Well, today was a most auspicious start to our travels; a most encouraging day that proceeded without a hitch! We walked Mutley and Megan up to their holiday home (Nick and Mam’s house), then returned home to shut our place up for a couple of months before Nick collected us and drove us to Alicante airport. Our TAP flight (Portuguese Airlines) from Alicante to Lisbon was on a turboprop plane! Now you don’t fly on those many times any more in Europe! It was a 70-seater, similar to one we flew on in Borneo last year from Miri to the Mulu National Park. We loved it! It was like old-fashioned flying, just two wide seats each side of the aisle, tons of leg room, a most generous luggage allowance, free drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic and ... read more

Tuesday 5thJune 2018 The last two days of our very special two-month trip to England and Borneo were spent in London, staying at my cousin’s house, just three stops on the train to London Bridge. Last Friday 1st June, we took the train there for a day’s sightseeing. Strange to think that I was at this same station almost a year ago on 3rd June, the day of the terrorist attack (but fortunately a bit earlier in the day) with my friends Ann and Barbara, on our way to the Royal Opera House. We got off the train at London Bridge and headed next door to The Shard. We had intended to go up to the viewing platform for the view over London, however, it was rather cloudy so we didn’t feel inclined to pay £30.95 ... read more

Friday 25th May 2018 The weather gods were kind last night. The afternoon rain dried up and the balmy evening proved just perfect for a river cruise on the Sarawak. The cruise lasted just an hour and a half, travelling downriver and back as the sun slowly set. Some young dancers came onboard so that we could enjoy a traditional dance display and beer was sold in ice buckets complete with a built-in bottle opener in the rim. This little cruise was so idyllic and the sunset was made to order, especially since it was the first in a week due to evening thunderstorms. What a wonderful finale to our Borneo adventure, which has passed by too swiftly! Tomorrow morning, we fly off to Kuala Lumpur.... read more

Monday 21st May 2018 We spent Monday on a full-day tour. We thought we might be in a group of people, squashed into a minibus, but it was just the two of us with our driver/guide, Musa. First stop was the Semenggoh Nature Reserve. The Semenggoh Centre was set up fifty years ago to rescue Orang-utans that had been kept illegally as pets or were orphaned due to hunting and loss of habitat. In the 70s there were eleven Orang-utans there and they underwent a rehabilitation programme before being released into the Semenggoh rainforest. This programme was so successful that eventually, over the years, they were all released and have set up their own wild colony of thirty animals, in the forest. In this way, Semenggoh is different to Sepilok, where rescued animals can still be ... read more

Friday 18th May 2018 Well, as far as throwing paint on the canvas, how about this? Yesterday in the Sarawak Cultural Village at the foot of Mount Santubong, John had a go at using a blowpipe and I got a tattoo! My tattoo is an authentic Orang-Ulu design which is supposed to bring good fortune. More about the tattoo later! The Sarawak Cultural Village is a “living museum” designed to portray the state’s rich cultural heritage in a live form, with seven different ethnic houses around a small lake, where crafts are demonstrated, traditional activities are performed and also there are enchanting dance performances in the theatre. The living museum is geared to indigenous tourism, for Malay people to understand and experience their heritage, in the same way that living museums in the UK are visited ... read more