On the road again....

One Stop Till Home...

Well I'm back in Singapore after 5 days in the broiling heat of Kuching, East Malaysia. I read in the paper a couple of days ago about the earthquake in Indonesia... which we were no where near. I apologize for the silence, but I wasn't really thinking about blogging when I was sitting by the beach. I think there was internet access at the hotel we were staying in, but there was only one terminal and it was continuously occupied. So yes, Jules and I are safe and painfully alive (we both got badly sun-burned).

Impressions of Kuching (I realize I need to go back and give my impressions of Indonesia... but anyways):

Kuching is a small city of 500 000 ppl. Fairly quiet, not much to see or do but the residents here are quite well-off. The houses are large and new, same goes for the vehicals on the roads. The city is surprisingly clean and orderly, and fairly westernized. When we visited the waterfront, we were surprised to see many empty shop stalls and relatively few people walking about. We tried to find local hawker centeres but they were all closed. All along this picturesque walkway were signs of better times... in hopes of a future economic boost from tourism.

We didn't stay in the city, but got to lounge around at the Holiday Inn Damai Beach Lagoon resort (4 stars). It was my first time staying at a resort, it all seemed fairly luxurious... for me anyways. The hotel itself was quiet, and at one point we had the beach all to ourselves. The food of course was overpriced, so a couple of times we ate at a roadside restaurant just minutes from the hotel.

Tuesday was play-in-the-ocean day. We weren't in the water for very long, but it was enough to get us burnt - badly. I've never been burnt this bad before, I'm talking about legs, shoulders, front and back side. My previous experience in the tropics or high-altitude taught me that it takes me a LONG time for me to burn. What I failed to consider was the effects of doxyclycline (anti-malaria). Yikes! I'm better now, however I'm not looking forward to itchy, peeling skin.

On Wednesday we went to Bako National Park. We hired a van to take us to the Kamung Bako Village, at which point we had to hire a boat to take us the park. We took the Lintang trail, a 5.25 Km hike through jungle and desert-like forests. The trail was challenging enough with some steep ascents and boggy paths. Took us about 3.5 hrs with a couple of pit stops, and at the end we saw 3 monkeys hanging out in the mangrove. We were completely drenched in sweat, not because of exertion but the heat.

Thursday was another lounge-day. I finally got some good reading done, and some time to just... think and not-think. The scenery was so beautiful, especially with the ocean waves rhythmically crashing on the shore, the wind rattling the coconut tress, and the voices of birds giving melody to this symphony of creation. I am grateful that I have Someone to thank for all this.

So now is the long journey home. I have an overnight stop in Vancouver and then... Edmonton! I'm looking forward to my bed and wearing clean clothes. A burger and fries would be nice too.

Pictures to be posted up in a few days!

posted by D-tales @ 8:44 PM