Borneo Blast, Day #1: Water and Monkeys . . .

I'm behind. I sort of fell behind towards the end of the last school year. So many things have been happening that it's feasibly impossible for me to keep up. Writing a blog could potentially be a full-time job. The time it takes to organize thoughts, sort through images, upload videos to a secondary host site before then embedding them into a blog is akin to the time it might take to fully research and write a term paper. And that's the time it takes for each separate post. Good heavens. 

But fear not, I am on the upswing. I am beginning to feel my feet on the ground again. Three new posts per week begins now. Look out . . . 

First up? Fall Break in Borneo . . .

Would you believe I was still peeling last week from the crazy-ass sunburn I got while in Borneo? I've been home now for 5 weeks. The sun was by far hotter in Kota Kinabalu than any other place I've been in Southeast Asia. But it was absolutely gorgeous. Breathtaking, really . . .

I arrived to the condo I booked via AirBNB around 10pm. So the first chance I got to really take in my surroundings was the following day. And the views were absolutely spectacular from my room. I was surrounded by mountains and right on the beach. I mean . . . Literally right on the beach: the water came up to the wall by the pool. You can see the view from my bedroom window in the first picture posted above. It was magical.

My condo was a bit dated and reminded me of a hotel, but the location was so remote that I really enjoyed the privacy. The first thing I did was take a 20 minute walk along the beach to a nearby resort for breakfast. The breakfast buffets in Asia are always completely over-the-top. No one could possibly eat all of the food that they put out. There is always a fabulous mix of Western, Indian, Japanese, and Chinese dishes available, alongside several fresh juices (my favorite is always Mango) and lots of fruit (dragon fruit seems to be always be a top choice). I always fill my plate with a mixture of Indian and Western goodness. This particular resort had a pet monitor lizard. He was giant and liked fruit. (I soon found out that they were everywhere in Borneo . . . Everywhere!)

On the way back from breakfast, I stopped and watched the ocean for a long time. I took what felt like hundreds of images. 

I went to the beach only on occasion growing up. My family were mountain folk. We preferred downhill skiing to sitting on the beach. So whenever people would normally head to the beach, we would go to Colorado. I loved it that way and never really took the time to appreciate the beach for all that it was. 

Quite frankly, I think the vastness of the ocean always sort of frightened me a little bit. It's massive. And with one fell swoop, it could take you out of the game for good. But being able to travel to the beach as a--somewhat--older person, I've come to realize that the beach can be quite a reflective place. Staring out into the miles and miles of giant watery horizon tends to help my mind kind of let go. I respect it. I appreciate it. I'm thankful for it.

Around noon, my driver came to pick me up. He was taking me to this little place along the river where I could take a boat ride to see monkeys and fireflies. It was called the "Firefly Cruise", but that was a bit of an overstatement.

We were fed fun little Malaysian treats and served coffee immediately upon our arrival.

Then we all put on bright orange life vests and piled in the boat. I was the only English speaker. So I sort of had to figure out what "look over there" sounded like in Chinese . . . And pay close attention to the gestures of the other people in the boat for me to know where to look and what I was supposed to be looking at.

We were looking for the Proboscis monkey, a shy and somewhat allusive monkey that bares a slight resemblance to Jimmy Durante.

I sort of barely was able to see the monkeys or get a good shot of one . . . And they don't make any noise, like the monkeys I've seen previously. But they were huge! And did you know that you can only find them in Borneo? Isn't that bizarre? Where could they possibly be from . . . 

Following our several monkey sightings, we pulled up to a little dock for dinner. After that, we piled back in the boat for our firefly trip. Apparently when the fireflies are out, it lights up the banks of the river in an amazing display. They don't flicker like fireflies in the States. Their lights stay on, so there is a continuous glow.

I never saw any fireflies. Unfortunately when we took off on the boat after dinner, I decided to sit in the front this time. And it started storming. I mean like really storming. Raindrops were pelting my face. And within seconds, I was completely drenched. I hadn't even thought to bring an umbrella . . . 

Finally the boat turned around and we were back to land within minutes. And when the rain lifted, the night sky was beautiful . . . 

Up next: Rowing to my very own island with a tiny hermit crab named Harry. Stay tuned!