in Bako though, the water is not warm. It’s a hot bath. Never ever have I experienced such sea temperature.

After those trips I had however covered the most interesting things around Kutching. So I bought a flight ticket back to Singapore from where I had seen cheap connections to couple of different opportunities… 

Before my flight though, it was time to give a try to local spirits. Imported stuff is expensive, but 75ml lychee liqueur of local produce was some 4 euros. Plus an apple juice and the evening is covered with 5 euros. In a dining place I even got ice to take with me for free. 

I showed my shopping with great excitement to Zaki and he looked at me with concern “Don’t miss your flight tomorrow, darling!” 

As I took a taxi the next morning, it was raining. There is no escape from the monsoon that is conquering the islands in the South China Sea.

Biggest flower in the world - Rafflesia

During the longhouse tour that I spontaneously joined I learned that one Rafflesia has started to bloom. That guide got a call from Gunung Gading National Park. This flower is a big deal, because it is the largest in the world and it can be found only in South East Asia. But it grows only in  sub-montane hilly forests at elevations between 400-1,300 metres, picky in that way. Thus this national park to Kutching is one of the main places to see it in the world. As there is no blossoming season for the flower and once it blossoms, it only lasts 5 days, you need to be lucky to have a chance to see it. But now it did. 

It took three transport connections and some two hours almost to reach it. It's the most I have ever done for a flower. It was impressive though. But still, it's more like one of those things that "yes, now I have seen it".

Once back in the hostel I learned that I am again the only guest. Damn, that's really not so good as all I ever seemed to met during trips were couples. Where did all the solo travellers disappear from face of the earth?

Hitchiking to a longhouse

After 2 nights in Bako, I came back to Kutching. I was then the only person in the oldest hostel of the town. According to my Lonely Planet from 2001, stolen from the hostel in Singapore, it was also the only hostel in Kutching. Not suprisingly a decade has made a change. A couple from the Netherlands (suprise, suprise) that I had met (btw, the guy was semi finalist in the London Olympics in 800m Track & Field), suggested me a hostel where they stayed. As my hostel was empty, I was willing to change and even pay a bit more i.e. 5 euros instead of 4 (ouch! :)

I did a sightseeing day around the town. Visited random things like a textile museum, Chinese medical centre (got some disgustingly tasting medicine, to drink 3 times per day, but I never manage more than 2) and a hairdresser for 3 euros. Then I passed by that other hostel. The administrator there, Zaki, was so friendly and gave such good advice on how to go about checking out the spots around Kutching. There were actually other guests there as well. So I decided to move next day there.

Next day I was also supposed to go to see Orang Utangs in the Semengoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre just a bus ride away and then hitchhike further to Annah Rais longhouse. Well, I overslept. You can only see the Orang Utangs when its the feeding session. Then they may or may not come out, depending if they have found enough food on their own in the forest. So I decided to go just to the longhouse. 

Longhouses are the traditional houses, community living in its core. In the room behind one door two families use to live. All work was done together etc. Nowadays though, most of the longhouses are empty/being teared down. Anyone who can afford, will move out. "People want privacy and comfort" explained me a local who picked me up when I was hitchhiking. He used to live in a long house. No more. I asked him, if it is western media that has had an influence, but he said no, it's a matter of privacy. Indeed, would you like to live in the same open room with your parents and siblings night in night out?

Hitchhiking to the longhouse was of course Zaki's idea. Bus driver was nice enough to ask me, why I was going to Semengoh, because it would be too late for feeding time. He just gave me a blank look when I said i will continue hitchhiking to Annah Rais. "It's very far!" Well, after doing a road trip in Australia, I find it hard to believe that 35KM is very far. It's just down the road! 

When I started hitchhiking, cars continued to stop and I heard "It's very far!" every single time. Five minutes later though, the car that stopped, was going just there! But he said "I'm going only there, one way. How will you get back?" "Hitchhike," I said "isn't that obvious?" I thought further. Guess what he said? :) "But it's very far!!"

In the longhouse there was a couple from Austria with a guide and I gradually just made myself part of their tour. The guide seemed not to mind and them neither, which I was weary about in the beginning. But it's better than just go along the porch and think "yeah, this house is looong".

As a bonus, I got the ride back with them as well. I wanted to give the Orang Utangs a chance. During the feeding session it started to rain and none of them came out.  Weak, I say!

Back in the hostel I chatted with the other three guests. One of them was a drunk Aussie old champ who had never heard of Estonia. Should I be surprised? I know I shouldn't. And then there was a couple from Belgium. They always take all their holiday out in one go and then use it to travel a month somewhere. I think after this one year of travel I will want to do the same...

Face to face with wildlife in Bako

Sarawak is the largest state of Malaysia located on the third largest island of the world. Did you know that? I for sure didn’t before my one and half day research into “where can I get cheap and fast from Singapore ASAP?”

One thing I was sure I want to visit is Bako national park. It's a place to see wildlife, some interesting plants, trek and relax on the beach. And you really see wildlife, sometimes more closer than expected. For example I had to fight for my seat on the bungalow porch as about 7 long tailed macaques came over. The information sheet in the room warned about going too close to the macaques as they can react in unexpected way. But it did not say what to do when one comes under your chair!? First I retreated and watched from inside my room the macaques happily climbing on my chair, but I had to fight back. Second time I won and was left alone.

More exciting than the macaques where the Proboscis monkeys. They look so cool with their long fat noses hanging from their face. I remembered their image from exotic animal stickers that I was collecting when some 13 years old. Super happy to have seen them live and so close. Even at eye level.

Then there are Borneo’s Bearded Pigs everywhere. Females are pretty small, but males can be massive. Once I was rushing back from the beach trying to beat the start of afternoon monsoon rain session and suddenly around the bend there was this huge pig in front of me. For a moment we both just looked at each other in surprise. But I was not that interesting, so he freed the way for me in search for some food.

Another time two silvery langurs were running towards me, screaming. What now? There is not much else to do that to freeze and wait what’s gonna happen. I really felt quite inadequate to get startled by monkeys coming under my chair or massive pig in front of me or now langurs coming towards me, screaming. But they past me screaming as well. Obviously just a chase, not an attack.

Oh, and in the evenings I did not that much see, but feel the mosquitoes. Vitamin B as a repellent is flawed. Yes, perhaps it worked as I was sweating my way through the jungle. But in the evening, after refreshing shower and in the cool (well, relatively, 25 degrees), one’s aim in not to sweat too much. So how will the mosquitoes smell the horrible odor of vitamin B then? Well, they don’t and are happy to eat you up.

It's a new day and a new place

I slept two hours last night due to several wonderful skype sessions. How can you the catching up session less than an hour? I don't know. 

But these are the things I got to know after arriving to Sarawak sleep deprived and all, but really happy to be on the road and with no return ticket.

# There exists a place that is more humid than Singapore. That is very impressive on its own merits, I tell you.

# Japanese are one of the few people who can effortlessly pronounce my name correctly without asking twice

# You can get flip flops for 2 euros or a cheap meal or a kilo of imported oranges for the same price

# Carrot juice with milk is a great drink indeed

# I seem to have turned vegeterian

# Vitamin B tablets act as mosquito repellent

# Dengue mosquitoes are present in the jungle. As malaria prevention tablets don't help for those buggers anyway, I hope this B-vitamin armor is a no joke.