IDUL FITRI - The End Of Ramadan ...yikes!

Tonight's the night. There's a street party going on, truck loads of boys and men dressed in head scarfs being driven at breakneck speeds down the streets to the main mosque, police every where with guns ..big Russian looking guns!

Every one is in a happy mood and the ambiance reminds me of the build up to a summer Festa in a Maltese village. Kids are throwing fire crackers, fireworks are being set off and there are people on balconies or roofs watching the scene below. I decided to pick up last minute supplies for the Kei islands after dinner and spend an hour or so at an internet cafe I found along the way, near the mosque.

The truck loads of men in head scarfs are just the sort of scenes right off the TV news only on the news they look really sinister, here you get the feeling that they're just the village boys dressing up for the party. Idul Fitri or Eid is just like Christmas to the Muslims, its a big annual event. But as I get closer to the action, the very thought of being the only white person for miles and miles and the fact that the end of Ramadan is sometimes a time for the extremists to rediscover their passions, I decided it wise to seek refuge at the super expensive internet facilities of the 5 * star hotel across the road from my guest house instead.

The men on the trucks and police and the rest of the crowd scream out 'Hey Mister' (every white person here, man, woman or child is Mister to the Indonesians) to me as I walk past and the mood is jovial enough. I have never yet felt in danger (apart from the flying :) whilst in Indonesia, people here are extremely friendly and generally want to interact, practise their English and make contact with the 'White Person'. However it does become more noticeable that the deeper one goes into the more remote places the more kids, women and men stare!

Tomorrow I am off to Paradise... the Kei islands have mobile reception but no internet, I shall be taking notes :) in order to keep you abreast, the Banda Islands are reputed to have internet access (probably tortoise powered) but no mobile phone access.

Im excited and I have 9 gigabytes of mobile space for the next set of photos!

Kota Ambon

So picture this, I wake up with a smile on my face reminiscent of the ones I had earlier on this trip. Its the smile a 10 yr old wakes up with on Christmas morning. I'm going to The Spice Islands today!! At 10.45, I fly to Kota Ambon with Merparti on a Boeing.... meaning that if it goes down, it would be reported (ie more than 10 passengers on board) the downside however is that this is Merparti therefore the Boeing will be a thousand years old and held together by masking tape... !! So the chances of it going down and being reported are fantastic! :)))) ouerr!

I get to the airport and I check in. Easy enough. Then I felt the distinct need for cheek(iness). I attempted to sweet talk Merparti into refunding my missed (because I changed my mind) flight of yesterday, Manado to Kota Ternate. My hopeful & fictitious excuse of engine trouble on a boat off Bunaken and the 'miss-connection', a word inputted with a knowing nod by the member of Merparti staff helping me, (Christian - Merparti's Mgr at Makassar Airport) resulted in me being handed back 80% YIPPEEEE It's amazing what a smile can do!!! :)

Now I'm scanning the departure lounge for another bule (foreigner), there are 2 but they're not on my flight, Father & Son. No surprise but jeez I wish there was one on my flight...

Then I get on the plane. I had asked for a window seat and got one (12a) on the left. So I ask the air hostess if it were possible to change seats as I would like a window seat on the other side... BOY I'm in a demanding mood today aren't I! :) What the heck after all the conversations I've had with friends I now feel I'm risking my life to fly to Indo's most beautiful & best kept secrets.

I get my wish, I'm placed on the other side of the plane at a window seat, one row behind my original seat and in the emergency row which now means that a portion of the wing is blocking my view but relax, at this point I decide I've already been given enough for one day and I still get a partial view.

To get this seat a rather nice looking man in his late 30's was asked to move (hehehhee) this was Dr Zol I found out later. So hey here I am sitting in the emergency row with a Javanese Doctor (who's wearing very fashionable Gianfranco Ferre blue retro styled specs) at my side. I couldn't be safer, if something was going to happen I'd have had all best opportunities of getting out alive and being cared for at the crash scene, if only I could keep him alive too. And of course it would be reported news! :)

The whole point of wanting to move to the other side of the plane was actually to catch a glimpse of the Banda Islands before we landed in Ambon but unfortunately they weren't visible!! Instead I made a good friend out of Dr Zol. He is married but that hasn't stopped him taking me out on a 'date'. A day time date with a Muslim in Ramadan, its pretty interesting. I was watered and feed 'Rujek' (chillies fruit salad and crushed peanuts - actually really good) on the waterfront of Natsepa a town on the east of the island. His English is good and we had quite a laugh before he drove me back to town and dropped me off in the safe hands of my new Dutch friends Ive made here at the guest house in Kota Ambon!

Ambon reminded me of Hawaii when we came in to land, very tropical and so green but its not as well manicured as Hawaii is. It's actually quite wild and true to the image I had of the Spice Islands. Full of Cloves, they are all drying out in the sun on the side of the roads and you can smell them when you drive past. We've explored the whole island, seen remnants of the Christian/Muslim war of 2002 and found the best beaches and generally had a good time.

On Friday I fly to the Kei Islands, this will be the highlight of the trip! The sand is white and so fine and soft, its a better texture than flour. I'm not kidding Ive actually seen and felt it already, the dutch girls have an old water bottle of it.... can't wait, then Banda and a couple of great dives I hope!

OK Folks more later, pics too as having problems with my pic storage.

Bunaken

View of Siladon from Bunaken

Bunaken is beautiful. It all started when we got to Makassar last Tuesday. We had a Garuda (National Airline, they're all dodgy) flight booked for the next morning up to Manado which is the closest airport to Bunaken. On arrival at Makassar it turned out that Garuda had re-scheduled our next morning flight to the evening of that same day which meant we'd lose a day in Bunaken. Nathalie and I stood there at arrivals in a state of confusion, do we book a Lion Air flight, there was one available at midnight or do we stick to the 'safer' airline... after a few horror stories back and forth to remind each other what the airline track records were here we decided to risk it and go with Lion Air. (!!) That flight was scheduled on a new Boeing (info frm Nathalie) and boy we choose right. This meant that all though we'd get into Manado at 4am we could be picked up by Lorenzo himself (the guesthouse owner on Bunaken) and be taken to the island that same morning. Lion Air in fact, we were told later, is the safest airline to date as they've recently bought so many new planes.

Further down the beach from my Tree House

Arriving in Bunaken was bliss. The east coast of the island is a mix of mangrove forests and tiny deserted beaches whereas the west is mainly beach and lots of 'bigger' developments. We stayed at "Lorenzo's" on the east coast. It's a guest house on the beach that offers bungalows and one tree house on the beach itself... and what did I opt for? Of course the tree house and NO regrets it was so lovely.

My tree house

My nickname became 'Jane' and I had to endure smart comments such as 'where is Tarzan' which were made at my expense ;) but at 85,000Rp about $9 a night for full board and lodging it was a bargain! And a really cute home.

We dived with Living Colours which is run by a nice Finnish couple and the other divers there happened to be a really great bunch. We really had a good time and were in bed by midnight each night to rest up for the dives ahead. It's a really quiet place.

Arriving at Lorenzo, Lorenzo and son on boat

The island has 4000 inhabitants in three villages. I got to see one village and hear the inhabitants again last night as there was a wedding and the stragglers weaving their way home were a little drunk. The island has one or two concrete paths that link the villages and these paths are lined with the tallest palm trees I've seen to date. I asked my taxi driver (motorcycle) whether he was scared of a coconut falling on his head and he laughed. I was. These people truly live in Paradise.

Nathalie and I were discussing over lunch one day how lovely 'Lorenzo's" was and how good it was to live simply and exactly an hour later we happened across a Living Colours dive boat that was off an afternoon dive to Siladen, the neighbouring island, so we jumped aboard and hitched a ride. When we got there we parked ourselves on the beach of a really swish 5* resort and giggled whilst we sipped a glass of wine and enjoyed the fresh water shower on the beach. The rest of the water supplies elsewhere were brackish and oh boy did it feel good to be clean!

Sunset & Wine on Siladon. Bunaken and the dormant volcanic island of Manado Tua as a backdrop

Diving here is a little expensive in Asian terms especially with Living Colours but they were located next door, professional and just a great crew. However I might be tempted to use another dive op on a future visit as the others are significantly cheaper

Leaving this morning

Originally I had booked a flight to Kota Ternate on Saturday for the start of my Moluku trip but having heard that the planes used on the route were small propeller jobs and after Nathalie's story of plane crashes with less than 10 passengers being not reported as it's not 'news' I changed my mind.

I'm now back in Makassar for the night and tomorrow morning I'm off on a Boeing flight (with Merparti - yet another local airline) to Kota Ambon. I've heard that there is a ferry to the Banda Islands from there next Friday and I want enough time to explore Ambon and the neighbouring Lease islands!!

Sulawesi To Papua through the Spice Islands

Exciting, 'The' long awaited trip has finally begun! I have great expectations for the adventure I embark on and I hope that it will live up to them all. I packed this morning with a desert island in mind, that exercise is supposed to tell a lot about a person. But I wont divulge my secrets just yet!

I am here in Makassar with Nathalie, we landed this afternoon at 5pm and we will shortly be whisked back to the airport to catch the Lion Air flight to Manado.

First stop is Bunaken another World Class dive spot. I have had to put my surf board away for a month but there will be many more opportunities for that!

Get your maps out and have a look: Sulawesi: Bunaken, Togean Islands, The Moluccas: Kota Ternate, Sula Islands, Kota Ambon, Banda Islands, Kei Islands and Papua: Palau Biak, Jayapura. There are some pretty remote islands here and the write up in Loney Planet explains that these would be 'The Next' holiday locations, if only it were easier to get here! :)

Traveling through remote Indo takes time and I have 29 days and counting! Wish me luck.

Leg Almost Healed .... (feels like day 110)

'The Bali Kiss', in SULAWESI !!

Uchu, my Guide, picked me up on his motorbike at 9am this morning and we drove north into the countryside to see another ceremony, 'The receiving of guests'. This meant Pigs! The guests must bring pigs with them. Each pig brought was measured as the family hosting would be expected to return the favour when visiting their guest's ceremony, they must bring a pig of the same size and value.


The countryside here is magical. If it weren't so far away from what we know as 'life', I'd be quite tempted to stay and claim a piece of the beauty for myself. It was cloudy today adding to the atmosphere and mystery of the ceremony and it was trying to rain. The roads (roads?? more like tracks) were muddy from rain on previous days.Two minutes after this photo was taken, Uchu tried to get his motorcycle (a relic) up a muddy and rocky hill, the last, before we actually arrived. The motorcycle struggled and eventually Uchu lost balance so we went down, the bike fell onto its left side still pointing up the hill, I was on the back. My leg, my poor leg, got burnt not once but twice by the monstrous exhaust pipe. Two Bali kisses.

The Bali Kiss, the other burn is below and on the inside of the calf

(You dont have to hang around Kuta - Bali's infamous beach for the young backpackers / Australians - for long before you see a girl with a white bandage patch on her legs, the burn is referred to as a Bali Kiss.)
It was sheer agony. What was I thinking, his tires had practically no thread and it was an old bugger of a machine on its last legs. I was stunned into silence by the pain and didn't or rather couldn't react fast enough to stop what I was watching, Uchu's fingers coming at me. He had simply licked his fingers and wet my wounds. I could've shrieked (or slapped him) but I just stood there with my chin on the floor.

Traditional houses 'Tongkonan' in background, Offered pigs in foreground

Important Guests Arriving

I asked him if there was any Aloe Vera growing near by, he popped off to find what he called forest medicine and I headed to the first and only Bule (foreigner) in sight. The guy, an Englishman, didn't have anything in his rucksack and all my stuff was 1hr away down the muddy tracks back in Rantepao. Uchu came back with a liquid in a small plastic bag, he proceeded to put this on my wound, by this time I just needed something and I had to trust the 'magical' forest medicine.... We watched the ceremony and joined in with the family there for a little while

Man drinking Arak out of Bamboo

We were offered food Pig's Liver cooked in a Bamboo stalk, rice and Arak (rice wine) I ate rice and fed the pig liver to a 1 yr old kid who was hanging around seemingly hungry. We ate with our hands and the kid promptly fell alseep on my lap once it was full. After a quick stop there it was back to town. I wasn't too thrilled by the idea of getting back on his bike but this village was in the middle of no where and his bike was the only mode of transport available, every else had walked here.

I got back to town, cleaned my wound and smothered it in Biofine. Later that day I found a chemist and bought some gauze. I tell you buying medicine up here was a nightmare. I had to find more gauze, Id bought the entire stock (5 patches) from the two shops Id found and eventually I found 'The Drug Store' it didn't look any different to the other bric & brac shops I'd been to. The owner was a tall Chinese guy. He refused to sell me gauze and insisted that the only thing I needed and therefore was going to buy, was this Chinese version of Betadine with alcohol. I had two deep 2^nd degree burns on my leg and he wanted me to keep the wounds open so they would dry out. All well and good in theory but try that in Tana Toraja and at the end of each beautiful day you end up picking the dust, dirt and field out of your soon to be infected wound. The alcohol was immediately placed on my wound by his female assistant, at this point I did shriek and asked her to at least wash her hands but he said ‘no, no need, this is an antiseptic’ I nearly died then and again when the alcohol kicked in.

The next day my American friends and I rented a guide with a 4x4 and we spent the day exploring the south. It was glorious, the weather amazing and the scenery to match. Unfortunately I cannot show you the pics because I lost them in an internet café in Bali when the pc crashed. That added to the depression of being housebound in Bali due to my burns. I lost 5 gigabytes of really great shots (notes to myself:(cliff face graves with taut au balconies, Tau Tau shops), Suayant, Tampangallo, Sangalla, Ke’te Kesu (beautiful intact Alung village) and La’bo (making of the Alung)))

On Saturday we took the local Bemos to the weekly live market. This is where the locals buy and sell their beloved buffalo and a few pigs. Albino buffalo with a few black patches are considered to be la crème de la crème and they can fetch up to 70,000,000 Rupiah ($7,400)

The leg on market day

After that we took more bemos further north and went to the annual Kick Boxing event. It is bizarre, about 800 boys and men gather on a field and they pair up holding hands and then rush at each other, some fly through the air. They attack by kicking their opponents. There are a couple of rules which amidst the chaos were being adhered too. Sue and I walked amongst the crowd at the start and shot photos but that soon ended and we had to seek refuge as the crowd quickly and it seemed organically aged into adolescent men and then older. It was quite an experience.

On our last day I got lucky, I met Damien Roux, a rather dashing French Doctor. I cannot tell you how happy I was to meet him. The girls and I spent the day exploring the north of Tana Toraja. We came across a lady who invited us in to meet her 'sick' husband' She had a Tau Tau of him amongst in one room where family photos adorned the walls. Her Husband was in his coffin in the southern most room and the other room was her bedroom.

At the end of the day Damien met us as planned at Mambo's (headquarters, our restaurant) and he was very kind. First he fed me a rather large painkiller, then he encouraged a large Bintang (beer) and half an hour later he took me back to my hotel room to carefully clean my wound by taking the dead skin off with sterilized tweezers and washed hands. I tell you he, to this day, is the only medic I've come across who's washed his hands and I'm actually finishing this post off from Bali after having seen two other professional doctors who have clinics that are run to attract Bule clientele. (ie Bule expect cleanliness and sterilization)

I left Sulawesi on the 12th September the day before Ramadan started, it also happened to be the day my visa ran out but as far as I was concerned it was a happy escape from the travel chaos that ensues during the Ramadan period.. hungry men don't drive buses or taxis during the day and everything can become quite testing, quite frankly I was happy to miss out on that experience.

Its been 5 days since Ive been back in Bali, I was really happy to get back here and see my friends and my wounds are finally almost healed. I look forward to Sacha's imminent arrival and that of Natalie's - she actually flew back to Asia last Saturday and is in Malaysia, she may come to Bali and join me for Bunaken!!!!!!!!! :)))) Happy Days ahead and yes I really really hope for a surf soon..........................

Sulawesi - Formally Known As The Celebes

Grandfather with Kids before the start of the ceremony

On the 4^th September I (finally) left Bali for Sulawesi. It’s Funeral Season here so I headed straight to a town called Rantepao which is in the Tana Toraja region. I want to see what goes on. I was lucky, having landed at 10am, I took a motorcycle taxi east on the road in front of the airport and I managed to catch up with the 10am bus at its first stop. The result: a deep sleep on an air-conditioned bus driving north for 8hrs. Talk about perfect timing: catching up on lost sleep from the last weekend in Bali and not being conscious for the whole length of the long journey.

Men drinking coffee and eating sweets before the Ceremony

The first thing you notice about Sulawesi is that it is Muslim; unlike its sister island Bali, which is Hindu. But the Balinese smile seems to have rubbed off onto these neighbors and they too seem to be just as friendly. The area I am in now is a mix of Muslim and Protestant and as I write tonight I can hear the mosques calling for prayer.

Preparing of the posts the Sacrificed Buffalo will be tied to

As soon as I landed in Sulawesi I just knew that I had to go ahead with my original ‘Sulawesi to Papua’ through the Spice Islands trip but first I must return to Bali to meet up with Sacha Malhame an old pal from London who arrives on the 21^st September. So excited can’t wait to see her.

The Buffalo are presented to the crowd

Tana Torajo is a stunning area. A cultural spot hemmed in by mountains on all sides. The Toraja people believe in life after death and take their funerals seriously. They live simply, it's all about the Funeral and their beloved status symbol, the buffalo. If the funeral ceremonies are not done, they believe their dead relatives will come back to haunt them. The dead are buried in caves, holes carved out of massive boulders or cliff faces and Tau Tau (wooden effigies) are used to guard the entrance of the cave however due to theft these are now kept at home. This area has not seen many tourists lately mainly due to the western ban on all Local Indonesian flights. If you fly here, you do so without insurance.

The coffin and kids watching the ceremony from above

I arrived in Rantepao at 7pm. I was lucky to simultaneously find a guest house and an amiable guide called ‘Uchu’ who led me to a ‘decent’ restaurant for dinner. Decent because the food was supposed to be OK a fact backed up by other tourists who frequent the place nonetheless I did wake up at 2am with a bad stomachache.

The Kill

This morning Uchu picked me up at 8am and it was off to a Buffalo sacrifice in honor of a dead villager. Again, the bodies are kept in the house until enough money is gathered for the ceremonies that must follow. And boy we are talking of major expense. Around 20 Buffalo are slaughtered along with 200 pigs. Just to give you an idea a buffalo can cost the same as a small car. They keep the bodies in the southern most room of the house as they believe the dead head south. They have a private ceremony as soon as the person dies and during the period when the body is embalmed and kept in a coffin on the bed in that room they refer to the person as being sick. Each day the relatives bring a little food and water to the coffin as a gesture.

Defiance (a couple of cuts to the neck)

The Ceremony can take days and includes the receiving of guests, the slaughter of the buffalo and besides other events buffalo fighting. One can be invited to meet the dead person before a ceremony. It is considered an honor to be invited and if you are honored with this invitation you must treat the dead person as though they are alive and ask their permission to leave before you do so. I met two young Americans at the buffalo sacrifice today, Sue and Meagan and they've been invited yo meet a deceased person tomorrow. I may ask to join them…. we'll see.

The aftermath, the man on the right is cleaning the bllod off his knive on that dead buffalo

This morning we drove a short way out of Rantepao and into the surrounding countryside. It was muddy and I was wearing flip flops not great but I was not prepared to spoil my hiking boots in an area, well, that would include blood…

Knife Sharpening - The buffalo were skinned and cut up on site the meat then shared between the villages from which the relatives came from.

It was pretty impressive. A bit of a strong experience on a bad stomach. The pigs had been slaughtered yesterday and today it was the day of the Buffalo. The pictures should tell the story.

The Last Moments

50 Days On The Island Of The Gods

The love affair with Bali continues...

'The Surfer Dudes' Christian, Tash & Paul

I came back to Bali having made the decision to take a break from all the traveling. Much to the delight of my friends '...a holiday from The holiday?' Yes, I simply wanted a wardrobe for a little while but thanks to Carrie I got a whole lot more:

Carrie

a TV, DVD player, a pool, the joy of staying in her amazing Seminyak pad which came inclusive of Putu; the world's best house help

and Putih the cutest Bali dog I've ever met. Not to mention the fun of hanging out with Carrie herself and our mutual friends some new some met on previous visits and who all seemed to know each other. Total Bliss.

Putih being given a bone to reward for good behaviour during his shower

Putih's not so amused look at Carrie during his Shower, Carrie on the way to work.

Christian

I stayed at Carrie's for my first week and then moved into my 'home' for the next month, a little bungalow in the same neighborhood. During those first weeks whilst Carrie was away Christian, Emile, Murray, Vera and I hung out, we surfed and had our fair share of parties. They basically took very good care of me. We had a great time.

In the early days whilst my friends worked (all forestry conservation) during the week I busied myself learning to surf and exploring Canggu on my rented moped. Canggu is an area that is mostly undeveloped and unspoilt. It's lovely to drive through the countryside with the wind in your hair and to be surrounded by paddy fields. I've made so many new friends here in Bali, friends from all over the world young and old. Life for the Balinese is good but they make do with very little. The average wage for a waiter at a 'Bale' (foriegner) restaurant is $30/month which is also the cost of rent. Rent as in one room. The locals share that room with their family or friends. Its quite a squeeze I bet. Business is on the up since the last bombs but apparently its nothing like it used to be. If they're lucky and work in a good restaurant, they can earn up to $50/month.

Surfers must spend hours studying the waves, serious stuff hahaha

Benoit, this guy Rocks!! - especially in the water!

August is the official party month in Bali and thanks to the wonderful friends I've made here that is exactly what we did.

Georg - The Nusa Lembongan Gang

I realized pretty quickly that it would be cheaper to buy a secondhand board rather than renting one for a month and so, that's exactly what I did. My new board, a beauty - at 5'11, is on the small size but it was SO SO cute (and cheap) I simply couldn't resist. It was also a typical Tash move, pushing the limits and so I had to work hard to avoid the potential egg on my face situation, was I making a mistake?

Here she is, my amazing board

It was no surprise that it took a long, hard month of constant battery by the surf (and numerous injuries) to get to the final goal but in my final week I am happy to say I finally got up on that board and stayed up and I was also able to finally surf the wave i.e.: not in a straight line but actually carving into the wave and following it. Can’t wait to go back to the waves (oh dear will this turn into a lifelong joy? (Will I need to make new surfing buddies in Europe or convert my wonderful old? – yet another challenge)

Roman - The Nusa Lembongan Gang

For those who don't know, Bali really is The Island of the Gods. It’s Bintang, it's stunning sunsets, it's beautiful smiling people, it's frangipani trees, enchanting temple ceremonies, pulse-pounding surf and virescent rice terraces. You can really relax here, take time out in Ubud, you can party hard in Kuta and Seminyak, you can venture to the neighboring island of Nusa Lembongan for surfing and diving, you can make crazy visits to a medicine man who will tell of your future, you can eat in the most wonderful restaurants for a bargain (compared to Europe) or eat well cheaply, you can learn how to drive a moped whilst holding onto a surf board, you can get invaluable surfing tips off friends, thanks Roman, the choice is yours.

Georg, Alex & Roman leaving Ben & I behind on Nusa Lembongan

Lets just say, I did all of the above and thanks to the delicious food and great lifestyle (I cooked for myself once i.e. for the first time since I left in January) I even put on weight this time round ...and that’s after hours and hours of surfing! I even had time to enjoy a photo shoot which was commissioned by a talented friend, Silvia, who designs and manufactures a stunning range of silver jewelery.

The Perhentian Islands

Got the first boat off the island this morn. Had some admin to do before I disappear back 'Home' tomorrow. I can't wait. (ref on blog 8th May: A very special place) Marianne and Nathalie are both there waiting for me. Its such a treat. Of course everyone who's been there before doesn't mess around, they return on a Wednesday or a Thursday.. there is a cheeky little party on Thursdays in the jungle of this idyllic retreat that is worth rocking up to. Its just like a party you'd have at home with your friends only its in a jungle, in Paradise. We have quite a community of friends there, the vibes are great and when we left Nathalie and I began to refer to it as 'home' which always made us laugh. But now it really feels as though I am going home!

Life in Perhentian was sweet. I bumped into French friends from Vietnam, Nat, I finally met Iain - he is exactly how you described, the brightest blue eyes and a real sweetie, he sends you a massive hug & smile. I also went diving... ahem I enjoyed it, although vis was at 3 metres and I am not exaggerating. It really felt like swimming through an Italian Grandmother's Chicken Soup. I am not kidding. I still enjoyed it though. We did the Sugar Wreck which took me right back to the kind of diving we do in Malta (only in Malta vis is always at 20+). The bad vis that day, added to the mysterious atmosphere. Loved the swim throughs and saw a new fish, The Bamboo Shark... alors pas mal.

can't wait for home..... :)))))

Diving Sipdan - Uncle Chang's :)

Sipadan Island

When I got to Semporna I had to choose which dive operator to use. I decided to go with Uncle Chang's as I wanted to stay on Mabul, an island close to Sipadan. I got in too late and had to spent the first night at the Dragon Inn in Semporna instead of at Uncle Changs which was a pity. However the hotel was bliss, a floating hotel with good rooms. Although once again it called for an early start: 6.30am..... getting really tired of these short nights - God I needed some sleep!! The boat to Mabul left early in the next morning and before we knew it, we were there!

The Rock Stars

We were met by the traditional 'Uncle Chang's Welcome' a band playing - the first thing that goes through your mind is 'What on earth is happening???', the next is 'Smile people are watching!' :) and the next is wow I'm actually here and boy we're off diving in a mo where's my room and lets get going!

Uncle Chang's - The Restaurant

I noticed immediately that the group there was a good one and I was looking forward to chilling out with them and getting to know them at the party later that night. Chez Uncle Chang's ...there's a party every night.

The Drum Kit was made of Bins - It was incredible

Sipadan is the island on which 21 foreigners and Malysians were abducted by 6 men armed with AK-47s back in 2000. Its a beauty of a spot and now the Malaysian Navy have a base there and keep watch 24/7. No one is allowed to walk around the island or to stay overnight and only 150 dive permits are issued a day which makes it really difficult to dive there on an ad hoc basis.

Sipadan Beach

The 3 dives there were a lot of fun - my dive buddy, a Frenchman called Patrick. He was a dive master so no babysitting all around! Great! As for the actual diving well it was good - wait a second what I'm I saying? It was GREAT - I saw my first hammerhead shark!!!!

Rudy Kissing His Hammerhead Pendent

I have been lucky, very lucky. We were over the moon! Rudy our DM was amazing he spotted it. Patrick and I swam out fast, we managed to get to just two metres away from it. Patrick has the shots and I hope he will email me one! The return boat trip was a good one, spirits were high. The arrival back at camp even better - all on-board took on the hammerhead sign to alert the poor divers at camp (those who hadn't been with us) as to what we had seen!! Cruel!! Hehe

Town Cry: Hammerhead!

Mabul is a tiny island with a little village and a couple of high-end floating resorts that charge at least 200/400+ dollars a night. Uncle Chang's is a floating outfit that caters to us backpackers charging just 50 RM a night. It was lovely.

Ed a Dive Bud

The sun set and the evening warmed up slowly. Uncle Chang was there in the flesh and this meant that we all got free drinks all night long. The boys on the home team turned into rock stars and had us up and dancing the night away and once that was over the air was still and the temperature hot, it called for a midnight swim.

Sunset Swim

The next morning called for more diving, this time Mabul, I was unlucky, unfortunately Sipadan was all booked up but Mabul was great too. The visibility here wasn't too good but we saw good marine life. That evening it was back to the Dragon Inn in Semporna. I could have just missed my flight(s) to Kuching.

ADIEU!

I have been lucky extremely lucky. I have seen the most amazing wildlife and met some wonderful people. Just catching up on the Borneo blog entries tonight (its 2am now) has reminded me just how lucky I've been.

PS: just reading an email from a great pal back home whilst adding the pics to this posting and this last bit's cracked me up! Forgive me babes, I just have to publish this!! Haha !!

'...And.... next time an opportunity/crazy thing turns up your way - say YES!!!! you live only once and are on holidays for G's sake!!! ;o)'