Hanging around in Borneo
Thursday, 10 March 2005
Just thought I'd go for an update on what's actually been happening since the immortal Bako mission.
Since then Catherine's been out of action and pretty much unable to move anywhere very far at all so have been mainly hanging around in Kuching. We have however managed to eek a bit of fun out of the place regardless.
First off, we had a spectacular piss up in the local bar the night before Daz left which was really entertaining. We drank much Tiger while the DJ did perverse mixing of Hip Hop, The Cranberries, Maroon 5 and Baby D on some CD decks. He seemed quite accomplished in a weird way but his style was pretty "off the wall". I christened him DJ Shuffle for his amazing ability to play tunes in a completely unexpected and random order. He played Kriss Kross and Vanilla Ice though and we all lept around doing over enthusiastic sitting down hip hop dancing and shouting the words. Well, I did. I think it's inevitable that if you have me, add booze and then some cheesey hip hop you get me shouting all the words at the top of my voice. It's all very cultured.
Catherine, even though only on one leg. Got up and had a boogie and gain a round of applause from all the locals which was quite amusing and we had a bit of a boogie with some Japanese girls that were in attendance. All in all an amusing mission. The Kuchingians know how to rock, I must say.
The next day we did nothing. Daz somehow made it onto a plane in the early morning. We didn't make it off the street that day.
Following that, myself and Rachel took ourselves off to a national park, they name of which I have forgotten, to see the Rafflesia. This is the biggest flower in the world apparently and is about a metre in diameter. It turned out that there weren't any flowering on the day but we wondered around on a nice safe walkway through some good jungle. we took 2 hours to walk 600 metres.
This time we weren't taking any chances. We just couldn't afford to lose another man to this jungle menace.
We managed to see some crazy mad insects, some squirrel-like animals and one of the Rafflesia buds that were about to flower which was the size of a football even then. No snakes though so we were a bit dissappointed. Rachel, discusted at the lack of snake action left to the mainland to go diving.
Yesterday, me and Catherine made it out to a Biduyah longhouse village in the jungle. Longhouses are great huge massive building on stilts that traditionally house a whole village worth of people. They all stay in one massive communal sleeping area. Imagine the hardcore arguements that would arise....There could be about 120 familes in one of these bitches!!
Nowadays, a Biduyah longhouse is more like a whole village on stilts made primarily out of corrigated iron which sounds like a monstrousity but it's actually quite impressive. We had a wonder round and gawped at the village people going about their normal lives and they gawped back. There was a dude who sat on a mat with a big bottle of the seemingly ubiquitous tribal spirit. There hasn't been one tribe or village in Asia that we have visited that doesn't have it's own hideous spirit that they make you try. It seems it's mandatory. You need a ctherdral to be a city, you need your own tribal spirit to be a tribe. That's the way it works.
Anyway, this dude's job seemed to be to offer any visitors so of the tribal booze but there was a ritual, so he said, where he had to have a shot first before giving you some. He was well bleary-eyed. It was only 11 o'Clock in the morning. What a job eh? The spirit was actually not bad though.
So, that's us for now. We are moving to Kuala Lumpur again tomorrow and we think we have managed to find a hotel with rooms on the ground floor. Trouble is this mission involves carrying two, three stone backpacks myself. Hopefully I will avoid a hernia. More new later!
In the meantime, I've just lobbed up a set of recent photos from Borneo. Have a look at this incredible great picture of rachel...erm, sorry Rach, I couldn't resist.
15th March we fly to Australia for some full on western action. I can't wait for a sandwich...
On March 11, 2005, Helen said:
Surely Dan, you are now a honed, tanned beast of a man who would have no difficulty in carrying your lovely lady and two backpacks to your room.
You want to watch out for bowel disasters in Australia. You'll get all blazee that you are on western soil once more and then make a terrible mistake with a dodgy kangaroo burger. Watch out for the tucker - it's wiley.