Dear pipsqueaks,
Holy mother of pearls, I'm officially banning any flights before 9am. Seriously the most dreadful experience having to wake up at 4am to brush up n pack (okay, I figured the less time I give myself to pack, the more minimal I'll be- which was quite right). I was ready to go by 4:40am with time for a quick shake for breakfast. Since I wasn't sure whether the boys would still be busy with getting ready, I sent them a text message asking if they'd pick me up on their way to KL Sentral because I wasn't sure how taxi would be like on a saturday morning. Actually, the plan was to take the public transit, which would've taken me from my doorsteps all the way to KL Sentral for LCC Terminal bus transfer. Except, I hadn't think to check the time for the first train. Eventually, my french connection told me it won't start till 6am (crappidy- it's always such a pain to bargin for a reasonable price when there're really no other options!) But luckily, I ran into a nice chinese grandpa who ordered one of his young one's to take me for RM15 (still a rip off- how did I find out? He left the meter running n by the time we got there, the meter was still showing the jump start price at RM3- but I mean, I wouldn't mind for a RM10, but at such a rushed time, I just didn't have a choice). So I hopped on n bolted to KL Sentral to meet up with the boys. Side note: 15mins taxi to KL Sentral, 1hr-ish bus to LCCT, then the flight? Convenient? Yes. Enjoyable? Duh, no!
Honestly, the whole part between the bus ride to the airport to Old Town breakfast to the flight was pretty much a blur. At some point of it all, I just remember being very thankful that the boys took care of all the bookings (in total truth, I did absolutely no organization of any kind for this trip, so that's why) n that I became the common bank (aka. keeper of the pooled money so we don't have to do all the splitting of bills n payments- definitely suggested for groups travelling 3 n up. It saves everybody the time with calculations n just plain awkwardness when it can be so simple). Anyways, so yes, somehow through all that daydream-walking, we landed in Kuching (in Malaysian state of Sarawak, sharing the island of Borneo with Indonesia n Brunei- all of which I had only found out probably yesterday...? Not gonna lie, I literally did no research for this trip because I figured it'd be a pretty fun personal challenge to follow the guys' plans n see how well I do. So far so good!)
As we cruised through town towards our guest house, there were already a few places that were pointed out a must to visit. After settling with all the paperwork n our personal belongings, we began our tour around town. It was rather humid, though the drops of rain helped with the cooling along with gusts of breezy wind. We stopped at a Lebanese restaurant for lunch, n the lamb was rather satisfying (mind u, we had a lonely planet for all these suggestions). So yes, it's good to have some direction, especially when all 3 of us seem to be quite easy going. Now, its more like whatever we're closer to on the map for convenience-sake n of course, the trying of different foods.
With a ride booked at 2pm for the orangutan center, we returned to the guest house to wait for the ride. It was a good 30min drive, n the further we went, the more jungle it looked. Finally reaching, our driver gave up heads up about these hairy beasts:
- Beware of flying coconuts that they may throw at u from tree tops
- Always check above u- they may take a wizz on top for fun
- Keep quiet- they don't like noise
- If u happen to be picked out in a stand off, run like there's no tomorrow
Luckily, when we arrived, it was just in time for feeding. Among the chattering old ladies who didn't understand the dangers of pissing off these animals, we were fortunate to see the biggest orangutan come out for feeding period. Weighing in at 160kg, he's ginormous! But still cute n furry. I love the way they chew *nom nom* side to side. U should see how he devours a branch of bananas with one hand- peel with lips n sip goes one banana like a piece of gum. Actually, he hadn't come out for feedings for a couple of weeks already, so the rangers told us. Yes, we came at a good time because if they don't come out for feeding, u'll have to try n spot them in the forest- could be a challenge as the facility was quite large with a total of 26 orangutans roaming around on tree tops. But yah, it was definitely quite cool to see them in their natural habitat n do whatever they usually do- when they're not attacking random visitors (although I do have to say, some people are so oblivious to the warnings, they almost deserve a scare just to keep them quiet). Regardless, just adorable! After the visit, we were taken back to our guesthouse n we headed out in to explore the city some more.
(What u lookin' at? Don't even think about it.)
(Mama, can i PLEASE scare them?)
(Hm, i'm shy...)
Following a visit to a supermarket we ran into on our way back to the guest house, we picked up tomorrow's lunch: cheese, toast, tomatoes, canned meats n of course, water. Cools, whatever's convenient. After dropping off all our stuff n doing a little packing so the guys wouldn't disturb their only other roommate early in the morning, we went for dinner. We walked by a chinese restaurant that was suggested by lonely planet before heading to the supermarket, n it looked pretty good, so we turned back there for dinner. Fish, squid, veggies n lobster, yums! Of course, how could we complete dinner without dessert! (This is what I like about the guys: they love desserts too! We're like totally on the same page with food! Awesome!) On our way here, I saw another restaurant that was suggested in lonely planet called "The Junk" with a dessert fridge- so I automatically assumed they had cake *smile*. Once mentioned, the guys were so for it.
(Can always count on a cake to end the day in the perfect way)
The place was amazingly set up with, well, junk! There were literally tons of things put in for the design n surprisingly messily organized. It was a very relaxing atmosphere n with my tiramisu, it was just perfect! We had a few giggles n laughs, but as we had to wake up early the next day, we were soon on our way back. Now comes the new challenge: to dress up inside the showers in the girl's shared washroom. Hm, definitely not how I roll, but when there isn't much of a choice, u kinda just gotta do it. Actually, wasn't that bad at all. A nice n hot shower to finish the day n I was soon in bed to rest for the next. Sleeping at 11:30pm for a 6am wake? Certainly not acceptable for my 8hr sleeping cycle, but I do wanna make the most of this trip, so off too bed for me! A chillaxing day to start off the weekend getaway. Good night for the first time from Kuching! Jessy out.