Friday November 2

Today is output last day, we are ready to come home . . . I am dreaming of my own bed. Twenty-eight days on the go, we are ready for a rest. We spent a couple of hours this morning in Ubud, looked at the shops, sat and had a nice coffee. I have a massage booked at the hotel for this afternoon, we all go out for our last group dinner and we go straight from there to the airport,with another couple from Toronto. Our flight departs at 12:30 am. Everyone else leaves tomorrow. We fly to Seoul and then Toronto, we gain 12 hours back so we leave Seoul at 10:30 am and arrive back in Toronto the same time. It will be a long day. Signing off from Indonesia, oh where will we go to next??????

Thursday November 1

We left Lovina today, and first stop was a Buddist monastery (Brahma Arama Vihara). It is the most important Buddist monastery in Bali, it isn't a tourist site but they accept 'respectful visitors'. It was a fairly large place, I don't think we saw it all as no monks were spotted! I bought myself a tee shirt here, at $7.50 it was a good deal. Next was a photo stop for photos of the rice terraces at Pupuan, we'd seen terraces previously but these were larger. We carried on until we reached the ocean temple at Tanah Lot, it is in an unusual site, on top of a huge rock surrounded by the sea at high tide. We had lunch and a wander around the town, there was a three-day festival happening so lots of locals around. We continued on to Ubud for our last two nights - for us it is technically only one more night as our flight is at 12:30 in the morning!

Wednesday October 31

Early to rise this morning, about half the group went on the early morning boat excursion to see the dolphins. We all set off with sleepy eyes, out to the reef where the dolphins frequent. We got out to the reef and there were a lot of boats, it is not high season right now so goodness knows how many boats are there then! We saw dolphins twice, about 3 or 4 at a time, but they didn't hang around. Once they were spotted boats raced to get near them, it felt like we were getting in their space, I wasn't comfortable with it at all. We will just put this one down as an experience best not repeated.
We headed back to the hotel for breakfast and a shower before setting off for the day. First stop was the Gitgit Falls, a 197 foot waterfall, we had about a 20 minute walk mostly down steps to reach the bottom. Next was Lake Bratan where we visited another Hindu temple and the local market, with produce and spices.

Tuesday October 30

We had our last breakfast at our lovely hotel this morning and just before we finished eating it started raining. It was a steady downpour and the wait staff were quickly rescuing chair cushions from the (fully) outside tables. It only lasted about 15 minutes and cooled things down by about 1 degree C. Our first stop of the day was Penglipuran, a unique village. It reminded us of a suburban street, with lots of little houses, all with street numbers - this was quite different from other homes we'd seen. The lots were very narrow but went a long ways back. There were entrance gates and a garden wall across the front, then an open air covered area for lazing around during the day or (strangely enough) placing the body (for a couple of days) when someone dies, before they cremate it. Next was another small building with sleeping rooms, much like ours. Then there was an open air kitchen and some storage areas, next was the livestock. We saw about 4 chickens in bamboo type cages, who got very excited and the cages rolled over and off a shelf onto the floor, they still kept squawking! Then there was a building with pigs of various ages, and beyond that was land used for growing stuff. The front gardens all consist of shrines to various gods where they leave offerings. The most common are for protection, health, prosperity, success, etc.
Next was a lunch stop at Kintamani overlooking Mt. Batur (a volcano), then we moved on to Beji Temple. Final stop was our hotel at Lovina, on the beach on the northeastern side of the island. We went out for dinner to a restaurant on the beach, which was two minutes from the hotel. We retired early as we are meeting at 5:50 in the morning for a boat trip to (hopefully) see the dolphins.

Monday October 29

After a nice leisurely breakfast, watching the waves come in, we set off for a days exploring. It may be a bit cooler here (29C), but it is more humid so it feels hotter. First stop was the ancient law courts at Klung Kung. These buildings are all open (no sides), due to the temperatures here. Klung Kung was the oldest kingdom on the island, the law courts are 18th century. Second stop was the temple complex at Besakih where we weren't allowed inside, but we walked up the 1,000 year old steps to the gate and up and down lane ways surrounding it. It was easy to see inside from our walk. There was a main courtyard and many shrines and places for offerings, a big part of Balinese culture. Every district of the island maintains its own temple within the complex. Next up was lunch, at Maha Giri, which overlooked Mount Agung (a volcano) and some beautiful countryside with terraced rice padi's. We had a nice buffet before we continued on to our next stop, the village of Tenganan. Before we got there, we noticed a lot of activity at a temple complex and our guide went to see if they would let us in to watch. They agreed and he told us we were very lucky as it is quite rare to see this (once every 25 years). It was a five day event, all the locals were there, dressed up and making offerings to bless the water and it was particularly special due to a full moon. The villagers were just as curious about us, and Ian and I stood and talked with a young couple and their two children. The boy was 11 months old and hung on to Ian's finger, he was falling asleep but hung on anyway. The little girl was almost 4 and was quite shy until coaxed by her father to tell us her name. We were also introduced to the parents and in-laws who came over to see what was going on. Our hotel was only 10 minutes from this village and the young woman was originally from there. The little girl blew us kisses when they left. We mingled with everyone and had a good look around. The musicians were all guys and were letting the young guys have a go too. The women carried the elaborate offerings (various fruits, cooked flattened chickens, and candy) on their heads. When they left they took the offerings home, some were carried by three men, or one woman (on her head), so we cheered the women to indicate our amazement, they all laughed including the men. We all had a great time and felt so lucky that we were allowed to get close and see it.
We left and continued on for a look around Tenganan, which was an old, simple village with some craft shops, then back to the hotel.
We went out to a local place for dinner, we had several dishes of traditional Balinese food to try, all were good, followed by a local dessert of fried bananas, a coconut dish and ice cream.

Sunday October 28

We left Yogyakarta this morning and flew to Denpasar, Bali, our last Indonesian island. The flight was less than an hour. Can't believe we have only 5 touring days left. First impressions are that Bali is more prosperous, cleaner, and beautiful than we've seen so far. It is Indonesia's largest tourist destination and the biggest difference is that it is 93% Balinese Hindu, so not as much Islam here. Our first stop was a drive to Ulu Watu where we saw an open air temple on a hill with beautiful coastal vistas.
Lovely golden beaches and turquoise water. Lots of mischievous monkeys who steal people's glasses, sandals, hats - whatever they can snatch. They will only drop them if you give them food, apparently they like eggs! Next stop was lunch in a restaurant on the beach, where we tried a new beer - Bali hai, we decided to stick with Bintang instead. We drove on until we reached our destination for the next two nights, Candidasa. Our hotel is right on the beach, we could hear the waves crashing while we ate dinner. The rooms are very nice, there is a peaceful calmness, the bathrooms are spa-like with huge walk-in showers.

Saturday October 27

We visited another Unesco site today - Prambanan - the largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia. It is approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta, it wasn't as crowded as yesterday but was just as hot (36C). There is nothing else like sweat dripping down your back and face for hours to work up a thirst for a cold beer! Prambanan was built around AD 850. We then drove back to Jogjakarta and went to the Sultan's Palace, we weren't allowed into part of the palace because the current Sultan lives there. Lots of small buildings with historical items and gifts. There was also a puppet show being performed behind a lit screen, it was more interesting to see the action behind the screen such as the musicians. Next on the schedule was the Water Castle where the Sultan and his wives and children would enjoy the waters (baths). We had lunch and then visited a workshop and showroom for batik fabrics, then a quick walk through the bird market were various animals and insects were offered for sale. Dinner was at an old farmhouse, now restaurant, where we had a lovely Asian Fusion meal.

Friday October 26

Today we visited Borobudur, which is about an hours drive from our hotel. It is the largest stupa-style Buddist monument in the world. Built before AD 800 and restored with help from Unesco, it is quite a sight. The walls are decorated with over 2600 relief panels and 504 Budda statues. We climbed three levels, up steep steps, and walked around each level. It was very hot and quite humid, and very busy, lots of people from all over the world were here. We walked around, with our guide for about two hours.
We found a nice restaurant for lunch, with lots of choice and cold beer. Two large beers, samosas and spring rolls for $6, including tip! Can't complain. Headed back to the hotel for showers and a siesta. Early dinner tonight and an outing to Indonesian ballet (in Hindi), when we found out it would be two hours long we decided to give it a miss and take a cab back to the hotel. We will see in the morning how many others wished they had done the same!

Thursday October 25

Thursday October 25: Today has been a flying day, we had an early start and travelled about two hours by road to Medan airport. We had a quick stop to look at some flying squirrels (large fruit bats) that we saw in cages at the side of the road. The owner was quite happy to get one out of the cage and let us see it close up, a few of the group held it - it basically just hung upside down on their arm and made no effort to fly away. The owner held out a banana which it ate. Once we got to the airport we said goodbye to our local guide (Morris, who was named because a Morris Minor automobile was driving by when he was born), who had been with us for five days and had been a delight. He shared so many stories of his life and experiences, and had a terrific sense of humour, we all loved him. We took our first flight (2.5 hr) to Jakarta, and then continued on to Jogyakarta (1 hr) where our new guide and bus met us. It was a short drive to our hotel (Novotel) which seems like a luxury retreat after some of our more rustic stays. We have 2.5 hrs to relax before going out for dinner, lovely rooms, free wi-fi, everyone is happy. We are here for 3 nights so it is a perfect place for catching up with some laundry and getting it dried.

Wednesday October 24

Wednesday October 24: We left the island this morning, for a fairly Long drive to Berastagi. We've been in a volcanic area, in fact Lake Toga is a caldera. We are also in "the ring of fire" and had our earthquake advice two days ago. We've been told we won't have one as they had one two days before we arrived (only a 1 or 2 on the Richter scale). The road was narrow and lots of bends. Our first stop was for a walk through a village and have a close look at the different crops growing. Peanuts grow on plants under the soil, lots of coffee growing and drying in the sun, cloves, tapioca, fruits. As our local guide is Indonesian he just goes into people's gardens and asks them questions, they are very welcoming, lots of smiles and "horas" (hello). Back on the bus and then we stopped for an early lunch. Next stop was an old village where a king lived in a longhouse with his 24 wives. We went inside his "home", kings lived this way from 1624 until 1947. Next was the Si Piso-Piso waterfall (394 ft), were the water comes out of a cave in the rock face before falling. Next was another village (Dokan), where we visited a longhouse were people were actually living. It was for 8 families, about 30 people, each family has a very small area to live, sleep and cook. If they want any hanky lanky they go in the rice paddy for some privacy! We talked with a young 19 year old girl who had finished high school and was taking a tourism course but needed to improve her English before a hotel would hire her. I'm not sure how long that would take, they don't seem to get a lot of tourists here (in this rural area), all the kids run to see us and say hi whenever we show up or drive by. We got to our hotel about 6 and had dinner, we leave at 6 tomorrow for our drive back to Medan for our flight (via Jakarta) to Yogyakarta, on the island of Java.

Tuesday October 23

Tuesday October 23: We had a fairly relaxed day today. We set off up the lake, for about an hour, and visited a small village (Lumban Sitio) were we looked at some traditional wooden houses (outside only). They almost look like Chinese boats. They had intricate carvings on them, were open plan, and about four generations lived in them at once (could be 30 people). Once boys reached the age of 13 they moved out of the house and into a youth building and started to learn life skills they would need. Not sure what skills this would be as the women seem to do all the work here and the men spend their time at the coffee shop. Next we went to a Batak (the people in this area) traditional dance/storytelling. Nice costumes but the music was a bit repetitive. The Bataks were formally head-hunters and cannibals.
We then went in the boat again and found a small village where we had some lunch. The guy in the restaurant was napping, came and took our drink orders, then disappeared. We spotted him going up the street and getting his wife to come and cook our lunch! We cheered when she walked in and she gave us a big smile.
Back on the boat again to visit two more villages. We saw the King Sidabutar tomb in Tomok, and 300 year old stone carved chairs where village discussions and decisions were made, in particular what punishment people would receive for their crimes. We then saw where they chopped off people's heads, drank their blood, and ate part of their body. This would deter others from misbehaving! There was a young boy here who played the part of the bad man, and even grunted in pain at the right moments, much to everyone's amusement. This punishment was only for males, women were outcast from the village.
We had a few hours off before we meet for dinner at a local restaurant.

Monday October22

Monday October 22: Our first day in Sumatra started with a city tour of Medan. First stop was Maimoon Palace, which was built by the Sultan of Deli in 1888 and now serves as a museum. Next up was the Grand Mosque, we were both wearing shorts so they loaned us sarongs to cover our legs, I had to wear a headscarf too - I looked like an old Polish woman! There was a group of first grade kids in one of the rooms, we disrupted their class as they were all waving at us and saying hello. They had three young women teachers and they invited us in, they asked if they could take a photo of us with the kids, of course we said yes! We then left town and headed south to Lake Toba, with a few stops along the way - to look at rubber trees which were being tapped, a palm oil tree plantation and a rice paddy. Once we got to the shores of the lake we took a boat over to Samosir island where we will be staying for two nights. Samosir Island is the largest island within an island (630 sq km), and the fifth largest lake island in the world. We will explore it tomorrow. It was dark and almost 8 pm when we arrived so couldn't see much, we had a quick buffet dinner and went in search of our rooms. The porters showed us the way, and carried our suitcases (on their shoulders) through the gardens and up the stairs, I was walking behind them and Ian, it was only after they arrived at our room and turned on the lights I realized they were both women!

Sunday October 21

Sunday October 21: We left at 8:30 this morning, it was nice to get up at a reasonable hour for a change. We are flying to Medan, Indonesia today but we can't get there from here! We have to fly to Kuala Lumpur, then connect to our Medan flight. First flight was two and a half hours, second flight was only one hour. We have a one hour time difference. Lots of sitting around today, no photos. We met four new tour members at the airport, who were on the same connecting flight. They were all tired as they had just arrived from North America. We will meet the others at dinner tonight. Our group has gone from 10 to 17. It is quite warm here, apparently it was 35C today and we should expect more of the same. There is a new brand of beer to try (Bintang), we've been told it is the Dom Perinom (sp?) of beer. We have all grown attached to Tiger beer so will report on that after dinner! Tomorrow we start more adventures now we have landed on the island of Sumatra.

Saturday October 20

Saturday October 20: Alarms were set for 4 am for our 4:45 departure. We got in the boats and sped down river, in the dark, praying the boat pilot didn't hit any floating logs. We made it safely and transferred to two vehicles for our 2 hour drive to Sandakan airport. Our short flight back to Kota Kinabalu was at 8:15 and once we arrived we had a quick city tour. This was a visit to the beach (were Malays don't sunbathe like crazy westerners), then on to the State museum for a look at the cultural displays. We proceeded to the hotel about 11:30 and thank goodness our rooms were ready. Showers, laundry, and a rest were first on the list. Didn't see much of anyone all afternoon, I think they were all enjoying the return to civilization and napping (after 3 really early morning starts I don't blame them). We spent the afternoon catching up with emails, battery charging and photo sorting. We are off out for dinner at 6:30, our last night in Malaysia, we fly to Indonesia tomorrow.

Friday October 19

Friday October 19: 5am start, had a quick coffee and toast before heading out in the small boat at 6 for some early morning wildlife spotting. We putted along with our excellent guide Fernando, who seemed able to spot birds and wildlife from afar. We were out for several hours and saw lots of birds, such as egrets, various eagles, hornbills, kingfisher. Also several types of monkeys, including the proboscis monkey, they are quite strange looking, the males having prominent noses. Lots of long tailed macaq. We then headed back to the lodge for breakfast and a shower. After a little rest we set off down river again, just for 5 minutes, and docked at a small village where we got in a vehicle and drove about 20 minutes to the Gomantong Caves. Swiftlets and bats reside here (many thousands), the centre was literally full of guana (poop), several feet thick, we walked around the outskirts on a boardwalk which was also covered in lots of spots with guana, this made walking slippery and we certainly didn't want to slip on our ass! There were centipedes, and loads of cockroaches walking on the boardwalk too - pretty gross! This is another location for collecting birds nests (for the Chinese soup lovers). Then it was back to the lodge for lunch. Then we went to the lodge next door (by boat) for a slide show about the Eco lodge and their conservation methods, how they support locals, and wildlife photos. Next up was a boardwalk through the rainforest looking at plants and trees and their medicinal uses. We had afternoon tea and the rain really came down, we sat for another half hour until it cleared enough to go on our afternoon wildlife spotting. Only 4 of us went, the others were too nervous to go in case we had torrential rain again! They missed out because it was a good afternoon, we saw loads of monkeys and just before we set off back to the lodge we came across a tree with a large platoon of monkeys of varying ages jumping around and playing. We sat watching them for about 10 minutes, they were quite acrobatic and comical. We saw a couple of very young ones who were so small they were having difficulty climbing the trunk, every now and again they just slid back down. It was now getting almost dark so we headed back. Dinner and another early night.

Thursday October 18

Thursday October 18: We were all half asleep and left the hotel at 5 am. We took an easy flight from Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan (45 mins.) First stop was the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, this is one of the highlights of the trip and we were all looking forward to it. We started with a session to inform us of the type of work they do. It is a UK company that helps run it. It can take up to 10 years to prepare the animals to fend for themselves, on their own, in the wild. The animals are there for many reasons, some are orphaned really young and need a lot of help. A mother generally only has 2 to 3 pregnancies in her lifetime, and the youngster stays with his mum for 4 years or more, learning how to cope on its own. The centre rehabilitates by gradually coaxing the animals to move further away and only returning for food until they are securely looking after themselves. The keeper brings food to the feeding platform at 10 and 3 each day. This is were we visitors watched (from a boardwalk). There were 2 that came, before the keeper arrived, they played and hung around for a while beforehand. After the food arived, a mother and baby came too. We stayed for about 40 minutes, taking lots of photos, we had to zoom in quite a bit, plus they were moving, so was hard to get sharp, focused shots. On the walk along the boardwalk, to leave, one of the animals suddenly appeared and walked along the railing, alongside everyone. We were told to keep walking and not to interact with it, there were lots of photos then! After all this excitement we went into Sandakan for lunch and a beer pickup for later at the lodge. Then we took an almost 3 hour small boat ride up the Kinabatangan river (Sabah's longest), deep into Borneo rainforest, to our lodge for 2 nights. Did some wildlife spotting along the way - proboscis monkeys, orang Utan, birds, and the rarely spotted pigmy elephant. The lodge is quite rustic, we were hearing animal sounds from our cabins, I was glad Ian was there with me! We had a small lizard on the wall, not sure were it ended up hiding. We have AC which is great because it is really humid, and amazingly wifi too. Had a buffet dinner and retired early, we have a 5 am wake up call for a wildlife spotting boat excursion. We must be nuts! I told Chris I can't swim, and with the crocs that are supposed to be in the river he better look after me!!!

Wednesday October 17

Wednesday October 17: It has been a long day today. We set off at 7:30 for a drive overland over the ridges of the Crocker Range, to the foothills of Mt Kinabulu (highest mountain in SE Asia. We went to Kinabulu Park World Heritage Site and took in the education centre, and the mountain garden botanical garden. we then continued overland to Poring where there are hot springs and the most important stop - a visit to the treetop canopy walk above the rain forest. There were only 6 of us that did this, everyone else was too chicken! We walked 41 metres above ground, and of course being a rain forest it rained right on time - just before we got on the suspended walk. It wasn't too slippery so we went ahead. It was a great experience, but we hung on tight. Next we heard about a private farm where there was a Rafflesia in flower, this is the largest individual flower on earth, up to a meter wide. Apparently, there may only be 30 a year (in Sabah), and can take 2 years to flower, the plant is rare so was a treat. Off course the heavens opened up again and we got drenched but this is supposes to be a blessing - we will take their word for it.
Now we need to go pack minimum luggage for a jungle trek in the morning. We leave at 5 and have a short flight to Sandakan, then a riverboat to the lodge. No wifi, so I will be quiet for a couple of days.

Tuesday October 15

Tuesday October 16: Spent the morning doing our city tour - inside one of the mosques, a museum, a local market, and the Royal Regalia museum. Lots of money here (for certain people), Sultan of Brunei is positively loaded! Off for lunch and then we fly to Kota Kinabalu which is in the Malaysian state of Sabah (still in Borneo).

Monday October 15

Monday October 15: This morning we did the Miri city tour. First stop "The Grand Old Lady" - this is the name of the first oil well, lots of oil in this vicinity, we sometimes can see the off shore drilling rigs. Next up was an open air market where we looked at all the strange fruits, we even tried some, the vendors were pleased to cut some up for us. Next was a city park with lots of different things to do, there was a foot massage area where you walk on different sized pebbles (popular with the Chinese ladies, who laughed at us). Next was a Taoist (Chinese) temple, then back to the hotel to organize our luggage, then a quick beer (our last legal one for a couple of days) and lunch. Then it was onwards to The Kingdom of Brunei, about 2.5 hour drive and a border crossing. Main concern with everyone was NO alcohol in Brunei, this meant buying our beer in Sarawak and hiding it in our suitcases, if customs searched our cases they would confiscate it. We all decided to risk it, you'd think we were all alcoholics. We were laughing like kids when we got away with it. Went on a boat trip on the river, they call it the Asian Venice, lots of homes built on the water on stilts. We stopped at one and went in for tea and cake. Very large inside and quite fancy. The one we were in had huge chandelier, big screen tv and awesome stereo. After another delicious Chinese style dinner, we hired a taxi and went on a night photo shoot, two mosques that looked nice lit up.

saturday/Sunday Oct 13/14

Saturday October 13: We had most of the morning off, of course we didn't sleep in, we were awake quite early so went for brekkie. They have nice egg bars in the hotels so we just let the chef know what we want and they deliver it to our table - we obviously don't all look alike, I always get what I ordered. The Malays are very friendly and happy people, all eager to chat with you, and teach you a little of their language if you ask. We've even had people start chatting on the street and ask where we were from and could they help us find anything. Once we left KL there are tourists around but not a lot, we are a little more remote here. We had a walk around this morning, before meeting the group at 11:30 to walk to the waterfront (river) for a nice seafood lunch, and of course the usual cold Tiger beer. We then had a city tour which consisted of the Sarawak museum (Borneo artifacts), catholic cathedral, civic centre, etc. Then it was off to the airport for our short flight to Miri at 7:30, still in Sarawak, eventually arriving at the Hotel about 9:30. Hotels are all very comfortable, with large rooms. Lobby is usually lots of tile and marble, plenty of doormen to help with anything you need.
Sunday October 14: Up early again as we are leaving at 8. We have a 2 hour drive to reach Niah National Park. It's claim to fame is being known as the birthplace of human civilization in the region. Oldest remains are from 40,000 years ago. Upon arrival, we take a small boat across the river to the museum for a bit of background info (with instructions to keep our hands away from the water as there are crocodiles, did not see any but decided not to risk it). Next was a 3km walk to a cave, very slow going as we were in a rain forest and of course it rained and was very slippery. The cave was home to loads of bats and swiftlets so poop everywhere. The swiftlets make their nests using spit and these nests are in much demand for birds nest soup (very expensive we hear). The government is trying to stop this practice (eating the soup, not building the nests!), but the Chinese are hard to change. Half the group decided to walk through the cave, which ended up being about a hundred steps down into the cave and the same number to get out. Ian went for the walk and said it was quite strenuous. Then we had 3km to walk back, and 2 hours drive back yo the hotel. Won't need a fitness class today! We were all ready for showers again, before meeting up for dinner out. We ate at a simple, local place, family style - we ordered lots of dishes and tried them all.

Friday October 12

After a lovely nights sleep (not cat naps), my first one since arriving in Malaysia, we set off to visit a longhouse. It took us about 45 mins, on a fairly good road. Longhouses are common here, they are like a small community all living together. Families have their own private rooms, with a small kitchen in the back, but share communal areas (sometimes the cooking may be done in the shared area. About 600 people were supposed to live in the one we visited, though we actually only saw about 30. The wooden buildings all join together, with open verandas, and we kept going up steps and finding more and more rooms and areas. There were satellite dishes, wifi, fridges, etc., so were not as basic as we first thought. It was located out in the countryside so they grow rice, vegetables, etc. They did a welcome dance (and a few others), which we participated in this time. Not sure if we had the right moves but we gave it a go! We then went back to Kuching and had some lunch. Chris offered to walk anyone who was interested around Chinatown, along the waterfront (river), and then to the Islamic museum, so we went along. People in Malaysia are mostly Islamic, but are very modern (no fanatics here, apparently if anyone gets that way they are sent for counselling, everyone wants to mix and get along, sounds like a nice idea!). We have a couple of hours off now, before we go out for dinner. It is so humid, a cool shower is first on the list.

Thursday October 11

We all made it for the early start. It was snacks on the bus for breakfast! Travelled on Air Asia and they got us to the island of Borneo with no hitches or delays. We are in Sarawak (a state). We were still in Malaysia but had to go through passport control again. Hotel was great, they let us check in at 10 am, then we went for a coffee to keep us all awake for the remainder of the day. Off out for the afternoon to the Sarawak Cultural Village. It is a living history museum, and shows about 9 different ethnic tribes and the style of houses they lived in. Some of these tribes were head hunters and a couple of the buildings had (old) heads hung up! Also saw a demo of using the blow pipe darts, the guy was amazing - he hit his mark from about 40 feet. There was also dancing performances from all the tribes. Very colourful and entertaining. When they were looking for volunteers to join in, I'm afraid I looked the other way. Went out to a local restaurant for dinner and had an awesome Lemongrass Chicken.

Wednesday

Wednesday: A day trip to Malacca today (oldest established town in Malaysia), about one and a half hours south of KL. Malacca is an old port town where the Arab, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, English trade routes all overlapped. These influences are all seen in town. Had a cycle rickshaw ride to take in some sights. Went to the Town Square, Old Portuguese fortress, and the oldest Chinese temple on the Malay peninsula. It was more humid today, a sign of things to come. We are having a quick early dinner tonight as we leave the hotel at 4 am tomorrow! We are flying to the island of Borneo (still in Malaysia), we will arrive there at 8 am and start our day.

We arrived

Monday: Arrived at Kuala Lumpur airport about 10 pm Monday night (where did Sunday go?). Met another couple who had also travelled from Toronto, then we continued on to the hotel (about an hour drive into town). After 27 hours travelling we were all ready for bed!
Tuesday: Up at 7 to have a leisurely brekkie, before leaving at 9 for the day. Met our travelling companions, there are 10 of us for the Malaysia portion of the trip (first two weeks), there will be 17 for the Indonesia portion (last two weeks). Same tour manager for the whole trip (Chris), he seems a nice guy, very enthusiastic, and he has travelled extensively. He is Canadian, used to have a job in Toronto as a guide for rock groups when they were in town for gigs (I must remember to ask him if he met anyone interesting!). Everyone in the group is retired, and we are the youngest. 4Americans and the rest Canadian, all seem like nice folks.
Spent an easy day sightseeing. First stop the National Museum, cool place, lots too see, just took in the highlights. Next was the Royal Palace, then the National Memorial (for the Malays and the Allied troops, WWII). Then a quick stop at the Orchid Garden before lunch. Strangely enough, Lunch was at the mall built at the bottom of the Petronas Tower. Terrific food court with all sorts of Malay/Chinese/Indian foods. Cheap too! After lunch we went up the KL (Kuala Lumpur) Tower to check out the views over the city, and to see the Petronas Tower from another angle. Kept an eye out for Bond (James Bond), but no luck!!
Went out to Chinatown for dinner. Chris just ordered a pile of local dishes and we tried them all. A few were really spicy, but very good, not like any Chinese food we've had before. Afterwards 3 of us decided we'd like to go back to the Petronas for some night shots, It was worth it, they are really quite the sight.