Jungle lessons

For four days and three nights, I spent alone in the deep of a Borneo rainforest. Not exactly alone I guess, as the forest is alive everywhere and 24 hours a day.

The ants were first to welcome me when I alighted from the 4-wheel drive provided by Borneo Rainforest Lodge to take guests from Lahad Datu Airport into the heart of Danum Valley, some 77km away and takes 2.5 hours on a gravel track. The ants are everywhere, even hurrying up my lunch table to check my lunch choice as I opened my pack of "nasi kuning" lunch and sweet coconut dessert, a sugary Malay kueh.

My guide is a stocky chap with a wide grin, Rafel, dressed in pale green long sleeved shirt with a big BRL logo emblazoned on it, and long khaki pants. He pointed to his calf, covered with a grey cotton cloth pulled up to the knees and bunched up with a string and asked "Have you got your leech socks yet?" Ok, the forest is alive with leeches too!


Some lessons learnt in the jungle:

LESSON ONE: I am jungle food

Everything flying, crawling, looping, creeping view me as food supply. The sandflies swarm in droves to bite my neck, the only exposed area when I trek. Leaving red angry welts, like a large ruby necklace. Leeches are just as eager to make my acquaintance, looping up my leech socks in desperate such for exposed flesh.















LESSON 2: everything is bigger than life in the forest. I mean really big

LESSON 3: Human, apes and monkeys are primates, and the difference btw an ape and monkey is that the ape has no tail. Neither have I. I am an ape???????

LESSON 4: Everything you see in Danum is real. It is also wild.

Lesson 5: In the forest, magic is everywhere. So is colour. 

  
LESSON 6: There is more medicinal options in the jungle than in a modern clinic. Organic too.

When I hurt my hand, I had many options to choose from. Boiled tree root, Leaves meshed into pulp, Jungle oil (herbal). I choose jungle oil - called Ubat Batu or Stone medicine. Smells comforting, feels smooth when applied and leaves no marks.

Princess or GI Joe

As the date draws near for my solo spa resort/jungle trip, I am getting pretty excited. 

The Hubby Bear worries about me disappearing into the bowels of an untamed Jungle. A rainforest lodge in the heart of nowhere. Hubby's worry is my fault really, as I told him that the rhinoceros beetle I saw back in 1990 was bigger than the palm of my hand. I suppose it then led him to think that the cicak (gecko) must be Godzilla-like. And given that Malaysia has lots of cicaks, there must be an impressive gang of Godzillas roaming about on the ceiling of my hotel lodge. 

My only issue is, I am keen to be packing like a princess for my stay in lovely 5-star spa beach side resort, but then, realised I need more ammo than a GI Joe for the rainforest stint. The princess wants to take along a nice handbag, sunglasses, headscarf, colour pencils and a drawing book, alongside the dresses and court shoes. The GI Joe is screaming for mosquito (leech) repellent, Nike sneakers, long pants - fortified if possible (against leeches), linen shirts, tshirts, baseball cap, khaki clothes, thick socks. 

How now? Princess or GI Joe.

A well meaning friend said "GI can go for spa, but princess shouldnt be in the forest".  

Travel and humble lemon water

  There are signs that one grows in wisdom. I think mine comes from learning from my travels. 

In the past when I travel, all I seem to care about is what I see. The buildings, the landscape, the souvenir shops. The more I see, the better. And oh, of course, how many photos I take WITH these sights. It also matters the quantity of souvenirs lugged home (the bigger, heavier, more, the better).

Slowly, after becoming more of a seasoned traveller, a curious thing happened. Quality started to take over quantity. Quality mattered more than quantity. It is not how MANY sights, but how MUCH pleasure these sights give me. And how much inner joy I get when I draw them, colour them. Then, it is not just about the buildings, but the food, the sound, the smell. And most of all, the people.  The conversations around the streets, the gesture, the look. The smile. The twinkle in the eye. Suddenly everything comes alive, everything interacts with one another. Everything has meaning.

In fact, funnily enough, once I learnt to appreciate quality during my travel, I started to appreciate other little things in my life. Like the humble Lemon Water. We always had lemon water, I just never appreciated them fully for what they are. Reminds you of the old way which I used to travel. I can only see. But I seldom feel, sense, smell, taste.

Back to lemon water. Waiters in posh restaurants wait upon tables with a glass jug of water, slices of lemon fashionably added - perhaps for colour? I just never thought too much about them, except that the lemon slices looked kind of nice and adds a touch of glamour to what is plain tap water. Then as I grow (wiser, I hope) I see beyond the superficial addition of lemon slices and grasp the underlying goodness of lemon in water. The wholesome health benefits, the alkaline qualities that lemon brings to plain water. That drinking lemon water can be a source to promote good well-being. 

Signs of wisdom? Appreciate more would be mine.

Wonderful Colourful Vibrant Ethiopia

Little boys at Queen Sheba's Ruins stand high on the fence to ask us for sweets. All of them wore clothes that are either in tatters or patched up in a few places. Nonetheless, their smiles are sweet, their manners gracious.

On far left, the 14th century colourful frescoes from ceiling to floor, all depicting stories from the Bible. These frescoes - still vibrant in their varied hues inspite of the years, are hidden inside plain monasteries made of bamboo, wood with thatched roof.

On right, a faithful man cloaked in white shawl and headdress makes his way to the monastery for evening prayers.

Locals walked everywhere. Some more fortunate ones travel in horse-driven carts like this.

Tourists like us get the 20-seater bus with a wisp of airconditioning thrown in.

Brisk business at a local convenience stall, even the camels have to queue up to buy a drink!

Me in quiet reflection at the obelisk site in Aksum

"A slow day in business", pictur of a local souvenir shop

Colour memories all sketched in my travelogue, of a vibrant and beautiful country and people.

High tea in style

Jennifer Crewes made a score of scones, whipped up clotted cream and produced fruit jam from a jar, and voila, we had Devonshire High Tea at home. Complete with English Porcelain teacups and saucers, and a three tiered plate to hold the tasty scones.

Sight see Shanghai by Metro

Aha! Now I can conquer Shanghai on my own with this little book in tow. Although all written in Chinese (gulp), I am very excited to be exploring Shanghai's nooks and crannies on foot, by train and trying all the culinary delights!


Listed in the book are 9 lines with over 39 big "must-stopover" and 328 places to eat, shop, see, have fun.


Woohoo, Shanghai here I come with my train travel card in hand. 


(The book on right cost RMB39.80)