Sleepless in Sabah

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Borneo smells funky! I forgot how 'eau de Asia' seeps into yours sense like a slap in the face. Essence of sweaty heat, a dash of spicy coconut, clove tobacco and salty air. I love it.

It's so great to be transported to another culture, busy with everyday life and totally anonymous once again among such friendly faces. The freedom is tangible. I love getting lost. Aimless wandering to observe the markets, the inevitable eye contact with others also watching life go by from their front step. Life is slow and fast. A few weeks holiday can translate to an endless imprint of adventure. I'm so ready!!

After two over consumptive party nights celebrating my pending holiday, only shabby could describe my state of being on arrival. I NEVER sleep on the plane. Everyone seems to be snoozing soundly while I pace up and down the aisle like a grumpy vampire. Sitting up and sleep don't go together in my world 😊

The only solution to wash away my sins is to head straight to the ocean.And what an ocean. Flying over Borneo during sunrise, the vast sea like a mirror of aquamarine almost sang to me. Inviting. Immense.

My little sister Natty just sent me a great birthday card. The words on the front are: 'Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder'. My Dad also says that happiness is knowing when you get there. Not looking forward. I think I've arrived 😊 For to live with regret is like walking with an uneccessarily heavy backpack. I feel light.

Even more ironically as I checked into my hotel, the poster looming behind the front desk depicted a beautiful nature scene with the words; 'New beginnings. In life what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning'. So prophetic. And my new beginning has started off with some great highlights. Spicy noodles. Super friendly people. A massage by a tiny camp man with the strength of Goliath which totally sorted me out. I'll be back to him tomorrow for only $13 an hour!

I have tasted as much as I can fit in, having a rest in the shade now as they start to set up the night markets. A veg buffet, spicy fresh corn, deep fried vegetable and KILLER coffee. I have force fed myself happily since pre-Christmas putting on 4kilos thinking I would come away and lose weight easily. Fatal misjudgement is an understatement. This is veg paradise at first glance!!!

It always spins me out how much you can experience in one day when it's all new and different. How wide your eyes can be opened by just getting amongst it. I'm planning on staying in the thick of it 😊))

The next day started off innocently enough, meandering Sunday markets and a long walk to the coast followed by the crazy food hall lunch sharing a table with a friendly family of seven. But it's pouring heavy, fat, monsoon drops and now everything smells like dead fish and prawns 😊.

I thought a repeat massage with my main guy Goliath from yesterday was the sensible thing to do. 2 hours please, why the hell not. Goliath wasn't in and his sidekick, crosseyed prepubescent friend was on the game for the afternoon. How bad could it be and for $25 I'd be happy for someone to play with my hair for two hours 😊. After scratching my back with his icky, long pinky nail grown quite obviously for one thing I started to get suss. Then some lame head rubbing and enthusiastic back slapping ensued. Half an hour in to it the war started. I think something must have crawled into his stomach during lunch and died there. He was doing the most hideously loud, eau de reptile mixed with pork and chilli burps right near my head!!! No shame. What is the global etiquette in this situation when one is trapped near naked, face down on a massage bed with a whimsy curtain wrapped tight around the small area? I buried my face further into the towel and tried to be polite, secretly wishing I could force one out back at him in vengeance. His time will come.

He continued for an hour and asked if I'd like my feet rubbed as part of this experience. I'm piscean. I'm ruled by my size 10 feet apparently. Size 10 clompers that had walked for hours all morning with new shoes and no socks. GO FOR IT! Here was my chance to get my own back. If he wanted to touch those things, all power to him. I held back ticklish giggles but chuckled and actually snorted to myself as I could here him holding back gags and clearing his throat. Sucked in as he worked his way around new blisters gained out of stupidity earlier in the week when I thought I could walk to work in high heels. Icky blisters from recent weekends hiking. He didn't stay there long!!! Ha Ha. I think the moral of the story is, don't think you can repeat something good everytime and NEVER get a massage anywhere in Asia right after lunch.

Well, killing time now in the torrential rain and just about to meet my group of 10. I have been trying to manifest a group of tall, dark and handsome outdoor power dudes that are all single, have incredible senses of humour and at least born in the seventies. I would be the only female of course. Fat chance but you never know. And I have to share a room with another chic for the next 18 nights (hoping she'll be as lovely as you Mandy) otherwise I will have to poison her and leave her in Kota Kinabalu.

Off for two nights in a longhouse to sleep on the floor with a family and see how itchy it can be in the jungle. Bring it on!

Drivvle reprieve for two days my friends.
Kris working up to the wild women of Borneo status Flint
xxx

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