here and there

Darling Harbour

Balades dans les quartiersdu centre, tout d'abord Darling Harbour, le quartier de David et Lea, un port naturel, musee maritime, aquarium de Sydney et le wild life centre d'un cote de Pyrmont Bridge (pont pieton) et de l'autre, des resto, un bateau resto un Imax, cinema 3D, un Mall commercial et ses food stalls.

Sydney

Apres quelques jours a Cronulla beach, descente sur la city, david m'attend a Martin Place on passe devant le resto ou il travaille, l'endroit est magnifique.On passe chez lui a Pyrmont, rencontre de Paul, son coloc a l'air tres sympa et l'apart est extra. David m'emmene au fish market, ou les mouettes et d'autres oiseaux comme des sentinelles attendent la moindre occasion pour se jeter sur des morceaux de poissons. Des etals de poissons a foison, des crustaces et des stands ou des cuisiniers preparent toutes sortes de plats. On achete une douzaine de sydney rock oysters, un morceaux de saumon et de thon rouge frais que l'on nous prepare en sashimi. C'est la regalade.

Sydney vendredi

Long trajet, Geneve Abu Dhabi Sydney, parti un mercredi arrive un vendredi matin avec la disparition du jeudi entre deux, un des mysteres des fuseaux horaires. Dans l'avion un voisin sympa, qui revenait de son village en pleine montagne libanaise. Il souhaite enlever ses chaussures, je le rassure je vais faire la meme chose, il me rassure a son tour, il s'est parfume les pieds avec de l'aftershave....

Enfin Sydney, Ray m'attend et prend des photos , moi qui pensais prendre de super photos je decouvre mes rides, les poils blancs d'un visage mal rase et tutti quanti de details, la vacherie d'un appareil professionnel. 

Et puis des le debut une nature luxuriante, des quartiers de maisons au milieu de magnifiques arbres en fleurs mauve, les jacarandas.

Un pelican longe la cote. la derniere fois que j'ai vu cette bestiole c'etait en 1969 a Mikonos. Ray m'emmene faire une ballade dans un parc ou t outes sortes d'oiseaux passent l'apres-midi: des cockatoo (cacatoes), rainbow lorikeet (loriquet arc en ciel), Kookaburra (martin chasseur geant), Kurraawing (espece de pie), noisy miners (oiseaux a tete noire au plumage gris blanc, bec jaune)

retour au bercail avec ses droles d'insectes hostiles pour nous europeens mais de compagnie ici, une tarentule rien de bien extraordinaire, un hamster australien en sorte.

4^th August

This place in Damai beach is FANTASTIC – we don`t want to leave !!! We started with an early morning swim in the waterfall pool with an amazing view. The pool is big and there were four of us in it ( Ramadan means that the Muslims don`t take their holidays now) After that we went to the cheap food restaurant just along the beach and had some Malay food .The people ( Muslums) are so friendly , the lady says she cooks `with love`! Anyway , they`ve invited us for a meal tomorrow evening with all the people who work there at the end of their fasting. They wait for a prayer on the radio and then start … we don`t know what to take so we`re going into Kuching tomorrow to look for something.

Then we had another swim … I have never been in such a lovely place before .I can hardly stand leaving the room , there are real orchids everywhere ,even on the breakfast tables and ...talking of breakfasts WELL.I won`t go into details but lets just say there is a lot of choice ,I`m sure more than in Gleneagles David !We`ll take photos to prove it.

After that we went for a jungle treck which was good fun but quite strenuous because of the roots .we didn`t see any animals but we were told that if we were lucky ( LUCKY!) we couls dee hornets , snakes , grey haired monkeys and monitor lizards – all I can say is thank goodness it wasn`t our lucky day in the animal department!

Then , another swim and off up the hill to a little Malay restaurant where we had a delicious meal . Funnily enough I think I `ve lost weight because we haven`t had any puddings (just fruit) , no cheese or dairy products and no wine etc + plenty of exercise .If I`m right I may start a weight watchers out here !!!

Damai Beach (Borneo)and Singapore

So we had a really nice evening celebrating the end of the fasting day with the people at the food court . They are so kind and it was great fun + the food was excellent and they enjoyed our humble date offerings. .

The next day Patrick and I had a busy schedule – swimming pool , breakfast then the cultural centre included in this was lunch with Jasmina , We managed it all ! The pool was great of course as was breakfast … too much to choose from ! The cultural village was interesting but more of a `live` museum with a show with dances from the different ethnic groups. I don`t know how the girls move their arms like that – must be triple jointed!It was interesting but SO hot and all that climbing from one longhouse into another sent me into severe dehydration which could only be helped with a lovely refreshing watermelon drink from the food centre! We were worn out after all the exertion BUT went to the restaurant up the hill just the same. We saw a couple of the vivid green snakes again ,one dead ( run over) and one we were not too sure about so didn`t approach! Whilst we were at the restaurant a young Asian couple had to be driven back because they`d drunk too much .I must say I felt very self righteous with my glass of pineapple juice !Oh yes , I forgot to mention that we also went to a little many coloured fishing village called Santubong.... lots of scooters , it was like a `mods and rockers fest without the rockers ! I think the beach and streets badly needed the Singapore touch I.e NO LITTER!

Last morning in Borneo

After our last swim in that fantastic pool we went for breakfast and guess what , the two young Asians from last night were tucking into a breakfast of noodles and fish !! Oh to be young again ( though I was never THAT resilient) Anyway , we scooted off to say goodbye to and Jasmina and co then off to the airport .We are now in the amazingly clean Singapore . I have never seen such an efficient airport – we have left our backpacks at the airport ,... RELIEF ! And are as free as hornbills !

 2^nd August

Today was a good day despite not having organised anything particular. We had to move from `the honeymoon suite` ( because of the 4 poster bed which is the only romantic thing in the room) We have to downgrade to a room without a loo because this is all that`s left .This entails packing for the umpteenth time and lugging our packs up to the top floor for storage and then struggling back down again to unpack ...a bit of a pain!

After that we decided to go to the at gallery which someone had told us about and also to the natural history museum to see if our lime green Bako snake was there ( it wasn't)

It was REALLY hot so we went to our Libian cafe for some delicious fruit juice. We have been warned about his cooking but his juices are great. We looked at the shops and bought a few things – there`s lots to buy but alas our bags are severely lacking in space despite chucking things out.

In the evening I left Pat having a siesta to go for a massage .It was GREAT and although the lady was tinier than me she had a firm hand. She informed me it was a Chinese massage ( not that I know the difference between massages ) which certainly ironed out the crinkles ..at least that`s how it felt.

We then went off for a meal at TopSpot ( the car park by day and food hall by night) The meal was fantastic ..huge prawns and fish we chose before cooking. There were less people and less people on the walk back by the river ,it`s Ramadan so people ( the Muslims anyway)seem to stay indoors .

Back to our `new room` but we packed again because we have plans for tomorrow !

3^rd August

Last night was our last night at Singghasana Lodge but , no sleeping in for us ! We had decided to go and see the orangutangs one last time. I really didn`t want to go by local bus as it would have meant leaving at 7am ( and missing breakfast) so we decided to ask a taxi to take us...taxis are really inexpensive here. So , we set off and on the way decided to also go and visit a longhouse that the people let you look around for a small fee ( 2 euros or 8 ringits per person) The taxidriver acted as a guide and was a really nice chap.

We saw fewer orangutans this time but those we saw were in fine showing off form . Alas ,my `New Best Friend`Richie was not visible ( sulking because we were leaving I bet)

After that we were driven to the Borneo Highlands ,beautiful mountainous scenery and lots of pepper plantations. We finally arrived at the Longhouse which was really amazing and much bigger than we`d anticipated . The Dayaks ( the ethnic group that live there ) were so friendly and very funny . They offered us rice wine on arrival but I gave mine to the taxi driver ( but touched it with my fingers which is a sign of respect apparently) Patrick had three drinks and seemed to be getting on famously with the lady who was holding the bottle!!!

A longhouse is a bit like a big bamboo floored village on stilts (See photos ) They had been collecting rubber to sell and cultivating pepper. Two or three people offered bed and breakfast but we had already booked at Damai Beach

We then got back to Kuching in time for a nice soup at our favorite Chinese restaurant – the loos are a challenge but the food takes precedence for Patrick !

We then got on a shuttle bus for Damai Beach where we`d booked in a hotel which we don`t regret at all – it`s AMAZING ! Two swimming pools + a gorgeous beach.The room is pure luxury – I don`t think we`ll be going far for the next few days !!! This is the best hotel we`ve ever stayed in and the staff are so charming. We didn`t eat there because it`s a bit pricey so we`ve just returned from a cheap restaurant along the beach with great food . They were really welcoming people and waiting for the evening prayer to be announced so that they could eat ( Ramadan) The food and juices were wonderful and all for 7 euros for two !!

We are now back in this gorgeous room and can`t believe the difference between this one and the psychedelic nightmare in Poring Hotsprings !!

Back to Bako

Today we decided to go back to Bako National Park and with a bit of luck see the proboscis monkeys .We decided to go by local bus which are cheaper and more fun.It arrived on time despite warnings about bad time keeping and we chatted with a nice young woman doing a world tour and who was ...from Gosport of all places ! Anyway , we shared a boat with her to the Park itself which cut down the costs. The rivers are for Borneo what roads are for us and the river to Bako is really lovely ,great views of the houses on stilts and the mangroves.We weren`t wearing life jackets which was a bit daft given that the river is full of crocodiles ...to be honest the life-jackets looked as if they`d been in a few `croco combats` anyway ! We had to wade in from the boat to the beach because the tide was out and , after a cup of coffee Pat and I set off for the mangrove treck but when we started out on it I didn`t like it – too creepy by half ,I kept expecting to see something `brillig and the slithy tove-like `(The Jabberrwocky ) so I put my foot down firmly and refused to move forward! The trouble was you can`t stamp your foot in the mangroves because they disappear in a skweltch! Pat got the picture and we backtracked and found another track – full of creepers BUT not creepy !

We heard a lot of animal noises but didn`t see many unless you can count a monkey`s bum . It was when we returned to the starting point a few hours later that we saw our favourite monkeys ;male and female proboscis monkeys . We decided that we were a bit like the monkeys because the female has a short ,turned up nose ( I prefer petite and retroussé ) and the male ...well , look at the photo ! We also saw a lime green snake ,it was such a vivid green that I`m now wondering if it was plastic !

Return to Kuching

So here we are back at the Singgahsana Lodge in Kuching and it is VERY hot indeed.We had a wonderful lunch before we left – a `dimsun` which consists of ...actually I don`t know what but delicious steamed food in brought to your table in little baskets with lids .It was just as well I ate because I couldn`t eat on the plane because of too much turbulence making me feel sick .Pat ate mine (good food on Malaysian Airlines too so it was a pity)

We settled into our room ( with four poster bed ) and then went out for something to eat again ( Pat`s 4^th meal and my 2^nd) and then a walk along the river where we listened to some musicians and looked at crafts for sale ( and bought a few things of course)

30 th July

Had to sleep with earplugs because we`re right by a road so we look like aliens as the earplugs are orange ! We had breakfast upstairs in the bar and chatted to a couple of women who`d spent the night watching female turtles lay eggs and hide them in the sand. I`d like to try ( not lay turtle eggs , go to the island ) but I`m not sure how feasible this is.

We then took a water taxi to the opposite side and wandered around , looked at an old fort which seriously needed a revamp and met a really nice chap who showed us the rooms he rented out -I have to admit they are gorgeous . We`re going across to eat with him tomorrow – chicken cooked in bamboo ! After that we went to the orchid exhibition – yes another one .It was great , my sister Kirstin would have loved it . There were prizes for best orchid arrangement etc a bit like the Burridge fair of my childhood -an mega-exotic variation a `posy in an eggcup` category ! There were hundreds of different varieties , some as big as my hand ( almost )

After that we went for a fruit juice at a cafe that has an identity problem -or is he just keeping his options open .The menu has Lebanese, Egyptian .American food and you can even smoke hubbly bubbly if you want to risk TB from the pipes. I saw a group of very middle-class looking 15 year old puffin` away like Thomas the Tank engines -Pat said he was going to ask if their parents were OK with this but I held him back !maybe Malay parents are relaxed about this sort of thing!

On the way back we noticed little fires all along the street and incense burning ( we are staying in the Chinese quarter in temple street ) We found out they were burning money to send to ghosts in case they need it .This happens on the last full moon in July .I think this is right -another source told me the fires were lit to chase away the devil It`s as confusing as Halloween !

Crossing the road to our lodgings is a bit of a nightmare but what`s good is the little green man on the crossing walks faster and faster as your time to cross runs out – you can see him hurtling like mad but getting nowhere ,like a treadmill !

Pat is lying on our four poster bed having a late siesta .We`re going out for a meal soon – they do great soups.I have to pick up my laundry first … another great invention ( and cheap) will write again tomorrow . It may rain so we`re doing a few museums between restaurants !

31^st July – Museum day

Before I talk about today I`ll add a bit about last night .We went out for something to eat at the oldest Chinese restaurant in Kuching with a very unChines sounding name ,`Life Cafe`

Good meal as usual – chicken soup and ginseng so , very healthy. After that we went for a walk along the river to the square where hundreds of people were catapulting luminous blue spinning tops into the air .I wished my granddaughter Emmy had been there to see it !Also her mum who is a sucker for all things twinkly ! One chap would shout 1,2,3 ( I suppose he said that ,it was in Malay) and everyone sent theirs up into the sky .It was great !We had a few power cuts( no connection to catapults ) during the night but it was fixed quite quickly. We also picked up our 3 kilos of laundry which cost us the grand sum of 21 ringgits ie 5 euros ...I could get used to this life!

So today we thought we'd go to the museums we hadn't seen ..the natural history , the Sarawak Museum and the fabric one. On the way there we stopped and bought some `money to burn` . Then we went to the Chinese temple to put it into an incinerator where the ashes transport it to a loved person who has passed on. I sent some to Mum .You can burn clothes and shoes ( made of paper) too but I decided money covered everything! The lady in the Temple was really welcoming and explained the whole procedure.

After that we went to the museums ,I won't go into too many details because it's difficult to describe them BUT all I can say is `they were great` although I was glad I'd seen all those taxidermined animals , reptiles and fish after going into the jungle rather than before !

In one of the museums I won a free cup of cappuccino because I was able to recite a tongue twister three times without faltering ...I have to admit it was in English and not Malay BUT they said fair's fair and I drank my winnings ! The last time I won anything was in Carrefour Chambery when I won a bottle of champagne for knowing that Sylvia Kristel starred in Emmanuelle ( my name was announced all over the car park – the price one has to pay for being knowledgeable )

We also decided to have a meal and a chat with the manager who knew of our friends Sheila and Philip and knew their son Raffy ….everyone knows Raffy !

Now we are back at Singgashana ,Patrick is having a nap and we`re going to cross the river and go for that bamboo chicken meal in a tampan ( wobbly but fun ) Tomorrow we think we`ll go to Bako national Park because we just love the proboscis monkeys....

This young man made the best ever chicken cooked in bamboo -you can see the bamboo standing to attention in the picture.   

28^th July Kota Kinabalu

                                                                            New pearl earring

So , as we are leaving for Kuching tomorrow we thought we`d go over to one of the islands to say goodbye to the beautiful fish .Alas the weather was a bit dodgy BUT Pat was itching to go so we set off on a small motor boat that hit every wave on the China sea – and there were plenty of them believe me! Unfortunately the fish were not really visible close to the shore and I wasn`t as brave as Pat and I wouldn`t go out of my depth so stayed in the shallow with all the Chinese tourists who battled against the waves. Pat saw plenty of Clown fish further out that swam right up to his mask .Anyway , the weather was really overcast so we left on the 1pm boat ..I was a bit of a drama queen re the boat ride BUT David and Jess will remember my behaviour in Greece but  this time I didn`t have David holding my hand and soothing my brow UNFORTUNATELY!

                                                           great seafood place ( prawns on the grill)

We discovered a new cafe today with a really friendly owner – we tried out a new type of coffee ( tasted like tea ice-cream) and then went back tonight for a lemon kitchai which is a sweet and sour lemon drink -there's a plum in it which tastes salty ! Anyway it`s supposed to be good for the digestion so we'll see because we`ve eaten plenty of prawns this evening (amongst other things!). Before we went there we had a meal at our favorite cafe by the seafront. They know us well now and we get a very friendly welcome and a high five ( high knuckle) from the Indonesian chef. Most of the waiters are Philippine there and there are also women selling pearls from the Philippines around the market.

                                                     ( street view of the Singapore v Malaysia match)

Tonight is the Singapore v Malaysia match for the world cup so there's plenty of atmosphere and people watching the match in cafes from the streets .

We are now back at the Pantai Inn – the staff are so nice here ( see photo) I would recommend this hotel to anyone coming to KK.     

                                     The best hotel in KK - great people :-)

27^th July - Return to Kota Kinabalu

So ,much to my great surprise the taxi came to pick us up fro m the hotel at 6.30 am to drive us down the hill and to the railway station – he didn`t seem very enthusiastic when we asked him yesterday. ( it`s such a short ride) and to be honest trudging along with two big backpacks would have been a pain .So we got to the railway station only to discover the one we wanted had broken down . We wanted to take this train in order to link up with the Beafort to Kota one and go through the rainforest on it.

SO we had to find a plan B ,which consisted of catching a bus to Kota ,ditching our stuff at a hotel ( hopefully with a free room ) and then catching a bus to Beafort and come back by train ! Are we mad ? YES ,BUT , it was dodgy weather so we couldn`t have gone to the island anyway ...or shop ! So Pat chose the transport option.

We met nice people on BUS 1 and on BUS2 watched a Malaysian film which was very tragic .We were already feeling sad when we got off the bus in Beaufort but when we saw the town we were in major depression ! Such a sorry looking place despite the friendly people . We had three hours to kill and believe me it was not easy ..we ended up lurking in grotty supermarkets . I did give an English lesson to three sweet children who followed us through the supermarket , they gave us a Malay lesson in return . Anyway , at last a very sweet ( and sparkling new) train pulled in and I was very happy to get on it.The journey ( until it got dark) was great , through the rain forest some of the time and other times beautiful countryside. The air-conditioning was working overtime in the train and everyone was hugging themselves to keep warm. There were some funny signs on the train which informed passengers that raw wet food was forbidden on the train as well as the stinky durian fruit – thank goodness because they really smell awful.

After 2.5 hours of travelling we returned here in the dark only to discover the train station was quite far outside the town.Luckily an Indonesian chap who we`d been chatting to pointed us in the right direction.I won`t bore you with details but getting back to KK involved crossing a motorway on foot ! We ended up in an amazing animal skin taxi with disco lights ( see photo) Anyway , we are now back in the hotel after eating a nice meal – my choice of restaurant so Patrick is a bit critical – tomorrow is his turn to choose so it`ll be my turn to be picky !

TENOM 24^th JULY

Well , it was my turn to give Patrick a sleepless night - I will not go on about it but let`s just say than cockroaches NOT on a weightwatchers diet and strange scratchy sounds coming from the other side of the wall played a major part – ! No , there is one more thing , at one point I woke him up after spotting another cockroach on the wall through my contact lenseless eyes . I ordered him to execute the beast toute de suite and in his sleepy state he picked up a slipper , and discovered he was killing the ventilator switch!!!

On the good side Jaylis was there promptly in the morning and drove us to Raneau as arranged but stopping on the way to cram in three members of his family. Pat was happy because they were pretty. He put us on the right bus ( another shared minibus taxi) and waved us off - he was a Godsend for sure. Thanks to him we are going a different way to Tenam ...a quicker and cheaper way ( and as it turns out safer because there is less lorry traffic) We had to wait about 20 minutes for enough passengers though, you can`t win `em all!.

We had plenty of room on the first part of the journey but for the second part we had to change minibuses at Keningau and this time it was like something out of the Guiness Book of Records I.e `how many people can you cram into a minibus `? We`re not talking big minibus we`re talking dormobile size of the same ilk as my mum and dad used for travelling around Scotland in the seventies ! Anyway we ended up being nineteen + a bottle of gas, a stove, a sack of rice and a big bag of food. We stopped in two places on the way because a woman had all this in various parts of the town . Everybody was amazingly patient and the busdriver was laughing his head off. Pat and I were crammed in to a space that even Houdini would have had a challenge to get in or out of! Anyway , the countryside was beautiful , picturesque paddy fields ( picturesque for us ,not for those working in them) with oxen and green green forests. It`s very sad because a lot of the rainforest is being chopped down and palm trees ( for oil) planted to replace them ...no homes for wildlife and for people living in the jungle.

So we finally arrived in Tenam and ,after unfolding ourselves ...creak , creak , we had something to eat in a cafe .The chap was really friendly , we seem to be the only non Malay people here and the people stop and say hello , start conversations , wave from cars and do double-takes when they see us! We took a taxi to the PERKASA hotel at the top of a hill and this is where we are now ...luckily they had a room - it`s very comfortable and we have a GORGEOUS view over the town. We walked down into town to check out the railway station stopping to have a fresh watermelon drink ( one of our new addictions)We had a good chat to the men at the railway station who were very funny indeed .

We then walked back up the hill ,it felt as if we were climbing mount Kinabalu because it was SO steep.We were dripping from the humidity and got inside just before the heavens opened up !

Tomorrow we are going to the Tenom agricultural centre which sounds boring but apparently is not at all.We`re hoping to rent bikes . I don`t know how we`re going to get there – public transport is great BUT sitting with your knees under your chin,unlike watermelon drinks, is not addictive.Pat is convinced the driver got the minibus cheap because it was used for transporting school children ( nursery school judging by the leg room ) We shall see …..in the meantime we`re going downstairs for something to eat ...yipee cos we`re starving ...AGAIN!

TENOM CONTINUED - 26^th JULY

Well , we skipped the free noodles breakfast and had scrambled egg on toast + fresh pineapple juice – what a couple of losers we are! The we set off down the steep hill for a collective taxi to the Tenam agricultural Park . The name sounds boring but the place isn`t boring at all – it`s just like the Kew Garden tropical gardens section ( in the huge greenhouse) but this one is outdoors. My sister Kirstin and friend Lou would have gone bananas ( lots of banana trees for them to go bananas on too ) Anyway , I won`t bore you with the details of flower names ,mainly because I can`t remember them BUT we had a lovely day. We were only four `guests` for 200 hectars so we had the place to ourselves .They didn`t even charge us for the bikes we rented . The staff were lovely and one even gave us a demonstration about fruit and nuts ( not Cadbury`s) There`s a fruit that when sucked for 1 minute makes everything taste sweet.We tested it on a lime which turned into an orange taste ..amazing. I think there could be a market for this for dieters and diabetics!The same woman then called up the group taxi to come and pick us up at the end (her father-in-law was the driver)

We then went to a coffee factory and bought some Tenom coffee – there`s a plantation up in the hills somewhere. We were given a coffee icecream ( homemade) that gave me brain ache BUT was delicious and worth the suffering!

We are now back in our lovely comfy room and about to go for dinner …..despite always eating we have both lost weight – must be the Chinese food and fruit juices.

We are going to take a train through the jungle and back to Kota Kinabulu tomorrow – this is the plan .We have to change trains twice which is a bit of a pain ( backpacks) of course Pat thinks this is great … Patrick Frison`s motto is `why do it the easy way` ?

Oh yes , one thing I forgot to mention is that on the ceilings of all the lodgings is an arrow pointing to the direction of Mecca ( for prayer) at first we thought they were emergency exits but most point to walls and ,as there were no pickaxes lying around, we realized ( albeit slowly) the word KIBLAT did not mean emergency exit!

A picture of the hotel garden - watch out for coconuts!