Borneo Babes' Escapades

Yangshuo - My New Home!

2009-08-25T11:42:00.001-07:00

Well my home for now...

Spectacular view from Moon Hill! Far from being a large, congested, polluted city (ie. Shenzhen aka Shitsend is one city in China to avoid!)-- I'm definitely a 'countryside' girl..

I have read reviews of the town (some are hilarious--couldnt understand some of the websites/blogs written by the Chinese, they may not be grammatically correct at times (similar to the author of this blog!) but they are an 'interesting' community. I spent a day in Yangshuo in 2005 and I loved it!;

' Thousands of hills stand in different poses and with different expressions, such as Moon Hill, Mural Hill and Schoolboy Hill which is the natural stage of the world famous opera 'Impression on Sanjie Liu'. Sanjie Liu is a fairy singer in the legend of the Zhuang minority group. Big Banyan, a huge tree with a history of over 1,400 years, is said to be the place where her love story happened. The 'Little Li River'- the Yulong River – is a paradise for a cruise because of its green hills, silky water and ancient bridges. You can also go to Xanadu, a primitive minority village full of folk culture and tranquil rurality.

Streets in Yangshuo are well kept in the original style, presenting the simple and primitive atmosphere of the ancient town.'

review fromhttp://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangxi/yangshuo/

The plan: we fly on the 29th of August to Kuala Lumpur and on the 30th we fly straight to Guilin (where we had the option of taking a boat 80km down the river-- but since we are there for work, the company is sending a car to the airport for us!)

No clue as to what living in China will be like (random bloggers and travellers have mixed emotions about the place!) However, it will definitely be different from our time in United Arab Emirates.

What I truly believe: Have no expectations. Thats what makes travelling and working in different countries an experience!

Goodbye Borneo (for now!) Ni Hao China!

The Non-Blogger.

2009-08-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

I have been a naughty non-blogger with many perfectly good excuses for not blogging. From the lack of internet connectivity to running around in the jungles and deserts and to the most recent event in my life, organising my own wedding (which was quite a mission!). Its been a year (or so) since I have properly blogged about any of the countries and places Ive been to and of places I have had the pleasure of working at (and the people I have been working with). Recollecting all the memories and experiences and typing out my stories from each place will take awhile but I am determined to do so!
Watch this space!

Vote Sipadan Island!

2009-05-29T01:11:00.000-07:00

2 weeks ago I attended a 'Vote Sipadan' event which was held at the Imperial International Hotel... I only knew about the event 5 minutes before it was due to start but managed to grab Yo and drove over to listen to the talk on why we should vote Sipadan..

To be honest I had no idea as to what the event was about and why Sabah Tourism was involved in promoting the whole 'Vote Sipadan' malarkey. I was intrigued.

Previously I was working for a British based charity in Sabah, so part of the job involved recommending certain tourist destinations and the one place I would always encourage people to visit would be Sipadan. Its amazing how I can promote the place yet have never actually set foot on the islands or swim in that amazing reef. I have however seen thousands of photos from friends and family alike who have been there...

One comment I still recall and to this day makes me realise how amazing the place must be was this:

"It was difficult to see the various different underwater creatures and plants there...to do so I would have to push aside the many turtles that were in my way"
~colleague, UK 2007~

That comment alone made me want to visit Sipadan but I do have my reasons for not visiting Sipadan just yet (probably soon though!). I am a globetrekker and have had the opportunity to dive in many different countries-I really would like to save the best for last. If Sipadan wins and is nominated as one of the 7 Natural wonders of the world, preservation of the area for the future will be conducted properly and no silly tom, dick and harry can build random marine parks and random buildings/resorts in and around that area. So for all of you who have had the opportunity to visit Sipadan and had an awesome time diving there, come vote for Sipadan as one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World!

VOTE HERE!

1 Year

2009-05-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a year since I have blogged and rattled on about my escapades. Since then I have been to the following countries (loads of little towns/cities):

1) United Kingdom (yes back here again)
2) Kenya, East Africa
3) Mauritus
4) United Arab Emirates

I have started sorting my photos out and should be blogging about these places pretty soon.
Its amazing how a year has gone by and now I am back in Borneo (for a couple of months) till I still wandering off again.

"Not all who wander are lost"
~J.R.R Tolkien

Wilderness Adventure Challenge

2008-05-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

Bright and early on the morning of the 3rd of May 2008, some 300 nervous individuals were up at stupid o' clock in the morning to compete in the Wilderness Langkawi Challenge which was organised by Wilderness Centre (where I work!-however my last day was on the 3rd of May, the day of the Adventure Challenge-SMILE!) and sponsored by quite a number of big names and covered by some 40 different media houses/newspapers/tv channels. It was by far the hardest some of us had worked in a couple of months .. 3 days leading to event we had barely or no sleep at all! Great work and a great way to end my stint- Good bye Langkawi!

(check out my facebook album for more piccies)
Coverage by Eurostar Choppers...

Wilderness Langkawi Challenge 2008

2008-04-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

This will be the 4th Wilderness Langkawi Challenge! With more participants from various parts of the globe. Appearances by Malaysias own astronaut Dr. Sheikh. Participating in the race are also the top 3 teams from Amazing Race Asia Season 2! Various publicity from ESPN, Eurostar/AXN etc. If you're kicking about in Langkawi, come join us!

Adventures on Langkawi..

2008-02-16T00:09:00.000-08:00

*note: server down more pics to come.

WELCOME TO LANGKAWI!

Will be here for awhile and will be having quite a number of visitors.. first was none other than Laura - you would think having being in Raleigh together we'd be sick of each other.. thing is I miss the people the most and it was great having her over.. with me as the driver and Laura as the navigator we did manage to cover most of the attractions...Laura was in Langkawi for almost a week but in 2 & a 1/2 days we manage to cover the following:

Petronas Quay- beautiful expensive yachts. People from all over the globe live here.

Dinner at Jai Island Cafe.

(cheap local delicacies-Langkawi is brilliant low cost of living esp. things like chocs, booze and food)

Drinks at "The Pier"

An expat bar, the owner is Swedish and the main bar man is Adam an ozzie bloke who was only supposed to be in Langkawi for 3 months but loved living in Langkawi and has been here almost 2 years. Friendly, cheap and quite a nice relaxed ambience. Right on the waterfront.

Cable Car ride up to Machinchang Peak.

If you have a fear of heights. This isnt for you-spectacular view of the entire island and also some Thai islands of the South coast of mainland Thailand.

Visit to the Oriental Village.

This is the little village at the base of Machinchang. Be warned its a touristy spot, where you can ride elephants, photo sessions with snakes/eagles etc.. little cafes and a hotel.

Trek up to the Seven Wells Waterfall.

We could see this on our trip up to Machinchang peak in the cable car. We decided to trek up to the 638 steps-lordy! Excellent view and probably brilliant during the rainy season.. as it was rather pathetic when we were there! Legend has it the fairies use the waterfall as their "frolicking playground" (quote direct from a signboard)

Lunch & drinks at the SeaShell Beach Cafe at Mutiara Burau Bay Resort.

Lovely bar and cafe by the beach. Food was gorgeous-huge portions and reasonably priced.

A visit to the legend :Mahsuri's Mausoleum.

Interesting but they were beating about the bush a bit. The live theatre is well worth your time. Interesting legend of the beautiful Mahsuri and Langkawi island. Click here to find out more about this amazing legend.

Underwater World Langkawi.

The main attraction, the underwater tunnel, was closed so I was disappointed-the waterworld was nice but not brilliant.

Lunch at Layla Tapas & Bar at Pantai Cenang (one of the popular beaches).

Great food and right on the beach! For those days you fancy some italian and tapas!

Langkawi Snake Sanctuary.

This would have been a slightly boring visit if not for the fact that we managed to wangle a free tour and got to actually touch and play with some dangerous snakes. I learnt quite a bit about snakes and venom and natural anti-venom. Brilliant.

Bird Paradise and Wildlife Park.

I loved the concept of this park. At the entrance they sell a mixture of veg and seeds so you can feed the different birds and animals in this park! Well landscaped and nicely done. Deffo worth a visit!

Night Market.

Cheap food. Cheap drinks. Cheap outdoor gear. Cheap shoes. Cheap clothes. For the inquisitive and adventurous as there are some bizarre dishes..

Absolutely knackered now and could do with a couple days sleep. It takes alot out of you when you're driving. ML is visiting in two weeks so will probably be venturing out to some these parts again!

Wilderness Malaysia- Part 1 Trekking @ Tuba Island

2008-02-15T23:27:00.000-08:00

Adam one of the staff who accompanied us for my first trek.

Good Bye Raleigh Hello Wilderness. This company has so much potential. One of my main objectives when accepting this job: to help develop the company. One of my first days on the job was to suss out trek sites although the trek I really wanted to do I had to skip as they were having advanced navigation training there-the "Pregnant Maiden Island". Trekking was brilliant, we had to take a 5 minute boat ride to Tuba Island - My fitness level was slightly shit & am still carrying the excess holiday weight but nonetheless still a pretty challenging trek as we were off course and got slightly lost! We trekked a fair distance, this company has policies that make me wonder - longs at all time??? whether land or water activities..the heat was really getting to me as I usually trek in either a vest top or a tshirt and shorts or three quarter trousers.. this was ridiculous.. I was thankful for the longs when we were at certain parts of the trek where I was being eaten alive by mossies but to Kayak in longs? The other activity we did in the first couple of days of work:

Community Service Clean-up in longs in mid-day heat.. no comments.

Fiona the glaswei-gy.. doing her bit-p.s thats our company uniform when we run programs and stuff - trust me I do feel like banana half the time but the material is slightly better then your regular longs...

Some pics of Wilderness. Needless to say they have some of the best toys in the industry and the owner also owns the Aviation school and airfield on the island and a boutique hotel as well as 2 tall ships, several catamarans/colgates and a couple of hundred kayaks! Amazing activities.

It will be weird working with the same people throughout the year - although the turnover of staff is extremely high as we get people from all walks of life: we have two gals from scotland, quite a number of ozzies, an american gal, a brit quite a number from this region and a couple of other bizarre nationalities coming in.

South East Asia Escapades...

2008-02-15T21:53:00.001-08:00

* piccies to follow. Server down.

Kuala Lumpur
27th December 2008
I waved goodbye to the beautiful shores and people of Sabah. Wasnt too sure when I would be back again. Its off and on to new adventures.. We would be spending a night in Kuala Lumpur before heading of to Thailand.

Krabi
28th December 2008
Departed Kuala Lumpur at 12:05pm, arrived in Thailand at 1225pm local time, the brilliant thing about time difference between places (if you're heading West!). You feel as if you have lost very little time when in actual fact the flight took an hour and a half..We arrived with time to spare, as I was worried about accomodation during the peak season (Peak Season in Thailand: December - February, particularly in Dec) so you would want to book your bed before you get there! My tip when travelling is to book the first couple of nights, you'll usually find much nicer and cheaper accomodation once you get there (wander the streets, you'll be surprsed at what you can find thats not publicised on the net) but since we were hopping from one place to another, I had to book accomodation throughout our visit to Thailand. First two nights were in Krabi town in a little place called The Greenery Hotel.. Nice little hotel but the service was not the best. The rooms were decent, theres a brilliant hair salon on the ground floor of the hotel I paid only 100Baht (MYR10/GBP1.50) for a brilliant head massage, hair wash and blow dry. Theres also internet access for 1Baht a minute. We also found one of the best dishes in Krabi-Green Curry mmm...although food in hotels and lodges are expensive if you venture to proper restaurants, hawker stalls and night markets food is cheaper. Krabi town is still relatively cheaper compared to tourist spots like Ao Nang and Railay beach (cheaper in terms of food, accomodation, souvenirs), however there isnt really much to do in Krabi and if you're a shopper, you'd be better off shopping at Ao Nang, unlike other parts of Thailand, the traders wont give you a huge discount as most of their items are relatively cheap as it is so when they say thats their best price-it actually is..I got told off for trying to haggle! Not as friendly as Phuket! Its not to far from town but for convenience I would stay at Ao Nang..it cost us 50 Baht each to Ao Nang from Krabi town if you take the (SaengKrang Taw), drawback you have to wait for the little vehicle to fill up with passengers before they leave - we waited for about an hour. A personal tuk-tuk would cost anything between 350Baht to 600Baht. You might as well spend 700Baht on accomodation at Ao Nang! During the day we decided to venture out to Krabi town and book a trip/expedition of some sort for the following day. Found a place called Sea Kayaks and they were reliable, there are 4 brilliant spots to Kayak. We could only choose one so we chose the sea caving option at a place called Ban Bor Thor. It cost 1500Baht per person; includes transportation, kayaks & equipment, a guide, seafood lunch and unendless supply of cold water. Original price was 1800Baht- as always I haggled.We ended the night in a little Irish Pub; Irish Rovers at Ao Nang Beach which was a fair distance from town. (feels like it especially if you're on a tuk-tuk and you're freezing!)

29th December 2008
Got up at stupid o'clock. Almost missed our lift to the starting point for Kayaking as they turned up alot earlier then the time stated on the bloody brochure. We managed to rush and jump on the back of the pick-up truck just in the nick of time and spent half an hour bumping around till we got to our destination! The sea caving was brilliant we'd park up alongside the river bank and explored some of the caves and some of the caves we could just kayak through. A really brilliant trip that ended with an awesome lunch and a swim in the nature pools! We arrived back at the hotel at about 430pm, snoozed and got up to wander the nightmarkets, had some food, ooh-d and aah-d at some antiques and other junk and decided to have a "quick beer".. LOL we ended up at a strange Rasta Bar that played live music - surprisingly it was awesome. The cops came though to shut the place down at about 2am (all customers were tourists who were quite disappointed) .. we then decided to walk back to the hotel only to find another little Rasta bar, where we found most of the tourists from the previous bar. As pissed as we were..nothing could stop us from having one more beer (make that 5 or 6 more).. I ended up playing the guitar, as part of the little Rasta band there, it was hilarious! Ended up arriving back in the hotel at 5am! And we had a ferry to catch the following day!

Ko Lanta Yai
30th December 2008
Our stupid receptionist got our pickup time wrong so I had a very angry Thai man ring up the hotel room threatening that he would leave us if we didnt haul ass to the front desk in 5 minutes. Needless to say when I did get to the front desk, angry Thai man had disappeared but angry Mia had appeared, I gave the woman at front desk a hell of a time, she was saved by a taxi driver who was there to pick some other guests up and begged him to take us..Lucky for her, we managed to catch the ferry in time. I was completely hungover-in fact I havent been that drunk in ages, even with staff parties for Raleigh I dont get as pissed! The ferry ride to Koh Lanta Yai Island would take about 2 hours, I spent it fagging on the upper deck, I couldnt stand to be in the air conditioned section as I thought I would likely hurl. The ferry ride was actually quite amazing and the sites along the way was fantastic! I would have enjoyed it more if I was actually sober! When we arrived at Koh Lanta, our pick-up from the lodge was there and waiting. Lanta Sunny House where we stayed was very basic and we didnt get one of the best huts, but it was convenient close to the beach and some restaurants and bars. However after our binge fest the night before we decided to stick to non-alcoholic beverages! We booked an adventure expedition the following day so best stay sober. We had a relatively early night, after wandering the night market and SHOPPING-mainly clothes which we really needed. I think between the two of us we got quite a number of pieces and the woman decided to charge us only 200 baht (myr20/gbp2.80) per item (mind you I manage to get some really nice dresses and at such bargain!). We had dinner and then we went back to our little hut and crashed!

31st December 2008
It was Wills birthday today! We got up early, refreshed, felt so good to wake up sober! Had breakfast and dashed off, first part of our trip was an ATV tour which took about 2 hours. Needless to say, this being my first time on ATV (quad bike), I found it slightly hard to control, the handles seem to have a mind of their own.. so within 5 minutes of starting I rammed my ATV into tree- get this; We were not even on the off road track yet, we were still on tar roads and it was STRAIGHT! I had a beautiful bruise to show for my little accident! I then took it steady and finally got the hang of the flippin machine, which I found would automatically swerve to the left if I hit a bump or a rock so I automatically swerved to the right to avoid swerving off the track completely! Two hours of wandering the island (was fab) however, I was left with numb wrists, hands and a huge bruise on my thigh! We then stopped off and got on an elephant and spent about 30 mins on the elephant trekking through the rainforest. We then had to say good bye to the elephant as we got to the trails where only humans could trek through, so we spent another hour trekking to get to the Tiger caves, what we didnt realise was the trek was a proper trek (Will was in flip flops!) and we did actual caving, me being claustrophobic; this was really a great test for me to face my flippin fear of enclosed spaces.. I managed it alright it was fun, anything longer than an hour in those caves might have actually killed me though! We then trekked back through the rainforest, got back on the elephant and out of there. Definitely recommend this little Adventure Tour if you're on this island! We were completely shattered by the time we got back, it was weird it didnt feel like New Years Eve at all.. .I have to say Koh Lanta is spectacular, as much as people were all hyped up about the full moon party in Koh Samui. I am quite glad I didnt risk the "not having a bed at night" and the hoards of people...We had a really nice quiet new years at Koh Lanta Island instead at a beach bar with several other bodies watching floating lanterns, hundreds drifting further away into the sky..it was an amazing sight. Releasing the lantern symbolises a fresh new start and luck for the new year. Tourists and locals were gathered all along the beach lighting their lanterns, some waiting for midnight to release them. Apologies to Tom and CO we couldnt join you at Koh Samui! Our night ended at 3am. I was actually quite sober, I had Pina Colada after Pina Colada, but as I was shattered from the days activities I could only think of being in BED!

Ao Nang
1st January 2008
Its brilliant to start the new year with a lie in, which is what we did, our ferry to Ao Nang beach was not till 1:30pm so it was nice to get a bit more sleep and to NOT suffer the ferry trip. The ride to Ao Nang was great we went past Railay beach and they had some of the most amazing limestone rockclimbing sites.. definitely going there in the near future. It was so tempting to get off at that stop, however it took us 4 attempts at 4 different backpackers/hotel to secure a bed for that night in Ao Nang so we decided to just stick to the plan. It was our last night in Thailand so we spent it wandering the touristy streets and beachfront cafes. I had the worst meal ever at this Italian restaurant, I hope anyone visiting will avoid this restaurant unless you're planning to go in for a beer thats fine. P.S service sucks there as well! Ao Nang does have some deals though. I had a back and shoulder massage, french manicure and pedicure for 300 baht
(myr 30/gbp4.3). Another thing to get there would be the canoe/waterproof bags (real cheap and can be found anywhere in Ao Nang). We ended our night at a lady boy bar tucked in the back streets of Ao Nang and they were really coming on strong obviously not to me but to Will..

Kuala Lumpur
2nd January 2008
Our flight from Krabi Airport was at 1245pm, arriving in KL at 345pm (local time) so we lost 3 hours when in actual fact the flight was only 1 & half! It was really sad to leave, well on to the big city for the next couple of days and then its Langkawi Island!
The City that never sleeps (well in Asia..) Kuala Lumpur, a city of character, charm, modern facilities as well as smog, horrendous traffic,pretentious posers. Well.. I have a love and hate relationship with KL, as I did spend 7 years of my life here! I have to say it brilliant as you can find something to do/eat/drink at anytime of the day even if it is 4am in the morning. They have the widest variety of food,shopping, bars etc. You can get anything and everything in this city! Definitely worth a visit if you're passing through to get to other parts of the world but living there is definitely not in the cards for me! It does have character that other cities lack (you'll understand what I mean by character if you visit Singapore, which has no character! Love it as it is. But its just that-another city!). We also managed to squeeze in a trip to Bangsar to meet Rory and Yohana for drinks.. Well, a couple of days in KL and then its off to another tropical paradise-Langkawi.

Thank You.

2008-01-27T01:32:00.001-08:00

* pics to come.

It took me 2 months to actually post this up on my blog-with packing, travelling, sorting and moving to a new place. I havent had the time to blog as much as I would have liked to. I have a seriouse case of the Raleigh blues-serves me right for being with raleigh for 2 years (it was only meant to be one!).. No regrets whatsover.

*I wrote this on the 13th of December

And its finally ended... my stint with raleigh. Am currently sitting on a little gazebo by the side of a beach atsurvivor island (Pulau Tiga) for our final staff getaway/party where we all get absolutely hammered.. with "Where ever you will go" by The Calling blaring out of the speakers.. itsbeen an emotional rollercoaster up till this point. As the big man Rory Hall my boss and friend and in reality thebig brother I've never had would say "an expedition (raleigh) is a rollercoaster ride, we're all in it together tillthe end" and a rollercoaster ride it has been for me. I thought I'd end my time with raleigh with a collage of photos a tribute to the work, the good and bad times with raleigh and a round of thank yous to specific individuals. who shall remain nameless but you know who you are. Thank you for the photo album and words from certain individuals.

Thank you to the first logs team who took me in under their wing. For showing me the ugly side of raleigh right from the start only to make me realise that raleigh has more good things and good times to offer.

Thank you to PRO06A in the first exped whom I shared an excellent loop adventure with and faced many sleepless nights on loop then managed to to fall asleep through Rorys driving - off road!. Thank you for comforting me through really difficult times!

Thank you to the ditzy Admin in 06E who had many funny moments that made me laugh and think at the same time. From you I learnt alot! I learnt that you can be lost and feel lost yet have a superb time whilst doing so.

Thank you to the photographer in 06E who till this day remains a great bud and constantly chats online despite the 8 hour differenceand knew how I felt throughout 06E exped. You're also one who provides the best travelling advice and have made me realiseI need to get out and see the world more.

Thank you to Dr. 06E. WIth you I learnt the real meaning of "kicking the arse out of it" and learnt that although you'vebeen hurt real bad before it is possible to love again as well as expecting the unexpected. Feelings come and go but special people remain in your heart and in your life always eventhough you're hardly in touch with one another.

Thank you Nurse 07C, you were without a doubt one of the greatest support and one of the best friends I had when the real shit hit the fan and I was still traumatised from the accident..you also taught me commitments are something we all need to have in life and that if you want something real bad you go out and get it, even though at times it doesnt pan out the way you want you it was worth A try.

Thank you DEL07c, with you I spent many nights of philosphical meanderings. WE got through a traumatic time together. And youwere clearly a comfort to me and supported me in many ways.

Thank you PRO07CPMImbak07F, with the many coffee bean visits and life discussions and our very subtle and aloof way of handling deathit made me realise what kind of person I am and how I handle difficult situations and at times... running is not the answer.

Thank you Logs07C. You're calm cool collected manner and your years of experience made me get back on the horse and face my fears and we got through the accident together.

Thank You. ImbakPM0x7cDel07F, for you made me realise that in life you need to argue and get a little aggressive to get thingsyou want in life.

Thank you Medic07N of whom i spent 7 solid weeks with, you probably know the real me having spent some challenging weeks ineach others pockets. You taught me how important it is to be decisive in life for us to fully move on.

Thank you Admin07FPROAutumn07 its with you we spent organising one of the most important events in the life of raleigh. You were patient and spent 7 months as my roomie. Thank you for the reassuring hugs and for teaching me the importanceof being on top of things and taking time out for a nap :)

Thank you expeditionmum&chef you were there to discuss the many different characters who walked through the door every 3 months!Cooked me up special broth and soup when I wasnt feeling well and many other special treats just because. I will miss you as you were a part of my Raleigh life everyday.

Thank you LogsSummereveryyear for you were our dad, our fellow beer guzzling buddy and someone who was not only supportive but the best at character judging. you can see right through a person! You showed us the importance of working hard and taking things easy at the same time.A combination of the two is extremely important to keep you sane!

Thank you CommunityPM07C You have known me the longest and since we were in Secondary school, it was brilliant sharing my life with a friend who finally understood one my passions in life as well as my job in Raleigh. From you I learned the true meaning of friendship and when to draw the line.

Thank you DanumPM07cLogs07F, for you were probably one of the best friends I had and will have through time with raleigh andlife itself. You were there for support and countless discussions of what we want in life. Beer and cake anytime and anywhere

Thank you AdvPM07FAdvPM/FBAutumn07 as you have shown me what life is really about and how when you find that specialsomeone you not only appreciate them you strive to keep them. Such is life..I'm happy and am ready for the next set of adventures.

Thank you DEL06eEL2007 for with you I have spent 18 months and learn the many different sides and characters of a person. Youtaught me patience and the importance of always finding things to keep us happy even if it is only for that moment of time.Thank you sis.

Thank you CD2006-2007 for with you I learnt all of lifes questions and that life is really "a rollercoaster". Thank you forbeing my friend and big bro. For having the patience to teach/argue and to laugh with me. Thank you bro.

Thank you to every individual who participated in a Raleigh Expedition in Sabah, Borneo from Jan 2006 to Dec 2007, as all of youhave added to my Raleigh experience and without all of you I wouldnt have had such a brilliant time.

The Event...

2007-12-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

"We're all in it together"

My Last fundraising/farewell dinner/event was a huge success, me and Emma (PRO) worked our socks off to pull of the event with such limited resources and with so little hours in a day...
We were gutted we didnt have many pictures to show for the event. But thanks to everyones generous contribution.. we managed to raise quite a bit of funds and definitely awareness on the Host Country Participant programme.. to everyone who attended, contributed, assisted us or who were there in spirit.. "Terima Kasih"

My Last Loop...

2007-12-04T03:26:00.000-08:00

The Xmas Loop troopers spreading the xmas cheer across the state...

I have always enjoyed going out on loop (for those not familiar to raleigh-speak)
loop: a roadtrip! specifically to visit project sites across the state...whenever I'm out on loop something always happens to make the roadtrip a little more 'interesting' than it should be.. thinking back to previous trips out with R when we got stuck and needed a tractor to pull us out (we got stuck AND lost as we were trying to find an alternative route to Imbak Canyon due to the sudden flash floods and landslides).. Needless to say it was a VERY interesting loop. I've had vehicle problems, vehicle crashes (beginning of the year) and other random things happening whilst out on loop.. to be honest some were quite terrifying, particularly the loop visit I did at the beginning of this year! However being that I have just done my last loop EVER.. I was getting rather sentimental. I visited the two environmental project sites: Imbak Canyon and Danum Valley and a very special project site: Batu Puteh which was where the late Toby Eaton-Baudains spent his last couple of months. I had a terrific time with 2 lads who made it a fun trip. Kev and Tom. A couple of piccies of the last xmas loop...

I was the official photographer for loop.. so my 2 compadres decided to pose and were definitely not camera shy...

I did get some brilliant shots.. although I did take about a couple of hundred (for eg the photo above) to get the perfect shot !
If all else fails I have decided I could work for playboy/or any magazines that fall in to the same category as Playboy mag - as a photographer *wink* ..what were you all thinking???

I had a great time thanks to the groups and my compadres out on loop. I finally visited Tobys walk, the one thing I have been wanting to the whole year!

Ho HO HO.. Merry Xmas from the Xmas LOop Troopers..

The Very Last one.

2007-11-13T22:38:00.000-08:00

I have been procrastinating and havent updated this blog in quite awhile, am currently in the midst of my final expedition with Raleigh (boohoo) .. Its supposed to be a special expedition and we (Rory, Laura and myself) are supposed to leave with a bang - well that was my intention. So far its been tremendous amounts of paperwork and organising the end of expedition event which is supposed to be a HUGE event...

My design for the invites. Theme: "We're all in it together" Lots to do little time left.. its going by so quickly this time round.. Several pics to summarise this expedition this time round..

Pictures show some of the people who have been my closest friends on raleigh and will end the expedition with me this December....

backtrack - 5 Week Expedition.

2007-10-29T23:52:00.000-07:00

LINK to official blog for this expedition.

The staff were brilliant! Everyone was very.. how do I put it 'obliging' we didnt have the same love or favours from fieldbase but we managed (anyhow the 5 week expedition was supposedly meant to be a whole lot challenging compared to the usual 10 week expedition!) Due to the fact that there were 3 expeditions running simultaneously - we had no choice!

Similar to the 10 Week expedition we spent 3 solid weeks (with no visits from fieldbase!) out on project (environmental/community) where all teams trained for the adventure challenge and then all teams come together at the end for an adventure challenge which was WICKED! I would definitely do it again! My fellow partner in crime was the lovely A&E medic Naomi and we spent 7 weeks in each others pockets and got on brilliantly much to the surprise of the others!

FOXTROT THREE aka Team Talent aka Team Tosser aka Foxy 3:

Project Manager/Medic-Naomi Haskins

Project Manager- ME!

Participants: Sophie Furse, Siobhan Grier, Deep Shah, Sheena Rakhra, Ben Rozitis, Charles Mintowt-Czyz, Patrick Clark, Hannah Dixon, Alex Alimo, Hannah Rattew, Juliana Georgiou-Lormand.

Our Project: Refurbishing a Kindergarten. Hammering, Stripping, Painting among other construction work on a run-down building! Was a whole lot of fun, challenging and we managed to do bits of trekking as well! Bamboo forest and other jungles surrounding the remote village!

We then left and had a day back at base before we were all packed in to buses and went off for the adventure challenge there were definitely bits that I found physically challenging particularly since I was still recuperating from some jungle lurgy I caught whilst out for 3 weeks!

Words that summarised the 5 week Exped:

Challenging, brilliant, Rolo, peanut butter, shit rations, traversing, trekkingtrekkingandmoretrekking, hills, rain, wet, laugh, tears, sweat, sick, ill, jungle lurgy, Dixie, Nomi, Dr. Deet, The Count, Team Talent, Labah-labah, spiders, parang-ing, fooddd, team tosser.

I can think of a billion things and words to describe my experience but that will probably take me days. I actually miss the group and have neverbeenthatcloseandlivedsolongineachotherspocketsforthatdurationof7weeks.

Am thinking of doing the 5 week expedition in India next!

LABAH BOLEH.. LABAH LABAH BOLEH... our war chant :)

backtrack - 10 Week Expedition.

2007-10-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

The nutty staff for the 10 Week Expedition.

The staff on the 10 week exped were amazing people. Everyone got on really well. They were quite a number of interesting characters and what made a huge difference this time round we had some staff who decided to stay on from the Spring 2007 Expedition. Rather emotional when they did leave as they were the same little group who went through the whole ordeal of the accident earlier this year. Sam, Chris and Wendy. (Definitely missed this time round-cant believe am doing this without them!). Its quite nice when you have familiar faces who stay on for another expedition rather than a completely different set of staff for each expedition.

The summer 10 Week Expedition Crew..

Some piccies from staff induction, staff bonding, participant party etc...

Meet some of the staff, Emily, the wacky, twisted project manager.

Helen, Emilys other half..

Chris the crazy, chinese/Italian Deputy Expedition Leader

The Fieldbase crew out for the Roti Eat off-hilarious!

I have to say each and everyone had their own seriously brilliant personalities

I wasnt as involved in this expedition as I usually would be as I was pulled away to be a project manager for the 5 week expediton but when I got back to this expedition after the 5 weekers had left I still felt very much part of the team and actually missed this lot despite having a blast on the 5 week expedition.

So I didnt see these guys for about 7 weeks! Got back we had a brilliant end of expedition party and then everyone left ... It was unbelievably sad to see everyone go EXCEPT Will, Emma and Tom who decided to stay on are now with me for the last expedition for the year and for three of us Rory, Laura and myself. This is it we finish off with Raleigh this year!

backtrack - PPV

2007-10-29T21:29:00.000-07:00

Slight delay in all posts from JUNE.. unbelievable-Its the end of October now! Part of me is glad that I am back at fieldbase but part of me tells me I am better suited out on project!

Summer expedition 2007 was a fantastic expedition and definitely one of the best I have done so far. The people were brilliant, the experience was fantastic and I had an overall wonderful time in that expediton. I was end my stint with Raleigh at the end of the Summer 2007 expedition but due to unforeseen circurmstances my plans did go tits up. So here I am again in another expedition, however this time I will be seeing myself in fieldbase alot more then out on project, I do have several wants and things I would like to do before I leave raleigh though:

- Obtain Rescue Dive Qualification.

- Spend my birthday on top of Mount K in phase 3.

- Pull off the biggest bash at the end of this expedition. (Its part of my main aims spending time

in fieldbase to pull this event together)

-Have some sort of idea as to where I will start my working/travelling experience.

Summary of Summer 2007 Project Planning visits in piccies.

With 3 expeditions running simulataneously I hardly had time to breathe!
As I went out on proper PPVs ( Project Planning visits) for all 3 expeditions.

10 Week Expedition- Mt. Trusmadi which was excellent! I went out with Rory to recce the Mountain after having trekked up the mountain there were some dodgy bits that Rory wanted to see.

View from landrover as we were driving to the base of Mt. Trusmadi

river crossing, R took this pic standing in the middle of the river

Rory looking up, trekking through a cliffy bit

At the end of the trek, 300 leeches later..

3 Week Expedition- Went out on PPV with Sarah, Karen and Rory to Kg. Panaitan, Kg. Liu.

Snack attack at the side of the road!

5 Week Expedition- Went out with Medic Naomi. I had ownership of this project as I spent 3 weeks there and then another additional 8 days for the adventure challenge. (proper post on this expedition separately)

and into the jungles of Borneo again..

2007-06-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

So 98% of the staff members have arrived. Most of them found their way to Borneo.. Delayed/cancelled/missed flights, trolley accidents and staff members losing their passports.. thats Raleigh for you expect the unexpected .. one member of staff had to leave at the end of jungle camp and another 2 at the end of July .. so we need staff (specifically MEDICS and Project Managers)! We have had a brilliant couple of weeks together as a staff team.. from trekking in the goddamn heat and sleeping in the rain to random beer guzzling competitions and roti/food runs to cultural dances and blow pipe action.

graemes brilliant thumbs!

Tomorrow everyones off for PPV's (projects planning visit-raleigh speak) it should be a great couple of days for the boys and girls to check out their project sites and to get out of the big brother house for a bit...6 days till the real madness begins and then we can all wave a big goodbye to alcohol and to our sanity for the next three months...

The Magunatip dance also known as the "headhunters dance"

Prepared to trek up trusmadi again... well not the entire trek but to head out with R to show him the base and generally the way to the Mountain.. am following my nose cant really remember the way .. oops. With that this is Mia signing off and will blog again when I have time to breathe...

and it begins..

2007-06-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Didnt we just end one expedition a couple of weeks ago??? Some mates say I'm mad (Occasionally I have to agree..) Raleigh can zap the life out of you! This time round its a little more "complicated" compared to previous expeditions ... with three expeditions running simultaneously I'm wondering how all of us at fieldbase are going to divide our bodies into three !! I havent gotten around to understanding the heads and tails of the schedule yet but I know there are days where we're needed in three different locations at the same time.. How does that work??? Most of fieldbase staff have arrived.. although we're still expecting another 3 more fieldbase staff who will be arriving with the rest of the main staff.... the one thing that is worrying us is the fact that we are super duper short on medics.... so its a plea to medics out there to fly to Borneo... One week has ended, most of us are still recuperating from jet lag and not exactly enjoying our 3-4 random hours of sleep .. Tomorrow is the start of a very busy week.. *fingers crossed* I can get my shit together as its always a bloody nightmare prior to the start of an expedition..

goodbye nice summer days.. HELLO EXTREME HEAT!

2007-06-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

The remaining days in London were filled with hellos/goodbyes/hey its been a long time since I've seen you-followed by "You've lost weight/you're so tanned/you look like shit" !

I had a brilliant time with James who brought me out with his MOD colleagues to a private tour of the tower of London followed by drinks-Tower of London by night=really spooky. Heels+cobblestone=a bloody nightmare. James made it clear: No trainers or jeans :) So after having been in London and doing random things.. meeting with random people and having a very erratic schedule I have to say despite the hiccups and the two random stalkers I managed to "acquire" (*rolls eyes* SCORE!) I did have a wondeful holiday and it was good to see everyone...

And so I left mum, dad, family, mates and the brilliant weather back in blighty and hopped on to Air Qatar back to Borneo... having left heathrow in the early morn with a temp of about 14 degrees and arriving in Doha where the temp soared beyond 40 degrees almost killed me though! Had a drinking session with Sam in KL (needless to say jetlag+alcohol=woozy) , I then returned to KK the following day and he got back the day after.

So its back at fieldbase and the madness has started - 3 freakin expeditions running simultaneously-a first! Our little family is currently growing: At the moment we have Rory, Laura, Chris, Colin, Sam and me.. waiting for the rest to arrive... I still wanna go off travelling...get me back on the plane to anywhere, although I am looking forward to this summer - should be fun and interesting!

of sunny days...

2007-06-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

more pics to come-somethings wrong with blogger!

So its been 5 days since I've arrived back in blighty and I'm glad I brought the Malaysian sun with me it has been brilliant wandering the streets and parks of London in the sun! I have been doing a dozen random things and catching up with mates and family..

Friday

Got up at stupid o clock .....4am to be exact thinking its was 7am! Had breakfast in the bar with random travellers and then head out the door to Waterloo to Raleigh headoffice... being that it was a nice day I decided to walk and found myself in Waterloo without a clue as to the address of the office.. Dave came to meet me at the station.. spent two hours there and then rushed off to meet a very hungover James at Embankment Park.. had a light lunch and beer and then I was off again and although I was supposed to get back to the Hostel before meeting up with other mates I didnt realise the time and started running to Piccadily to meet with Winona and Eugene.. had a couple of drinks at Covent Garden followed by a brilliant meal and WINE (definitely cheaper here than Malaysia) .. and realised SHIT was supposed to meet Chris at the Bank Station.. whoops sorry Chris..got on the tube - after wandering and skipping along Oxford and Regent street arm in arm with the other two a little tipsy (I blame Eugene!).. and then due to technical glitches stuck on tube for about half an hour .. I then got slightly lost when I was back in Borough.. but heck had a great time so wasnt fussed-slept like a baby that night although I did manage to find myself a 'new friend' which creeped me out .. a very persistent Polish stalker... no wildlife in London only Pigeons and Polish stalkers...!

Saturday

Got up at 5am today .. the sun streaming in through the curtains in the morning just confuses me! Still havent had my little wander down the Thames yet and the coin festival was happening at the bernie spains garden so decided to head there..I then got a call at about lunch time from Hannah and said to join them at Green Park.. she was brilliant she met me at the London eye and took me right to Green Park where we met up with 20 others ... *sigh* thats what I miss about being back here-wine, sandwiches, park=chilled... Izzy rang and then I found myself back on the tube towards Finsbury Park.. the lovely Iz prepared a brilliant dinner and we had a delicious meal out on her terrace (with 2 bottles of wine!) .. I had been drinking since the afternoon in the park and then almost forgetting the time I ran to the tube station to meet Kevin who was taking me a to a club called Abacus (I now realise how appropriate the name of that club was *wink*) .. got back at 2am almost tripping over my room mates and falling off my bed! .. slept like a baby till about 5am again...

Sunday

An easy day I slept in... well till about 10... and then spent the time reading my book and went for walkies from Borough to Westminister! (My mates think I'm nuts!).. I then had to meet Marriette and Heredeen ( a couple of Dutch girls on holiday and were my roomies!) at about 430pm.. me being a tour guide when I havent been back here for so long-bizarre! so there I was again running.. we went to the Dominion theatre and lets just say I had really random and what I would say as an 'interesting' evening with Hillsong... a christian rock band and church mass at this theatre... had dinner and then got back and snuggled in bed .. feeling absolutely knackered and was not feeling on top of the world!..

Monday

Well here I am in my cousins house somewhere in Ruislip Manor, enjoying the comforts of home and feeling a bit chilly definitely feeling a bit under the weather ... but had a brilliant morning..checked out of my hostel took the train here and then went to see my niece play tennis -who has grown so much although she has been back I never realised how much shes grown and shes now Londons under 10 tennis champ!...

What are my plans for the next following days??? Still up the air, though I am driving to Oxford tomorrow to see my Oli and Pep..

London Baby...

2007-05-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

It was relatively painless... I spent the last day in KL hopping from train to train to car to taxi.. We woke up at stupid oclock as the other three were heading in different directions.. I was heading west to the UK, Haze was flying North to Bangkok, Thailand and Pip flew east to the Perhentians...As I said it takes one bad event to kick off a string of others.. when I tried to get money out of the cashpoint my bank card decided to play up and I had to sort that out, the things I was supposed to do I didnt get to do.. I ended up on ML's couch sleeping till it was time for me to head to KLIA for my flight(Thanks for that ML- I needed sleep!).. finally got to the airport .. I was sitting next to this really obnoxious, whiny British lady on my left, a russian airhead on my right who was jabbering on her mobile (yes- in the aircraft) and an eccentric european woman who was prancing up and down the aisle ... that was what I had to endure throughout my flight from KL to Doha ... second leg of the journey (my flight was delayed - obviously!) and then I got the window seat (YES hurrah... So I thought!) Sitting next to me was this HUGE American dude (obviously working for the US Army)... and he took up all of his seat and half my seat so I had his knee and elbows in my ribs throughout the flight.. he was nice though so that was- if you can call it that- a compensation for taking up most of my seat!I arrived in heathrow an hour later than the ETA.. poor Chris was waiting for me at the airport.. finally got past passport control (massive queue!) and got my luggage (my shampoo exploded into the contents of my bag... surprise surprise!) .. went for lunch/dinner with Chris ... nice sunny weather with a slight chill in the air but still very pleasant... Chris then left and I popped in to the hostel bar .. met random folks and am now here in front of the computer in my jacket .. its starting to get chilly... will probably pop into head office tomorrow...meet up with random people again.. and 06E staff on wednesday.. and most importantly to CHILL.. I actually have an interview lined up so we'll see what I do with that... till I blog again. Over and Out. This is Mia prepared to get lost in London..

the hols are here.

2007-05-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

"We're all going on a summer holiday.. no more working for a week or two"...

While everyone heads to the rest of south east asia and OZ for the brilliant weather, diving, lazing on the beach sessions and full moon parties.. I on the other am heading West (back to blighty..)where summers arent exactly hot and humid the way we like it here over in the east. With the end of the expedition, I tend to rush around like a headless chicken before travelling and have a very sick feeling that I have forgotten something..

As always with Raleigh its been endless goodbyes. Drinking sessions. Eating sessions and general meeting up sessions. What have I been up to?

-9th May Participant party @ Bukit Naga Resort.
-12th May Staff Getaway Pulau Tiga aka Survivor Island.
-15th-17th May Trekked up the 2nd highest peak in Sabah. Mount Trusmadi. Awesome trek. Absolutely shattered from it though.
-Worked and random gatherings with participants and staff.
-25th May Flew out of KK to KL with Sam and Julija. Met up with Wendy, Luke, Hazel and Pip. Got absolutely plastered at a Gay Bar (dont ask!) with Luke. Much to the dismay of my roomie..oops as I had to poke him and get him out of bed to help me carry a very drunk Luke back to his room.
-26th May HUNGOVER. Walked to twin towers. Brilliant lunch @ American Chillis. Sam and I watched a brilliant movie - Blades of Glory. Pip and Julija watched a shit movie- NEXT. Met up with Vicci and Sue. Out on the piss with the whole gang down P Ramlee street. Started at Poppy Garden- Rum Jungle-Beach club-Rooftop of Pondok Lodge. Was a very interesting night!
-27th May Sunday brunch at The Green Man. Some of them went on a tour of KL to the twin towers and lake gardens. I on the otherhadn went to sort out my flight tickets. Took 3 different train lines, from one end of KL to the other. Sam and I then watched yet another movie: Pirates of The Caribbean 3 at Times Square. Everyones shattered and in bed and here I am busy at the computer I have screwed my body clock!

Everyones up early tomorrow which is why they are all in bed .. I gotta pack am heading south to the little Portuguese town: Malacca....
More pics and updates to follow...

An epic expedition indeed..

2007-05-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

What an expedition.. I barely had time to blog, rant or ramble..so what happened what made this expedition different from others? Well probably with the combination of colourful staff, participant, logistical difficulties (beautiful Mantanani island, but a bitch to get to!), events, accidents and unfortunately the death of a brilliant individual: Mr Toby Eaton-Baudains.. or fondly remembered as Tobes...

When the shit hits the fan.. the shit HITS the fan.. its been an amazing expedition.. one that I will NEVER forget and we did end it with a real bang .. brilliant Pirate themed participant party and the Staff Getaway on survivor island... needless to say after 3 months of no Alcohol..the staff were tipsy.. thats a lie-completely hammered actually describes the scene better -I would have to say though we needed it.

Thanks for a brilliant expedition guys.

The Misadventures of Mia.

2007-04-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

Have been back from our loop adventure for a couple of weeks now. Couldnt really spill the beans about the entire experience through my Raleigh blog in case any Raleigh peeps were to read about the loop prior to changeover. I obviously loved the first bit of the loop as we arrived in Imbak BBC camp at a decent hour and had time for a swim in the river.. (we did the trek in 53 minutes, when it usually take 1 and half hours!) P.S: I'm lying it was more of a "bobbing up down and splashing around" event.. we were greeted by this lot:

surprisingly disturbing.. but it was a wonderful way to greet us as we had spent half the day driving and it was great to see them in their element and it sure as hell made me laugh!

The following day we left Imbak bright and early, it was nice trekking out of the jungle early.. it was not so nice getting up at stupid o'clock!
After driving for about 2 hours or so we were driving up and around a bend which was where we lost control of the vehicle .. swerved four times and then flipped over about 3 times..

This was the result of the crash (it doesnt look so bad in the picture..) Thank god for roll bars.. no roll bars.. no Mia!

However..poor Bravo 3 lost its windscreen, windows, back pod (entire back portion of the vehicle), we couldnt open the doors on one side and couldnt close the doors on the other...

BUT the important thing of the whole experience .. the three of us are still alive and kicking other than a few cuts, bruises and the shock.. we're ok. Cant say the same thing for the vehicle.. but screw the vehicle and Alpha 4's chilli "bloody" sauce they were going on about, our lives are more important. I think the three of us have come out with whole new look and faith in life.. seriously.. whew.. Am jumping back on the horse again and *fingers crossed* that I get to go out on loop in the next phase..

the loop..

2007-04-02T00:54:00.000-07:00

GPS. CHECK. Route Cards. CHECK. Map. CHECK.Hammock. CHECK. Tarp. CHECK. Rucksack. CHECK. Mess Tin. CHECK. Mia???
Looking forward to my adventures. With Raleigh, plans change, people change, expect the unexpected. Not too sure when I get back...So send a search party if I'm not back in 10 days!

Watch this spot for "Mia's Loop Adventure"!

Raleigh Speak.
The Loop: Raleigh sends out a "loop vehicle" to resupply and visit all project sites mid-phase. The term "loop" is used as we begin and end our adventures from our fieldbase in KK.

Its a long journey ....

Where we're heading:

Long Pasia Adventure Project. Trekking site. Wonderful village at the foot of the highlands.

Imbak Canyon

Environmental Project.
Primary jungle. Watch Expedition Borneo on BBC. The series was filmed in Imbak.

Danum Valley (also known as the lost world..)

Environmental Project Research Centre. Wildlife. Jungle. I love Danum.

Batu Puteh Environmental Project. Building an Eco Lodge. Right by the river banks of the famous Kinabatangan River.

Serundong Laut Community Project. Building a gravity water feed. Obstacle: Getting the pipes across a crocodile infested river. Quite close to the Indonesian border.

Miruru Community Project. Building a gravity water feed. Obstacle: Trekking through narrow trails and steep terrain... whilst lugging an 800 gallon water tank.

The Raleigh Bubble.

2007-04-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

If you've ever worked/participated in a Raleigh expedition, you'll understand the whole dynamics of the"Raleigh Bubble". We recently received an interesting project proposal via email by a Sam Hyman, one of the band members of D-Koy who married a local village girl whom he met in Borneo on one of the project sites 10 years ago! Interesting story read on (article from www.thisisleeds.co.uk )

Leeds band D-KOY will travel 7,000 miles to play a gig before a remote tribe in Borneo for a cause close to their hearts. Alison Bellamy reports D-KOY are set to be rocking on top of the world when they record a song at the top of a remote mountain in south-east Asia. The band will climb more than 4,000 metres up Mount Kinabalu, in the Sabah area of Borneo, for the recording and they will also perform to the Rungus people, an indigenous tribe who live a basic existence without running water, electricity or mod cons.The unusual venue was picked because Leeds band member Sam Hyman married a girl from the tribe 10 years ago. They met after he went to work in the remote jungle village, on an environmental expedition to build bridges. His first glimpse of the village of Kampung Longgom Kecil was from a canoe as he crossed the mangrove swamps. Villagers, who have their own language and live in wooden houses on stilts, earn money from growing rice and producing copra, a tough fibre made from coconuts.While there he met Sabrinah, fell in love and ended up building a new life for himself. They married and lived there for a year, while he taught English.Now they live back in Leeds with two daughters, Ellyanna, six and Julianna, three, but the village is never far from their hearts. College lecturer Sam said: "Travelling back to Borneo is very expensive and it is a remote place to reach but we all can't wait to go back and it will be nice for the girls to see all the family, as nearly all of the village are related to each other." Although we all live here in Leeds now, we send money back to the village. We haven't actually been back there for about four years. All the family are going as well as the band, we will stay for a few weeks. I believe our daughters are the only half Rungus, half English kids in the UK."We are keen to raise money for the people, just to buy basics and necessities such as food and to grow rice in the paddy fields."We are looking forward to the gig in the village which we will make a live recording."The band, whose sound is described as a "beautiful melodic drive with a blend of rock and pop" is made up of 30-year-old Sam on bass guitar and vocals; Seb Greenfield, 30, lead vocals and guitar; Jimmy Milne, 21, on drums and vocals and James Casey, 21, guitar and vocals. Last year they played Leeds Carling Festival and have several gigs booked this summer. Sabrinah, 26, said: "I love it here in Leeds, it is a long way from home but I have settled in. I really like the wintertime and love it when it snows." At home the family speak three languages; English, Malay and the language used by the Rungus.They are all flying out to Borneo in August, via Kuala Lumpur, to play and record a song at the top of Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in south-east Asia, which is just under 14,000 ft (4,095 metres) high.And then they will play a gig in Kampung Longgom Kecil. Sam said that over the years D-KOY have regularly fundraised for the village, sending proceeds from their EP Why Should I?, which they recorded at Host Media Centre in Chapeltown, to the village to help to buy much-needed food and clothes, and in some cases, medicines. They also collect donations on their website. On the expedition to Borneo 10 years ago, Sam was joined by Seb, after the pair met at Bradford University. They worked on various community and environmental projects, including building a bridge which provided a vital link between the village and the outside world. When the project was over, Sam stayed on in the village for a year with Sabrinah. Sam added: "The Rungus people quickly took me in as one of their own. "I can't wait to go back and see my old friends – and, of course, the in-laws.""Working with the villagers, we're planning to build a makeshift stage in the village, and run the amplifiers off a diesel generator. This gig, and the performance at the top of a 4,000-metre mountain, must be a first at least for a Leeds band, anyway."Their next gig is at The Primrose pub, Meanwood Road, in Leeds on April 18. Find out more about the band and listen to their music at www.d-koy.com or www.myspace.com/dkoy1

deffo support from me. D-Koy will be in touch!

off to paradise...

2007-03-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

I'm still in the office, sorting stuff out ... we're heading to Borneo Paradise resort tomorrow to meet the teams who'll be rolling in from 2pm onwards...Will be good to see everyone.. although a long day of meeting, greeting, consoling, reassuring is in store! "Me-time" will definitely be something difficult to squeeze in for the next couple days.. the groups are then reshuffled and off they go again on the 28th of March.. as for me I'll be away from civilisation from the 4th till the 8th or 9th of April on the loop vehicle to visit all project sites! I'm actually looking forward to that and I'll be heading out with Jonny and Diana so it should be an adventure! Till then this is Zero listening out on channels 1 & 2!

Alpha? Long drop.. what the???

2007-03-22T08:51:00.000-07:00

Some mates of mine commented that they have no flippin idea as to what I'm gabbing on about in this blog.. Apologies for the raleigh-speak.. todays lesson is on alpha groups.. In Raleigh Malaysia we have 9 Alpha groups (translation: 9 project groups, all projects are either categorised as a community, environmental or adventure project).. whats happening this spring 2007 ..

"Zero, we have an emergency! We need the recipe for an upside down cake and a frilly frock .."

Raleigh-English Dictionary
Fieldbase aka Zero: In other words our main office as to where our operations are based. Tools,
equipment etc Project sites depend on fieldbase for food,transport and
extraction in the event of an emergency.
Radio Communications: Most of our project sites are remote so our only form of communication
is via a high frequency radio system.
Alpha 1, 2 & 3 Community Projects
Alpha 4, 5 & 6 Environmental Projects
Alpha 7, 8 & 9 Adventure Projects

Alpha 1
Serundong Laut..building a gravity water feed for a community that has no actual running water in the village. A group we hardly hear from due to bad radio communication signals. With 3 feisty women as project managers. Interesting.

Alpha 2
Mantanani Island...building a school library. Picturesque setting. White sandy beaches. Crystal clear blue waters. A remote tropical paradise ... aka HELL. One of the alpha groups that have encountered some of the most challenging challenges.. its amazing they havent hacked each other with a parang yet.

Alpha 3
Sesonduton (say it like the French do..we're half tempted to put up a France Flag in this little village)... refurbishing an existing gravity water feed..All blokey blokes have gone soft in this alpha group.. from baking scones and bread to a really delightful afternoon trip to the local market to do a spot of shopping..
Radio Conversation:
Fieldbase (us): Zero yes alpha three are there any other messages?
Alpha 3 (Jamie, fit surfer boy): Alpha 3, Yeah can we have the recipe for upside down cake please?
Fieldbase (us): errr..
Project managers are complete opposites but terrific in their own ways..ie one who smokes probably 200 fags a day and one who would probably start a petition to ban smoking altogether!

Alpha 4
Danum Valley...completing the project we started in 2006 .. suspension bridge.. with the most cheerful project managers ever.. Has lost the award for having the most leeches at a given project site..

Alpha 5
Imbak Canyon... ??? .. random building and environmental stuff.. a place where the nutters are nuttier.. and the sane go insane.. probably one of the wackiest project managers has been sent to Imbak ... we're in for trouble, he'll definitely come out with one to many loose screws..

Alpha 6 (also known as Alpha Toby)
Batu Puteh.. Construction of an Eco Lodge... where wildlife surrounds you.. and orang utan bites are apparently a risk!

Alpha 7
Adventure group who dive, trek for 11 days and then climb Mount Kinabalu. Although the number 7 is considered a lucky number this group sure as hell arent lucky. Everything and anything that could go wrong HAS gone wrong with this group. From strong currents, rising rivers, to crossing national borders illegally, to having 4 participants sent back fieldbase to ???god knows what next.. A Local project manager and a rather accident prone medic (who also happens to be one of the sweetest blokes in expedition-bless!).. Lets hope they have a better phase next time round!

Alpha 8
Adventure group who trek for 11 days, dive and then climb Mount Kinabalu. They have the most laid back Project Manager/Mountain Leader whos Australian (which explains everything!) and his all time favourite quote whenever anyones facing a difficulty is "How fucking hard can it be?"...

Alpha 9
Adventure group who trek for 7 days, dive, trek for 4 days and then up to Mount Kinabalu.. the regimented group who have two ex-military type people as Project Managers. Good Luck Alpha 9..

and then theres...

Alpha Zero (fondly known as fieldbase aka prison)
The alpha group that does everything to anything to nothing at all depending on the situation. Currently consists of 4 Alpha 7 participants, 2 Alpha 8 participants and 2 newbies ( with 5 more newbies arriving tomorrow )..

sigh its time for bed...long day ahead!

awww..

2007-03-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

the crew have just gotten back from loop (visiting all project sites)...and brought me back little notes and gifts from the participants :) the Imbak lot made me this:

another week till changeover and I get to see everyone! I'm looking forward to that.. although we do have our own little alpha group at fieldbase 4 sickies and 7 newbies.. Today I manage to have lunch with the Project Manager's from Alpha 8 (one of the adventure groups), it was wonderful meeting up with them after 2 weeks and its nice to know that I'm being missed! Another frantic week at fieldbase is expected... *groan* ere we go again..

we've got a celebrity on our hands..

2007-03-18T23:42:00.000-07:00

*Hint* An actor from a comedy series on BBCE. His mum in this series is none other than Zoe Wanamaker.

He's in Alpha 7 this phase..
None other than Gabriel Thomson.

Small world innit? It was surreal seeing him sitting with the local participants at jungle camp and calling him Gabriel instead of Michael ...

off again..

2007-03-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

Spring 07 Crew (PM's and FB)

The Raleigh lifestyle.. plans constantly change, something happens every hour .. So instead of a nice day at fieldbase tomorrow .. I'll be up at the crack of dawn with one of the drivers driving North of KK (no route card, Mia's following her nose...), whilst 3 others are off to send the trekkers for their diving class and proceed on loop to the other project sites so R is left at fieldbase! Should be an adventure for me tomorrow as I cant recall the route too well and we never did mark the location on a GPS (well we did but that specific GPS is with one of the groups!) ... so its of to bed for me now... this project on Mantanani is turning out to be a nightmare..

back to civilisation.. (for now..)

2007-03-09T02:40:00.000-08:00

Me at Jungle camp!

After having to endure/observe headaches, the blistering heat, arguments, tensed situations, sleepless nights, jungle fever, mixed emotions, tears, sweat and bloody hard work.. I sometimes wonder why I'm still working for Raleigh! March 1st 2007 I realised why I love this job.. seeing all 140 staff and participants gathered at jungle camp and how excited and enthusiastic these people were to be in a strange country, throwing their lives into the capable (er-hum) hands of complete strangers and then having to live with a group of people you barely know and are supposedly your best mates and family for 10 solid weeks..pretty intense..So what have I been up to for the past month??!!

16th-19th Feb
Staff Induction @ Jungle Camp
3 injuries. Nuff Said.

22nd-25th Feb
Project Planning visit to Mantanani Island
Wasnt so bad. In a nutshell a rather interesting/intense trip.
Other than the fact that we slept with a parang under our sleeping mats, spent one of the nights on the island trekking in the dark with a police escort (armed with rifles) to get to the other side of the island, it was a nightmare getting off the island as no boat was available and we only had rations for 3 days max. So yeah it was a great trip... *groan*

28th Feb-6th March
Participant Induction @ Jungle Camp
Loved the participant induction!

-Mias Sessions: Mia: so do you guys understand?
Alpha groups: Yeah totally understand. So where are we going?
Mia: For the last time guys am not going to let you know which project site
you're off to wait till we present the skits tonight!
-Did a bit of pole dancing and the scottish jig.
-Food rations were a bit ridiculous. Being a staff member, we had to ensure the participants had enough to eat.. so in turn we had very little to eat on some occasions. (Unless you consider 2 spoons of rice and a bit of veg as a meal!)

6th March
Opening Ceremony
0630-following day
RUN RUN TALK TALK

Lovin the Coke sponsored Raleigh T's.

7th March
Deploy Phase 1
MIAS DAY off (although you never really have a day off in the world of Raleigh)
My morning on the 7th of March:
0445 BANG BANG on my Likas hostel room door...
"Mia, Mia are you in there.. theres an emergency!"
0530 A dose of mad driving by none other than Mr. R in the early morn to the police station
0545-0630 Faff at Police HQ.
0630-0900 Wave everyone goodbye as they leave for their respective project sites.
0900-1200 Lug/chuck/heave 130 plus rucksacks/junk/kit back to fieldbase.
1230 Mia Collapse.

10th March
Crash Boom Bang. Mia gets into a bit of a fender bender. Was at the pier to pick up the DEL and PRO who just got back from the islands.

12th March
R, V, J and Mia.. road trip to Kota Belud/Mantanani Island and Miruru @ Pig village. Dropped J off at the jetty to get the boat over to the islands and then drove towards Mount Kinabalu to Miruru to suss out the condition of a dodgy bridge. I aint no bridge expert but by the end of it I sure as hell led people to believe I was.

Need to get to bed... radio comms at stupid o'clock tomorrow. Trust me I am loving my job.. Its definitely a more challenging expediton this time roung..although R dropped the bomb this morning ..I havent a clue as to how he is going manage 3 expeditions in summer (yes all 3 running at the same time!)...any interested staff members out there????

a trekking we will go...

2007-02-14T08:12:00.000-08:00

After a relaxing day off (having been working for the past few weeks without a day off!) The whole adrenaline rush of the expedition starts kicking in again for me..

I love rubbing it in and telling people what a hard day at the office is when the office looks like this:

After spending a day at Mamutik.. (and sussing out the jelly fish situation apparently its jellyfish season!) we had a busy afternoon shopping for birthday gifts and a splendid dinner at Salut Seafood restaurant (definitely a place to go for a seafood dinner) we had huge amounts of seafood and different dishes. There were ten of us and the dinner came up to about MYR432.00 (USD 100+/ UKP62) which is pretty decent considering the amount of food we had which was enough to feed an entire village.. steamed prawns, butter prawns, steamed shellfish, shellfish in gravy, thai style fish, soft shell crab, fried rice, Sabah vegetable.. In total we had 15 dishes on the table!

Today on the other hand was such a hectic day.. got up at the crack of dawn L & I drove out to a potential trek site... we misunderstood our guide and after we had trekked quite a distance into the jungle did we realise he was bringing us a little too deep into the jungle and that we had trekked almost an hour..as we needed to rush back to KK and didnt bring any water supply (we left it back in the landrover).. returned back to fieldbase feeling absolutely dehydrated and my ankles were completely covered in leeches.. a little cheeky one manage to crawl into my bra! After wolfing down a bit of lunch I rushed out to conduct some swim tests with the PM's and some participants.. AND THEN got stuck in massive traffic..FINALLY got back to fieldbase had a shower and dashed out yet again to collect a cake for the birthday celebrants.. rushed to Little Italy for dinner and then met up with the rest of the staff at a bar called The Upperstar.. and now I'm in front of the laptop updating my blog... I have completely forgotten everyones names.. gotta make it a point to learn everyones names by tomorrow!

Yawn.. Bedtime...pics coming soon cant be arsed at the moment..

sunset symphonies, market eats...

2007-02-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

spectacular sunset from Jesselton Point Pier..

From fundraising events to dinners at the market to sunset orchestras on the pier to sorting out bloody spanish documents with Costa Rica to being absolutely ill after having forgotten to eat and rest....and its only the beginning.. as I mentioned previously we saw 8 additional staff to fieldbase...

in another 3 days

Fieldbase

will accomodate 30 odd bodies...

Some of the FB staff at The Loft

interesting characters...

The DEL (spot the monkey..)

The only Logs bloke. (Simons and the angels.. soon enough)

The Admin girlie, The Medic and the PRO.

Quotes/words/ sentences likely to be used in this expedition:

"Mia I need a word with you outside" Jonny (translation: lets go have a fag!)
"If they can call you means they're worried which means its not a good idea" Vicci
"Mia forced me/is terrible/horrible" LOL .. people love taking the piss out of me
*sigh*

*yawn* am knackered need to get to bed.. although my to do list seems to grow every hour.. hmmm..

and the troops are in..

2007-02-07T04:42:00.000-08:00

and so it begins.. we saw 8 people through the doors of fieldbase today.. the Logs team, the Public Relations Officer, Medic, Admin and one project manager! I am absolutely knackered and ready for bed although its a bit difficult when you have roomies who are jet lagged! Full day tomorrow... almost forgot how its like to have this many people at fieldbase BUT then again.. it was a little easier as I was not actually living in fieldbase... and since I am currently homeless in a way... fieldbase is currently home. I feel like I'm back in the hostel at University again with 3 other roomies! Anticipating the madness
for next week when fieldbase will have at least 30 staff! Strong characters this time round.. and very unpredictable!

give us your support!

2007-02-03T05:30:00.000-08:00

Raleigh International-Malaysia in Borneo Fundraising Event

Jumble Sale
Everything and anything including Raleigh International merchandise!

Date: 4th February 2007
Venue: Gaya/Beach Street @ 7:00am-11:00am
Jesselton Point @ 1:00pm-4:00pm

See you there!

GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY!

2007-01-31T01:19:00.000-08:00

Yup she's back... the lovely Laura and her chirpy greetings in the morning when R & I can only reply in short grunts although this time round she's our EL (Expedition Leader). We've had a busy couple of days running around getting things sorted as Jonny our new DEL (Deputy Ex. Leader) arrives today.... the mayhem has started and will continue till the May...
Good bye peace and quiet. Hello chaos and madness.

back again..

2007-01-21T23:07:00.000-08:00

Some of them were from big cities. Some from remote villages. Some had green hair some barely had hair. The important thing though: They laughed. They had fun. They learnt something through the activities. They were drenched. They were bright. They were also ridiculously FIT..it was a little intimidating for me to be surrounded by all these kids with washboard abs. (Their ONLY worry : whilst trekking whether they would have to carry anything above 40kgs of weight - trust me they are STRONG.. 20kgs was not a problem for them!)

After what I would consider a rather successful introweekend for participants who will be joining us in the upcoming expedition.. we still had lots to do and only a week before the staff start trickling in ... We organised teambuilding activities and some thinking games for the weekend.. what we realised: Never underestimate these youths from the rural areas who had no opportunities for education, I found them to be alot smarter than the rich educated city kids! They came up with the solution within minutes; simple solutions most of us will never think of...
Some piccies.

Inspection.. one unique construction of a shelter, one of the best we've seen!

Alpha 2 and their construction..

Trust me we have some really pretty and good looking venturers this time round.. Kenny and Thara doing their part.

The HUMAN KNOT!

Blind mans walk..R: psst poke them with the sticks behind you...

What did we get ourselves intoooo???

Darling I love you... A little GAY action going on here..

Right after the tiring weekend we had to visit three project sites (2 of which were previous project sites: Mohimboyon and Linapasan where we installed gravity water feed systems!) with a representative from our sponsors : Coke, an American bloke who had to assess these projects (past and present-fair enough since theyre coughing up the dosh!)... So we spent the whole day on monday escorting him and explaining Raleigh and the projects we do in Sabah etc etc.

EL and DEL arriving on the 29th Jan.. So I'm prepared to be a chauffeur for the day as poor R is under the weather..
SO let the madness begin!

of mossie nets and trangias..

2007-01-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

Mossie Nets - CHECK.

Trangias - CHECK.

Fuel for Trangia- CHECK. Tarpaulins - CHECK. Alpha 1 - CHECK. Alpha 2 - CHECK. Alpha 3 - CHECK. Rory and Mias Brains - ?

The madness starts today, we spent the morning allocating kit, food and equipment.
We're expecting 2 additional staff, 3 Alpha groups, faff and chaos later today.

Weather forecast this weekend: Storm and heavy showers. Nice...
When we get back on Sunday, R & I then have to entertain a sponsor from the US and the following day we're off to project sites..*phew*

Disappointing news we received from head office today was that with the lack of staff applicants we might need to drop some projects. Gutted about that as most of the projects are interesting and worthwhile. It would have been 3 adventure. 3 environmental. 4 community. *fingers crossed* for last minute applicants! We are also short of medics so any nurses, paramedics, doctors etc out there who are interested click here.

Should be an interesting weekend... need a dose of nicotine and I gotta go pack my rucksack now ..

Introweekend Sabah, Borneo

2007-01-10T02:46:00.000-08:00

Intro/Assessment Weekend for Malaysians.
BORNEO
Date:12th - 14th January 2007
Venue: Fieldbase and Kawang Forest Reserve.
Interested participants contact: +6088712134/+6088713803 or email at
raleighmalaysia@gmail.com
WEST MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE
Date:12th - 14th January 2007
Venue: Bukit Perdana/Kuala Kubu Baru
Interested participants contact: Xin Tong: 012-273 9503 OR
Christal: 016-411 5335 OR email at info@raleighinternational.org.my

Just got back from a site recce here:

start of trek

visitor centre to Kawang Forest Reserve

R & I have misplaced our brains... due to extreme brain usage ..

Brain Blunder 1:
Just today we went to recce bits of a trek site up to a waterfall, both of us in flip flops with Mia carrying a sling bag. Nuff Said.

Brain Blunder 2:
Introweekend from the 12th to the 14th of January = 30 Participants. 2 staff (R & I)=recipe for
disaster? Managed to pull a mate of mine though at the last minute. You do the math.

Brain Blunder 3:
3 staff (1 inexperienced staff) + 1 1/2 days + Things to coordinate: tasks & activities. Logistics. Medical Kit. Transport and the list goes on = ????????

I'm sure everything will run smoothly.. maybe several hiccups though but nothing major..
*fingers crossed*

thala-what mia?

2007-01-09T18:15:00.000-08:00

After filtering through all the application and medical forms I came across two applicants with Thalassaemia...I have little knowledge of the disease only thing I am aware of is that its a type of blood disease.. so did my research on the net and found a couple of interesting facts about people living with this disease...

Thalassaemia - Thalassaemia is an inherited disorder in which there is an abnormality in one or more of the globin genes.

Disease classified to certain individuals of certain descent?

Thalassaemia may have originated over 50,000 years ago. In a valley south of Italy and Greece now covered by the Mediterranean Sea.

People who are likely to carry the gene of Thalassaemia are people with Mediterranean descent, for example Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, India, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Middle East, Turkey and some parts of South East Asia.

SO the question is would people with Thalassaemia (major or minor) be able to cope with the rigours of expedition life? Medics out there whats your take?

ere we go again..

2007-01-04T19:10:00.000-08:00

Working on Raleigh has definitely been an adventure since day one! We will be starting the year with 10 projects most of which are new and definitely interesting! Its R & I on our a feet again as the new staff start floating in by the end of January early February. Next week we'll be conducting the introweekend for host country participants at a location slightly off the Crocker Range...A definite challenge for Programme Spring 2007: 28 staff (similiar numbers to 06A which includes R & I) and 10 projects. ??? 130 Participants.. *speechless* Nothing is impossible .. looking forward to the challenges in 2007 ... anyone out there interested in volunteering as a staff member??? Anyone interested in being a participant? Click here or here for more information. Watch this space! Stay tuned for updates of projects and the usual antics of staff and participants. Let the rollercoaster ride begin!

Projects for Spring 2007

Community
School Library - Mantanani Island, Kota Belud

Mantanani Island is approximately 2 – 3 hour boat ride from Kota Kinabalu, northwards or alternatively approximately 1 hour from Kota Belud. It is a very beautiful island which houses a small fishing community.

Due to its remoteness the island is underdeveloped although there is a hotel at one end of the island and tourists occasionally visit one of its beaches. However the community is extremely poor. It is the aim of the Raleigh team to build a small school library building which will provide a dedicated building and resources to improving the children’s literacy.

Currently the school has a few dusty old shelves in the caretakers’ building which are not used at all. In addition the island’s shores are home to many turtles – the beaches are used by turtles to lay their eggs but also juvenile turtles seem to enjoy the comparative safety of the inshore reef. Raleigh is starting to explore the possibility of working with Marine Research Foundation, a locally based organisation, who would like to carry out more research on the turtles. Ultimately the foundation would like to involve the local community in protecting these turtles and the building of the school is also seen as a first step in cooperation between the village and outside organisations. In addition to the turtles there are several dugongs, or sea cows, in the local area, one of which has been seen just off the beach playing with local children, Marine Foundation will be running small projects with Raleigh to capture and tag these turtles.

Kindergarten Construction – Kg Paus, Ranau District
Kg Paus is a small community on the Kegibangan River mid way between Telupid and Ranau who have been exposed to a Raleigh team previously. In early 2006 a project team spent 3 weeks within the community helping to repair a gravity water feed system, ensuring a steady supply of fresh water into the village. This was such a successful project it was decided to try and go back into the community in the future. Currently there is a primary school within the village but no pre-school arrangements – these are very ad hoc and hence do not provide under 6 year olds with the best start to their education. Our partner; PACOS Trust’s aim is to assist remote indigenous communities to improve their quality of life, help with land rites issues and encourage a continuation of traditional culture and ways of life.
The team will live in the small community hall within the centre of the community and will be fully immersed in the Kadazan Dusun way of life. This will involve traditional dancing and teams will have the opportunity to see and experience life in a rural village at first hand. The project is being sponsored by Nestle who Raleigh have worked with extensively before, building several other pre-school buildings around Sabah.

Gravity Water Feed System - Kg Serudong Laut, Tawau District
Kg Serudong Laut is a very small and isolated community south of the town of Tawau and only several kilometers from the Indonesian Kalimantan border. It is a 90 minute fast boat ride to reach the village from Tawau starting in the sea and heading up winding rivers past local fishermen and boats. The river is teeming with life in particular large crocodiles. The village has shrunk over the past 20 years with many occupants being resettled near Tawau in their own community called Serudong Baru (New Serudong). However a core of people have remained to tend their land and eek out an existence as generations of their predecessors have before them. The community are of Murut origin, who once were feared head hunters and warriors. They have now been settled for several generations in static communities predominantly agriculturally based. The village is on the edge of the Serudong Forest Management area which is managed by Sabah Forestry Department who have a large station there.
Working with the Forestry Dept, the Raleigh team will install a new gravity water system. Currently the village collect their water from rain tanks and during the dry season have to resort to taking water from the polluted river. The village is spread out along the banks of the river and hence there are several technical problems to be overcome – in particular how to get the piping across the river and a track with about a 100 metre span. In addition the terrain to the source is arduous and steep; teams will have to overcome many logistical challenges to complete the project.

Gravity Water Feed System - Ranau District
Working in partnership with the local parliamentary representative and sponsored by Coca Cola, it is intended to construct one new gravity water supply system and refurbish another. Currently many of the communities in the Ranau District are lacking any form of water supply – it is usually collected from rainfall into large tanks or drums or carried from distant water courses. Ranau is a large district which includes Mount Kinabalu and the market garden area of Kundassang. The people tend to be from a traditional Muslim background and survive on subsistence farming and some rubber tapping. The community selected for the new system is Kg Miruru which is approximately 30km from the town of Telupid in central Sabah. This is an extremely poor community who have a very rudimentary system currently which has only 2 very poor outlets which often dry up. It is planned to install a complete new system to a source 6 km away which will prove to be a very challenging technical and logistical project. The second community will receive additional piping and a new source to complement their existing system. This is Kg Sesongdotong approximately 15km from the community of Kundassang. The new installation will take 6 weeks with the refurbishment 3 weeks.

Environmental
Batu Puteh - Eco Lodge
Raleigh’s main objective is to start with the construction of the eco camp, supporting infrastructure and landscaping work. The eco-camp is to be situated 15 minutes north, downriver on the Kinabatangan at Tungog lake. There has been extensive planning and research preparation over the past 5 years and the community have started the process of constructing the first stages of the eco lodge. The vast majority of the active MESCOT members are young people from the community, and this project provides a great opportunity for young people from Sabah to work alongside young people from Raleigh International.

Danum Valley – Bridge and Camp Construction

Danum Valley is a highly protected world-renowned conservation and research area famous for its rich biodiversity and abundant wildlife. The 438 sq. km. Danum Valley Conservation Area provides facilities for research, education and wilderness recreation in one of the Sabah's last strongholds of undisturbed lowland rainforest.
Sited beside the Segama River, the Research Centre is located 81 km west of Lahad Datu and more than 20 km from any other habitation - a truly remote setting. Research efforts have revealed a tremendous variety of plants and the full range of Sabah's lowland fauna, including such rare and endangered species as the Sumatran rhino, banteng (tembadau), elephant, clouded leopard, orangutan and proboscis monkey. Birdlife is equally varied with some 275 species recorded to date in the area.
The project group will help complete the construction of a hanging suspension bridge started by a Raleigh team in late 2005. The purpose of the bridge is to increase access into the conservation area for scientists in order that they can carry out further research. The site is approximately 1 hours trek from the Danum Valley Field Centre and the group will live in a minimal impact jungle camp close to the work site. The other main project there is to build a satellite camp site near the bridge in order to allow scientists to base themselves there whilst conducting research. This will mean that they will be able explore deeper and longer into the area. This will also involve developing further the trail network on both sides of the bridge. Additionally, the project team will assist international scientists with various conservation projects and receive rainforest education in this amazing jungle setting.

Imbak Canyon – Trail & Infrastructure Development
(for those who have seen Expedition Borneo this is where it was filmed)

Imbak Canyon is the last remaining untouched and relatively unexplored area of Sabah. Less than 200 people have ever entered this virgin primary jungle area while the last research team discovered a new tree species. The region is home to wildlife including elephants, orangutans and 100’s of rare bird species. Yayasan Sabah (the concessionary) now wants to reserve this area as a natural gene bank to help protect future biodiversity of the whole region and has asked Raleigh International to play a major role in the development of this area.
In early 2004, a Raleigh International project team worked closely with the staff of Yayasan Sabah to plan the location and type of necessary infrastructure needed to protect and allow access to the pristine protected area of Imbak Canyon. The first stage included mapping the area to determine points of interest, possible trail networks, sources of water and best locations for a field centre. The second expedition to Imbak in late 2004 started putting in place basic infrastructure including a Ranger’s camp, visitors’ accommodation and basic trails. This is the first permanent structure built as part of the master development plan for this conservation area. The infrastructure has been gradually expanded by a number of Raleigh teams during the two expeditions in 2005. In addition a new trail as been recce’d along the ridges and into the centre of the canyon by groups during expedition 05G in late 2005.
The next phase of this exciting project is to further expand the infrastructure including finishing the field centre complex, developing the newly recce’d trails into the canyon for researchers and upgrading existing tracks to a waterfall and jungle camp. In addition one of the key priorities identified was the need for a bridge crossing the Imbak River to the entrance of the conservation area. In the dry season this river can easily be crossed by foot. However, during the rainy season the river often becomes swollen cutting off access to the conservation area. This would be approximately a 200ft span hanging suspension bridge to be constructed from scratch. This bridge will enable scientists to access the canyon for research purposes as well as enabling a gravity feed water system to be fed across the river into the field centre.

Adventure Projects

Unlike previous expeditions/programmes there will possibly be two-three different trek sites!
The adventure project teams will conduct a 7 - 12 day trek across arduous and physically challenging terrain, which will often mean they are extremely remote and will need them to be fully self sufficient. As such teams will carry all their rations and equipment with them for the duration of the trek, which may mean shuttling food into the area for a day or two or leaving drops of food to pick up on the way back out. This will require very careful planning to ensure teams do not miscalculate. Teams will camp wild near the trail, ensuring they have a minimal impact on the local surroundings which will include leaving nothing behind. Where necessary teams will assist local guides and rangers to upgrade the trail through the dense vegetation since the jungle very quickly grows back across trails. Teams will obviously have the opportunity to learn about the pristine rainforest environment as they progress. Additionally, during the trek the project groups will have the opportunity to stop in the occasional remote community to assist on local projects and experience village life.
All adventure groups will be involved in a SCUBA diving conservation program in Tungku Abdul Rahman Marine Park in partnership with Borneo Divers and Sabah Parks. The team will spend 4 days doing their PADI Open Water diving qualification followed by 2 days of either reef survey work or an underwater clean up. The group will assist the Sabah Parks Marine Research Unit by collecting data (coral condition, fish and invertebrate counts) for the international Reef Check Project. During this time they will live on their very own paradise island from where the diving is carried out.
The adventure phase will finish with an opportunity to climb Mt. Kinabalu to watch the sunrise from the top of the highest peak in Southeast Asia. This exhilarating climb passes through five different temperate zones from a dense rainforest to a barren alpine landscape. The mountain is 4096m high and is certainly no walk in the park. It takes approximately 24 hours to climb to the summit and back down with a few hours of sleep in the middle. However exhausting it may feel at the time, the views of the sun rising on a clear day are amazing and well worth all the sweat and tears to get there.

latest treats in KK

2007-01-04T18:45:00.000-08:00

KK never fails to amaze me, she always has something new to offer! Raleigh-ians who have previously been to KK (actually most of you spent a little over 3 months in KK and called KK home!) will find new places to explore. With about 8 mega shopping complexes up and coming (2 have recently just opened its doors!), KK has the best of both worlds: the modern comforts of a city and the opportunity for an adventure. Listed here are new places to visit if you're ever around! Newbies to KK on the next expedition: trust me you'll have a blast.

23rd December 2006

@tmosphere Revolving Restaurant
I attended an event recently at @tmosphere. A revolving restaurant on the 18th floor of the Sabah Foundation Building. The ambience was terrific and the view: SPECTACULAR.

Kota Kinabalu’s only Revolving Restaurant, featuring sweeping views of Kota Kinabalu, the South China Sea and the islands as well as the Crocker Range, the tropical rainforests and on a clear day(& if you're lucky!) Mount Kinabalu, with its funky retro-modern design and fantastic Pacific Rim cuisine. A must visit! Open from 11am – 1am daily

I didnt eat much at the event I attended, @tmosphere served finger food which was alright, nevertheless a great place to have a drink (or two.. or three)

Radius International
After a tour of the new hotel in KK: Radius International Hotel, D offered me a complimentary room. Perfect timing as I had scheduled a night out the following day. So for one night, (Saturday night) I had a rather plush new bedroom. I was in for a surprise as I was given one of their best rooms. The sea/island view room!

Check out the room: Orange and black theme.

Loving the high tech showers equipped!

I want a Flat screen TV in my room too.

P.s its a 3 star hotel with class.For a limited time their room rates start at MYR99+ (for my friends abroad: approx USD24+, GBP14+, AUSD33)(note that all rooms are equipped with high-tech showers and a flat screen TV!) The most expensive room is only MYR178++!
Click here to make a reservation!

Nights out, followed by the Raleigh International Conference

2006-12-17T23:27:00.000-08:00

Spent thursday, friday and saturday doing the following:

Recap: After several so-called half an hour meetings (2-3 hours more like it!) to discuss the conference and programmes for 2007, the day finally arrived so off we went in search of the conference venue, Jane decided to help out in the early part of the morning speaking to potential participants and the press ! (Article should be out in New Straits Times.. not to sure when though!).

Thursday 14th December 2006
Spent the day with C and O (after a woozy night out at The Loft and Velvet!) browsing the shops at one utama (its so huge!).

1 Utama

I would have to say KL has some of the most unique malls, all of which are trying to compete with each other, each mall has something different to offer (how many malls have you seen in an Asian country (where the weather is an average of 30 degrees celsius) with an ice skating rink?). Although I didnt buy anything I did have a great time looking at stuff I couldnt afford (and didnt need!) and soaking in the Christmas rush at the malls. Had a terrific lunch at American Chillis (one my favourite restaurants in KL)..

I managed to eat at Chillis twice on this visit! I then met up with Adrian who's the President of RIKL (Raleigh International Support group) to discuss issues from 06E and the upcoming programmes in 2007 AND the conference.. so our 15-30min meeting turned into a 2 and half hour session! Had an early night after having a good meal at Fish & Co...

Friday 15th December 2006
I realised I havent done much Christmas shopping so I spent the early part of the day doing work and then left the lodge at about 1:30pm.. I was starving, had coffee and an english muffin at Starbucks and I was set to shop... visited three malls all in the Golden Triangle area ... found a Borders bookstore (they claim to be the biggest Borders in the world!) spent 2 hours browsing the books and realised I still havent gotten anywhere in terms of shopping.. so much to choose from so little time *sigh*..got back at the lodge and found Janes bag in the room, she on the other hand was no where to be seen! Spent a bit of time on the rooftop terrace reading a book and then got dressed to go out with some friends to a place called The Laundy bar! Jane was back so we went down the road to have some dinner and later spent the night at Laundry and The Sanctuary (a new club located at The Curve). Early night as the following day was the day of the conference..NOT.. I couldnt sleep till about 3:30am..

Saturday 16th December 2006
Early morning, got up at 7:30am had brekkie in bed and shot off to the conference ... A good day spent chatting with previous Host Country Participants and several members of staff as well as delegates from Hong Kong and Singapore. Poor Rory, his taxi driver had a hard time finding the place-even with Rorys map! Lunch was at a banana leaf restaurant (read about in Janes blog) I was a bit weary as I seem to always upset my stomach after a banana leaf meal!
I couldnt complain, was hungry and it was delicious! Long afternoon at the closed door session of the conference .. most of the other Raleigh-ians went off ... was an "interesting" session as well that ended at 7 30pm! Dinner was at a Malay restaurant called tupai tupai
restaurant description from Virtual Malaysia:

"The Tupai Tupai Restaurant & Cafe provides the perfect ambience for a dining experience that incorporates a forest backdrop and authentic wooden plank floor furnishing with the traditional Kampung style roof. It is located right behind the Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka building. With its rich variety of food selection from the daily nasi campur spread to ala carte menu, you will definitely be spoiled for choice! At Tupai Tupai, you have the chance to savour some of the famous traditional Malay delicacies which includes grilled fish, Royal Bubur Lambok (porridge) and many others. A mini "zoo" greeted patrons right in front of the main entrance. This simple "zoo" set-up comprises squirrels (tupai), two colourful and chatty parrots and an iguana."

Needless to say most of us who were exhausted from the conference were craving for an after meal ALCOHOLIC drink.. so our Host -RIKL brought us to Bangsar (rewind 6 years ago , I was a bartender working in this part of town!)

It has changed so much.. We started off at a place originally known as The Red chamber more of a Morrocan Bar now and then to a happening spot called Bar Flams (no Jane NOT Barf Lambs-LOL). Frangipani and Bar Ceylon followed ....

Frangipani: Also known as one of the best Gay bars in town *smile* Jane had a blast salsa-ing with some random dude...

Sunday 17th December 2006
Combination of the food and booze was not good (shouldnt have had that banana leaf lunch!). Didnt attend the second day of the conference.. so met up with Rory at airport and now I'm back to my daily blog... havent planned anything for christmas or new year just yet so we'll see...

our last night. May Leng, Mia & Jane

Janes off to Australia- All the best! (More Pics to be posted soon)

midweek mayhem

2006-12-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 13th December 2006
I spent the early part of the day doing some work on the computer... I received a text message from a friend who had her boss book tables at a real nice club in KL.. so here I go again.. Jane had gone off to Penang and since my mates house was slightly out of town I decided to stay a night at Pondok Lodge again...another random night with random people and random events.. had noodles on the sidewalk, saw a transvestite flash her/his tits to some random white guy( I didnt see this but my friends did, the whole event was funny coz just as he-she flashed her boobies to the guy I walked passed her-him and said Hello!) Some pics of the club..looks like a highclass strip joint with the illuminated catwalk in the middle!

The Loft KL @ Asian Heritage Row

DJ console... met with a familiar face ... the DJ was my colleague when I was working as a bartender some years ago!

Illuminated catwalk/dancefloor..

Comfy cosy seating area.

the pic says it all.

2006-12-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

N found this. I wish I was paid to travel. Nuff said.

getting around in KL.

2006-12-12T08:31:00.000-08:00

downtown KL city

KL is great in many ways and I have always found the public transport system to be quite efficient.. HOWEVER today was one of those days where I realised how huge KL really is. I stayed at a mates house last night and her house is located in a part of KL (Selangor actually) where public transport is non-existent (only cabs) .. I was told that RIKL (Raleigh International KL support group) would be meeting in another part of town and was arranging transportation and found it ridiculously expensive and it would take me at least 2 hours to get there. I cancelled and decided to meet them on Wednesday as I will be shifting back to the backpackers lodge which is smack in the centre of town!

Found this backpackers lodge on the net. Looks can be deceiving when I first arrived I thought it was a shoddy looking shop lot from the outside. Its actually quite clean and has a terrific rooftop terrace.

Pondok Lodge

Located in the golden triangle..

Tv room

Sitting Room

A bed is a bed.. it beats sleeping in those hammocks at times!

high hills and winding roads...

2006-12-12T07:34:00.000-08:00

Road trip with ML and Jane..
Date: 10th December 2006
Destination: Bukit Tinggi, Pahang.

After several attempts of getting out of bed Jane & I managed to wash up, dress and eat breakfast under half an hour before heading out the door to the nearest train station .. our journey from that train station to the train station where we were to meet ML took about 50 mins. Truth be told it was too early in the morning for my brain to function at any level and I spent most of the journey spacing out (sorry Jane!). Got to the train station, got into the car and we were off! I think Jane was still recuperating from our night out on Saturday AND jet lag, she dozed off in the back seat. For once I was not appointed as the designated driver so instead I was left navigating as none of us including ML have ever been to Bukit Tinggi .. the journey took about 3 hours (due to the fact that we took the back roads/old roads that people hardly use!) we eventually found Bukit Tinggi and the weather was rubbish. Chilly one minute, a bit warm the next, drizzling an hour later so that put a stop to doing most activities we wanted to do there.. We spent about an hour locating a restaurant (long story!)

We finally found a restaurant in Colmar Tropicale (French Inspired village) which I thought was rather strange as the weather was a bit cooler (as we were up in the highlands), in a French village that had more Medieval/German structures, eating Italian food in so-called French Restaurant seated beside a magazine rack that had magazines promoting Melbourne yet we were in Malaysia?

Confusing innit?

We did manage to walk through the Japanese and Botanical gardens which was great. Spent some time petting rabbits at the Rabbit farm (I want a pet Rabbit!).

We didnt get to participate in the Paintball tag, archery, jungle trek or horse riding as it was pissing it down with rain!
Worth the visit but not on a rainy day! The journey back was a bit of a nightmare, though we spent most of the journey entertaining ourselves with a bit of car karaoke, the traffic was horrendous due to a major accident and we were stuck in a tunnel for about an hour! All in all still an experience. Its back to work on Tuesday though as the conference is drawing near!
(Pics to follow soon)

photographic evidence

2006-12-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

9th December 2006: a night out that ended with us being hungry and craving noodles, exhausted from having participated in the dance-till-dawn marathon and sing-at-the-top of your lungs Karaoke competition which then led to us having very sexy, raspy voices as a result.

Mia & Janes escapades in KL

the venue: Velvet Underground

caught on camera!

caught on camera part 2!

caught on camera part3!

sizzlin saturday

2006-12-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

It was all about the booze, the music and the clubs on Saturday...its been quite awhile I was so reminded of my days as a University student..

Met up with Jane D from Raleigh Malaysia 06E who was staying at the Pondok Lodge located in the golden triangle of KL .. had lunch at Dome Cafe, browsed some shops at Lot 10 and decided a beer was the way to go so we went to some random British bar close to Pondok Lodge and then another bar "Relish" right next to the lodge for a Mojito... Got back to lodge, got dressed and then the sequence of the clubs/bars/restaurants as follows:

1) The Green Man, Off Changkat Bukit Bintang
2) Relish, Off Changkat Bukit Bintang
3) Sky Bar, Traders Hotel
4) Bar Savanh, Asian Heritage Row
5) BED, Asian Heritage Row
6) Velvet Underground, ZOUK

Sky Bar located at Traders Hotel. We were not impressed. The service was crap. The drinks were shit (pardon the french!). The bar was nothing to shout about. Plus the staff were rude as they were preparing a section of the bar for some event and were expecting celebrities. That would probably be my first and last time there. Then Jane and I head off to the Asian Heritage Row to have dinner with some other friends at Bar Savanh. The food was not bad and the club was pretty the great the last time I was there. After dinner we went further along the street to a new club called BED to have a drink before heading for some serious action at one of the best clubs in KL. We went to:

Zouk KL. Which is home to three clubs in one complex.

We ended up at Velvet underground and spent the night dancing away and met some "interesting" people from all over the globe.. needless to say we ended up back at the lodge at half past 5. Pretty sloshed but definitely a wicked night out. Its been awhile since Ive had one of those!

P.S Luna Bar is so much better! I definitely recommend Luna Bar if its your first time to KL as the view is spectacular. (Jane and I managed to squeeze it into our very "busy" schedule the following day!) Sunday: sleep. eat. drink. read. sleep. The way sundays should be! Pics to be posted soon of our night out..

friday night crowd..

2006-12-10T09:33:00.000-08:00

Wasnt exactly what I had in mind for a friday night.. I spent my evening waiting in a crowded airport.. 3 other flights going out of Kota Kinabalu were delayed and because of that my flight was delayed as well.. I felt I was in a club on a Friday night.. there were no seats, not even your own personal space to stand, let alone room to breathe! (as they are in the the process of refurbishing the new low cost carrier airport) Finally boarded the aircraft an hour later then the e.t.d and as predicted I had to be "blessed" with the companion of a weirdo seated strategically beside me! I saw him eyeing the seat beside me from a mile away and when he sat down the first thing he did was stare at my boobs.. I kid you not! I felt so uncomfortable as his elbow was jabbing me the whole entire 2 an a half hour flight. I was not in the least bit interested in the conversation he was trying to initiate so I plugged in my Ipod the moment the seat belt sign was turned off and concentrated on any reading material I could get my hands on (was in a such a rush to get to airport I was missing some stuff including my book and I think I left half my brain at home as well!) P.S I did find out from reading some random in-flight magazine that it was illegal to leave home without wearing any underwear/knickers in Thailand! Finally arrived at KL LCCT close to midnight and spent another hour or so to get to my mates house. *sigh* what a friday night - all in a days work. My entire journey from KK to KL took about 8 hours ! I could have flown to Melbourne in that time!

I'm off again..

2006-12-06T23:44:00.000-08:00

For 9 days, streets in Malaysia (KL actually!) will come alive with the spirit and energy of over 20 street performers from 6 different countries (Canada, U.S, Australia to name a few..) whose only goal is to entertain! (Proceeds go to charity, free admission - well it is held on the streets after all! However, generous contributions are encouraged LOL)

For those in KL, the Buskers Street Party will be held at Asian Heritage Row.. should be a laugh I plan to check it out when I'm in KL.. street performers from all over the globe will be performing. They've actually been in KL for the past week...
Link to the schedules: Buskers events in KL. The International Buskers event will be held in New Zealand in January 2007.

A Few Do's & Don'ts

Do wear something light to look cool and stay cool. Don't wear man-made fibres near shows featuring fire performances – they can be damaged by the smallest spark. Do give generously to the performers' hats – it's for charity. Do have a great time!

Be a buddy to your Busker... For those who are unfamiliar with the care and feeding of Buskers, we hope the following suggestions are of some help.

Do laugh at every silly Busker joke Even the terrible ones. It may be a long time before you hear jokes as bad as these again. So appreciate them while you can.
Don't repeat Busker jokes at home or in the office They are much worse than you remember them.
Do participate as much as possible Sing along, take pictures, get in their way if you have to – Buskers love a challenge.
Don't stand back & hide If you hide in hopes that you will not be chosen to help the Busker in some facet of their performance, you are guaranteed to be selected. Buskers have been specially trained to find those who hide and hang back.
Do seek out the quieter routines They are a gentle pool of sanity in an ocean of madness.
Don't be shy about giving money. Don't wait to be asked. Buskers aren't shy about accepting it. The money goes to charity.
Do have fun and enjoy yourself. Leave your inhibitions at home. Scream, shout, stomp your feet, let everyone know you're having a great time.
Don't hesitate to invite your favourite Busker for a plate of chicken rice or challenge them to smell your favourite durian Most Buskers are away from home and will appreciate some good old Malaysian hospitality.

Raleigh-ians of the World Unite!

2006-12-04T00:40:00.000-08:00

Whether you were a staff member or a venturer on a Raleigh International expedition.. we want you there!

Raleigh International Reaching Out!
Venue: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Date: 16th December 2006
(Yes! Malaysia is the host for the 2nd International Conf!
So far we have participants from Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong..)
For more information please visit www.raleighinternational.org.my

Are you dreaming of a spicy christmas? Probably Not. But visit http://www.raleighinternational.org.my/ or http://www.rikl.blogspot.com/ for more details!

from tropical islands to tropical rainforests..

2006-11-07T22:12:00.000-08:00

Mantanani Island

The past couple of months (post expedition) fieldbase has been our static "project site" and sees R and I sitting at our desks rushing to complete 2006 paper work so we will be able move ahead to plan the projects for 2007...
I am actually looking forward to the project planning visits !
The plan:

Friday 10th November Mantanani Island
Saturday 11th November Mantanani Island
Sunday 12th November Long Pasia (community)
Monday 13th November Long Pasia (trekking)

Brief Description of Mantanani Island:

Off the coast of Kota Belud in Sabah is a group of three islands called Pulau Mantanani. Only recently has this island had a steady stream of visitors. Just a few years ago, only a handful of people knew this island existed. Apparently Scuba diving and sport fishing enthusiasts consider this place heaven. Sport fishermen particularly like catching marlin and sailfish, which is abundant in Pulau Mantanani’s waters. Scuba divers wouldn’t miss the chance to explore about 20 excellent dive sites here. As for sunbathers relaxing at the beach itself is pure joy.
Although most visitors love to spend their time here exploring the waters around the islands. There are plenty of fascinating dive sites here, including a shipwreck; which is now home to fish and sea plants. Just a five-minute ride by speedboat is one of the most popular dive sites in the islands, named Ribbon Reef.
One of the most popular attraction of Pulau Mantanani are the dugongs (sea cows). Here you can swim with them. The island is virtually unknown to most people, although the indigenous Ubian fishing tribe here have for years sighted dugongs. The sheltered bays around the Mantanani Islands seem to provide the ideal habitats for dugongs. Sea grass beds are found on shallow sandy areas within the encircling fringing reef of the islands. A small human population has caused minimum pollution and there is little noise caused by boat traffic.
The most famous dugong is Nicky,

say "Hello" to Nicky...

a young male dugong who frequents the warm tropical waters around the Mantanani Islands. Nicky gets his name from the small cut or "nick" in his left tail fluke, and this is the way you can recognize him. He is a juvenile male of about 2 meters (6.5 feet) in length - he still has much growing to reach maturity (mature dugongs are up to 3 meters or 10 feet long). Usually you can see Nicky alone, although there are other dugongs in the vicinity.

So 'll be paying a visit to Nicky this Friday :)
Got my sunblock. Got my book. Need to get my snorkelling gear though!

Will post and update of the visits when I get back...

dedicated to the staff of Malaysia 06E

2006-10-16T02:56:00.000-07:00

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Good bye Crocker Hello Long Pasia

2006-10-13T01:25:00.000-07:00

Lured by stories of the glorious pitcher plants in that remote region but I think you'll find far more -not only heath forests rich in medicinal plants, rhododendrons, and a splendid show of wild orchids in bloom, but a graveyard of burial jars on a hill so ancient that no tribal person could tell them when this mysterious burial ground was abandoned.
Far south of Kota Kinabalu, close to the Sarawak border, is Long Pasia, a fertile basin which is home to the Lundayeh Muruts, one of Sabah's tribal people.

Sounds interesting and am planning to recce the site for community, environmental and trekking purposes..

Weblink : Long Pasia

Where's Borneo Babe?

2006-10-09T05:28:00.000-07:00

Yes... people I am back to where it all started... Borneo..back to my other blog for now..

Where's Borneo Babe?

2006-10-07T04:15:00.000-07:00

Wheres Borneo Babe?

2006-10-04T21:30:00.000-07:00

Wheres Borneo Babe?

2006-10-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

ZOUK out!

2006-10-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

Day 5 Lion Cty...

you probably cant see the entrance clearly but the queue to enter is ridiculously long...
It might not be your "thang" but a trip to Singapore is not complete without a visit to some of the best clubs in Asia .. Aaron and Co brought me to Zouk (related to Zouk KL). This club consists of three different sections Zouk (house and trance), Phuture (Retro, R&B) and Velvet Underground (Drum and Beat). Spent most of our time at Phuture- cheesy 80's tunes galore as that was the theme for the night.. I entered the other sections just to have a look and got by without paying the door charge.. apparently each section has a separate door charge and dress code.. I was surprised I was NOT asked to produce my ID-they thought I was some tourist-DOH I am but I thought they would regard me as a local! door bitches and bouncers seem to always think I'm under the legal age..

Damn Thats HUGE... I am obviously referring to the drink..

Point of no return just around the corner!

LOL! I have also had my first GIANT Vodka Redbull.. had about 2-3 .. trust me thats just about enough to get you to the point of oblivion and to the point of no return! We had supper at this cool Arabian joint in Arab Street (naturally..) for a spot of Shisha... goodbye Singapore..

Apt 1096, 6th floor, avenue 6.

2006-10-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

Thats my address whilst in Singapore and for me to get to the nearest MRT station I need to take bus #806 or #804 and get to platform 2 .. everything is so numerically organised here! Even the roads and the traffic is amazingly coordinated!

Day 2 Lion City
Met up with my ex-colleague, Alan at Orchard Road for a coffee and fag fix at Spinellis.. I have just realized how incredibly risky it is for smokers to spark up a fag .. you are restricted to certain areas when you need to light up, restaurants, bars and cafes are doing their bit by allocating smoking areas (some of which only consist of 2 tables and you are c0nfined to a little yellow box thats drawn around these tables !) you do the math.. 2 tables, 4 chairs per table and at least 20 smoking customers..I guess its a great way to discourage smoking, the hideous fag packets here are pretty gruesome with pictures of people with lung cancer and other smoking related diseases.. gross! There is also a hefty fine for having your fags on the table, your pack of fags should remain in your pocket or bag at all times .. they impose a fine of about $200 if you're caught!! Moving away from the topic of fags.. Alan then brought me to Marina Bay for an excellent steamboat buffet

MUST DO/MUST EAT: Steam boat buffet at Marina Bay

.. for only $12 ... fresh seafood, beef, pork, chicken, yakitori... they have every edible item available .. incredibly stuffed yet eager to see other parts of Singapore we then made our way to Clarke Quay .. a very commercialised night spot with 30 or so of Singapores finest restaurants, clubs and bars including Ministry of Sound all in one area! Decided to have a chilled night so Alan brought me to Hooters , reknowned for their "well endowed" waitresses ... apparently theres a famous strip joint there which is ridiculously expensive to enter about a $200 door charge! After a couple of beers it was definitely time for bed so headed "home". Thats the other bit I quite like about Singapore, I would have to say Singapore is rated one of the safest cities in the world.. everyone reassured me that at any time of that day, be it 2am or 2pm its fine to walk the streets alone.. and yes I actually believe them I was walking alone at about midnight last night and I survived, I didnt feel the least bit intimidated..

Me at Clarke Quay.. am right in the middle of fountain getting wet...

Day 3 in Lion City Today was a day to chill and plan the rest of my days in Singapore.. Jeff, Vivian and Little Joe brought me out for dinner at night Aaron brought me to his " Sanctuary" which is the edge of the Singapore reservoir, stunning view of Singapore city at night.. we had a couple (*bullshit*) of beers and chatted the night away, quite a number of people visit that stretch and you have a mix of yuppies, biker dudes and teens chilling by the side of the road.. after several dozen beers Aaron drove around Singapore for a bit and then it was time to hit the sack.. P.S Are we hammered?HELL YEAH!

Day 4 in Lion City I had lunch with Viv and Joe and then I went off to explore Singapore .. took the MRT to Clarke Quay to get the BUMBOAT for the city river tour, pretty cool.. saw some of the main tourist spots in Singapore and learnt quite a bit about Singapore history

The Fullerton hotel, originally a British Post office.. has been standing for the past century..

Tallest building in Singapore...the building right in the centre...

the famous Merlion, Singapores mascot...

the esplanade.. similar to sydneys opera house...

.. and with my trusty map I found my way to Fort Canning, recommended visit by Jane unfortunately Battle Box was closed just as I arrived so I intend to return to Fort Canning tomorrow.. I think it's an awesome park.. After Fort Canning needed a coffee fix so I ended up at Orchard Road.. took the MRT there..

a strange sight in singapore a rather empty MRT !

I then headed back t o my "home" has some dinner with Viv and Joe and went out for a couple of drinks with Larry and Sam.. Singapore is pretty awesome.. although I think Singaporeans and residents of Singapore should learn to chill out once in awhile..

Yishun..Orchard..Clarke Quay..Geylang..Dover

2006-09-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

Was a bit confused with the whole MRT(railway/sub) system here.. although given specific instructions.. be warned be sure you are at the correct platform... had a great first day ..met up with Larry for lunch and we had Singapores famous chicken rice.. am currently staying with Aaron and Jeff at their flat in Yishun.. and figuring out the correct routes to return to my temporary home was quite a task but I think I have it all figured out now... I then visited Larry's condo (which was more of a resort then a condo!) we then met up with Sam for dinner.. they decided to bring me to Kallang/Geylang (also known as the red-light district of Singapore..) Never in my life have I been in and out of three restaurants .. one after the other.. all three restaurants were Singapores finest (apparently!) .. first restaurant served.. Frog porridge..

frogs in a bowl ($8 per frog)

honestly the porridge was good it was just the frogs that freaked me out ... alive and jumping in a tank 1 minute.. 5 mins later served to us in a bowl... that was just the appetizer .. we then had some sort of beef noodles in the second restaurant (which I thought was excellent..) followed by dessert at yet another restaurant... one thing to be aware of when you're in Singapore are the prohibited areas for fagging.. (which also confused me!) .. After dinner was supposed to meet Alan at Clarke Quay .. just as I was about to jump off the train at that stop he text to say he couldnt make it so I gladly proceeded back to Yishun and had several beers and a choice of spirits from Aarons excellent bar... am feeling pleasantly happy right now ...
P.s Singapore bus drivers are extremely helpful and polite I had no problems getting back to the flat! Am meeting Alan tomorrow and he's offered to be my tour guide to bring me to all the hot spots in Singapore..

roarr...Lion City..

2006-09-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

Darren after our beer session at Planet Hollywood!
Yes I finally left Kuala Lumpur and am now in Singapore .. left KL yesterday at about 4pm, I spent the early part of the day with Darren .. and as usual one beer led to a second beer then before you can say "I'd like another beer please" we had polished off 4.. each ...Kev and I had a wonderful farewell crew as shown below..
We were in the bus and these jokers appeared beside us...

Gonna miss Dazza! our bus- rather plush double decker bus .. there were some buses that provided a karaoke lounge and massage chairs!

and then we were off .. we made a couple of stops before entering Singapore (places I have never heard of!) Yong Peng and Machap, I didnt even know what state we were in at that time.. when we arrived at the border macho man Kev left two of his bags in the coach .. when we were clearly told to carry all luggage into the immigration hall... got into a slight pickle there when the bus driver started jabbering away to Kevin in malay telling him he had to re-enter the hall and go through immigration again!! When we arrived in Singapore, Aaron greeted us with his extremely funky car ... me and Kev were having a blast just sitting in that car fiddling around with the parts and taking pics of the interior and us basically goofing of in that car .. I am determined to drive that monster of a car before I leave.. check it out!... against all Raleigh Rules! Me and Kev taking it in turns to sit at the back of Aarons Jeep/pick-up
We had to send Kev to the airport at stupid o'clock so I only got to bed at 7:30am and got up at noon.. :) Kev left a pressie for me though.. well accidently.. his beloved LG choc mobile which I shall gladly babysit whilst the owner is back in the UK and till I see him again which is ? soon.. ?LOL

me and aaron!
I havent made plans as yet of what to do in Singapore.. I did have lunch earlier with another friend and some other friends are taking me out tonight to one of the clubs and to the Boat Quay area...so I'm pretty much set for today ... gotta run.. need to catch the MRT .. hope I dont get lost .. I was lost earlier in the day and I think it was pretty obvious to the people around me ..

Thank YOU and You and you..

2006-09-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

A huge thank you to everyone who has provided me with a roof over my head during my travels.. thanks Pu and co for letting me crash in what I would have say is one of the most amazing condos in KL .. excellent view and pool to boot.. thanks to Sharon although I never did make it to Bangkok it was great that you offered me a place to stay.. will take you up on the offer pretty soon though .. advance THANK YOU to Aaron and Jeff who are letting me crash at their pad in Singapore and for providing a "tour guide" on days they have to work.. LOL.. till I blog again .. with more interesting pics... sayonara.

Cambodia.. Kuala Lumpur... Bangkok?

2006-09-27T23:57:00.000-07:00

The KL twin towers...

So many places to visit so little time... so here I am back in Kuala Lumpur..I was scheduled to leave KL to Bangkok on the 24th of September at 10:40am from terminal 2.. HOWEVER as it turns out in the usual mia-style .. (known to be unpredictable and everchanging!!) with the whole military coup and other issues I decided not to get on that flight and attempted to change the flight (which I couldnt..) so I will have paid for 2 flights and not board either flight... as I was initially supposed to BE in Bangkok, I was then supposed to fly OUT of Bangkok to Singapore..(and of course my flight from KL to Bangkok).. So what have I been doing since the 20th of September in KL?? a place I once called home..I never realized that KL has quite a lot to offer.. I played bloody tour guide to Ross (Kevin had other cheeky plans *wink*) and spent 5 excellent days shopping (window shopping that is !) , dining, drinking and clubbing.. which is one of the best cities in the world for all of the above.. take it from a a British lad (Ross) who was amazed at the sights and scenes of KL and yes KL is another city that doesnt sleep.. we spent the first night out till about 6:30am!!

Ross and me gettin tipsy at Bar Savannh
Places to visit in KL...
Asian Heritage Row - exotic restaurants, club and pubs.
P. Ramlee street - Specifically for Poppy Garden (an R&B club I love!)
Luna Bar 34th floor- Pan Global building.. excellent KL city view and one of the most unique restaurant/club I have been to. KL towers and the twin towers are literally beside you.. Kevin and I in Luna Bar

Guaranteed in KL : Good food, best variety in shopping, excellent night life.. never realized how unique KL was till I put myself in the shoes of a tourist. Good company is also another important factor, you could be in a remote village and still have a good time..thanks Ross.

Me and Pu's Woo Woo's.. Serving of a dozen woo woo's (thats the actual name of the shots!)

Darren is arriving today so hopefully I will see him later tonight...As I am leaving for Singapore tomorrow .. road trip with Kevin, we're taking the bus down to some location I have never heard of .. good bye Malaysia .. Hello Singapore!

Good Bye Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo.. for now!

2006-09-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

flight to Siem Reap... half dead monkeys .. Rol and me..

Its been awhile since I have managed to get to an internet cafe... I am currently seated at the hotel lobby in Cambodia tapping away to try organise my thoughts and recall what has happened and what I have done in the duration of 5 or so days...

Day 1 (arrived at KL at 8:00pm)
I have taken every transport possible in the past 5 hours or so..
a lift from my dear cousin in her trusty car.. who saw me off at the airport..a 2 and half hour flight, an hour bus ride and a 10 minute cab ride..Finally arrived at Pu's condo .. and spent an hour there before we proceeded to have beers at Bangsar at a place called "The Castle"which ironically was where I used to work though at that time it was called "The Roof".. we were supposed to have a couple of beers and head off back to get a good nights rest ... did we ? nope.. we ended up getting to bed at about 3:30am and waking up at 6:30am... they also had a very "interesting" Shisha contraption that was covered in fur ooh kinky.. (see below..)

Day 2 (7:15am flight at 10:05am to Siem Reap, Cambodia) Got up at 6:30am - after much convincing and coaxing from my travel companions .. our flight was at 10:05am and we needed to be in the airport by 8:30am and the airport isnt exactly around the corner..Slept in the cab, slept part of the way to Cambodia on the flight..partially due to the fact that we were up boozing the night before and also to the fact that I have had barely any sleep for the past 2 weeks !.. got to Cambodia and was simply in awe..Siem Reap international airports has to be one of the most unique and beautiful airports I have ever seen.. was expecting a dodgy wooden hut like the ones I've seen before in really small towns.. Heading towards our hotel-City River Hotel, we saw amazing buildings and landscapes, despite having practically 3 hours sleep we were eager to jump out and start exploring...which is basically what we did, dumped our stuff at the hotel, took out our maps and started towards the Old town.. first stop : LUNCH at a place called the Socheata Restaurant where we had khmer food and coconut shake (which was excellent!) .. After lunch we wandered the streets of Old Town and realized how inconsistent the prices were.. For the same item and about 10 different stalls, I was offered every price possible from $1 -$10.. The street kids were impressive, they could probably speak up to 7 different languages including French just to convince tourists to purchase their goods..

Things to buy from Old Town Market:

souvenirs- $5 and below, scarves $1.50-$2.00, Tshirts at on ly $1.00 (what a bargain!), Lonely planet Guide Books.. I was offered a terrific price of $3.00 (take note that these books usually cost between $30-$50)

Beer prices are varied, initially I saw a sign offering beer at $1.20 and thought to myself wow thats cheap.. as we progressed along what the locals call "Pub Street" the beer prices were as low as $0.25 a pop! We took note of that place and returned to the hotel to freshen up before heading to one of Siem Reaps best watering/entertainment clubs.. The Temple.. a spread of good food, aspara dancing (local traditional dances) and vodka shots..
Take note me and Yo ended up having 10 and a half vodka shots each...needless to say that night ended with 3 of us getting absolutely plastered and C having to tend to P who spent the night over the toilet bowl.

Day 2 (Temples..) Got up bright and early (although we were perfectly happy staying in bed after the heavy session the night before!) left for the famous Angkor Wat temples at about 9:30am ... It was amazing, its hard to describe how incredible the ruins were and pictures would do no justice.. we spent the whole day at the temple park (consists of acres and acres of land) ..we did manage to visit the two famous temples: Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm (which was where the filming of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider took place!) We decided to have an early night.. after couple of beers and vodkas *roll eyes* In Yo's defense we were on holiday...

Day 3 (Massage,Cambodian Cultural village)

We had a rather "interesting" day today ... we decided to have a rather relaxed morning and ended up at a massage parlor .. thinking we had our own individual rooms and a little R & R... NOPE they decided to put us all in one dim lit room side by side.. I wont go into details but it involved 4 topless girls being massaged, 4 cambodian giggling girls, massaging of pelvic regions.. its not as kinky as it sounds.. but I have to say it was a great massage!

Three giants next to the very detailed replicate of some temple..

We spent the afternoon at the Cambodian Cultural village and a huge shock as we walked through what they call the "judgement tunnel" , which is basically a display of disturbingly, graphic wax figurines of different forms of punishment for different "sins" .... some of the punishments/sins include "Breastfeeding in a temple" and the another "Having an abortion"

...not only did they have such horrific displays (which I thought was actually really interesting!) ... they decided to use real live human beings to scare the bejesus of the people who visited the tunnel... I have never screamed so many times.. repeatedly.. Ended the day with good meal.. and was all set for our flight back to Kuala Lumpur the following day..

Day 4 (Old town Market, last minute shopping and last coconut Shake)

My other travelling companions decided to spend a couple of hours before the flight to purchase some knick knacks from the market .. I had one target in mind to get my hands on a lonely planet guide for Thailand (my next destination after KL..) and to have my very last coconut shake.. mmm... manage to get both and then headed to the airport and said goodbye to Siem Reap.. p.s there is a $25 airport departure tax that people arent aware of... so be warned..

up, down and all around..

2006-09-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

my shot of the sunrise from the top of mount K

some shots I took just before sunrise... *sigh*

another pic as the sun was rising...

this pic is actually of the moon ...
I have been incredibly busy running up mountains, riding buses, boats and literally living on the go and out of a rucksack as I predicted.. though many other events occured as we all know you can plan and plan and PLAN but nothing ever really follows through according to plan .. I also failed to realize till today that I will be leaving in practically 48 hours!! I have not planned anything other than flights, I have 2 weeks of laundry (which are the clothes that I need for my travels!), I have not gone to the foreign exchange centre to change my dosh, I only just checked my passport (thank god it expires in 2009!) So what have I been up to in the past 2 weeks.. ?

Mount Kinabalu

Ladies and gentlemen ..this is my second climb up this beast of a mountain .. I managed to get to the bloody summit this time and settled from being about a couple of yards away from the peak bit which in all honesty was fine by me.. I had a terrific view from the top where I was. As I was freezing my arse off I just couldnt trek another inch ... so I had a fag settled down and went totally snap happy with my trusty camera.
My previous climb up Mount Kinabalu took 6 hours (thats just 3/4 of the way!), this time I practically raced to the top and did in about 3 hours or so (bad move, my knee gave way just as I was about to arrive at the resthouse!)... It took me 3 hours to run down the mountain the last time this time it took me 3 and a half... I almost collapsed at the bottom of the mountain.

Top tips for climbing Mount Kinabalu:
Take your time and at your own pace.
Bring warm clothes. (I had three layers and a thermavest!)
Dont wear all your warm clothes as you are ascending to the summit why? read equation below : Sweat+clothes=wet clothes at the top of the mountain=freeze to death at the top.

Day 1 (thursday, 7th September 2006)
Scheduled to leave at 9:00am finally left at 11:00am! Arrived at Kundasang at about 1300pm had a late lunch at Kinabalu Park (at the bottom of the mountain).
Scheduled to start trekking at 1230 -1300, only started at 1430 so it was a major rush for all 30 of us to get up to the resthouse before dark. Temperature up there was again below 5 degrees. We lost 2 people that day, as one of my colleagues wasnt feeling so great and had to make their way back down the mountain.

Day 2 (friday, 8th September 2006)
Got up at a ridiculous hour at 2:30am and proceeded to trek to the summit... it was physically challenging especially for me with the altitude and the temperature I swear I had icicles at the tip of my nose ! Despite the temperature, lack of sleep, and me almost tumbling to my death on the way down from the summit ... I have to say the view was awesome and I am so glad I made it to the top this time round! We did have a bit of an "incident"though as one of the participants twisted his ankle (*groan*) and had to be carried all the way down to the base of the mountain.

Me and Alpha 7.. honorary PM for the day..

Due to all faff and events popping up left and right I ended up staying an extra night at Kundasang which wasnt too bad .. although it was hilarious trying to squeeze 23 people into a single chalet with only 7 single mattresses and 3 queen sized beds !

Alpha 6 & 7 .. post Mount K ...survived the shortage of beds at U-Merlin Resort *groan*

Borneo Paradise Beach Resort
Day 1 (saturday, 9th September 2006)
Everyone returned to Borneo Paradise for the last time in this expedition looking absolutely exhausted! My legs were still jelly-like after Mount K .. but it was so good to see everyone once again and soon I forgot I even had legs... No time to relax though as we had quite a number of things to do to prepare for the venturer party at Kuala Penyu, Bukit Naga Aman Puri!

Day 2 (sunday, 10th September 2006)
Ran around KK like a mad woman today as we were also preparing for our closing ceremony which was sponsored by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.. It was quite an interesting night with the usual cultural dance and ended with a Karaoke! Was exhausted! MY legs were killing me I had half the mind to chop them off!)

Bukit Naga Aman Puri Resort
Day 1 (monday, 11th September 2006)
I woke up (AGAIN!) at a ridiculous hour .. 6:00am! Did a bit of running around (AGAIN!) and set off for the resort with 2 other colleagues .. One of the perks of this resort would probably be the fact that its remote and not as commercialised as other resorts and it is one of the best resorts to relax at and to get away from the hustle and bustle of town .. HOWEVER with 60 odd participants running around at the resort .. this would probably be the last place to relax for now! Theme for beach party: Superheroes and supervillains... I decided to be Lara Croft for the day.. not exactly the most glamourous of superheroes when you're standing and sweating in front of a bbq pit and cooking for 80 odd bodies! I have no idea what the other two are supposed to be... Jamie and Tom
Kevs costume: Robocop...
Day 2 (tuesday, 12th September 2006)
Technically considered the last day of the expedition .. woke up at an ungodly hour and didnt get much sleep as I was eaten alive by mosquitos the night before (try sleeping in the open without a mosquito net -recipe for disaster!) Everyone returned to town today and most people had a flight in the afternoon.. Good bye..

Gayana Island Resort
Day 1 (wednesday, 13th September 2006)
Staff party .. woohoo .. location: Gayana Island resort. Great rooms, cool concept nature pool, sun, ocean, good group, shit loads of booze: GOOD TIMES.
Half the staff left for the islands at 1230 and the rest got on the 1530 ferry to the island...Had a good time chilling out (for a bit!): beer in one hand .. fag in the other.. When the rest arrived everyone decided to start boozing and then proceeded to the eating area for the bbq buffet.. which was excellent and much needed after 3 months of eating porridge and crackers!
Boozed and mooned the night away.. was the decision of some.. I think I had about 3 hours of sleep ... I am after all a chatty drunk!..

Day 2 (thursday, 14th September 2006)
Cant believe everyone got up early today (we didnt really have a choice as we were supposed to head back to do a bit of work!) .. most of us got on the boat late .. due to heavy drinking and mooning sessions till the wee hours of dawn! .. The afternoon was a total blur of events... and at night four us went to watch "My super ex girlfriend"starring Uma Thurman (higly recommended..... NOT!) continued drinking (unbelievable!) at Little Italy and then to Beach street ... I was going to pass out by the time we got back to fieldbase and I still had to drive home!

Day 3 (friday, 15th September 2006)
I cant believe I have one more day till I head our of Kota Kinabalu.. I HAVENT PACKED! We had a good meal today at Tatu with an absolutely wonderful spread, followed by a little salsa at the Salsa club called "Rumba"and finally to B.E.D club across the road... I slept at 6:30am the following day .... call me crazy.. I know I am!

I'm a qualified diver!

2006-09-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

*sigh this is the life*

It was without a doubt(well initially..) a scary experience ... especially for me as I do suffer from a mild case of claustrophobia (I found out I was claustrophobic the hard way when I was younger. Me vs a sleeping bag-dont ask!).

Day One
Arrived at the island bright and early and feeling rather anxious.. My first dive was at 10:30am so I had time to chit chat with the group that were at the island. We were then assigned to our groups and instructors. My diving buddy was Jane (one our Project Managers) who appeared to be as nervous as I was.. I have to admit I was a bit paranoid after the first dive and as the rest of the group were descending down to about 20ft I had a slight panic attack and a problem equalizing my ears, so I decided to ascend back to the surface... 2 dives later.. I was LOVIN it! Can't believe I delayed getting my license! I didnt realize how tiring it was to dive till late in the evening..I think 2 seconds after setting up my hammock at the camp site.. I was ready for bed!

Day Two
Woke up and found my butt grazing the ground below me .. not a very sturdy hammock frame but I slept well all the same.. Phil was leaving the island that day so he offered his extremely "plush" hammock for my sleeping pleasure (5 star hammock and excellent spot if I should say so myself with an excellent view of the sunrise and mount kinabalu!). Diving was great today .. though I have to admit the skill I hated most was clearing my mask underwater ... it freaked me out.. we repeated this skill several times and at all times I had to re-surface.. although other then learning this skill I was fine with everything else. After spending the entire day diving, manage to squeeze in some time to laze on the beach with a book and my iPod... Spent the latter part of the evening chatting and having terrific conversations with the others. Unfortunately being the good samaritan that I am (*cough cough*) I offered my 5 star accomodation for the night to a fellow colleague.... I later spent the evening with a pool of water in my hammock, an un-sleep-able sleeping bag... it was pissing down with rain and I had no place to sleep.. I then decided to be really sneaky and went up to the rest area at the Borneo Divers centre and spent a night on the floor and got completely eaten alive by mosquitos, bugs and sand flies!! Am still itching now!

Day 3
Another early day was supposed to catch the sunrise but only got up at about 6:13am.. Darren and James joined us on the island that day they went out for two dives (a wreck dive.. which is cool and which also made me decide to do my advance diving :) I was excited about our boat dive... we were dropped off between two islands very close to where Darren and James were diving. *Surprise* surprise* who did we meet as we were diving down below? ..Darren and James thats me...

thats me again...

thats Darren.. and thats James...
The other surprise was from my dive instructor who insisited that take my mask off and put it back on.. take note we were at a depth of at least 12m (20+ feet ) so I definitely couldnt have rushed to the surface... it went well I am so glad and proud of myself for successfully clearing my mask!
Our last dive included the navigation training.. the water was murky at the dive spot we were brought to so we (me and my buddy) didnt have a clue where we were going and had to rely on the compass to find our instructor.. one word : AWESOME... the day ended with me, 3 blokes(hmm.. kinky..), beer and good food when we returned to town!

me and Simon.. our last day at the island..

Me and Darren are going up Mount Kinabalu tomorrow... oh Lord ! I HAVE to reach the summit this time round.. am really not looking forward to the trek... I found it difficult the first time I went up and one of the reasons why I couldnt make it to the top .. though I have learnt my lesson: Bring WARM CLOTHES and take it slow...

Ready, Set .. DIVE

2006-08-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

My home for the next four days..

All my bags are packed I GUESS I'm ready to go, I have to admit I am a bit nervous about the whole diving experience but I have been putting this off for the past 2 years and I really.. (despite my initial fear..) want to get my open water diving license. Will be diving with Borneo Divers, who apparently have a terrific reputation of having very reliable instructors and equipment. *fingers crossed* wish me luck! My boat ride will take about 15 minutes from Sutera Harbour Resort to Mamutik Island, which in my opinion is one of the least attractive islands among the cluster of islands that are just off the shore of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Nonetheless white sandy beaches and crystal clear blue waters are guaranteed. Given a choice I would have preferred Sapi Island! *sigh* Despite having to get up at a ridiculous hour tomorrow.. it should be interesting!

my travelling companion.

2006-08-30T01:07:00.000-07:00

This rucksack costs RM649.00. I paid RM0 for it. Am glad to be working for Raleigh, someone donated a brand new deuter rucksack (aircontact 60 shown above!) and I get to test its durability and whether its comfortable. Blessing in disguise for me as I tore my el cheapo rucksack during jungle camp in July. Now I really need to sort my s*it out as I only have 2 days to do so!

I'm all set to go!

2006-08-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to purchase my tickets for my travels this September - October 2006
(some of which I regret purchasing at the last minute!)

My Travelling Schedule:

1st-4th September Mamutik Island, planning to get my open water diving license!
7th-8th September Mount Kinabalu, going to attempt that blasted mountain again!
9th-10th September Borneo Paradise Resort.
11th-12th September Bukit Naga Aman Puri Beach Resort.
13th-14th September Gayana Island Resort.
16th September Flight from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur.
17th September Flight from Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap, Cambodia.
20th September Flight from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Kuala Lumpur.
23rd September Flight from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok, Thailand.
29th September Flight from Bangkok, Thailand to Singapore.
this leg of my travels has yet to be planned

So I will be living out of a suitcase (rucksack actually!) for the next few months..

The Plan.

2006-08-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

Singapore

Thailand

Australia

The Plan: To travel for at least two months after this expedition.
My planned itinery:

13th-14th September 2006 Gayana Island
16th-19th September 2006 Sipadan Island
20th-23rd September 2006 Kuala Lumpur
23rd-27th September 2006 Bangkok
27th Sep-1st October 2006 Singapore
1st-31st October Australia (Exploring different parts hopefully)
latter part of my escapades yet to be planned!

travel tales..

2006-08-06T05:55:00.000-07:00

Travels Today: Borneo Paradise Resort, Langkah Syabas Resort
(for sunday buffet lunch! *yummy*)
Weather: Sunny. Perfect sunday weather.
Mode of Transport: My trusty buffalo Car

I have a mission: I plan to travel to as many places of interest/countries/states as possible before the age of 30 (gives me a few years!). In the past 5 years I have travelled to the following places:

China (9 different districts)
Singapore
Phuket, Thailand.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Several towns within Sabah.

As of last week I have scheduled a two month trip to several destinations.. therapeutic travels, highly recommended to keep me sane! I need to get out of this place for a short period of time. Basically to clear my thoughts, to think of what I need to do with my life.. call it self discovery or whatever.. I JUST NEED A HOLIDAY. I was initially supposed to join the Chicas' (pu, yo & rol!) to Siem Reap, Cambodia ..unfortunately the expedition would have just ended so I wont be able to join them .. *shit*

This blog was created to record my escapades, the hassle of planning trips and a review of the places I will have travelled to. *Fingers crossed* that this blog will be updated regularly! An indication that I am going in the right direction of accomplishing my mission!