After our time up the river with Uncle Tan's we were a little reluctant to leave the quiet solitude of the jungle, but alas we had to (not only because we were badly in need of a shower and pretty much all of our clothes need to be laundered). We had booked ourselves into the Scuba Junkies Lodge in Semporna for that night and we were nowhere near it. So after a last ride up the Kinabatagan (and a short drive) we bid farewell to Ida and Suzanna (who are now our friends on facebook) and Ampong (who gave us the boat ride) and then hopped on our first minibus.
Minibuses are the only way to get from the town we were at to Lahad Datu which was the transfer point to get to Semporna. After about 5 minutes in the really tightly spaced seating (even adult Malays couldn't possibly sit comfortably in them) we did not want to take another one. At any rate we decided to think of it as a real cultural experience. And it was. The driver did not drive fast (which was nice) but he honked at everyone that was walking and yelled as we passed. If they put their hand out he picked them up. There were also actually "bus stops" that he stopped at, but as far as I could tell he could stop anywhere. On our way to Lahad Datu we picked up a variety of people including: an older woman and her granddaughter, a very old man with no teeth, a couple of "cool" looking guys, a mother and 3 young girls on their way to a party and a man with a large crucifix prominently displayed from his open shirt and a really long pinky finger nail.
We arrived somewhere near Lahad Datu and the driver frantically honked at another minibus driver and said to us "Semporna yea? Come." We followed and ended up on anther minibus (yay!) bound for Semporna. This one fortunately did not pick up passengers. There was a large family with us as well as two other couples (all Malay of course). Nancy managed to fall asleep on this one some how as did the wife of man in front of us and the mother in the large family. Us men all met eyes briefly, looked down at our loved ones and shared a moment (briefly). Then we all went back to out the window and such.
After 5 and half hours on two separate minibuses we finally arrived at Semporna. We ended up with a double room and for the first time since we had left the Aqua Bella we had a room to ourselves (with aircon!). We also asked about laundry service and were informed that the cleaning lady could do it, so we gave our laundry to her. After registering for our first snorkeling trip (on the following day) we ate and promptly went to bed.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Wild Animals, Birds, Frogs and Insects
Now this will be information ALL about animals, what we learned from The Sepilok Rehabilitaion center and what we saw.
There are four types of Rhinos in the world, Java, African, Sumatra and Indian. The Java Rhino are the most rare. Rhino's have been around for about 50 million years. There horn is actually made of closely knit hairs. There horn is used in Chinese medicine. It is said to have many healling properties. The list is huge. The Sumatran Rhino is the smallest and bathes itself in mud to keep the bugs of it and to keep cool. There are only three rehabilitation centers int he world for the rhino. No Sumatran Rhino has been born in captivity depite efforts.
The hornbill comes in many species. Some are rarer than others. They need old trees to make their nests, which is what makes it hard for them to reproduce. The mothers hide in the tree knobs and the father bird cements her in except for a tiny hole where he will feed her through. If the male does not return the femail will die. Talk about a trusting relationship.
The Orangutans live up to around 40 years. They are solitary, except for when they mate, and the female will only keep her young for about years. The males reach sexual maturity around 14 and the girl at 5 or 6. Oh, and they are vegetarians, though they will eat insects from time to time.
The rehabilitation process takes a long time and some Orangutans will choose to never leave. Most of them are orphans. There parents could have been killed by poaching or plantation rades. Some get lost in the plantations.
The rehabilitation center nurses and cares for all orangutans, but mostly orphans. They feed them every five hours, cloth them and wash them too. Just like real babies. They like to cuddle with toys and they cling to other orangutans for support. When they are trying to prepare them for the wild, they will get strong more confident orangutans to help them in a buddy system. To show them the ways.
The rehabilitation center provided a lot of information on all kind of animals. Kevin and I were thinking of even adopting an orangutan :)
During he Kinabatagan river tour we saw:
Reticulated Python (which is rare). Some grow up to 10 meters, we only say its head. Second biggest snake to the Anaconda.
On our night jungle trek, we saw a Kingfisher sleeping on a tree. Birds cannot see at night, so they just stay where they are. THey have a very big beak, you can't see it here and are super colorful.
On our night safari I got to hold the cutest frog, it actually had little gliders between its legs. Here is the cute little guy
We also saw the Probiscus Monkey, they have HUGE noses, well the males do, like that french actor whos name I cna't rmember. The girls have dainty upturned noses. The males make this huge nasal sound, they dominate that way and also atract the femals. Appartly the male with the biggest nose is the most attractive. They also have huge bellies, no not from stealing beer from the villagers, but because they can digest poisonus leaves. In fact all the eat is leaves. Fruit is poisonus to them. We saw a huge groupe of males and the harem, which is a bunch of females to one lucky male. Talk about a busy guy.
We also saw, but mostly heard the Gibbon. They almost sound like owls, and hoot over and over again. Their sound lends an eerie majesty to the forest.
Then there were the Gangsters, also known as the long tail macaques. They raided the kitchen while everyone was taking a nap. The big crash, bang, loud monkey noises and a barking dog soon sent the staff running to the kitchen.
The Mafia, are the pig tailed macaques. They are called that because they are the meanest and can be very aggressive. Teo and another tourist had to run away from a gang of them who tried to attack them when they were gathering herbs from the forest. Be ware of these guys.
There were so may other birds that we saw, we were all making fun of the fact that we could name them. Well, let me say (in a British accent) this is the Oriental Datong, and over there is the Crested Serpent Eagle... Here is myself and Susanna, two of the the four bird geeks:
Oh and here is a giant spider at Panakagan Di
There are four types of Rhinos in the world, Java, African, Sumatra and Indian. The Java Rhino are the most rare. Rhino's have been around for about 50 million years. There horn is actually made of closely knit hairs. There horn is used in Chinese medicine. It is said to have many healling properties. The list is huge. The Sumatran Rhino is the smallest and bathes itself in mud to keep the bugs of it and to keep cool. There are only three rehabilitation centers int he world for the rhino. No Sumatran Rhino has been born in captivity depite efforts.
The hornbill comes in many species. Some are rarer than others. They need old trees to make their nests, which is what makes it hard for them to reproduce. The mothers hide in the tree knobs and the father bird cements her in except for a tiny hole where he will feed her through. If the male does not return the femail will die. Talk about a trusting relationship.
The Orangutans live up to around 40 years. They are solitary, except for when they mate, and the female will only keep her young for about years. The males reach sexual maturity around 14 and the girl at 5 or 6. Oh, and they are vegetarians, though they will eat insects from time to time.
The rehabilitation process takes a long time and some Orangutans will choose to never leave. Most of them are orphans. There parents could have been killed by poaching or plantation rades. Some get lost in the plantations.
The rehabilitation center nurses and cares for all orangutans, but mostly orphans. They feed them every five hours, cloth them and wash them too. Just like real babies. They like to cuddle with toys and they cling to other orangutans for support. When they are trying to prepare them for the wild, they will get strong more confident orangutans to help them in a buddy system. To show them the ways.
The rehabilitation center provided a lot of information on all kind of animals. Kevin and I were thinking of even adopting an orangutan :)
During he Kinabatagan river tour we saw:
Reticulated Python (which is rare). Some grow up to 10 meters, we only say its head. Second biggest snake to the Anaconda.
 |
| Sorry for the blurriness |
On our night jungle trek, we saw a Kingfisher sleeping on a tree. Birds cannot see at night, so they just stay where they are. THey have a very big beak, you can't see it here and are super colorful.
 | ||||||
| Little King Fisher asleep |
We also saw the Probiscus Monkey, they have HUGE noses, well the males do, like that french actor whos name I cna't rmember. The girls have dainty upturned noses. The males make this huge nasal sound, they dominate that way and also atract the femals. Appartly the male with the biggest nose is the most attractive. They also have huge bellies, no not from stealing beer from the villagers, but because they can digest poisonus leaves. In fact all the eat is leaves. Fruit is poisonus to them. We saw a huge groupe of males and the harem, which is a bunch of females to one lucky male. Talk about a busy guy.
We also saw, but mostly heard the Gibbon. They almost sound like owls, and hoot over and over again. Their sound lends an eerie majesty to the forest.
Then there were the Gangsters, also known as the long tail macaques. They raided the kitchen while everyone was taking a nap. The big crash, bang, loud monkey noises and a barking dog soon sent the staff running to the kitchen.
The Mafia, are the pig tailed macaques. They are called that because they are the meanest and can be very aggressive. Teo and another tourist had to run away from a gang of them who tried to attack them when they were gathering herbs from the forest. Be ware of these guys.
There were so may other birds that we saw, we were all making fun of the fact that we could name them. Well, let me say (in a British accent) this is the Oriental Datong, and over there is the Crested Serpent Eagle... Here is myself and Susanna, two of the the four bird geeks:
Oh and here is a giant spider at Panakagan Di
The Mighty Kinabatangan
It began with a car ride from Uncle Tan's hostel.
We had a great lunch with lots of vegetables and curry. I thanked the lady cook, she seemed very happy and smilled a great big smile. One of the mothers, I later found out was the daughter of Uncle Tan, had a very cute baby boy who liked to tease the cat who seemed equally happy to be pocked and picked up. The little boy was about two and apparantly sometimes gave people a high five, but this time he was too shy.
Our other companions where two girls, Sussanna and Ida, from Sweden. They were happy, like us, to be traveling with other people besides themselves. We were a little weary about entering the jungle. Before we entered the truck, a man there reminded us that this tour was more "Spartan" than a resort, and that some see the rainforest as a "paradise" and others a "living hell". I guess we were about to find out which catagory we fell into.
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| Susanna (Left) Ida (Middle) oh, and that Kevin on the right. |
So we drove and talked about school and the future with Suzanna and Ida. Their English was very good, they almost talked like native speakers. As we were driving, I tried not to think of the huge holes in the road, or how the driver had to pass so many cars and driving super fast. I kept gripping Kevin's arm when he did. But we are still alive:)
Then we were turning onto a dirt road and found ourself in a tiny town. The girls seemed a bit uneasy, as the town itself seemed very poor and a bit shady to our eyes. The people however did have some very nice cars.
We helped unload our bags and some food and fuel onto our little motor boat. People sat on the dock and watched us. I always wonder what people in poorer towns think about us. They stare, and sometimes I wonder if they feel anger towards us. For some people, sadly, travel is a luxery. I do wish they had the money to travel, as I believe everyone has the right and that it is rather a necessity to travel and to feel that you can "escape" to anywhere. Maybe they felt it was unfair. Maybe amusing as well to see us struggling about the dock, trying not to fall into the water.
Anyhow, we boarded the boat in our neon orange lifejackets, thats what the tourist wear, and made our way up the Kinabatagan river.
When I saw the trees, the river and the giant sky above us, I felt tingling in my viens. The greeness of the forest and its reflexion in the muddy water seemed so majestic and grand. The sky rose above us, and the river opened up, the trees breathed and everything seemed so large and elegant. We spead through the river, following its turns that kept opening and revealing new lands.
Though I was disappointed to see more palm oil trees.
After about an hour, we reached the stair case that met the river bank and let up the hill into the trees. Children sat along the bank and waved. When we arrived they ran around us saying "hello, how are you". Some of them giggled. We walked along the boardwalk into the main eating area. The children, all boys, were playing ball. One boy walked by like a little macho man, the best macho man walk I have seen any little boy do.
We looked around a bit uneasily as it was just the four of us. In our minds we must have all been thinking, where is everyone? To our relief, more people did come, they had just been on their evening cruise. Apparently we had come in the low season. Sometimes this place had over 90 people. We were very fortunate to be such a small group. It was like a private tour almost.
We served ourself some tea and biscuts, the flies were buzzing around evrywhere, this was another thing you have to get used to in the jungle, the flies.
Then Remy came and sat with us. He started telling us about the camp. I asked him who was Uncle Tan? He looked a bit sad and said that he had passed away last year. "I worked with him for almost 10 years." He taught him everything about the forest. He mentioned how the children here where boys from the local village. They where tree planting during their school break.
he said they where tring to envolve the local community with ecotourism. He wanted the boys to get used to the tourists. Later that night they invited the whole village for dinner. They are trying to make good relations with them. They hoped that in the future they will cut down less forest and do less hunting. Though they are also aware that they had to give them some alternative so that the parents could pay to put their children in school. They hoped some would see ecotourism as one of these alternatives. I hope they do to.
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| Our bathroom (nope, it doesn't flush) |
Teo, our river guide, later told us about how the WorldWildlifeFoundation and how they where really helping the locals. He said that for every tree that they planted they paid them 2RM. This he said was very good, because that means they could plant lots of trees and make more momey. He said that palm oil was a good fast crop for making money so they had to find sometimeng to encourage the locals to plant trees. I think the goal of Uncle Tan is to evolve the locals in EcoTourism, which is an alternative to Palm Oil. It is also so enriching because the locals get to learn about the forest, a knowledge they have been losing, and the species within it. Teo said he was from Sepilok, before he came to Uncle Tan's he didnt know very much about the wildlife in the area.
He had books, and he seemed very proud of what he knew.
It isn't easy work, as they work for three months strait, but they do get three weeks off, and he said that he loved working outside. He said he could never work in an office. He seemed very happy.
He also said that the WWF was encouraging the locals to plant trees by the river and leave a gap between it and the palm oil trees. This helped with soil erosion. After hearing all this good stuff about the WWF, I started to become more hopeful and confident with these non-governmental organizations. I was also so happy to see and hear that people cared and loved the rainforest as well as its people, and were working in a very productive way. They didnt protest or get angry, they worked with the people and tried to create harmony.
This is a lesson all of us environmentalists or activists can learn.
As for the wildlife, we saw so much. My favorite part was taking a river tributary. It was narrower and closer to the trees. They almost formed a canopy over us and I felt lost to its beauty. The muddy water, the sounds and life of the jungle could be felt all around us. We took a little trail, a new trail according to Remy. The villagers just agreed to give them permission to show it to tourists. We were very lucky. We saw the vine that locals used to make baskets and so many other things. We tasted a delicious plant that tasted almost like lime. We saw an old tree stump that used to belong to the primary forest. It must have been at least 3 meters wide, not including the roots. It must have been so majestic. He said we were walking through secondary forest that was replanted about 70 years ago. He said it was hard to find hardwood trees as they take hundreds of years to grow. I wonder if there is much, if any, primary forest left in Borneo.
When I said that I felt a bit afraid, he said "there is nothing to be afraid of in this place". That is something I will always hear and bring with me. After that, I could allow myself to feel at peace and really appreciate the forest, despite the flies buzzing up my nose and ears, Remy said they liked our bug spray. The bugs werent bothering him. He seemed to be enjoying whatching us skriek when a bug buzzed in our ears.
Kevin, Suzanna and I held a millipede too. Ida refused. She does not like bugs:) When you first look at it, it seems yucky, but when you hold it and really look at it, it is really quite beautiful. It felt soft and it tickled.
We had to walk in big rubber boots as the mud was very deep.
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| Our muddy boots |
Later on the trail we heard somthing that sounded like a turkey, it was apparently something like a wild chicken. It made a funny sound and it wasn't happy to hear us in the woods. Sometimes it flapped its wings and it almost sounded like a mini helicopter when it did. It was rather funny. We never really got a close look of it, but it was about the size of a turkey.
Unfortunately our camera was out of batteries for the best part of this safari. So you will have to trust us when we say it was very beautiful.
My wish for Borneo is that more and more people like Remi, Eno and Uncle Tan will help protect the rainforest and care for its creatures. Thank you guys for caring and for your efforts.
That's our star Teo :)
Wild Men (well women in this case)
According to The Lonely Planet the small hamlet of Seplilok receives around 800+ visitors a day, year round. the reason for this is that it is host to the largest Orang-Utan rehabilitation center in the world. This was also the reason that we traveled to Sepilok. As I mentioned before the Panagakan Dii offered a free shuttle ride to the place. So, shortly after we finished breakfast of eggs, toast and sausage (which seemed suspiciously like a hot dog), one of the staff yelled, "Orang-utan!" and our ride was (a van) was pointed at. It was nice that they offered a ride, because it would probably have taken us an hour to walk there.
We arrived about an hour before feeding time (the important time) and bought our tickets (30 RM each) plus a camera fee (10RM). We had to put our bag in a locker because some cheeky Orang-utans or monkeys may just steal it, there was even a rather cute picture of an Orang-Utan running away with someone's bag. Serious business.
We entered the sanctuary on a boardwalk (and stayed on a boardwalk throughout for that matter) and were immediately surrounded by trees and forest, which seemed like an excellent habitat for large apes. We only saw trees as we walked, trees and then more trees and a fair amount of people walking ahead and behind us. There were a lot of people and when we arrived at the feeding area there were even more people. Like The Lonely Planet said.
We waited. The time came and went (as far as I know, I did not bring my watch as I assumed that something small and detachable might attract the attentions of a curious monkey or ape and I did not really want to fight an ape or monkey over a 100 NT watch) and no apes arrived. A man arrived on the platform where the feeding was to take place (about 30 feet from our viewing platform) with some bananas. A girl walked around with a sign that said silence (and the same in Malay) and everyone hushed and waited some more. After a while there was a murmur again as people started to get bored.
Now seems to be an excellent time to tell you some Orang-Utan facts. Orang-utan means "wild man" in one of the Sabah dialects and some native tribes still think very highly of them. Orang-utans are the only great ape in Asia, they are also the only ones that make nests (which they do 3 or 4 times a day). They also, unlike other apes, prefer to be along, the only time you see more than one at a time is when they are seeing a mother and child (when the child is about 7 it ventures off on its own). Courtships are apparently only long enough to impregnate, then its alone again (until the mother bears the infant, then she has a drain on her resources for the next 7 years). Males can grow to about 1.4 meters and can have an arm span almost twice that (it would not be a good idea to get into a boxing match with one, as they apparently have the strength to rip a person in half). The more dominant (read attractive to females) have big pads on the sides of their faces, that looks like it would be really soft if one would let you pinch it. Females are smaller only growing to about a meter and do not have the reach or the pads. Females are the only types that you are able to see at the feeding platform that is in Sepilok. Male or female, they are generally not aggressive. There is said to be less than 30,000 left in the world with a diminishing population due to deforestation.
After about half an hour another man came leading, lo and behold, an Orang-utan. She climbed up the stairs to great fan fare and photo taking and posed. Yes, she definitely posed because she posed a few more times in different postures before grabbing and eating her bananas. She then posed some more. During all of this the crowd was taking pictures furiously.
Now, I have some mixed feelings about all of this. While I think it is absolutely great what they are doing at the center I still wonder at the way it is presented to the the tourists. There probably were about 500 people on that platform and I wonder how many of them actually took the time to learn even the basic stuff about the ape that was being photographed. Or maybe how to help her kind out. There was an information center there, but so far as I can tell Nancy and I were the only ones who entered it. I like that people are seeing, but it would be nice if people were forced to learn a bit first before running off and snapping as many pictures as possible of this rare ape on display for them. I don't know maybe I missed something, but a bit more forceful information probably can't hurt. We may be on vacation but we shouldn't be brain dead.
That being said I am sure I am sure I am just as guilty of such an attitude while on vacation somewhere.
After our girl had eaten her fill she climbed on a rope and showed off to the crowd a bit (she was obviously very used to people) by flipping upside down and climbing backwards and then she was off. And just like that, so were most of the people. As they were leaving a female pig tailed macaque wandered through from the other direction and more photos were taken, but this was apparently a less interesting speciment. Pig tailed Macaques (besides having short tails) females have big colorful (pink, red and blue I think) bums, sort of like baboons, but theirs don't stick out. One of the attends warned the people that they could be aggressive. This one just watched us. She came very close. Close enough that we could see the intelligence in her eyes. We could really see her thinking. It was actually a little scary.
In any event she was not thinking about much and her family showed up soon after and hung around eating bananas (taken from the feeding platform) and what looked to be bamboo. We watched them for a while, the small ones were very cute. They jumped around in the trees and on the benches and rails, having a grand time.
We headed back to the main center as it would soon be lunch time. We were prevented from going further by several more macaques sitting in the middle of the path grooming each other. Along with some other tourists (snapping more pictures). Oddly two different types of macaques, long tailed and pig tailed (guess how they are different...) were there in perfect harmony.
After sometime, the staff came along and chased the monkeys away to let us pass.
We wandered the center for a bit and spent a good deal of time in the information center, where we also learned about the sad fate of the Sumatran Rhino (only about 400 left and they don't breed in captivity) among other things.
We went back to the feeding area (Panakagan Dii didn't pick us up until 4) after lunch. On our way there we came across an Orang-utan also on her way there. We stopped and watched her. She stopped moving and looked at us. Then she turned and moved in our direction. We were a little surprised at this and moved towards the feeding area, she followed. We mentioned that we were being followed to the staff coming our way and they told us to hurry to the feeding area, looking a little concerned. And that was our close encounter with a great ape.
I'm assuming she was the one that we saw arriving for the food shortly after we did, but I can't be sure. The afternoon feeding was more or less the same as the morning except this girl was less of an exhibitionist. Also after she left the macaques had a scrap over the left over bananas. A long tailed macaque dominated the platform chasing away and pig tails that came too close (big or small). The pig tails seemed to have had a strategy, because one attracted the long tail's attention while others ran and grabbed the food.
We returned to Panakagan Dii and relaxed in our "tree house". At dinner we spoke to some of the other guests including some English teachers who worked in Semporna, another destination of ours. We spent time swapping teacher stories including the differences between Malay and Taiwanese children. Apparently Malay boys only listen to men (our new friends were all women), certainly not the case in Taiwan. We also spoke to Angeliec (I think), a Dutch lady traveling by herself (because all of her friends were not so adventurous). She was a daycare teacher and she only worked 4 days a week (we were jealous of this). She seemed a little melancholic and mentioned a few times that the last time she had traveled was with her ex.
We had another wonderful rest and then we were off to Uncle Tan's in the morning. And quite the adventure.
We arrived about an hour before feeding time (the important time) and bought our tickets (30 RM each) plus a camera fee (10RM). We had to put our bag in a locker because some cheeky Orang-utans or monkeys may just steal it, there was even a rather cute picture of an Orang-Utan running away with someone's bag. Serious business.
We entered the sanctuary on a boardwalk (and stayed on a boardwalk throughout for that matter) and were immediately surrounded by trees and forest, which seemed like an excellent habitat for large apes. We only saw trees as we walked, trees and then more trees and a fair amount of people walking ahead and behind us. There were a lot of people and when we arrived at the feeding area there were even more people. Like The Lonely Planet said.
We waited. The time came and went (as far as I know, I did not bring my watch as I assumed that something small and detachable might attract the attentions of a curious monkey or ape and I did not really want to fight an ape or monkey over a 100 NT watch) and no apes arrived. A man arrived on the platform where the feeding was to take place (about 30 feet from our viewing platform) with some bananas. A girl walked around with a sign that said silence (and the same in Malay) and everyone hushed and waited some more. After a while there was a murmur again as people started to get bored.
Now seems to be an excellent time to tell you some Orang-Utan facts. Orang-utan means "wild man" in one of the Sabah dialects and some native tribes still think very highly of them. Orang-utans are the only great ape in Asia, they are also the only ones that make nests (which they do 3 or 4 times a day). They also, unlike other apes, prefer to be along, the only time you see more than one at a time is when they are seeing a mother and child (when the child is about 7 it ventures off on its own). Courtships are apparently only long enough to impregnate, then its alone again (until the mother bears the infant, then she has a drain on her resources for the next 7 years). Males can grow to about 1.4 meters and can have an arm span almost twice that (it would not be a good idea to get into a boxing match with one, as they apparently have the strength to rip a person in half). The more dominant (read attractive to females) have big pads on the sides of their faces, that looks like it would be really soft if one would let you pinch it. Females are smaller only growing to about a meter and do not have the reach or the pads. Females are the only types that you are able to see at the feeding platform that is in Sepilok. Male or female, they are generally not aggressive. There is said to be less than 30,000 left in the world with a diminishing population due to deforestation.
After about half an hour another man came leading, lo and behold, an Orang-utan. She climbed up the stairs to great fan fare and photo taking and posed. Yes, she definitely posed because she posed a few more times in different postures before grabbing and eating her bananas. She then posed some more. During all of this the crowd was taking pictures furiously.
Now, I have some mixed feelings about all of this. While I think it is absolutely great what they are doing at the center I still wonder at the way it is presented to the the tourists. There probably were about 500 people on that platform and I wonder how many of them actually took the time to learn even the basic stuff about the ape that was being photographed. Or maybe how to help her kind out. There was an information center there, but so far as I can tell Nancy and I were the only ones who entered it. I like that people are seeing, but it would be nice if people were forced to learn a bit first before running off and snapping as many pictures as possible of this rare ape on display for them. I don't know maybe I missed something, but a bit more forceful information probably can't hurt. We may be on vacation but we shouldn't be brain dead.
That being said I am sure I am sure I am just as guilty of such an attitude while on vacation somewhere.
After our girl had eaten her fill she climbed on a rope and showed off to the crowd a bit (she was obviously very used to people) by flipping upside down and climbing backwards and then she was off. And just like that, so were most of the people. As they were leaving a female pig tailed macaque wandered through from the other direction and more photos were taken, but this was apparently a less interesting speciment. Pig tailed Macaques (besides having short tails) females have big colorful (pink, red and blue I think) bums, sort of like baboons, but theirs don't stick out. One of the attends warned the people that they could be aggressive. This one just watched us. She came very close. Close enough that we could see the intelligence in her eyes. We could really see her thinking. It was actually a little scary.
In any event she was not thinking about much and her family showed up soon after and hung around eating bananas (taken from the feeding platform) and what looked to be bamboo. We watched them for a while, the small ones were very cute. They jumped around in the trees and on the benches and rails, having a grand time.
We headed back to the main center as it would soon be lunch time. We were prevented from going further by several more macaques sitting in the middle of the path grooming each other. Along with some other tourists (snapping more pictures). Oddly two different types of macaques, long tailed and pig tailed (guess how they are different...) were there in perfect harmony.
After sometime, the staff came along and chased the monkeys away to let us pass.
We wandered the center for a bit and spent a good deal of time in the information center, where we also learned about the sad fate of the Sumatran Rhino (only about 400 left and they don't breed in captivity) among other things.
We went back to the feeding area (Panakagan Dii didn't pick us up until 4) after lunch. On our way there we came across an Orang-utan also on her way there. We stopped and watched her. She stopped moving and looked at us. Then she turned and moved in our direction. We were a little surprised at this and moved towards the feeding area, she followed. We mentioned that we were being followed to the staff coming our way and they told us to hurry to the feeding area, looking a little concerned. And that was our close encounter with a great ape.
I'm assuming she was the one that we saw arriving for the food shortly after we did, but I can't be sure. The afternoon feeding was more or less the same as the morning except this girl was less of an exhibitionist. Also after she left the macaques had a scrap over the left over bananas. A long tailed macaque dominated the platform chasing away and pig tails that came too close (big or small). The pig tails seemed to have had a strategy, because one attracted the long tail's attention while others ran and grabbed the food.
We returned to Panakagan Dii and relaxed in our "tree house". At dinner we spoke to some of the other guests including some English teachers who worked in Semporna, another destination of ours. We spent time swapping teacher stories including the differences between Malay and Taiwanese children. Apparently Malay boys only listen to men (our new friends were all women), certainly not the case in Taiwan. We also spoke to Angeliec (I think), a Dutch lady traveling by herself (because all of her friends were not so adventurous). She was a daycare teacher and she only worked 4 days a week (we were jealous of this). She seemed a little melancholic and mentioned a few times that the last time she had traveled was with her ex.
We had another wonderful rest and then we were off to Uncle Tan's in the morning. And quite the adventure.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Bus to a tree house
After leaving the Step In Lodge (and eating some more Roti at Devi's Cafe) we walked to the public bus station in KK and had our first public transportation experience in Malaysia. We needed to take the public bus to the private bus station for ride to Sepilok. The public buses in Malaysia are definitely not the most well funded ventures around. Buses seem to be scheduled by how many people want to in the direction the bus is going after a certain amount get on then it starts going. We were pointed towards the bus we needed which had two young Malay guys leaning against it. They told us we pay later (1.5 RM per person). The bus we got on was about half the size of a bus in Taiwan or Canada and had to be at least 30 years old. Several people climbed on with us and the bus was ready to go in no time. We sat down and a moment later an old man sat in front of us. As he did he reajusted the very large machete that he had strapped to his side so that it did not hinder him. I could not help but remember this was the land of the head hunters at this point. The bus got underway without incident and one of the young Malays who had been leaning against the bus came around to collect fares. The ride itself was great, especially with the wind blowing through the windows. When ever we drove past bus stop the young man would lean out the door and yell at the people standing or sitting and if they were interested they hopped up. The bus would start rolling again, always before the young man was back on the bus (he hopped off to let them on). The old head hunter got off the bus before our stop, for which I was grateful.
The private bus that we took to Sepilok was quite a bit more sleek than the one that got us to it. Only air conditioning as Nancy noted in disappointment (no way to open the windows). The journey itself was a little depressing. Malaysia is a booming economy, but part this has to do with two not so nature friendly things: logging and palm oil plantations. And we sure saw evidence of this. While logging may be dropping off, it has left lots of open space for Palm oil plantations. After we passed Kinabalu national park, Palm oil trees were almost the only vegetaion we saw. Before that though, in Kinabalu Nation Park we did see a lot of evidence of preservance of nature and the mighty mountain Kinabalu was covered in green as far as its cloud covered top. The ride was also motion sickness inducing. Knowing this they passed out barf bags when we entered the park. The lady in front of us filled 3 (we were fine ourselves).
The bus dropped us off at "Batu 14" which means mile 14 apparently (14 miles from Sabah's second largest city: Sandakan). We were told to call our accommodations from there but there was a dearth of phones about. Fortunately a man stopped his car to offer us some assistance. After getting no answer on his cellphone he told us that it was not too far a walk (2 KM). After a bit of a walk we arrived in what turned out to be a deer sanctuary and up the hill from that was Paganakan Dii where we were to stay. Paganakan Dii was like a jungle retreat from the world. The guy who greeted us told us that it was designed to be "like a treehouse". I was reminded of Tarzan. Our bunks were in an elevated dorm room, with hammocks and hanging chairs underneath it. We got breakfast and a free ride to the Orang-Utan Sanctuary (which was why we had come to Sepilok) for 28RM each. Plus getting to stay in such a place, it seemed like we were getting quite the bargain. We fell asleep to the sound of the jungle through the screen. It was probably the best sleep we've had since the Aqua Bella.
The private bus that we took to Sepilok was quite a bit more sleek than the one that got us to it. Only air conditioning as Nancy noted in disappointment (no way to open the windows). The journey itself was a little depressing. Malaysia is a booming economy, but part this has to do with two not so nature friendly things: logging and palm oil plantations. And we sure saw evidence of this. While logging may be dropping off, it has left lots of open space for Palm oil plantations. After we passed Kinabalu national park, Palm oil trees were almost the only vegetaion we saw. Before that though, in Kinabalu Nation Park we did see a lot of evidence of preservance of nature and the mighty mountain Kinabalu was covered in green as far as its cloud covered top. The ride was also motion sickness inducing. Knowing this they passed out barf bags when we entered the park. The lady in front of us filled 3 (we were fine ourselves).
The bus dropped us off at "Batu 14" which means mile 14 apparently (14 miles from Sabah's second largest city: Sandakan). We were told to call our accommodations from there but there was a dearth of phones about. Fortunately a man stopped his car to offer us some assistance. After getting no answer on his cellphone he told us that it was not too far a walk (2 KM). After a bit of a walk we arrived in what turned out to be a deer sanctuary and up the hill from that was Paganakan Dii where we were to stay. Paganakan Dii was like a jungle retreat from the world. The guy who greeted us told us that it was designed to be "like a treehouse". I was reminded of Tarzan. Our bunks were in an elevated dorm room, with hammocks and hanging chairs underneath it. We got breakfast and a free ride to the Orang-Utan Sanctuary (which was why we had come to Sepilok) for 28RM each. Plus getting to stay in such a place, it seemed like we were getting quite the bargain. We fell asleep to the sound of the jungle through the screen. It was probably the best sleep we've had since the Aqua Bella.
Thoughts of the Rainforest and Deforestation
So we took a bus from KK to Sepilok and we saw the land pass us by through the window. We started in a secondary-forest, and saw a giant waterfall from one of the mountains. It was at least 100 meters tall because it seemed long from the other side of the mountain.
The roads were good, but there was a lot of traffic. Houses dotted the landscape from time to time, some looked as if they were leaning to one side and had been built a hundred years ago. They sat, planks of wood upon stilts, cloths hanging and sometimes people sitting on the porch aimlessly.
I though how quiet their life must be, how they must wait for someone to stop and buy something from their vegetable stand. How that would be the peak of their day. Though perhaps the sadness our aimlessness I thought I saw in their eyes was tainted by my opinion of their lifestyle. I could not talk to them or ask. I though how it must be hard for the women who seem to be tied to their house and child rearing while the men went out to work on the plantations. Sometimes the women would sell vegetables and fruits on a lonely stall next to the road. I saw patches of forest, and the palm plantations kept getting larger and larger till all that was left was the palm trees. I was angry that they cut down the forest. I was angry at the people, but at the same time I saw their poverty.
According to the Lonely Planet, Palm oil production accounts "for over 40% of global production" and is responsible for "85 % of deforestation in Malaysia". It is the main livelihood of the people in these regions. However, some of the plantations are so huge I doubt that it belongs to the people living in those small little huts. Big company names were printed on smooth round stone taps every so often. I saw the company name NPC, among other that I cannot remember.
Two ladies talked to us when we made a stop halfway to Sepilok, they invited us for Sea food. It was very nice of them. They were preschool teachers that lived in Sepilok and went to KK to work. They were on a holiday for the school break.
When we got to our stop, almost in the middle of nowhere. There were a few closed shops around and a statue of an Orangutan. We saw a sign that said Paganakan DiI 2 KM. The sun was about to set and the road led through a plantation. A man walked up to us and said it was not to far a walk. He tried to call the hostel with his cell phone, but there was no answer. He said it was safe to walk. Kevin told me when he left that he had stopped his car to talk to us. People are so helpful here.
So we decided to walk and hoped to make it before sunset. We walked through the plantations, took a left as the man said and kept walking. We saw some birds scurry across the road, and a few dogs. Some people drove by in their cars, but none smiled or waved like they did in KK. After about half an hour we saw a forest merge and we saw the sign Paganakan Dii again. With releaf we walked in and saw some small pounds, water lilies and deer. It was appartently a deer sanctuary. We followed a mini van and found the place.
It was a beautiful little cabin situated amoungs a little rainforest. We could hear the insects chirping and some birds too. people looked happy as they sat drinking beer and talking. The man helped us and showed us our dorm. The place was so nice. It had screens in the front so we could hear the sounds of the rainforest at night when we slept. The beds were comfortabel and clean. It was amazing. We met a lot of nature loving people and looked at pictures of all the animals you could find in the rainforest as well as pictures taken along the mighty Kinanbatagan River.
We slept wonderfully. I wrote a few things in my journal here on the forest:
The roads were good, but there was a lot of traffic. Houses dotted the landscape from time to time, some looked as if they were leaning to one side and had been built a hundred years ago. They sat, planks of wood upon stilts, cloths hanging and sometimes people sitting on the porch aimlessly.
I though how quiet their life must be, how they must wait for someone to stop and buy something from their vegetable stand. How that would be the peak of their day. Though perhaps the sadness our aimlessness I thought I saw in their eyes was tainted by my opinion of their lifestyle. I could not talk to them or ask. I though how it must be hard for the women who seem to be tied to their house and child rearing while the men went out to work on the plantations. Sometimes the women would sell vegetables and fruits on a lonely stall next to the road. I saw patches of forest, and the palm plantations kept getting larger and larger till all that was left was the palm trees. I was angry that they cut down the forest. I was angry at the people, but at the same time I saw their poverty.
According to the Lonely Planet, Palm oil production accounts "for over 40% of global production" and is responsible for "85 % of deforestation in Malaysia". It is the main livelihood of the people in these regions. However, some of the plantations are so huge I doubt that it belongs to the people living in those small little huts. Big company names were printed on smooth round stone taps every so often. I saw the company name NPC, among other that I cannot remember.
Two ladies talked to us when we made a stop halfway to Sepilok, they invited us for Sea food. It was very nice of them. They were preschool teachers that lived in Sepilok and went to KK to work. They were on a holiday for the school break.
When we got to our stop, almost in the middle of nowhere. There were a few closed shops around and a statue of an Orangutan. We saw a sign that said Paganakan DiI 2 KM. The sun was about to set and the road led through a plantation. A man walked up to us and said it was not to far a walk. He tried to call the hostel with his cell phone, but there was no answer. He said it was safe to walk. Kevin told me when he left that he had stopped his car to talk to us. People are so helpful here.
So we decided to walk and hoped to make it before sunset. We walked through the plantations, took a left as the man said and kept walking. We saw some birds scurry across the road, and a few dogs. Some people drove by in their cars, but none smiled or waved like they did in KK. After about half an hour we saw a forest merge and we saw the sign Paganakan Dii again. With releaf we walked in and saw some small pounds, water lilies and deer. It was appartently a deer sanctuary. We followed a mini van and found the place.
It was a beautiful little cabin situated amoungs a little rainforest. We could hear the insects chirping and some birds too. people looked happy as they sat drinking beer and talking. The man helped us and showed us our dorm. The place was so nice. It had screens in the front so we could hear the sounds of the rainforest at night when we slept. The beds were comfortabel and clean. It was amazing. We met a lot of nature loving people and looked at pictures of all the animals you could find in the rainforest as well as pictures taken along the mighty Kinanbatagan River.
We slept wonderfully. I wrote a few things in my journal here on the forest:
Journal Entry
The trees in this forest grow very tall and they are surrounded by dense green that is so thick it looks like a wall from where I sit. Birds, bugs, frogs and toads all sing their morning song. I wonder why they sing. I know some would say it is not like really singing, that this is only a human characteristic, but there is so little that we can know of their natures, their perspective, their feelings. What do they know? Humble as they are. Their home is a place of beauty and danger; tranquility and violence. From where I sit, the jungle seems so pure and perfect. The air blows lightly on my face and I feel peaceful, but something inside me says there is more to the forest than this. There are hardships both human and natural. Despite what the fores may or may not be, still does not gives us the right to cut it down so ruthlessly. It is home to thousands, some like us, and some unlike us. But really, "us"", does not play a role in everything. Sometimes places need to be preserved because they are part of the same world as us. Each having a right to try and survive and live whatever life it may live. Their is a source, a life flow here that plantations or rice fields could never kindle or hold. It is so sad to see thousands upon thousands of acres of rainforest being tuned into rolling deserts of palm trees almost as far as the horizon.
The Forest of Sabah
The trees stand tall
Confident and silent as the breeze
That moves them to a russel
Leaves small as birds that sit on branches
Only revealed by their song
There is not a moment of sound that is silent
But all the voices of the forest chirp lightly and calmly
Their sounds are carried upon the surface of brooks
That flow cool currents through dense trees
Or they are carried upon the soft breeze
With the stir of leaves all around
Thta softness washes over you like a balmy silk
Bathed in soft sunlight
And if you let it, your body submits to it
It can soften sadness
The clouds in their big sky
Sit above the trees and move
So slowly, lulled by the rhythm of the forest.
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star By Paul Theroux
On our travels we have brought some audiobooks of various types to listen to. We were thinking of writng mini reviews when we finish listening to them. Here is the first one:
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is a travelogue by the legendary travel writer Paul Theroux. This particular novel is a record of his journey retracing the trip that made him famous 33 years before (The Great Railway Bazaar). His itinerary is taking the train from London to via the Middle East and Asia Tokyo and back via Siberia. We orignally got it because he travels to some of the same places that we will be traveling (Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore). Unfortunately, except for Singapore he does not spend much time in those places, but the book was still entertaining, insightful and somewhat depressing (as he likes to dwell on some of the terrible things that happened in the places that he visits).
We learned a lot about many places (and about riding trains), but what we have really taken from the book is a desire to be more outgoing and to ask more (penetrating) questions. We have found ourselves asking each other, "What would Paul Theroux ask/say/do?" We have been trying to follow his example, though so far we have not had to make much of an effort talk to people, since they are so friendly here.
Favorite parts:
Kevin: The craziness that was Turmenistan in 2006 (when Paul Theroux did this trip). The Trans-Siberian Rail. Also his chats with Sir Arthur C Clark in Columbo, Sri Lanka (not long before his death) and Haruki Murikami in Tokyo, Japan.
Nancy: The way he sees things from the train. Northern Japan (train and stay).
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is a travelogue by the legendary travel writer Paul Theroux. This particular novel is a record of his journey retracing the trip that made him famous 33 years before (The Great Railway Bazaar). His itinerary is taking the train from London to via the Middle East and Asia Tokyo and back via Siberia. We orignally got it because he travels to some of the same places that we will be traveling (Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore). Unfortunately, except for Singapore he does not spend much time in those places, but the book was still entertaining, insightful and somewhat depressing (as he likes to dwell on some of the terrible things that happened in the places that he visits).
We learned a lot about many places (and about riding trains), but what we have really taken from the book is a desire to be more outgoing and to ask more (penetrating) questions. We have found ourselves asking each other, "What would Paul Theroux ask/say/do?" We have been trying to follow his example, though so far we have not had to make much of an effort talk to people, since they are so friendly here.
Favorite parts:
Kevin: The craziness that was Turmenistan in 2006 (when Paul Theroux did this trip). The Trans-Siberian Rail. Also his chats with Sir Arthur C Clark in Columbo, Sri Lanka (not long before his death) and Haruki Murikami in Tokyo, Japan.
Nancy: The way he sees things from the train. Northern Japan (train and stay).
Travelers from Step in Lodge
There are some very quirky people in the world and the best place to meet them are in hostels. They all have stories to tell and many of them are more than willing to share them.
As we were sitting watching TV, three young men came to sit down with us. They said they had been doing homestays and volunteering projects building houses. They said they had been in Malaysia for about two months and were so happy to get to know local people. They had done hiking and told us they saw a huge snake not to far from them. Instead of being scared they seemed thrilled by the "luck" they had in encountering it so closely. I don't know if I could say the same for us, though when we did see a snake from our boat it was rather thrilling, especially since the one we saw was more than 3 meters long! But that is another tale that I will tell later. One of the younger boys said he was going home and that he wanted to study biology. I think this trip really did inspire him. He seemed happy to be going home but the day when he left he said he was really regretting it and was going to miss this "beautiful country". The other men were off to Thailand and were going to rent a motorbike, they seemed a bit more rugged and wilder.
Later we met another man named, Meika an investment banker who had been traveling on and off for more than ten years or so. He wore real ragged clothes, this he told us was how he traveled, he said he tried to look as "shitty" as possibly so that people were less likely to mug him. He had just come from Banga Indonesia. As he put it, he had just "come back to civilization". Apparently were he was people served dog as food, pig as well, since it was a Christian area. His accommodations had no electricity. I think this was his idea of real travel, I think he thrived from this sort of adventure. To Kevin and I Malaysia was already seeming more second, and in some places third world, in comparison to Taiwan. I guess we were only starting to scratch the surface.
Anyways, he also told Kevin that his goal was to drive in this special vehicle that he was getting fixed, from Paris to Vladivostok! Later he told us it was also his dream to drive across the Gobi desert in Mongolia. As we chatted for at least an hour or more, he managed to tell us the best way to drive your car out of sand and through dunes. He said that we should go to Indonesia because Thailand would be extremely hot, and Laos and Cambodia would be raining A LOT. He said Laos was beautiful, quiet and had the back in time feel. I think he loved the Asia that everyone imagines, poor, friendly, dangerous, poverty stricken, beautiful landscape and underdeveloped. Though he was not ignorant to the demands of the new world and the right that everyone had to a modern way of life. I can understand though how he and many other travelers, desire the exotic Asia, the offbeat road. Though everything is changing, it seems that the third world is joining in the "modern" way of life and that out of time Asia is fading into a place that exists only in the traveler's imagination, though any sort of travel really is a way of the imagination, a search for something inspirational and even spiritual. But real travel clashes with these dreams and shows us something completely different and if you are strong enough, perhaps you can come back with something deeper. I hope we can find this strength.
Best of luck to all you travelers out their searching for their big dreams.
As we were sitting watching TV, three young men came to sit down with us. They said they had been doing homestays and volunteering projects building houses. They said they had been in Malaysia for about two months and were so happy to get to know local people. They had done hiking and told us they saw a huge snake not to far from them. Instead of being scared they seemed thrilled by the "luck" they had in encountering it so closely. I don't know if I could say the same for us, though when we did see a snake from our boat it was rather thrilling, especially since the one we saw was more than 3 meters long! But that is another tale that I will tell later. One of the younger boys said he was going home and that he wanted to study biology. I think this trip really did inspire him. He seemed happy to be going home but the day when he left he said he was really regretting it and was going to miss this "beautiful country". The other men were off to Thailand and were going to rent a motorbike, they seemed a bit more rugged and wilder.
Later we met another man named, Meika an investment banker who had been traveling on and off for more than ten years or so. He wore real ragged clothes, this he told us was how he traveled, he said he tried to look as "shitty" as possibly so that people were less likely to mug him. He had just come from Banga Indonesia. As he put it, he had just "come back to civilization". Apparently were he was people served dog as food, pig as well, since it was a Christian area. His accommodations had no electricity. I think this was his idea of real travel, I think he thrived from this sort of adventure. To Kevin and I Malaysia was already seeming more second, and in some places third world, in comparison to Taiwan. I guess we were only starting to scratch the surface.
Anyways, he also told Kevin that his goal was to drive in this special vehicle that he was getting fixed, from Paris to Vladivostok! Later he told us it was also his dream to drive across the Gobi desert in Mongolia. As we chatted for at least an hour or more, he managed to tell us the best way to drive your car out of sand and through dunes. He said that we should go to Indonesia because Thailand would be extremely hot, and Laos and Cambodia would be raining A LOT. He said Laos was beautiful, quiet and had the back in time feel. I think he loved the Asia that everyone imagines, poor, friendly, dangerous, poverty stricken, beautiful landscape and underdeveloped. Though he was not ignorant to the demands of the new world and the right that everyone had to a modern way of life. I can understand though how he and many other travelers, desire the exotic Asia, the offbeat road. Though everything is changing, it seems that the third world is joining in the "modern" way of life and that out of time Asia is fading into a place that exists only in the traveler's imagination, though any sort of travel really is a way of the imagination, a search for something inspirational and even spiritual. But real travel clashes with these dreams and shows us something completely different and if you are strong enough, perhaps you can come back with something deeper. I hope we can find this strength.
Best of luck to all you travelers out their searching for their big dreams.
A Day in KK
After our stay on the Mamutik Island we returned to the Step In-Lodge in Kota Kinabalu (KK). We chatted with a few of our fellow travelers. There was a lot to talk of the nature in Sabah, big snakes and spiders, monkeys and orang-utans. Big nature here was the consensus.
We woke early the next day (6:00 AM), after a good night (much better than the tent on Mamutik) on the big bunk beds, and we were the first ones to breakfast. It was our first time having curry for breakfast, which was surprisingly good. Roti is like Naan (or bings for those of you reading from Taiwan), and the only thing to spread on it was a curry sauce. Yummy (seriously).
We started walking, though I was regretting the fact that I had not brought my farmers hat from Taiwan. Even at 7 AM it was feeling like a hot day. We had a map with most of the KK sights on it (and the Lonely Planet for further reference) and we headed to the Atkinson Clock Tower, which was not that far from the Step In Lodge. On the way we came a cross a big field that seemed to be for some sort of sport, we asked a passing Malay man (by this point we were fairly sure almost everyone we might talk to from Malaysia could speak English, and this guy was no exception) what sport was played in this field. He told us that it was actually the site where it was announced to all of Sabah that Malaysia was now an independent nation. He also asked us if we needed help with directions and pointed us on a faster route to the clock tower.
Along the road we walked to the clock tower (which was mercifully shaded) everyone who went by in either direction smiled and waved at us, pretty much without excpetion. The clock tower was not really that exciting, it wasn't particularly tall or well built. Atkinson was the first British Governor of British North Borneo as it was called then. He died at age 28 of malaria. He was apparently a huge fan of clocks, which was partly why the clock tower (which was built after he died) was named for him.
Further up the road was a cool observatory from which we could see a great panoramic of KK and the South China Sea beyond it. We could also see monkeys in the tree below us. They seemed to be have great time in the trees jumping around, relaxing, eating or in one case having mating). These monkeys were called long tailed Macaques and they are pests (they are curious and like to steal or knock over shiny things), but as this was our first exposure to the wildlife of Borneo, despite being in a city, we were delighted and watched the monkeys play in the trees for quite a while.
Even further up the road is the wetland sanctuary, where we could supposedly see a lot of birds. All we saw were lots of variations of egrets (all of which we saw on the river in Chidu) and one that we couldn't identify, despite all of the signs around with bird specs. We also met some middle aged bird loving German tourists. They had books, big binoculars and extremely expensive looking cameras. They were quite freindly and offered to try and discover the name of the bird we had seen in one of their books (I do not remember whar it was, but it was in there). When they discovered that we were from Canada, one of them said, "But you have big nature in Canada, why come here?" After we explained, he fondly recalled his time in BC with his family, driving up the West coast.
We wanted to go to the museum which turned out to be on the otherside of town. We had decided to be real trekkers so we set off walking again. Fortunately the day was clouding over and we were mostly walking along shaded roads. On our way past the clock tower in the other direction we were stopped by a Malaysian woman named Catherine, who told us pretty much right away that she liked to talk to tourists. She was delighted that we were from Vancouver because she had been there once. We had a pleasant chat with her over the course of which we found out that she was almost 70 (and proud of it!), that she was proud of her country but liked to travel to other ones and that she had just met some nice Swiss ladies. She also approved of us walking ("Use your own legs whenever you can, I still do!").
We had a less pleasant encounter up the road when a man started yelling (I'm fairly sure at us) in Malay, we did not really know why, but the best response to such seemed be to just keep walking (no need to dignify such actions). He followed us for a bit yelling in Malay and we kept ignoring him. In retrospect it was rather funny, Malay is kind of a musical language, so it seemed like we had an angry bird following us. Whatever it was he eventually gave up and went away, though the whole encounter left us feeling a little grumpy and less well disposed to Malaysia from a the next portion of our walk, at least until a bus of school children came by and the entire bus waved and yelled hello and gave us the thumbs up.
The museum (or muzium) was quite a bit farther than we had expected and we extremely happy to arrive in the cool airconditioning of the place. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, wandering around museums, actually requires you to wander, which we felt not so up to. It was one of the nicest we have been in in a lont time, its too bad we had less time and optimal energy. I do remember that all of captions under the swords that they had along the wall started with the word "This sword is associated with head hunting...". Well Borneo is the land of the Head Hunters after all. The last part that we walked through was the natural history section. Big nature again. It also energized us for our walk to the Islamic Civilization museum.
The Islamic Civiliation Musem (ironically situated behind a large Anglican church) was a little disapointing, maybe we missed something, but it did not have much info. There was an interesting part about clothing and some cool swords (not for head hunting), but that's about it.
On our way home we met a friendly older Malay man named Francis. When he found out that we were Canadian he told us that apparenly one of our "countrymen" got in trouble with an Arab in a longhouse. Apparently the Canadian was making out with his Chinese girlfriend (I'm not sure that she was Chinese was important, but apparently this was how the paper that Francis read it in put it) and the Arab man knocked over their table yelling that this was a Muslim country and people should be more respectful. Francis seemed to be disapointed in the Arab man. He said that religion is not a proper reason for such action. If people are bothering you by their actions ask them to stop. He advised us to be careful about that sort of thing before we parted ways.
Before returning to the Step In Lodge we has some great Indian food, which inluded more Roti. We like the place we ate so much (Devi's Cafe was its name) that we stopped there on the way to the bus the next day.
We woke early the next day (6:00 AM), after a good night (much better than the tent on Mamutik) on the big bunk beds, and we were the first ones to breakfast. It was our first time having curry for breakfast, which was surprisingly good. Roti is like Naan (or bings for those of you reading from Taiwan), and the only thing to spread on it was a curry sauce. Yummy (seriously).
We started walking, though I was regretting the fact that I had not brought my farmers hat from Taiwan. Even at 7 AM it was feeling like a hot day. We had a map with most of the KK sights on it (and the Lonely Planet for further reference) and we headed to the Atkinson Clock Tower, which was not that far from the Step In Lodge. On the way we came a cross a big field that seemed to be for some sort of sport, we asked a passing Malay man (by this point we were fairly sure almost everyone we might talk to from Malaysia could speak English, and this guy was no exception) what sport was played in this field. He told us that it was actually the site where it was announced to all of Sabah that Malaysia was now an independent nation. He also asked us if we needed help with directions and pointed us on a faster route to the clock tower.
Along the road we walked to the clock tower (which was mercifully shaded) everyone who went by in either direction smiled and waved at us, pretty much without excpetion. The clock tower was not really that exciting, it wasn't particularly tall or well built. Atkinson was the first British Governor of British North Borneo as it was called then. He died at age 28 of malaria. He was apparently a huge fan of clocks, which was partly why the clock tower (which was built after he died) was named for him.
Further up the road was a cool observatory from which we could see a great panoramic of KK and the South China Sea beyond it. We could also see monkeys in the tree below us. They seemed to be have great time in the trees jumping around, relaxing, eating or in one case having mating). These monkeys were called long tailed Macaques and they are pests (they are curious and like to steal or knock over shiny things), but as this was our first exposure to the wildlife of Borneo, despite being in a city, we were delighted and watched the monkeys play in the trees for quite a while.
Even further up the road is the wetland sanctuary, where we could supposedly see a lot of birds. All we saw were lots of variations of egrets (all of which we saw on the river in Chidu) and one that we couldn't identify, despite all of the signs around with bird specs. We also met some middle aged bird loving German tourists. They had books, big binoculars and extremely expensive looking cameras. They were quite freindly and offered to try and discover the name of the bird we had seen in one of their books (I do not remember whar it was, but it was in there). When they discovered that we were from Canada, one of them said, "But you have big nature in Canada, why come here?" After we explained, he fondly recalled his time in BC with his family, driving up the West coast.
We wanted to go to the museum which turned out to be on the otherside of town. We had decided to be real trekkers so we set off walking again. Fortunately the day was clouding over and we were mostly walking along shaded roads. On our way past the clock tower in the other direction we were stopped by a Malaysian woman named Catherine, who told us pretty much right away that she liked to talk to tourists. She was delighted that we were from Vancouver because she had been there once. We had a pleasant chat with her over the course of which we found out that she was almost 70 (and proud of it!), that she was proud of her country but liked to travel to other ones and that she had just met some nice Swiss ladies. She also approved of us walking ("Use your own legs whenever you can, I still do!").
We had a less pleasant encounter up the road when a man started yelling (I'm fairly sure at us) in Malay, we did not really know why, but the best response to such seemed be to just keep walking (no need to dignify such actions). He followed us for a bit yelling in Malay and we kept ignoring him. In retrospect it was rather funny, Malay is kind of a musical language, so it seemed like we had an angry bird following us. Whatever it was he eventually gave up and went away, though the whole encounter left us feeling a little grumpy and less well disposed to Malaysia from a the next portion of our walk, at least until a bus of school children came by and the entire bus waved and yelled hello and gave us the thumbs up.
The museum (or muzium) was quite a bit farther than we had expected and we extremely happy to arrive in the cool airconditioning of the place. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, wandering around museums, actually requires you to wander, which we felt not so up to. It was one of the nicest we have been in in a lont time, its too bad we had less time and optimal energy. I do remember that all of captions under the swords that they had along the wall started with the word "This sword is associated with head hunting...". Well Borneo is the land of the Head Hunters after all. The last part that we walked through was the natural history section. Big nature again. It also energized us for our walk to the Islamic Civilization museum.
The Islamic Civiliation Musem (ironically situated behind a large Anglican church) was a little disapointing, maybe we missed something, but it did not have much info. There was an interesting part about clothing and some cool swords (not for head hunting), but that's about it.
On our way home we met a friendly older Malay man named Francis. When he found out that we were Canadian he told us that apparenly one of our "countrymen" got in trouble with an Arab in a longhouse. Apparently the Canadian was making out with his Chinese girlfriend (I'm not sure that she was Chinese was important, but apparently this was how the paper that Francis read it in put it) and the Arab man knocked over their table yelling that this was a Muslim country and people should be more respectful. Francis seemed to be disapointed in the Arab man. He said that religion is not a proper reason for such action. If people are bothering you by their actions ask them to stop. He advised us to be careful about that sort of thing before we parted ways.
Before returning to the Step In Lodge we has some great Indian food, which inluded more Roti. We like the place we ate so much (Devi's Cafe was its name) that we stopped there on the way to the bus the next day.
From Taipei to Kota Kinabalu
So we said fair thee well Taiwan, but not before spending time in company with friends. During dinner, we talked about travel, the environment, physics, Taiwan customs, and of course children. Our very kind and generous friend, Henry, gave us a present. (We are using the change purse and we shall use the mugs when we return to Taiwan.) If you are reading this, thank you again Henry.
After dinner, Kevin, myself and Steven went to Cornie and Petro's home for some coffee. We talked and laughed a lot and exchanged goodbye's. Thanks to Cornie and Petro for your love and for looking out for us.
So we took the night train and slept in our beautiful hotel, Aquabella, thank you Nada and Dave. Then to the airport we went. We took a bus and watched the scenery pass us by and wondered what the future had in store for us and if we would return to Taiwan. But know we can only look ahead, the views in the bus window pass and all that we can see is what is ahead.
When we arrived at the airport, the baggage clerk warned us that since we did not have a ticket that conformed a flight outside of Malaysia we may be rejected at the airport. It made me so nervous, but Kevin said it would be fine. The time passed fast and slow as it does when you are nervous. Next thing we knew we were on a plane. Though just before it made ready for take off, it breaked so fast that I was convinced that something was worng with the plane, or that the pilot was inexperienced. But we are in Malaysia, so I guess he knew what he was doing. Though it did scare me ghost pale, Kevin was completely calm.
On the plane, we saw the clouds white and puffy like cotton mountains. We thought of the carebears and of living on clouds. We also saw a sunset sinking into rosy colored sky and little islands scattered about the sea, so small and green.
At the border, we were greated by a smiling man who took our finger prints and stamped our passport, 90 days visitor visa (Malays like Canadians because we were part of the British Commonwealth, I guess it still pays off to have once been an extension of the Motherland). We collected our bagagge, put them through a sensory machine and that was that. It was so easy.
Then we were in a cab, the man driving on the left side of the road. We noticed sidewalks, open space, women in head scarves, children, men in shorts and t-shirts. Everyone dark skinned. Unlike many city people in Taiwan, people here live in the sun and under the sky, especially the men. Our hostel was also different. It was part of an appartment complex. Peoples doors are barred, many windows have no screens, some people only have blinds that open and close withough glass windows. We ascended the stairs, booked our room and tried to sleep in our bunk bed "single room". We could hear music playing, clearly prayer music. After seeing a giant cockroack and chasing it out of our room we went downstairs for dinner. It cost us only about 3 dollars for amazing noodles and a drink. The women there served us, but we had to pay the man. There were not many woman around, mostly men, and some really do stare hard at you sometimes. We also saw some children running around, boys and girls. Some look wild, almost like out of a Charles Dickens novel.
That night we slept, and were awaken to prayer music around 6 am or so. People were out and about, sitting in front of shops, women with children, young men talking loudly in small groups. We walked with our bags and headed to the dock to board a boat that would take us to the island called Tunkun Abdul Raman . An island that seemed very commercial and famous with Chinese and Japanese tourists. It was very crowded even though it was not a weekend, or the peak season. We were headstrong on camping. When we arrived at the ticketing area, people stood behind little stalls yelling out their prices for ferry rides. It was very funny seeing them all react at the same time as we walked into the room, waving their hands in the air to get our attention. We took the one closest to the door and made our way to the boat. We talked to a Malaysian family who lived on Peninsular Malaysia, they said they spoke Mandarine, English and Malay. They were very friendly and quiet.
The island, Pulau Mamutik, was a tiny little rock with a green little forest growing in the middle. The water was blue and clear with the occasional big and small fish that would swim by. I don't think much coral survived around this area due to extensive fishing and the huge inflow of tourists. So we pitched our tent, our only neighbors were taking down their camp, so that meant we had the island to ourselves that night. I was a bit weary because the island next to us, Pulau Gaya, housed a small community that looked much like a ghetto. I think a lot of them were Philippino immigrants, I tried asking, but not many people seemed to know. It seemed to be very cramped and the houses were on stilts, like many of the homes here.
So we camped that night, the staff there also slept on the island, so we were not completely alone. We sat near our tent and watched small and big crabs come out of their little homes in the sand and scuttle about. They moved like little shells with wiry feet and big eyes stuck up from their bodies. They were very cute, in a crabby sort of way. We slept, if you could call it that: we were so hot and humid in our tent, but we managed a few hours and awoke with the dawn. The sea was calm and the birds were chirping. One man woke up and slowly walked up to the sand and started raking it clean of any litter that made its way to the shore that night.
After swimming and with the wind threatening to blow out tent up into the sky, we decided to pack our tent up early and sleep in the Step In Lodge in Kota Kinabalu again. While waiting for the boat we talked to a man who had been working at this dock for about five years. His English was very good. He said his mom was Malay and his father was Philippino. He was very friendly and loved to talk. He said this beach got really busy sometimes, so busy that you could not see sand, only people. Most of the tourist he said were Chinese. I guess it is because this area is so close to Mainland China and Taiwan. Just before we boarded the boat we ran into Sara and Pete, they were in our training group in Taiwan. We thought of how funny it is how people cross paths in the most random of places.
Now, we boarded a boat, a narrow speed boat. It was Kevin and I, and two other girls. The man powered the boat to full speed, it seemed, and with the waves being big, it seemed we were going to tip or fly right out of the water. At points, when he turned, the boat was almost vertical. We stopped to pick up a family at another island. The two girls got out of the boat and "good luck". There were lots of babies and I really hoped he would not drive like that with them in the boat, and luckly he did slow down a little. As we were motoring along suddenly he stood up, and said loudly "oh shit!". He ran under the boat deck and did something under there. We were near the ghetto community on Gaya, and for a moment I thought we were going to be hijacked or something. But then he came out and said the boat had no more power. Well that was defently better than being hijacked. Thank god we were close to the dock in KK. I did not want to have to drift to shore with Kevin myself and this family and their babies. With a little bit of power left in the boat we made it safely to shore. We walked with our bags, looking like real backpackers, dirty, crazy hair, sweaty stuff hanging form our bags. One man told Kevin as we passed. "Sir, you climb Mount Kinabalu?"
We made it to our dorm, took a wonderful cold shower, ate some amazing Indian food and sat down in front of the TV at the Step In Lodge.
After dinner, Kevin, myself and Steven went to Cornie and Petro's home for some coffee. We talked and laughed a lot and exchanged goodbye's. Thanks to Cornie and Petro for your love and for looking out for us.
So we took the night train and slept in our beautiful hotel, Aquabella, thank you Nada and Dave. Then to the airport we went. We took a bus and watched the scenery pass us by and wondered what the future had in store for us and if we would return to Taiwan. But know we can only look ahead, the views in the bus window pass and all that we can see is what is ahead.
When we arrived at the airport, the baggage clerk warned us that since we did not have a ticket that conformed a flight outside of Malaysia we may be rejected at the airport. It made me so nervous, but Kevin said it would be fine. The time passed fast and slow as it does when you are nervous. Next thing we knew we were on a plane. Though just before it made ready for take off, it breaked so fast that I was convinced that something was worng with the plane, or that the pilot was inexperienced. But we are in Malaysia, so I guess he knew what he was doing. Though it did scare me ghost pale, Kevin was completely calm.
On the plane, we saw the clouds white and puffy like cotton mountains. We thought of the carebears and of living on clouds. We also saw a sunset sinking into rosy colored sky and little islands scattered about the sea, so small and green.
At the border, we were greated by a smiling man who took our finger prints and stamped our passport, 90 days visitor visa (Malays like Canadians because we were part of the British Commonwealth, I guess it still pays off to have once been an extension of the Motherland). We collected our bagagge, put them through a sensory machine and that was that. It was so easy.
Then we were in a cab, the man driving on the left side of the road. We noticed sidewalks, open space, women in head scarves, children, men in shorts and t-shirts. Everyone dark skinned. Unlike many city people in Taiwan, people here live in the sun and under the sky, especially the men. Our hostel was also different. It was part of an appartment complex. Peoples doors are barred, many windows have no screens, some people only have blinds that open and close withough glass windows. We ascended the stairs, booked our room and tried to sleep in our bunk bed "single room". We could hear music playing, clearly prayer music. After seeing a giant cockroack and chasing it out of our room we went downstairs for dinner. It cost us only about 3 dollars for amazing noodles and a drink. The women there served us, but we had to pay the man. There were not many woman around, mostly men, and some really do stare hard at you sometimes. We also saw some children running around, boys and girls. Some look wild, almost like out of a Charles Dickens novel.
That night we slept, and were awaken to prayer music around 6 am or so. People were out and about, sitting in front of shops, women with children, young men talking loudly in small groups. We walked with our bags and headed to the dock to board a boat that would take us to the island called Tunkun Abdul Raman . An island that seemed very commercial and famous with Chinese and Japanese tourists. It was very crowded even though it was not a weekend, or the peak season. We were headstrong on camping. When we arrived at the ticketing area, people stood behind little stalls yelling out their prices for ferry rides. It was very funny seeing them all react at the same time as we walked into the room, waving their hands in the air to get our attention. We took the one closest to the door and made our way to the boat. We talked to a Malaysian family who lived on Peninsular Malaysia, they said they spoke Mandarine, English and Malay. They were very friendly and quiet.
The island, Pulau Mamutik, was a tiny little rock with a green little forest growing in the middle. The water was blue and clear with the occasional big and small fish that would swim by. I don't think much coral survived around this area due to extensive fishing and the huge inflow of tourists. So we pitched our tent, our only neighbors were taking down their camp, so that meant we had the island to ourselves that night. I was a bit weary because the island next to us, Pulau Gaya, housed a small community that looked much like a ghetto. I think a lot of them were Philippino immigrants, I tried asking, but not many people seemed to know. It seemed to be very cramped and the houses were on stilts, like many of the homes here.
So we camped that night, the staff there also slept on the island, so we were not completely alone. We sat near our tent and watched small and big crabs come out of their little homes in the sand and scuttle about. They moved like little shells with wiry feet and big eyes stuck up from their bodies. They were very cute, in a crabby sort of way. We slept, if you could call it that: we were so hot and humid in our tent, but we managed a few hours and awoke with the dawn. The sea was calm and the birds were chirping. One man woke up and slowly walked up to the sand and started raking it clean of any litter that made its way to the shore that night.
After swimming and with the wind threatening to blow out tent up into the sky, we decided to pack our tent up early and sleep in the Step In Lodge in Kota Kinabalu again. While waiting for the boat we talked to a man who had been working at this dock for about five years. His English was very good. He said his mom was Malay and his father was Philippino. He was very friendly and loved to talk. He said this beach got really busy sometimes, so busy that you could not see sand, only people. Most of the tourist he said were Chinese. I guess it is because this area is so close to Mainland China and Taiwan. Just before we boarded the boat we ran into Sara and Pete, they were in our training group in Taiwan. We thought of how funny it is how people cross paths in the most random of places.
Now, we boarded a boat, a narrow speed boat. It was Kevin and I, and two other girls. The man powered the boat to full speed, it seemed, and with the waves being big, it seemed we were going to tip or fly right out of the water. At points, when he turned, the boat was almost vertical. We stopped to pick up a family at another island. The two girls got out of the boat and "good luck". There were lots of babies and I really hoped he would not drive like that with them in the boat, and luckly he did slow down a little. As we were motoring along suddenly he stood up, and said loudly "oh shit!". He ran under the boat deck and did something under there. We were near the ghetto community on Gaya, and for a moment I thought we were going to be hijacked or something. But then he came out and said the boat had no more power. Well that was defently better than being hijacked. Thank god we were close to the dock in KK. I did not want to have to drift to shore with Kevin myself and this family and their babies. With a little bit of power left in the boat we made it safely to shore. We walked with our bags, looking like real backpackers, dirty, crazy hair, sweaty stuff hanging form our bags. One man told Kevin as we passed. "Sir, you climb Mount Kinabalu?"
We made it to our dorm, took a wonderful cold shower, ate some amazing Indian food and sat down in front of the TV at the Step In Lodge.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Aqua Bella
We did absolutely nothing in Taichung, besides sit in an internet cafe for a few hours and eat some really spicy food. The bus from Taichung to Taipei took about 2 and a half hours or so.
Once in Taipei we went to check into a fancy hotel, a stay at which my parents (and grandfather) had got us for Christmas. It was in the hostpring area of Taipei (Beitou, for those of you who may visit some day). Unfortunately we arrived far too early for check in time (12ish, the check-in time was 5). So we took our laundry and headed into Chidu as we had to do a few things there anyway. We had a dental appt (cleaning total cost for both of us being 300 NT, with the help of my apparently still active health card), did our laundry, which was the first time we actually used a laudrimat in Chidu, and had a nice farewell dinner with Tobi (my boss at the bushiban), Stephen (my coworker), Michelle (my coworker) and Henry (our very generous Taiwanese friend), followed by a nice chat and coffee at Petro (my boss at kindy) and Cornie's (her husband) home.
We got back to the Aqua Bella at about 11PM and checked in with the intention of going to bed right away. We did not get to bed until about 2 or 3.
The room we stayed in was possibly the nicest we have ever stayed in. The bed had more pillows than either of us knew what to do with and was amazingly comfortable (and if we had stopped our exploration of our room at that point we probably would have slept pretty much right away). We did not stop. In the bathroom was a bathtub that could have comfortably submerged a Taiwanese family of 4 (or a western family of 3). It had 3 settings: "hot", "cold" and "hot spring". There we soaps and salts to go with the tub. We naturally had to try them and the tubs "hot spring" setting out. We spent a long time in there followed by a time in front of the 50 inch TV that was in front of the bed, then some more time in the "hot spring" tub. If you ever get the chance I would highly recommend such a stay. The free breakfast was great too, they even had a few western breakfast food choices. Our next two days were blissful and decadent. I'll leave you to imagine.
Unfortunately we had to leave. But to new adventures, as they say (just not nearly as comfy).
Once in Taipei we went to check into a fancy hotel, a stay at which my parents (and grandfather) had got us for Christmas. It was in the hostpring area of Taipei (Beitou, for those of you who may visit some day). Unfortunately we arrived far too early for check in time (12ish, the check-in time was 5). So we took our laundry and headed into Chidu as we had to do a few things there anyway. We had a dental appt (cleaning total cost for both of us being 300 NT, with the help of my apparently still active health card), did our laundry, which was the first time we actually used a laudrimat in Chidu, and had a nice farewell dinner with Tobi (my boss at the bushiban), Stephen (my coworker), Michelle (my coworker) and Henry (our very generous Taiwanese friend), followed by a nice chat and coffee at Petro (my boss at kindy) and Cornie's (her husband) home.
We got back to the Aqua Bella at about 11PM and checked in with the intention of going to bed right away. We did not get to bed until about 2 or 3.
The room we stayed in was possibly the nicest we have ever stayed in. The bed had more pillows than either of us knew what to do with and was amazingly comfortable (and if we had stopped our exploration of our room at that point we probably would have slept pretty much right away). We did not stop. In the bathroom was a bathtub that could have comfortably submerged a Taiwanese family of 4 (or a western family of 3). It had 3 settings: "hot", "cold" and "hot spring". There we soaps and salts to go with the tub. We naturally had to try them and the tubs "hot spring" setting out. We spent a long time in there followed by a time in front of the 50 inch TV that was in front of the bed, then some more time in the "hot spring" tub. If you ever get the chance I would highly recommend such a stay. The free breakfast was great too, they even had a few western breakfast food choices. Our next two days were blissful and decadent. I'll leave you to imagine.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Mountain Paths and Missionaries
At 6 AM yesterday morning we woke up to take the bus into Alishan. Despite this early hour Chiayi was as busy as it had been when we arrived at 2 in the afternoon the previous day. There were a lot of people waiting to catch the bus, not just to Alishan, but to school and work apprently. McDonalds was also open and we enjoyed our first (and last) McDonalds breakfast in Taiwan on the bus . The bus ride took an hour and a half. It went from Chiayi to the rolling(ish) countryside and into the mountains. In the mountains it weaved its way up narrow mountain road, turing right almost 180, then left, then right again in rapid succession. This was alright, if not overly pleasant, but when it did so rapidly beside narrow barriers overlooking sheer drops which got higher and higher the further we travelled, it became a bit less pleasant. But we survived and arrived in good spirits. The bus driver, afterall, had to make this trip 4 times daily, probably 6 days a week. I imagine we were in good hands.
Where we arrived was not Alishan National Park itself but a small and scenic town slightly off the regular road to the park, called Fenchihu. The mountain air was incredibly refreshing compared to the smog of Chiayi and we spent several moments just breathing it in. Then we went to the bathroom. We had originally intended to walk to Fenchihu from Rueli, another town from off the regular Alishan route but decided against it upon waking up and remembering just how heavy our backpacks actually were. So Fenchihu for the day it was. The Lonely Planet told us there was one really cheap place to spend the night in Fenchihu and that was... The Catholic Mission, which had a hostel. Unfortunately The Lonely Planet was a little vague on how to find the place and we walked around the town of Fenchihu once entirely, before turning on a road we had neglected to go down previously which led right to it.
The Catholic Hostel was 500NT (about $15 CND) a night for two beds in a dorm (there were private double bedrooms for the same price, but they were not offered to us...). We were greeted by a pleasant Swiss Nun who passed us off to the happy/grumpy Polish priest, who told us to call him Vlad after we butchered his name on the first attempt at saying it. Besides showing us our room (we were the only ones staying there so we had a dorm room to ourselves) I never saw him leave the small room at the back of the church. He was pleasant enough, he had been in Taiwan for 15 years, the last 7 of which he had spent in Fenchihu, though he encouraged us not to ask him about what he thought about Taiwan or its food or its people, which made our conversations pretty short. Just before we left to explore the trails of Fenchihu, he told us to watch out for snakes along the paths. Or just about anywhere in the town. He explained that he had been bitten by a snake just about where we were standing and spent 3 weeks in the hospital. We were extra sensitive to any sounds at ankle level for the rest of our stay in Fenchihu.
Before we wandered the paths, Nancy made friends with a strange bird in a cage near the old streets of Fenchihu. I'm certain it said "Nihao" (hello in Chinese as I'm sure everyone knows). It also could make a strange alarm clock like sound. It always fluffed up its feathers before "speaking" to us. We named it Scrumps.
The paths themselves were in nice dense bamboo forests, with some great views down the mountain. There was a Japanese shrine (ruined) in the area and a small Doaist temple of the (an, never exactly sure on that note) Earth God at the end of the path, with a small sign on it that announced the Taiwanese Government offered free Wifi here. I guess the/an Earth God wants the internet too. We saw almost no wildlife on our walk (squirles don't really count), but we heard a lot of birds and I almost stepped on a frog (which gave me and Nancy quite the start, though the frog seemed unfazed). No snakes fortunately. There was also a grove of square bamboo, which is exactly what it sounds like. The bamboo shoots were actually square.
As the day came to a close we wandered back to the Catholic Hostel and sat at their picnic tables to do some reading and writing. A mist began to roll in as we sat there and looking out over the mountain and town that we could see I was reminded of my favorite form of Chinese landscape painting. The mist covered most of the town, but the mountains themselves loomed above like barely seen giants. It was a lovely seen to behold in the last light of day. After day turned to night in what can actually be termed a sleepy mountain town in Taiwan, we asked the Sister where we could get food. She suggested... 7/11.
7/11 kind of killed the idyllic romance of the town, but it also had food we could order without lots of crazy gestures and irritation. A microwaved rice curry is not exactly the pinnicle of health, but we enjoyed it and it filled us up. We did not awake hungry in the middle of the night.
To say that we had beds is a little misleading as what actually had at the Catholic Hostel was a miniture mattress, a pillow and a blanket on the floor. But we weren't complaining for 500NT a night. We slept quite well.
This morning we got the best sung swa dan bing (loosely onion cake with egg) we've had in Taiwan from a guy by the bus station, who did not seem all there. He mubled to himself in Chinese as he fried the food and did not seem entirely sure how much we owed him for the food. But he sure knew how to make a sung swa. We had coffee from 7/11 We decided that going into Alishan itself would be a waste of money as the main reason we were there was the train that went to the summit of Ali mountain and whether it would be running was unknown. The bus ride into the park, the train and then the ride back to Chiayi would not only be rather expensive, we would also have to do all our activities there before 3 which was (ridiculously) when the last bus left from the park. It was a little dissapointing to have to leave without riding the train up the mountain, but we decided that it would be best to come when the status of the train was more certain.
We are now in Taichung, which is also kind of disapointing.
Where we arrived was not Alishan National Park itself but a small and scenic town slightly off the regular road to the park, called Fenchihu. The mountain air was incredibly refreshing compared to the smog of Chiayi and we spent several moments just breathing it in. Then we went to the bathroom. We had originally intended to walk to Fenchihu from Rueli, another town from off the regular Alishan route but decided against it upon waking up and remembering just how heavy our backpacks actually were. So Fenchihu for the day it was. The Lonely Planet told us there was one really cheap place to spend the night in Fenchihu and that was... The Catholic Mission, which had a hostel. Unfortunately The Lonely Planet was a little vague on how to find the place and we walked around the town of Fenchihu once entirely, before turning on a road we had neglected to go down previously which led right to it.
The Catholic Hostel was 500NT (about $15 CND) a night for two beds in a dorm (there were private double bedrooms for the same price, but they were not offered to us...). We were greeted by a pleasant Swiss Nun who passed us off to the happy/grumpy Polish priest, who told us to call him Vlad after we butchered his name on the first attempt at saying it. Besides showing us our room (we were the only ones staying there so we had a dorm room to ourselves) I never saw him leave the small room at the back of the church. He was pleasant enough, he had been in Taiwan for 15 years, the last 7 of which he had spent in Fenchihu, though he encouraged us not to ask him about what he thought about Taiwan or its food or its people, which made our conversations pretty short. Just before we left to explore the trails of Fenchihu, he told us to watch out for snakes along the paths. Or just about anywhere in the town. He explained that he had been bitten by a snake just about where we were standing and spent 3 weeks in the hospital. We were extra sensitive to any sounds at ankle level for the rest of our stay in Fenchihu.
Before we wandered the paths, Nancy made friends with a strange bird in a cage near the old streets of Fenchihu. I'm certain it said "Nihao" (hello in Chinese as I'm sure everyone knows). It also could make a strange alarm clock like sound. It always fluffed up its feathers before "speaking" to us. We named it Scrumps.
The paths themselves were in nice dense bamboo forests, with some great views down the mountain. There was a Japanese shrine (ruined) in the area and a small Doaist temple of the (an, never exactly sure on that note) Earth God at the end of the path, with a small sign on it that announced the Taiwanese Government offered free Wifi here. I guess the/an Earth God wants the internet too. We saw almost no wildlife on our walk (squirles don't really count), but we heard a lot of birds and I almost stepped on a frog (which gave me and Nancy quite the start, though the frog seemed unfazed). No snakes fortunately. There was also a grove of square bamboo, which is exactly what it sounds like. The bamboo shoots were actually square.
As the day came to a close we wandered back to the Catholic Hostel and sat at their picnic tables to do some reading and writing. A mist began to roll in as we sat there and looking out over the mountain and town that we could see I was reminded of my favorite form of Chinese landscape painting. The mist covered most of the town, but the mountains themselves loomed above like barely seen giants. It was a lovely seen to behold in the last light of day. After day turned to night in what can actually be termed a sleepy mountain town in Taiwan, we asked the Sister where we could get food. She suggested... 7/11.
7/11 kind of killed the idyllic romance of the town, but it also had food we could order without lots of crazy gestures and irritation. A microwaved rice curry is not exactly the pinnicle of health, but we enjoyed it and it filled us up. We did not awake hungry in the middle of the night.
To say that we had beds is a little misleading as what actually had at the Catholic Hostel was a miniture mattress, a pillow and a blanket on the floor. But we weren't complaining for 500NT a night. We slept quite well.
This morning we got the best sung swa dan bing (loosely onion cake with egg) we've had in Taiwan from a guy by the bus station, who did not seem all there. He mubled to himself in Chinese as he fried the food and did not seem entirely sure how much we owed him for the food. But he sure knew how to make a sung swa. We had coffee from 7/11 We decided that going into Alishan itself would be a waste of money as the main reason we were there was the train that went to the summit of Ali mountain and whether it would be running was unknown. The bus ride into the park, the train and then the ride back to Chiayi would not only be rather expensive, we would also have to do all our activities there before 3 which was (ridiculously) when the last bus left from the park. It was a little dissapointing to have to leave without riding the train up the mountain, but we decided that it would be best to come when the status of the train was more certain.
We are now in Taichung, which is also kind of disapointing.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Swimming, BBQ and Alishan
It is apparently my task to write about our time on Little Liocho island.
As Nancy said, we had a rather hard time sleeping, but we weren't really there to sleep. We were their to relax and swim, which we most certainly did. The funny thing about Taiwan, despite being a semitropical island, is that very few peopl actually swim. Or know how to. This goes back to the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, so I'm told. In order to fortify the island, the beaches had to be guarded, all of them. Hence, no swimming. You might say, "but the Japanese haven't had control of Taiwan for the past 65 years or so!" And you would be right. The fact that there are still very few swimmers seems to be testament to the powerful and respected position that the older folk of Taiwan seem to have on the youth here. I'm not really sure about that last part, but the current generation is apparently the first generation that is actively taking swimming lessons. Why do I mention this? The beaches we went to on Little Liucho were practically deserted, despite it being a weekend and despite there being plenty of tourists on the island. On one of the nicest (small) beaches I've seen in Taiwan we were the only ones there. We paddled around in the waves looked at the tropical fish and over all had a grand time for about 2 hours. Then we dried off and had a late lunch of dumplings. Only when we were leaving did others show up, but even then, they only dipped there feet in the water (and were fully clothed in jeans and long sleeved shirts while doing so).
It was the same story on the other beach. Except as we left this one a group of younger folks arrived and took some pictures in front of the water. One of the more adventurous stepped into the water (for more pictures) and yelled defiantly at the waves. And then they left. Yes, we enjoyed the beaches of Little Liucho Island.
On our way back from this beach Nancy made friends with one of the vendors. They are now facebook friends. She added Nancy using her smart phone. It might be a little hard to talk to her though, since the only English words she seems to know is "no English". She repeated this constantly as she sold us ice cream and some of the best sausages we've had in Taiwan (not the healthiest lunch ever, I know).
Our campsite (which also had cabins and styled itself a resort) had a resturaunt on site and our nightly fee included a free breakfast from it, whenever the lady who ran it showed up. They also did a BBQ. A BBQ in this case essentially means that they give you a mini BBQ and a bunch of stuff to cook on it. It was quite fun, though there were some odd things to BBQ, like bread. We did not barbeque the squid. The best thing to go with a Taiwan BBQ is a "distictive taste" Taiwan Beer. We enjoyed our BBQ and Beer under a starry night sky, something we became very unused to living in Chidu, which seems to be under a constant cloud cover. It was great to look up at the night sky and wonder about the stars. I must say though, our star and constalation naming abilities need some work.
After arriving in Chiayi I immediately wanted to return to little Luicho. But this internet cafe has grown on me. We still have about 2 hours left to stay here if we choose to. We got 5 hours on the internet provided we spent 50 NT on coffee. Comically enough, the coffee came in Tim Hortons mugs. I have no idea how an internet cafe in a small industrial town in Taiwan has Tim Hortons mugs.
Tomorrow we will leave Chiayi and head into the mountains of the Alishan National park, which sounds more challenging than it probably is. I am not looking forward to carrying that heavy backpack along the trail from the village our bus stops at to the next village (a 3-4 hour walk we are told). But hey, we're backpacking, so I gotta be tough!
As Nancy said, we had a rather hard time sleeping, but we weren't really there to sleep. We were their to relax and swim, which we most certainly did. The funny thing about Taiwan, despite being a semitropical island, is that very few peopl actually swim. Or know how to. This goes back to the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, so I'm told. In order to fortify the island, the beaches had to be guarded, all of them. Hence, no swimming. You might say, "but the Japanese haven't had control of Taiwan for the past 65 years or so!" And you would be right. The fact that there are still very few swimmers seems to be testament to the powerful and respected position that the older folk of Taiwan seem to have on the youth here. I'm not really sure about that last part, but the current generation is apparently the first generation that is actively taking swimming lessons. Why do I mention this? The beaches we went to on Little Liucho were practically deserted, despite it being a weekend and despite there being plenty of tourists on the island. On one of the nicest (small) beaches I've seen in Taiwan we were the only ones there. We paddled around in the waves looked at the tropical fish and over all had a grand time for about 2 hours. Then we dried off and had a late lunch of dumplings. Only when we were leaving did others show up, but even then, they only dipped there feet in the water (and were fully clothed in jeans and long sleeved shirts while doing so).
It was the same story on the other beach. Except as we left this one a group of younger folks arrived and took some pictures in front of the water. One of the more adventurous stepped into the water (for more pictures) and yelled defiantly at the waves. And then they left. Yes, we enjoyed the beaches of Little Liucho Island.
On our way back from this beach Nancy made friends with one of the vendors. They are now facebook friends. She added Nancy using her smart phone. It might be a little hard to talk to her though, since the only English words she seems to know is "no English". She repeated this constantly as she sold us ice cream and some of the best sausages we've had in Taiwan (not the healthiest lunch ever, I know).
Our campsite (which also had cabins and styled itself a resort) had a resturaunt on site and our nightly fee included a free breakfast from it, whenever the lady who ran it showed up. They also did a BBQ. A BBQ in this case essentially means that they give you a mini BBQ and a bunch of stuff to cook on it. It was quite fun, though there were some odd things to BBQ, like bread. We did not barbeque the squid. The best thing to go with a Taiwan BBQ is a "distictive taste" Taiwan Beer. We enjoyed our BBQ and Beer under a starry night sky, something we became very unused to living in Chidu, which seems to be under a constant cloud cover. It was great to look up at the night sky and wonder about the stars. I must say though, our star and constalation naming abilities need some work.
After arriving in Chiayi I immediately wanted to return to little Luicho. But this internet cafe has grown on me. We still have about 2 hours left to stay here if we choose to. We got 5 hours on the internet provided we spent 50 NT on coffee. Comically enough, the coffee came in Tim Hortons mugs. I have no idea how an internet cafe in a small industrial town in Taiwan has Tim Hortons mugs.
Tomorrow we will leave Chiayi and head into the mountains of the Alishan National park, which sounds more challenging than it probably is. I am not looking forward to carrying that heavy backpack along the trail from the village our bus stops at to the next village (a 3-4 hour walk we are told). But hey, we're backpacking, so I gotta be tough!
Pirates and Wanderers
Kevin and I are sitting in an internet cafe, tucked away amongst the many buildings within Chiayi. From first impression, I would name this place concrete city. Kevin and I were almost releaved to sit in Mc Donalds because it seemed like the only quiet place to sit at the time. Chiayi's roads are narrow and scooter crowded. There are no side walks (except on the main road, as we later discovered), and even if there were, scooter drivers would still use it as one. However, we managed to get so much help from the lady at the travelers center. She was so knowledgable and spoke amazing English. She actually showed us were this internet cafe was. By the way, the only price we had to pay to use the computers was the price of our drinks!
Chiayi is how I first imagined Taipei to be, but Taipei in comparison is much more western. It also does seem to be true that the further south you go, the crazier people drive. Taipei is probably an ideal version of New York, safer, full of things to do, great resteraunts and a thriving art community. I am sure Chiayi has a lot to offer below the surface, though Kevin and I are constantly saying how glad we are to have been placed for work near Taipei.
Before our trip to Chiayi, we went to a little island called Liochu. We took a boat to the island. The boat was a rather rickety old thing and the staff didn't seem very happy. It was cheaper than the other boat company and the ride wasn't so bad, though I really wanted to go outside and feel the ocean sprays.
When we got to the island I was complaning, thank god for Kevin's good humour. I was mostly annoyed by the fact that the moment we got off the boat, we had people trying to get us to take a taxi or bus and rent a scooter. We barely had time to look around. I was further grumpied by the fact that the boat dropped us off at the other side of the island from were our campsite was. The other boat we could have taken was much closer and was the original port we thought we would land in.
As we were walking up the hill, (we had no hats as we had forgotten them in our old appartment in ChiDu) we also realized we had no water. We also had not eaten lunch and it did not seem that there were any places we could get water or eat. As we were about to give up and give in to taking a taxi, we met two backpackers walking down the road. They were Taiwanesse, very tanned, and wearing flip flops. They had things like socks and other things dangling from their backpacks. One man, his name was Hue Wha, was wearing a hat, and Samuel a very cool bandana.
When we approached them, we first asked if there was anywhere to eat and if they could point out the correct road to take to the camprground. Hue Wha, (I love that he kept his Chinese name) irronically spoke English and Samuel didn't. He looked at our map, commented on how it was not a very good one, and took out one of the two maps that he had. He gave it to us, which we used for the rest of our time on the island. We asked them how long they had been traveling, they said they were walking across Taiwan. They seemed so cool and had so much endurance and optimism. As we were walking with them, people honked there horns, cheered and said hello. I think they knew what they were doing and were giving them their support.
We asked them if they knew were to get water. They said they could give us theirs, but Kevin and I felt bad about taking their water. They said to follow them, we could get water from the temple. On our way we ended up near the port again and near the coast guard building. Wen Hua asked them if they could fill up our empty bottles. The coast guards came back with one of our water bottles and two full big bottles. We were so happy and surprised by their kindness. It was very encouraging.
Anyways Kevin and I said farewell to the two travellers and thanked them. They gave us a new strength and determination. We can walk across the island too. If we want to be backpackers we need to act like backpackers! So we walked, for about two hours, with our water and salty crackers. We stopped in a pavillion allong the coast and looked out at the turquiose blue sea patched with dark coral and sea forests. As we were relaxing, we waved hello to Wen Hua and Samuel one more time as they walked and passed us by. We continued to our campsite and said how it was lucky that we ended up at this port, that we originally dreaded, and felt grateful for the new courage these two backpackers gave us.
So we camped, and slept rather badly, as we shared a very narrow mat and kept pocking each other or feeling our arms fall asleep. The site itself was beautiful. It was next to the ocean and had lounge chairs all along the ridge line looking out to sea and Pingdun, the industiral city on the big island. The place we were seemed in such contrast to the big island that is Taiwan.
I will leave our time on the island for Kevin to write about, as I seem to have written more than anticepated. But I do want to talk about leaving and our boat ride back. Well we took the small boat at 9:30 in the morning, it was an old rusty thing as we remembered. We sat outside, and an older man that worker on the boat made swimming gestures, and I shook my head and laughed. He was very friendly, compared to the other staff on board. While Kevin and I were waiting we saw a big old boat arriving in port, in front stood about five men. Some sitting, others standing withs arms crossed. They all had a same stern look on their faces that showed toughness and I almost though one of them would say arrrg. One man wore a tuque and kept the same look on his face. He stared hard, and I new I would not want to great these men at sea. They left as soon as they came, the back of their boat showed clothes handging and flapping behing it. I told Kevin excitedly that they were pirates. Though I am certain they were fisher men (the kind environmentalists would despise). Later we passed them on our ferry boat. I saw them in the distance rising and falling into the big waves that sent white sprays crashing, drying clothes streaming behind them.
Chiayi is how I first imagined Taipei to be, but Taipei in comparison is much more western. It also does seem to be true that the further south you go, the crazier people drive. Taipei is probably an ideal version of New York, safer, full of things to do, great resteraunts and a thriving art community. I am sure Chiayi has a lot to offer below the surface, though Kevin and I are constantly saying how glad we are to have been placed for work near Taipei.
Before our trip to Chiayi, we went to a little island called Liochu. We took a boat to the island. The boat was a rather rickety old thing and the staff didn't seem very happy. It was cheaper than the other boat company and the ride wasn't so bad, though I really wanted to go outside and feel the ocean sprays.
When we got to the island I was complaning, thank god for Kevin's good humour. I was mostly annoyed by the fact that the moment we got off the boat, we had people trying to get us to take a taxi or bus and rent a scooter. We barely had time to look around. I was further grumpied by the fact that the boat dropped us off at the other side of the island from were our campsite was. The other boat we could have taken was much closer and was the original port we thought we would land in.
As we were walking up the hill, (we had no hats as we had forgotten them in our old appartment in ChiDu) we also realized we had no water. We also had not eaten lunch and it did not seem that there were any places we could get water or eat. As we were about to give up and give in to taking a taxi, we met two backpackers walking down the road. They were Taiwanesse, very tanned, and wearing flip flops. They had things like socks and other things dangling from their backpacks. One man, his name was Hue Wha, was wearing a hat, and Samuel a very cool bandana.
When we approached them, we first asked if there was anywhere to eat and if they could point out the correct road to take to the camprground. Hue Wha, (I love that he kept his Chinese name) irronically spoke English and Samuel didn't. He looked at our map, commented on how it was not a very good one, and took out one of the two maps that he had. He gave it to us, which we used for the rest of our time on the island. We asked them how long they had been traveling, they said they were walking across Taiwan. They seemed so cool and had so much endurance and optimism. As we were walking with them, people honked there horns, cheered and said hello. I think they knew what they were doing and were giving them their support.
We asked them if they knew were to get water. They said they could give us theirs, but Kevin and I felt bad about taking their water. They said to follow them, we could get water from the temple. On our way we ended up near the port again and near the coast guard building. Wen Hua asked them if they could fill up our empty bottles. The coast guards came back with one of our water bottles and two full big bottles. We were so happy and surprised by their kindness. It was very encouraging.
Anyways Kevin and I said farewell to the two travellers and thanked them. They gave us a new strength and determination. We can walk across the island too. If we want to be backpackers we need to act like backpackers! So we walked, for about two hours, with our water and salty crackers. We stopped in a pavillion allong the coast and looked out at the turquiose blue sea patched with dark coral and sea forests. As we were relaxing, we waved hello to Wen Hua and Samuel one more time as they walked and passed us by. We continued to our campsite and said how it was lucky that we ended up at this port, that we originally dreaded, and felt grateful for the new courage these two backpackers gave us.
So we camped, and slept rather badly, as we shared a very narrow mat and kept pocking each other or feeling our arms fall asleep. The site itself was beautiful. It was next to the ocean and had lounge chairs all along the ridge line looking out to sea and Pingdun, the industiral city on the big island. The place we were seemed in such contrast to the big island that is Taiwan.
I will leave our time on the island for Kevin to write about, as I seem to have written more than anticepated. But I do want to talk about leaving and our boat ride back. Well we took the small boat at 9:30 in the morning, it was an old rusty thing as we remembered. We sat outside, and an older man that worker on the boat made swimming gestures, and I shook my head and laughed. He was very friendly, compared to the other staff on board. While Kevin and I were waiting we saw a big old boat arriving in port, in front stood about five men. Some sitting, others standing withs arms crossed. They all had a same stern look on their faces that showed toughness and I almost though one of them would say arrrg. One man wore a tuque and kept the same look on his face. He stared hard, and I new I would not want to great these men at sea. They left as soon as they came, the back of their boat showed clothes handging and flapping behing it. I told Kevin excitedly that they were pirates. Though I am certain they were fisher men (the kind environmentalists would despise). Later we passed them on our ferry boat. I saw them in the distance rising and falling into the big waves that sent white sprays crashing, drying clothes streaming behind them.
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