Gunung Gading National Park

At Gunung Gading I was finally able to shower under a waterfall. That was one awesome feeling. In fact, at water fall number seven at the park, there’s even a rock located right under the waterfall which is in a perfect spot for you to sit on and relax for a while. When you’re sitting under a waterfall it’s a little difficult to breathe, and almost impossible to keep your eyes open, but it’s is incomparably refreshing. The river is made of really clear, really cold water which rushes over you. Unfortunately we had to leave after a while because we felt the water level was rising and thought we might get stuck.

The national park is quite a good one, not too far away from Kuching. We caught a bus with a group of students from uni to head there for a weekend barbeque. The tracks are pretty good and well marked. It was raining the day that we went so the rocks and tree roots were very slippery, but luckily, now that I’ve had a few jungle walks under my belt I was able to handle the conditions fairly well.

Unfortunately we didn’t get a sighting of a rafflesia flower (biggest flower in the world which is supposed to smell like rotting human flesh), but the day was good regardless.

Pontianak

“Not the trip I expected it to be” is probably the best way of summing up my Pontianak experience. Pontianak is a bustling city which lies smack bang on the equator (marked by the equator monument) somewhere in West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.

I never really intended on visiting Indonesia, but when the opportunity came up, I decided I may as well go. Not really looking forward to it, or expecting much, I was definitely impressed by the city.

I stayed at the house of a friend I was travelling with. This was an experience in itself. The householders spoke very minimal English (slightly more than my attempts at Indonesian though), so most communication was done non-verbally. The household consisted on Tante (indonesion for aunty), her two daughters and a daughter’s husband and son. The son was toddler who developed a liking for us and would always play with us, constantly talking to us in Indonesian, not seeming to mind that we didn’t understand a word he said.

In Pontianak I got my first massage. It wasn’t as good as I had thought, sometimes being quite painful, but not bad overall. I guy came to the house and it lasted about an hour in total. Once again half the fun was trying to talk to the guy who spoke very little English. Also on the beauty theme, I got my first shave from the barber using a straight razor. The best part of both was the price. The massage cost about $5AUD and the shave was about 25 cents – amazing.

Most things in Pontianak are amazingly cheap. The problem is keeping track of your money. Because the exchange rate with Indonesia is so bad I had trouble the entire time figuring out exactly how much the money I had was worth. Also, doing maths with hundreds of thousands of rupiah, while mentally trying to convert everything into Australian Dollars and Malaysian Ringitt (which I have become so used to) is confusing to say the least.

Probably the thing that I spent most money on was food. I was able to try frog for the first time. Apparently there is only one vendor in the city, and our trusty friends were able to take us there. I had deep-fried sweet and sour frogs with rice and a soup which tasted pretty good. Funnily enough, it tasted like chicken (although it was annoying to eat because the bone to meat ratio is so high). I also had a version of one of my favourite Malaysian dishes, Kolo Mee, with the pieces of pork replaced with crab meat. I have to say that the Pontianak version was better. Durian flavoured ice cream was also a winner.

It was refreshing to see the Pontianak city after spending so much time in Malaysia. It’s not really a tourist town with very few tourist attractions. There is the equator monument and a mall (which we spent a surprising large amount of time in) – but that’s about it. People in Indonesia seem active, and will do things even if there is no air-conditioning (unlike Malaysia). The driving is mad. The craziest I have ever seen. The roads are clogged with scooters, driving past in random directions at various speeds. Road rules are non-existent, as are lane markings. But somehow it all seems to work. It all adds up to make Pontianak a really interesting place.

Getting to and from Pontianak was half the fun. We caught a bus from Kuching to Pontianak. The bus ride takes ten hours in total. Crossing the border was a challenge. We were able to buy a visa for 10USD (I found it really strange we had to pay in USD) but when trying to pass through immigration it seemed that the guy had never seen a foreign passport before and didn’t know what to do with it. After much stuffing around he finally figured it out… but just as he was processing my visa the power went out. Apparently this is a usual occurrence. After waiting a total of about 45mins the power was back on and we made it through. The people on the bus didn’t look too happy that we held them up- probably not the best way to make new friends. But friends we did make somehow. The lady sitting next to us invited us to her place for “roast chicken and cheese” but unfortunately we had to decline.

The border crossing on the way back was also tough to get through. We were at the border before 5am (waiting for it to open)… but unfortunately it seems the rest of Indonesia had the same idea. So after about 2hrs of waiting in line we made it back to Malaysia.

Manchester United

I don’t know what it is about English football (soccer, for all intents and purposes), but the people in Malaysia love it. Especially Manchester United. Everyday you’ll see people walking around in Manchester merchandise (even beanies – though it’s over 30degrees everyday). Cars are decked out with Man U stickers, and the letters MUFC appear in random places (it took me a while to figure out what it was… then it clicked that it was Manchester United Football Club.

What’s more surprising is that Malaysians seem to love this sport even though they are terrible at it. There is no national team of note, and even the locals at uni can’t keep up to the pace of the international students. I think I can put it down to Manchester United’s successful marketing campaign in Asia… but the widespread interest still amazes me – it’s comparable to Melbournian’s love of AFL.

So it was no surprise that the “battle of the reds” (rivals Manchester United V Liverpool) was preceded with much hype. I heard adds about it on the radio starting from about a week in advance. The best part was when the warden of the hostel I am staying at arranged it get a temporary Astro satellite TV connection into the courtyard of the hostel, so he could broadcast the game on a projector for all to see.

There was a big turnout on the night of the game (Sunday night, 10pm), with a large percentage of the hostel residence turning out to watch the game. About 70% of the crowd was Man U supports, with the rest not really caring and supporting Liverpool for the night just to egg on the Man U fans.

The game was a good one, and it was backed up by one of the loudest crowds I’ve ever seen (almost worst than drunk guys watching the footy at the pub), with people screaming at the referee, the players, at each other, and just screaming in general. Towards the end, the crowd started getting quite rowdy and I was surprised there wasn’t a riot.

The 2-0 scoreline in Liverpool’s favour, crushed the fanatical Man U supporters, and after some angry outbursts eventually silenced them. I can’t wait to see the fireworks at the upcoming uni futsal tournament.

Bau Longhouse and Lundu Waterfall Weekend

Another weekend another trip, the homework is starting to accumulate. Nevertheless, this weekend it was our university librarian who led us on a memorable experience to stay a night in a longhouse.

A convoy of two cars set off on Saturday afternoon to a small village near Bau (southwest of Kuching). When we arrived there we were introduced to a man known only as ‘Uncle’ who treated us to some interesting snacks and drinks. These included glutinous rice cooked and served in pitcher plants – amazing – and something you could only find in Borneo.

After the daily torrential downpour (which I have come to expect in Kuching), which lasted about an hour, we commenced our hour long trek from Uncle’s house, through the jungle, to the longhouse, where we were to spend the night. The walk was tough going, mainly because we had to carry all our own supplies up, which included a large (and heavy) icebox. However, after some hard work we made it to the village at the top of a hill just as light was fading.

The small village consists of a handful of wooden houses (only one of which is occupied by locals – the rest look well maintained though). We were the only tourists there. The locals came and cooked a feast for us that night which included rice, chicken mixed with some flowers cooked in bamboo, pork in durian paste soup and small chunks of BBQ pork face (yes… nose, ears cheeks etc). We ate on the floor in candle light. It was a good meal, but I found the pig nose a little hard to digest. Uncle entertained us for the rest of the night with his sayings and sugar cane wine (which he makes himself).

One of the many highlights of the night was the random bat which flew into the house and flew around for a while scaring the daylights out of some. It must have had some made sonar.
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The next day we headed off in search of a waterfall near the town of Lundu. I thought this would be nearby, but I was wrong. Without a bit of local knowledge from our librarian/guide, we would have never found this place. It is definitely off the map, and I doubt you could find it any guidebooks. We drove somewhere in the direction of Lundu, then went down a gravel road for about half an hour. This led us to the middle of nowhere, where there was a small Kampong with dogs and roosters running wild.

Here we met our local guide who was to take us to the waterfall. This is the first time we have actually needed a guide. The path to the waterfall is unmarked and towards the end does not exist at all. We were led into the jungle to a river (I swear at one point monkeys were throwing things at us from the trees… but I had no confirmed sighting of them). At the river the narrow path ended, and we travelled upstream, barefoot climbing rocks and jungle until we got to a huge waterfall. The entire walk took approximately an hour, but it was certainly worth it.

The water was freezing cold and the current was strong, which was perfectly refreshing after the walk. We spent a while swimming around at the base of the waterfall, with the more adventurous members of our group diving in from the rocks which surrounded. Another highlight was finding the “washing machine” – a natural spa, and the “waterslide”, slippery rocks which we were able to slide down uncontrollably.

All good fun, now back to that homework.

Mt Kinabalu - and the rest of KK

We flew into Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah in Western Borneo on Tuesday night, spent the night there and the next morning were on a public bus (pronounced rickety old mini-van) heading to Mt Kinabalu. The bus ride to the mountain was less than ideal. We arrived at the bus station thinking the bus was going to leave by 7.30, but close to an hour later we finally departed. The ride itself was quite average too. The bus was so old and run down that it could barely handle the steep roads leading to the base of the mountains, and we found ourselves being overtaken by trucks regularly.

Nevertheless, we finally made it to the base of the mountain, and after jumping through the administrative hoops required (and paying huge amounts of money) we were ready to climb.

The first day’s climb was 6km to the Laban Rata rest house located halfway up the mountain. The first day wasn’t too bad, and we made steady progress up the mountain. We rarely saw our guide the whole day, but he kept popping up intermittently. I don’t think a guide is really needed as the track is very well marked out, but it is a requirement of the park to have one to climb the mountain. The terrain and climate changes quite noticeably as you climb. At some parts we were able to see the pitcher plants which only grow in Borneo. Towards the end of the day the wind started to pick up and it became very cold, but eventually we made it to the rest house after about 4.5hrs of solid walking uphill.

The rest house itself is quite nice (but freezing cold). It lacks heating or hot water, but the dorms are acceptable, and the staff there feed you as much as your heart desires. The first night we were given a buffet dinner. We woke at 2am the next morning to be treated to a buffet supper. After “supping” we started the climb to the summit at 2.30am with the aim of reaching the top by sunrise. It was quite a crowded climb with many other tourists there, and as such was slow going. The last 2km is up rock face, and the climbing is assisted by ropes. In some places it is steep enough that found I could not stand and needed to crawl up.

After about 3hrs of tough uphill climbing we made it to the top just before sunrise. It was a bit crowded so we couldn’t stay long. Even without the crowds we could not have remained at the top for long because it was so cold. Every time you stopped moving, your body would start to freeze. This was quite a surprise, considering the extreme heat we faced in the town of Kota Kinabalu, only 2hrs away.

After taking our photos and admiring the unique view, we made our way back down the mountain, stoping for buffet breakfast at Laban Rata. The descent wasn’t anywhere near as tiring as the climb, but it was very straining on the legs. The last kilometre was the toughest, and by the time we reached the end each step was painful.

The legs were sore for the next two days, and climbing stairs proved to be quite the challenge. But nevertheless, the mountain climbing experience was definitely worth it.

Now onto the town of Kota Kinabalu (KK): We had trouble finding decent accommodation their, staying in three different hostels on each of the three nights we stayed there. But it did prove to be a case of third time lucky, with the Kinabalu Backpackers Lodge proving to be the best. The town has a really good market, one of the best I have seen, and Philippino BBQ which we ate for dinner there was excellent (if not a little messy to eat). The shopping in the town is much better than Kuching, but nowhere near the standard of KL or Singapore.

Other than that we spent one day at Sapi Island which is part of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, just off the coast of KK. We spent the day snorkelling there. It was my first time snorkelling, so it was fun to be swimming through the coral and fish. The island itself, much like the town of KK, was nothing spectacular, but a passable tourist destination.

Brunei

I imagine that Brunei is what the world would be like if there were no drugs or alcohol. Clean, safe, rich, pleasant… just nice in general. Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital of Brunei, and where we spent most of our time. It’s quite an interesting city. Walking around there is always a random building with a gold roof in sight, which is a constant reminder of the wealth of the country.

However, an interesting statistic that I found out was that close to half the population of BSB life in Kampong Ayer (or the water village), which consist of rickety looking houses built on water. For this reason, a main form of transport seems to be the water taxi.

Sightseeing around Brunei primarily revolves around looking at mosques. There are two main ones in the city. The smaller Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is located in the middle of the city, and the other, Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque, is a few km’s outside. The Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosquei is a very impressive building, especially at night when it is illuminated by blue lights. It was definitely a wow moment when seeing the mosque for the first time.

We also took a trip out of the city to the city of the Bangar via speed boat. There is a lot of jungle trekking etc. to do from this town, but due to time restrictions we were not able to. We just enjoyed the speed boat ride through narrow rivers with thick jungle on either side to and from the city.

The other main attraction which we visited was the Empire Country Club and Hotel. The hotel is an extravagant resort only within reach of the rich and famous, so as a mere commoner, it was nice to be allowed inside and take in the luxury. While walking past the man made beach of the resort be bumped into celebrity Pamela Anderson, and also during our day at the hotel we bumped into singer/actress Samantha Mumba. The resort also boasts a cinema and a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course, which costs $220 to play a round of golf on.

And this wouldn’t be a post about Brunei if I didn’t have at least one paragraph about the sultan. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah is a rich man. We visited his private residence, the Istana, but due to the fences and trees around the outside the view was not great. The Regalia museum is located in BSB city, and contains heaps of stuff about the sultan and his life. Most interesting are the presents that various heads of states have given the sultan over the years (why? I don’t know). Judging by the museum and the glimpses of his house I could only imagine what the inside of his house looks like.

Miri to Brunei

Mid semester break arrived, and presented the perfect opportunity to travel around Borneo. First stop was Miri. Miri is located in Sarawak (same Malaysian state as Kuching) and is a small oil rich town on the northern coast of Borneo. We flew in at night and left the next afternoon so there is not much to report about the town itself. There are some natural attractions in the vicinity of Miri, but in the one day we spent in the city, we ran out of things to see and do pretty quickly.

We decided to catch the bus from Miri into Brunei (which is about 3 hrs away). This proved to be a little more difficult than expected. To catch a normal public bus we would have had to catch three separate busses, changing at various towns along the way, so instead we opted for a private bus. This also wasn’t easy. The private bus (PHLS Express) leaves from a deserted bus station on the outskirts of town. We had to catch a public bus from the city of Miri to a shopping centre called E-mart. From there we had to wander around for a while to try and find a bus station.

We thought this would be an easy thing to do, but having no luck we turned to asking the locals. Even they did not seem to know of a bus terminal nearby. Luckily, after much mucking around, we found a taxi driver who knew what we were talking about and pointed us in the right direction.

After about a 10 minute walk, we could see the bus terminal, a huge deserted terminal in the middle of a paddock, with only one bus parked there. After getting on this bus, the ride to Brunei’s capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, was painless and we arrived there in no time at all.