West Sumatra

The cries of ‘buleh, buleh’ followed us wherever we went in both Padang and Bukittinggi in West Sumatra. Literally it means blue eyes but it's a term the Indonesians use for all foreigners. The kids all seemed to look carefully at your eyes to see if they really were blue, though. The people of West Sumatra were very friendly and very happy we were visiting their area. They don’t really get a lot of tourists other than aging, rich surf bums (all males from what we could see) passing through to catch the monster waves of Menawati Islands.
We were visiting during Hari Raya, which signals the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting. This was probably not the best time to pick to travel in the most populous of all Muslim countries. Everyone, it seemed, was on the road heading off to visit friends and family or heading off on some vacation. The highways were very crowded and trips that should have taken us 2 hours took 4 and many restaurants and shops were closed up for the holiday. The flip side of this was that we got to see how the holiday was celebrated. On Sunday morning, the first day of Hari Raya Puasa, we watched throngs of people streaming out of the mosques as we headed from Padang to Bukittinggi. Everyone was beaming because the fast was finally over and proudly wearing the new clothes that everyone buys for the celebration. The women were all wearing the traditional headwear with long flowing dresses and the men were in their sarongs, batik shirts, fez type hats.
We arrived in Padang early on Saturday and planned a snorkeling trip with Losman Carlos. This turned out to be a bust as the boat were heading off on broke down after we barely got out of the bay. We did manage to watch the village fishermen haul in their nets and saw some beautiful scenery on the way to the beach. The island of Sumatra has a string of volcanoes(most of them active) running down it’s spine with rice field and rainforests spilling out into the ocean. All in all it is very stunning. After our misadventure on the ocean we headed back to Padang. Padang is the capital of West Sumatra and has a bit of an edge to it. Things are rather dilapidated and garbage abounds. It is right on the Indian Ocean but our walk to the beach was rather disappointing as the ocean is treated by the locals rather like a landfill site. Being the day before Hari Raya it was very busy. The holiday is much like Christmas is for us and everyone was shopping for new clothes to wear or for gifts for the children. It was a feast for the senses and we walked through crowds taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. They have these most amazing ’pimped’ up Suzuki vans called oplets which work as private buses. You can stop one at any point on the street and ask to go to your destination for very cheap. This is great but they usually pick up a dozen or more people on the way and they were all jam packed. Everyone honks their horns in Indonesia and so the streets are full of the sound of blaring horns.
Padang is known for its spicy food. We found a great seafood restaurant to eat at. When they take your order they bring out a tray full of fish, live crabs, prawns, and octopus. You pick the one you want and the style you would like to have it cooked. We grabbed a red snapper and had it grilled with coconut sauce. Delicious!! Everything has a kick to it in Padang and so we had to cool things off with a couple bottles of Bintang.
We hired a car and driver to take us to Bukittinggi the following morning. Self-drive is not really recommended in Indonesia and it is easy to see why once you are on the road. Everything is optional; using lanes, stopping at red lights, and other rules of the road we follow at home are considered only suggestions here. It would be rather nerve-racking to try this on your own. Attempting to navigate the road system and find your way from point A to point B would drive most folks to suicide. Hiring a really nice car and driver for the day comes to a grand total of about $40 and so is a much more sane option.
The drive to Bukittinggi was beautiful. Being in the mountains it was much cooler here. We spent the day exploring the town with a little side trip to a small village of silversmiths. The main square in Bukittinggi was packed with the holiday crowd. The Dutch were the colonial masters of Indonesia and many of the building around the town reflected a Dutch style with shuttered windows and bright colored paint. The square boasts a Dutch clock. We walked to the zoo for a quick visit but it was a rather sad affair with animals caged in very confined areas. We found that we became an attraction as popular as the animals as people kept asking us to have their picture taken with their families. (Buleh, buleh) We also had a tour through the Japanese caves. The Japanese built an elaborate system of caves here (I should say made the Indonesians build). No one is really sure of the purpose but they did this all over lands they occupied in South-East Asia during the Second World War. The Japanese still are not too popular with the Indonesians as a result. When we asked directions to the caves they would draw their fingers across their throats in bayonet fashion and then spit on the ground. The Japanese killed all the labourers who built the caves after they were completed so the ‘secret of the caves’ would not get out.

The architecture in West Sumatra is quite incredible. The traditional homes were built with roofs that were to represent the horns of the water buffalo. Many of the government buildings in Padang were built in that style but in Bukittinggi many homes and other buildings also used this design. The people of the area are Minangkabau and have a strong cultural heritage. The clans are matriarchic which seems to go against what most Muslims practice but they have blended the two heritages quite well.
On Monday we hired another driver and went to Lake Minanjau. The lake is a crater lake. Descending to it was spectacular. There are 44 hairpin curves to navigate and the roads are really narrow. According to our driver there usually are no other cars on the road but during Hari Raya it was packed. At the lake we hired bikes and pedaled off on a very quiet road. Winding through small villages and rice fields was very peaceful. We only wished that we were able to spend more time there. We did have a nice lunch on the shore of the lake. The owner of the restaurant is also a guide. He heads up wild boar hunts in the jungle. I just added that to my ‘bucket list’. Hunting wild boar in the jungles of West Sumatra seems like an adventure that can’t be passed by. We went back to Padang that evening in order to catch our flight back to KL the next morning.
We have a three day work week this week and we both wish they were all like this. We’re off to a Black-Eyed Peas concert on Friday(who the heck are they anyway?), we have a dodge ball tournament on Saturday, and a tennis match with folks from the Canadian Association of Malaysia on Sunday. Next week Maureen is off to Terrangannu with the Grade 9 students for their Malaysian Studies trip. On Friday of next week she will also head to Hong Kong to meet Shirley Neil. Shirley is coming to join us for October and on our 10 day trip to Vietnam over the fall break. Never a dull moment.

Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai is in northern Thailand. Maureen and I took our 'personal' day off of school on August 21st and headed there with Maureen's sister and Len. We stayed the weekend while they lingered on for a bit more before heading down to Bangkok for a visit there.
Chiang Mai is an ancient town and regional headquarters. The central city is surrounded by a moat and there still are remnants of the walls around the city and grand gates to enter it by. Most people go to Chiang Mai for a short visit to the city and then to head off into the country-side to trek or have some adventures with elephants and other such things. We spent the weekend exploring the city and some of the hundreds of wats or Buddhist temples in the city. The grandest wat of all, Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, is situated on a hillside some 15 kilometers out of the city. Legend has it that around 1300 the builders sent an elephant off with a Buddha strapped on it's back and chose the site when the elephant stopped at this point and died. The site apparently does offer some wonderful views of the city and countryside. Unfortunately the weather was rather socked in for our visit and we couldn't see to much. The temple though was amazing and we spent a long time exploring and viewing.
Another highlight of Chiang Mai is it's markets. They have a night market that sells many local hill tribe crafts as well as thousands of other trinkets that can be found all over South-East Asia (I think we have one of each of them by now). Shopping and the food were both great. We stuck to Thai food although the first night we ate in a British pub style place. Most of the tourists around us were gobbling down french fries but that seemed sacrilegious to us. The food where ever we ate was incredible.
We left Jan and Len in Chiang Mai and headed back to KL to work. They continued to have great adventures both there and in Bangkok. After there return to KL and pretty well one month after there arrival they returned to Vancouver. The time certainly flew by quickly and it is hard to believe that one month of work has also gone by. 9 more to go in this school year.
We are back into our schedules here. I have started coaching soccer this week. We still manage to get out to play some tennis a couple times a week. Maureen starts her coaching later on in the year but will be heading off with a group of students on a Habitat for Humanity project to Borneo for a week. In the mean time she keeps the social schedule busy. We're off to some grand opening of some club downtown on Thursday with folks way younger than us and Saturday, I think she has us lined up for two events. Somethings never change.

Kids dressed up in traditional costumes at the entrance to wats. Helping with the family income.



Umbrella maker we saw at factory we visited. How could you not buy one?

Monks in prayer and meditation.

Back in Malaysia

We're back!! It is always hard to figure out where the time goes over summer. This year things went by faster than usual. We were finished school on the 5th of June. We hung around KL for a bit after school ended enjoying the quiet time. While were in 'tax jail' we did manage to fit in two trips. The first was to Bali where we spent 6 days and confirmed our love for the place, pledging that it will be our 'winter retreat' once we retire. After a few days of packing up back in KL we headed off to the Perhentian Islands in north-east Malaysia. The Perhentian's are absolutely spectacular and we enjoyed the beach and the snorkeling that is second to none. After returning to Kuala Lumpur we spend a hurried few days moving out of our old condo, putting our belongings in storage, and packing up for our trip home.
We returned to Canada as soon as we could, which was July 2nd. The time home really was too short as we needed to return to work on July 30. We did enjoy touching base though with friends and, of course, seeing Cole, Alana, and Pedja as well as most of the rest of our families. Nelson is uniquely beautiful and going back confirmed it as our home.
We arrived back in KL on July 29. We got in about 3 in the afternoon and spend until the wee hours unpacking our things and moving into the new condo(see the view from new condo above). We started work the following day. We had two days of meetings which we were able to sleep through easily enough. On Saturday August 1st Maureen's sister Jan and her husband Len arrived for their month holiday in SE Asia. The next week was spent working during the day and touring around the country-side in the evening. We managed to pack in seeing the fireflies at Kuala Selangor, watching the sunset and the lights come on at Petronas Towers from the Skybar, and other things I can't even remember now. Jan and Len joined us at the big 'back to school bash' on the first Friday of school. They got to see how the MKIS family of teachers have fun together. We got up early the following morning, Saturday, and headed off to Malacca for the day. We got to show them around our favourite get away close to KL, a two hour drive away. We then saw Jan and Len off to Bali the next day. Moe and Jan in front of one of the Chinese Nonya guild halls.

We spent last week recouperating and settling into our jobs at school. I'm teaching Grade 5 again and have a great bunch of kids. Maureen is teaching Grade 9 PE and Health. She is much more comfortable in this position and enjoying the challenge of teaching a rather talented group of kids.
We spent this past weekend busy again. Last year Maureen had volunteered to look after a couple kids of some fellow teachers once a month and they took us up on the offer. They came home with us Friday after school and they kept us busy as only a 4 and 8 year could do. We did have a party in our condo complex to go to in the evening so we had to get a babysister for a while. Too funny!!! The next morning Maureen ditched me with the kids and took off for a climbing course at Camp 5. (Check it out at http://www.camp5.com) I did manage to equip myself with gear from MEC in Vancouver so I can climb there this year and Maureen did want to take a course to use as part of her PE program at school climbing wall and to also join me once in awhile at Camp 5. The kids were picked up in the early afternoon. I spent the rest of the day resting while Maureen managed the energy to head off to a wine tasting event with some other teachers in downtown KL.Yahoo!!
Maureen at the bouldering part of Camp 5.

I headed out to the airport late that evening to pick up Maureen's sister and husband. Their plane was delayed, of course, and we ended up not getting back home until about 2 am. We spent a lazy Sunday, had some friends over for dinner, and then saw them off again early in the morning as Jan and Len headed to the Perhentians.
Next Friday starts the first of many trips we have planned this year. We have taken our 'personal' day from school and are heading to Chiang Mai with Len and Jan for the weekend. We have also booked 4 days in Padang, West Sumatra in September, 10 days in Vietnam with Shirley Neil in October, and a long weekend in Siem Reap, Cambodia in November. Alana is joining us at Christmas time and depending on when she is able to get hereafter UBC exams. we will be off somewhere during this holiday

End of the school year

Well, the first year is now over. The past few weeks were as busy as any end of the year could be, with a seemingly endless amount of report writing, portfolio preparation and presentations, field days, field trips and good-byes. The good-byes have occupied quite a bit of time lately. The school has a typical turnover of 30% of its teachers and students and so we have said or are saying good-bye to some new found friends, hoping that we will stumble into them again at some point along our journey. They are all good people and we hate to see any of them leave.
It has been quite nice taking things easy for the past few days and actually being relaxed in KL for the first time. We've been out to brunch twice and ate way too much both times. Both venues were downtown and I think I am at the point where I can drive to the centre of the city without my GPS, something unfathomable even a few months ago. We've also cranked up the tennis playing and have managed to get a set a day for the past few days.
It has been hot however. We moved our plants over to some friends so that would be watered over the holidays and even that little bit of exercise left me drenched. If sweating gets rid of toxins, Maureen and I have been well cleansed over the past year.
We leave on Thursday for Bali. We are allowed 6 more days out of Malaysia to comply with their tax laws. When I found this out a few months ago I immediately got on the Air Asia web site and managed to nab seats to Bali for about $4 return each for us (taxes and other fees in the total is $70CAD for both of us). There is no better place on earth than Bali to escape for our last reprieve from 'Malaysian tax jail'. After we return we are packing up to move apartments. We found something in the same complex for less $$. We lose our fantastic view but gain in other ways, primarily with a kitchen where Maureen will be actually able to cook in. The packing will be short lived however as we leave a few days after our return for the Perhentians, a group of islands in the South China Sea not far from Thailand. According to all reports these are the gem of Peninsular Malaysia and we will spend a week there relaxing and snorkeling before our flight back to Canada on July 2nd.

Tapirs to Penang

A tapir at the sanctuary, one of the stops on the Grade 5 field trip.

The past few weeks have flown by as we knew they would as we approach the end of the school year. Every thing gets more frenetic as the year begins to come to end. Definitely no ‘winding down’ only a quickened pace followed(June 6) by a dead stop. I’ll work backwards to the last blog entry.
I’m sitting on a ‘school bus’ right now on our way home from Penang. One thing about Malaysia and some other countries is that bus travel is a far sight better than home. Reclining seats, TV, clean and comfortable, we even have our own ‘tour guide’ on board (although I really haven’t quite figured out his role yet other than keep the driver company). We went to Penang for a tournament with Maureen’s Jr. boys basketball team. A male chaperone was needed and I got the call. I guess there are some advantages to having both of us at the same school. The school hosting the tournament is located right on the ocean and so the setting was quite spectacular. We even managed to sneak into visit into Georgetown, Malaysia’s first UNESCO World Heritage site.
We spent just enough time to realize that we need to come back for a longer and closer look.
The architecture, colours on the streets, and shops are a feast for the eyes in Georgetown.

School has been and will continue to be busy with end of the year concerts, ceremonies, student led conference prep, report card writing, fun day planning etc., etc.. One reality of an international school is that it becomes a focal point for students, their families, and staff as one place of belonging in a city and culture so different and far away from our own families, friends, and familiarity. As a result many things are planned, celebrated, and well attended. While we don’t catch everything we do make it to most events.
We have managed to establish a couple nice regular interludes during the week. After our weekly Wednesday staff meeting we try to head out for dinner with our friends, Christian, Cindy, and Laura. We’ve also been getting in a regular tennis match with Melanie and Malcolm. The games are quite competitive and the level of play is improving as we are now playing on a regular basis.
Last weekend was relatively quiet for us. We hosted Geoff Bullen and his girl friend, Mazi, on their lay-over from Indonesia to Thailand. Friday night we headed out with them to listen to one of our teachers’ bands play its last gig. Tricia has landed a job in Madrid and will heading off as soon as school ends in June. On Saturday night we prepared a ‘home cooked’ meal for our guests and watched a movie. I let Maureen spend Mother's Day going the a ballet with some friends. I couldn't get too excited about seeing 'Men in Tutus'.

Maureen and Laura cavorting with the dancers from 'Men in Tutus'.

The weekend before this was the Malaysian Labour Day weekend and we headed off to Kapas Island again to enjoy the beach and snorkeling. We stayed at the Dutch resort again and I’m sure we came home a few pounds heavier after enjoying a few days of Sylvie’s cooking. On the trip home we found out why it isn’t such a good idea to travel out of the city on a civic long weekend. We ended up in a traffic jam about 150 kilometers out of the city and had to settle for 40 kph crawl back home at that point.The walkway to the snorkeling beach at Kapas. The island in the distance is called Gem Island.

The week before the trip to Kapas we took 80 Grade 5's on an overnight trip. We visited an orchard, tapir sanctuary, rice farm, watched the fireflies, hiked in a mangrove reserve, and visited a traditional fishing village. The kids had a blast kite flying and fishing. Everything was busy and chaotic as only elementary field trips can be but we all had safe and fun trip.
Checking out the dragon fruit on the orchard tour.
Kite flying was a rather chaotic event. 80 kids running down a narrow little road trying to get their kites up. Amazingly most did.
Fishing in the 'crick'. The kids caught dozens of little 2 to 3 inchers (the same ones again and again, I think) and had a ball.

Mari Makan

The Japanese table at Mari Makan.

The past few weeks have been jammed packed. The weekends have been so busy that going back to work has provided a bit of a rest.
The weekend after spring break brought the MKIS Road Rally. Part of the requirements of the theme was to dress like a rock band and so we joined up with Chris, Cindy and Laura and roared all over our section of KL in garb to represent the 'Beach Toys'. We had to find various business locations and then either perform some sort of weird task or gather a bit of obscure information. We ended up at a pasta/pasta restaurant for a great meal. Chris is quite a good singer/songwriter and our team got extra points for our song 'Durian' (a la Barbaran). Durian is a fruit that is sold on the streets. The Malaysians see it as a delicacy but the rest of the world can't take the smell of it. It literally turns stomachs.

Oh Durian, my Durian
You got me belchin' and a retchin'

You get the drift, I'm sure.

Last weekend we kept busy on both Friday and Saturday. Friday night we went to a wine tasting event put on by one of the Australian importers and organized by someone from our school. For a small fee we got to try a number of Australian wines and eat their appies. After a while at this event we grabbed a cab downtown to a fundraising event at one of the clubs. Steve's band, the husband of the drama teacher at our school, has hosted a 'Rockin for the Environment' night for the last 4 years. So we thought we would support them and the orangutans. His band, Benchmarks, (educators can easily guess where that name comes from) opened with some classic cover tunes as well as some good original numbers. The feature act that played later was some sort rap/heavy metal combination that quickly drove us old folks home.
A parent of one of Maureen's basketball players had been after us to join the Canadian Association of Malaysia for some time. We did and last Saturday was the group's AGM. It was fancy kind of affair held at the Canadian High Commissioner's house. We went and managed to avoid getting roped in for any kind of post but did take advantage of the refreshments after. It was nice meeting fellow Canadians. Most are Calgarians who work for oil companies but there were a smattering of others either working for mining companies or Bombardier or other Canadian manufacturers placed in Malaysia in various support roles.
This weekend we were also busy with activities. The highlight of the past few weeks occurred this past Friday at the school. It was called Mari Makan (literally translated as sit eat). Each country, with a sizable representation, set up a table with food from their country for a mega-pot-luck meal. The displays and food were incredible. The Canadians set up a table and served up pancakes with real whip cream, blueberries, strawberries, and maple sryup. It was simple faire compared to what most others were serving but was well recieved judging from the line up. Maureen and I had a turn at flipping pancakes and serving up the food. After the meal the party got into full swing. The Latin American contingent got the dancing going with their salsas and other latino dances. The moment they let things slow down a bit the Indians got the Bollywood dancing going. It seemed like each group had a go at leading for a bit. The New Zealand group got the prize for longevity as they managed to outlast everyone else and stayed around long enough to see the sunrise.
Yesterday we played in a slo-pitch game against the Americans. Bad choice, they think the game is a real sport. All in all it was a lot of fun even though the heat was almost overwhelming and the score was rather one sided. It hasn't rained for a few days and the heat has started to build as a result. We were totally drenched in sweat playing and consumed copious amounts of water. They had managed to find a sponsor for the event, so uniforms and water bottles and other things were all supplied. After the game we went to a restaurant (after we showered for the 4th time that day) which had offered to sponsor a dinner for the Canadians. Who could turn down such an offer? The food and company were great.
Tomorrow we are both heading off on an overnight trip with all the Grade 5 students from our school. There are 80 of them. I'll let you know how we made out in our next posting.
This was the Chinese table at Mari Makan. Altogther there were 15 different tables set up.





Mari Makan Bollywood dancing.

Mid Term Break

This is a rather long post but I broken it into 3 sections that can be perused independently.

Mid Term Break

I’m not sure whether the word break actually applies here. We kept busy over the last week and half. We started off on Tuesday, March 23rd heading off to Kota Kinabalu in the Borneo Malaysian state of Sabah for a teachers’ conference called EARCOS. After filling our heads, we set off to exercise our bodies by climbing Mt. Kinabalu, the highest peak in South-East Asia. We knew we would need a rest after that and so then we headed to an island off of East Borneo called Lankayan to relax on the beach, snorkel, and turtle watch.

EARCOS

This is an acronym for East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools. There were about 1200 educators from all over South-East Asia attending the conference. All in all it was an impressive affair in a gorgeous setting, Sutera Harbor Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo. We arrived a day early to take part in a pre-conference training session hosted by WASC, an accreditation body sponsored by the University of California. Many of the international schools throughout the world gain their accreditation and thereby credibility through WASC. We trained on how to participate in an accreditation visit to other schools. Besides this, Maureen and I both attended some good practical sessions through-out the three days of the conference but the highlight by far were the keynote speakers. The conference had an environmental theme (the name of which escapes me right now), with a focus on sustainability, stewardship, and educating ‘global citizens’.
All three speakers over the course of the three days had a message of hope regarding the environment.
The first was Alan Atkinson, author of Global Citizen and Believing Cassandra. He spoke on how the defining characteristic of our time has been exponential growth. He described two possible outcomes of this, either overshoot and collapse or working towards sustainability. He then went on to outline examples of how we have worked towards developing sustainability.
On the second day William Lishman spoke. William is a the Ontario native who was portrayed in the movie Fly Away Home. He was a fascinating speaker who basically gave his biography He started telling about growing up in rural Ontario as a child, with what he later learned to be ADD and dyslexia and how this led to him eventually becoming a renowned sculptor, inventor, and environmentalist.
The speaker I enjoyed the most spoke on the third day. His name was John Lui. John has worked with many countries on major rehabilitation projects. He gave a great message of hope. He showed how the Chinese government has transformed large sections of the Loess Plateau from barren, deforested, dust bowls into rich, fertile, productive land. He demonstrated how by designating ecological land and agricultural land they have not only increased productivity but created a CO2 sink. His message was that ‘we left the garden when we reduced biodiversity’, and that the future for everyone will be determined by creating functional eco-systems based on appropriate land use.
Part of the MKIS crew at EARCOS.



One of the biggest benefits of attending the conference was meeting educators from all over Asia and being able to share experiences with colleagues from our own school. Besides the sessions there were two social gatherings with plenty of good food and an open bar (now that doesn’t happen in BC). At the closing social on Saturday night we were entertained by number of teacher bands(rock) from various schools. They were all quite good and got the crowd dancing until the wee hours of the morning.

Here is a clip of one of the bands that played the guy hopping around Steve is from KL and married to one of the teachers at our school.


Mt. Kinabalu

You can see Mt. Kinabalu from Kota Kinabalu, towering in the distance some 60 kilometers away, if you look to the east in the early morning. By noon the mountain is shrouded in clouds and invisible. Even from this distance it’s 13,500 ft., is an impressive and formidable sight. It is the tallest peak in South-East Asia and climbing it has become sort of a right of passage by locals and tourists alike. Since we were in the area Maureen and I had to find out what all the fuss was about.
The first recorded ascent of the mountain was in 1851 by British explorer Lowe. His biggest challenge lay in the journey through the jungle from Kota Kinabalu. Now there is a highway that runs by the park headquarters and is the starting point for the 150 or so climbers that make the ascent every day. Maureen and I got a ride to the park headquarters on Sunday from our friends from Mont’ Kiara School, Chris and Cindy Blessing. They had rented a car for their adventure in Borneo.
Everyone is required to hire a guide to assist them on their climb up the mountain. This does help support the local economy and makes sure some of the $ spent by climbers ends up in the hands of locals. Our guide’s name was Peter and he was a great source of encouragement and information on our hike. The hike for most mortals is a two day affair. The first day is spent hiking 6 kilometers up to a lodge area called Laban Rata at about 3000 meters up the mountain. The park headquarters is at about 1500 meters and so the trail is rather steep. They have put many steps into hillside to assist on the climb but these are at random heights and some were quite high. Maureen felt as though she had done the equivalent of a year’s worth of Pulpit Rock climbing by the end and had fulfilled her yearly quota of ascent.The top picture is of Peter, our guide, and a porter. We are near base camp and you can see the mist has rolled in. We managed to miss the rain but those behind us came up soaking wet. The bottom one is of the base camp lodge, Laban Rata, with Lowes' Peak in the background.


We were the first climbers to leave the HQ in the morning and so had a quiet and enjoyable start to our journey. The lodge at the top has no road access and is supplied only by local porters who get RM3 per kilogram ($1CAD) they carry. After our first 2 kilometers into the trip the first of them began to pass us heading up the hill with incredible loads of full propane tanks, cases of beverages, and supplies of all sorts to equip a lodge servicing about 170 people each night. Our guide would point out different details about each one. One was the Malaysian marathon champion, while one was the light heavyweight bodybuilding champion of Malaysia, both combining the portering job with training. Most however, were villagers trying to earn a living At about 3 kilometers we began to meet the first of the climbers descending the mountain. The fittest were first followed slowly by climbers of all shapes and sizes from all corners of the earth but predominantly Asians. We met three teachers from our school descending at different intervals. Meeting one of my Grade 5 teaching partners was enough to inspire both of us to continue. At 66 years old she was both an impetus and a motivation. At about kilometer 5 the effects of the altitude began to take hold and we found that we could only hike at a very slow pace with frequent rests. As fate would have it the trail took an abrupt sharp upwards pitch at the same time.
We arrived at the lodge a little after noon. The timing was perfect. There were only a few climbers ahead of us so we were able to have a hot shower and nap before most of the hustle and bustle began with other climbers arriving. It was rather quite amazing the spread that was put out before us for our evening meal considering the manner in which everything arrived at the hill. They provided a great buffet and we spent a short evening chatting with other climbers and playing Scrabble.
Our final ascent began the next morning at 2:30 am. We skipped the 2:00 am breakfast, the thought greasy eggs and chicken sausage before the climb made us nauseous. During this last section of the climb they have anchored rope down to use both as a guide to the top and for support on the higher pitches. It is, of course, dark at this time and it was a surreal sight to see the line of headlamps both in front and behind us as we began our ascent. I guess we had acclimatized to the altitude overnight as we discovered we were able to climb at a quicker pace than the day before and we found that we were passing most of our fellow hikers. Unfortunately our pace was too quick and we arrived at the top about 50 minutes before sunrise. For the first time since we have arrived in Malaysia we were absolutely freezing. The wind howled like crazy and we sheltered, shivering with cold, as well as we could in the hollow of some rocks. When the sun did peak above the horizon we were greeted with a spectacular sight of mountains and colour. We took pictures and enjoyed the view for about 30 minutes before we began our descent. It is best to get off the mountain before the rising tropical air condenses on the cold granite of the mountain and the clouds begin to form and the rain starts to fall. The trip down was perhaps more difficult than the trip up. It was very long and steep and we no longer had anything to look forward to but the end. We returned to KK that evening and headed straight away for a massage. This momentarily relieved the pain but three days later we were still walking down stairs sideways and moaning and groaning with each little movement. The calves and quads have never been as tight.

Lankayan Island

The description ‘tropical paradise‘ may be a little cliché but I‘m not sure how else to describe it. It is a jewel set in the ocean surrounded by coral reefs and is a Mecca for divers.
The morning after our hike we flew from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan on the east side of Sabah, Borneo. Lankayan is an hour and half boat ride from Sandakan. The water was a little rough and I kept getting meaningful grimaces from Maureen as we bounced along endlessly over the waves in the Sulu Sea. Lankayan Island is combination turtle research station, military outpost, and resort. It is in the Sugud Island Marine Conservation Area and the resort supports the funding for the turtle research that goes on here. The military base is located in the centre of the island and basically is there to keep an eye on Malaysian territorial waters as the Philippines Islands are not far away. Unfortunately some of the Filipino fishermen have a bad habit of discharging dynamite to make gathering fish a little easier. Understandably the Malaysian don’t really think this is a good idea in their designated conservation area.
The resort consists of 15 waterfront chalets, a jetty with a dive headquarters, a combined research/interpretation center, and a restaurant-meeting area. They have worked hard to make the resort eco-friendly and sustainable. The resort is beautiful but it is the setting that is dazzling. The island has palms and coconut trees lining the beach. A walk around the island takes a little less than half and hour. The water that surrounds the island is an azure blue stretching to the coral reef which surrounds the island. Sitting on our deck we saw giant green turtles and black-finned sharks swim by. (Apparently the sharks are the friendly kind.) On our first evening here we saw a release of 85 baby turtles into the sea and later that night we got to watch a mother turtle lay her 70+ eggs. The snorkeling was amazing. There is a vast diversity of fish ranging in all shapes, neon colors, and sizes. While snorkeling we saw sharks, eels, and followed giant turtles.
The best part of being there was that we were totally isolated from everything else. We had little else to do besides snorkel, read, and, regrettably, eat. Thanks to our Swedish contacts at school we became immersed in reading the ‘Millennium’ series by Stieg Larsson. We can hardly wait until the third book is translated into English. Listening to the surf crash on the beach and watching sunsets were the highlights of each day.
The resort set up an inclusive package for us and on the way home we were able to visit the Orangutan Sanctuary in Sepilok. We managed to catch a couple of the orangutans at the feeding station. This just whet our appetite for jungle cruising on our next visit to Borneo to see them in the wild.
View from the deck of our chalet.Turtle release. It was incredible how fast they scrambled off to the ocean and swam away.