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Published: February 28th 2015
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VIDA'S BORNEO BLOG 2
The text for Blog 1 was done on iPad Pages and I could not cut and paste onto this travel blog. It is available on email.
I sussed out the airport bus and surprised Carole at arrivals. I went early to find out more about car hire and local air transport for our later travels. It involved eating at KFC which is not to be recommended. I picked up my chicken leg and gnawed away but then noticed all the locals were picking off little bits of chicken with their fingers and eating it very delicately. (The locals don't as a rule use cutlery but eat with chop sticks or their fingers.) It is very easy to make a cultural faux pas.
The estimated arrival time of Carole's Royal Brunei flight was on schedule. But then at the last minute the arrivals screen indicated a delay. She appeared 30 minutes later with the story that on the first attempt to land there had been a vehicle on the runway. So the plane had to gain height again and circle round before eventually landing.
Lovely to see her
Sunset
Sunset over the islands and the South China Sea after 4 years when she left Edinburgh and went to live in Tasmania. Lots of reminisces about our earlier travelling adventures in India, Central and South America and Morocco and a sharing of fond memories of Fe who travelled with us.
We slept well.
A quiet day and a late walk to KK (after 4pm when it is cooler) to buy a Malaysian DIGI SIM for Carole's new iPod touch 6. (It recognises her finger print to switch it on.) Having inserted the new SIM Apple security stepped in and asked for the original passcode which came with her phone to switch it on again. However the passcode along with all her personal information, phone numbers, addresses, email addresses and every thing she will ever need again are safely stored inside her iPod she cannot access! (A Filofax and the written word still have a place in this modern IT world!.) No help at all from DIGI, the Apple Store or Apple Technical Malaysia.
After a frustrating afternoon we settled for a tasy Italian meal, a Tiger beer and a taxi home.
Next day a distraught Carole, who is very IT savvy, eventually found her neighbour's
phone number written in a note book in her bag. She phoned Bev and directed her through her house to the hideyhole where the passcode details were also stored. Peace restored.
Another late walk to KK for Carole to explore. New for me is the large open air quayside fish BBQ market with dozens of vendors and tables and chairs. Choose your fish and let them cook it for you. These are adjacent to the moored fishing boats. Can't get much fresher than that. I bought a tasty tuna steak. Nearby is the handicraft market, but disappointingly full of tat like the Sunday market.
Lovely though, the sunset over the islands and the South China Sea with beautiful the silhouettes of the fishing boats on the horizon. We sit and enjoy real coconut milk from a freshly machettied green nut.
To the Mall to find a loo. Toilets are fronted by a little lady who collects 20 cents (2p - no loo paper or soap) or 30 cents for 2/3 sheets of paper from a box on the table, soap and sometimes a hand drier. Paper must not be thrown down the loo but put
in a bin. The loos are sometimes western and sometimes squat. Personally I prefer squat loos as there is no chance of a dirty loo seat....but as age wearies us returning from a squat to a vertical position under ones own steam becomes more challenging - especially if wearing a back pack! All loos have a small hose for personal cleaning for the paperless or for swilling the loo if there is no flush. Loo floors are often wet and one is very grateful to find a secure peg to hang baggage on to keep dry.
We taxi home.
Thursday we take an early morning walk to the local market. The smiling lady at the food stall again. Her son makes coffee and then sits with us discussing his musical interests. Although he is late teens his interest lies in 60's and 70's country music.... John Denver, Bob Dylan, Kat Steven. His English is limited but he wants to understand better the meaningfulness of the lyrics. He sings the songs he wishes to speak about and Carole sings along. A nice experience. (I guess his mother who is the main stay of the family business would have appreciated
Inside the Mosque
Not very becoming head gear his help with the tasks!
Carole is a veggie. (So was Fe.) Why do I have to travel with extreme foodies? No meat, organic produce, no chemicals, fussy food shopping, every label scrutinised. Fortunately for Carole the downstairs supermarket aimed at the aspiring oriental market provides Carole with most of her needs. She even found a packet of Nairns Scottish oatcakes and our oats for breakfast were packaged in Cupar Fife!
When we return there are workmen in the flat putting up a new shelf for Martin. We escape to the peace of the garden with lovely birdsong, a squirrel, butterflies and cicadas until Carole spies a mozzie and we retreat inside. (Very few mozzies so far. Just the occasional ant.)
Saturday morning - a cycle ride. Can't remember the last time. Finding a gear combination is a challenge but luckily our route along the shore side cycle track is flat. We stop at a view point where a man is raking plastic bottles, carrier bags and litter from the beach. Once clean the beach is fine - until the next tide. However the authorities employ squads of men to clear and manicure the local
verges and roadside gardens which look very attractive. We cycle to the City Mosque where I have to take off my shoes and wear special head gear to enter. Not very becoming for me! Most interesting inside and very spacious holding 12,000 worshippers. Outside young men gather for prayers Dressed in beautifully laundered long white robes. They are rather intrigued by me and my bicycle. Fortunately I don't fall off!
Afterwards we find a market run by the Rural Development Corporation which aims to increase employment in the rural areas and reduce poverty. We buy locally produced honey, cashew nuts and shiitake mushrooms. Three nice ladies befriend us and insist on photographs. The lady in blue looks lovely in her denim shirt and blue patterned shawl. I also spy a meat stall selling halal beef. A bit of a communication problem initially but a kind lady interprets my request for thin slices of beef to stir fry. It was delicious.
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clive weston
non-member comment
Great goings on
The joys of travel - finding all the shops services to suit current needs. Enjoy....Cx