Malaysia Bario

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Back from the paradise that was Mabul and was time for us all to say our good byes, including Joia who I had met in Kota kinabalu, then refound in Mabul! Then I was off to catch a flight to Bario on the West coast of Borneo. The only way to get here was by a little people plane. I had found out about it from Joia, thought it sounded fun, so there I was on my 10person carrier, with a new bod I met in Miri and a little old local lady with massive stretched holes on her lobes (which, I presume as she had been to Miri, the neasrest local town,) she had the decency - or sense im not sure which, to loop them over the top of her ears, so they didn’t hang by her chin and flap about and things! What is it with me a little old local ladies? If they aren’t foaming red substances from their mouths and falling asleep on my shoulder, they have over sized flappy ear lobes, swung over their ears and tied in a bow??

So arrive in the tiniest airport in the world, get ‘picked’ up by our hosts, I say picked up as they actually arrived on push bikes so we had a 3quarter of an hour walk (with our 20kg) backpacks to get to our on top of a hill accommodation…which was well worth the trek, high up so you could see for miles, it was cold here so we had actual duvet covers it was bliss!!

Spent next few days walking, eating, walking, walking, and getting drenched in a torrential downpour just as I arrived at some hot springs miles away from home! Arrived back drenched to the bone and squelching in my shoes, and, they only have fresh water showers so a lovely ice cold shower for me it was then! Eek! No back packers here except for me and ‘Al, the new bod, really nice meeting all the locals, seeing the countryside its so cut off and desolate, they only gained the use of mobile phones 2 months ago! They have no access by road just this tiny 10 person carrier plane! Brilliant experience though, good to get off the good old beaten track and away from the ‘tourists’.

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