BORNEO (10/14): Post Event Chilling!

Here I am, on my own now that the event has come to an end. Most of the group have now transferred to Kinabalu Airport to start their journeys home. Many of us, however, have opted to stay on, at our own expense of course. The last ten days have been hectic. So much so that this diary isn't even up to date and I will attempt to do this over the next few days while the facts are still relatively fresh in my memory. This morning, I transferred from Room 930, which I shared with Troy, to room 539, a single room with a huge double bed.

Today, while the majority of people busied themselves with present-buying and case-packing, I set out to experience two new things; para-sailing and massage. The para-sailing cost me £18 for fifteen minutes which is a bargain. It would cost twice as much in some Spanish resorts. At 14:30, I headed towards the Sutera Harbour Jetty.

I must interrupt this entry with a note about a sunset which is taking place at this very moment. It is now 18:22 and the view from my bedroom window is extremely relaxing. Out towards the Ocean are three distant islands, each of which are a matter of acres in area. The sun is lowering behind the one to the right, the last of its light bouncing off the ocean. The last of the para-sailers are now heading to shore and some more traditional boats are simply bobbing up and down on the sea, the occupants no doubt admiring the sunset or fishing for their tea, perhaps even both.

The suns light has intensified now, casting my shadow on to the desk at which I am writing. The clouds are now majestically lit from below, adding another dimension to the appealing view before me. The sun is now sinking, the light receding, the sea darkening. The clouds are now orange, slowly turning red. All is pleasant and calm and the stillness of the Ocean is unnerving in this twilight. The last of the para-sailers within has now returned to the harbour which brings me to what I wanted to tell you about.

At 14:00, I made my way to the Sutera Harbour jetty. There, I was greeted by three Malay men who made me sign a liability release and took me through a quick five minutes worth of instruction. I boarded the boat and before long, I was strapped to the back of the boat and standing on a platform. The boat powered ahead and I was gradually released into the air as the parachute slowly inflated with the passing sea breeze. I felt like I was flying; my legs were dangling beneath me, swaying in the wind. I got higher and higher. At a guess, I must have been at least two hundred and fifty feet in the air. It was great and I whooped with delight. I closed my eyes, sensing the air all around me and breathed in deeply. This was a true quality moment, one worth all the aches, pains and fundraising tactics it took to get here.

I opened my eyes. To the left was the Kota Kinabalu stilt village. To my right lay a vast expanse of sea with the three offshore islands in the distance. Fortunately, the fifteen minutes of the para-sailing felt like much longer and I can't wait to try it again. I arrived back at the Sutera Harbour about 15:15. In the hotel, I bumped into Borneo Bill who was boasting about the good bargains he had bagged in town. Pauline and Bob were envious, but I still have plenty of time to do some shopping, unlike them! Ha, ha, ha!!

It is now 18:32 and the sky outside is brimming with the colours of orange, red and the greyness of incoming cloud. Rain is starting to fall and I just sensed the vibrations of a rumble of thunder. It's strange to witness a thunderstorm in the presence of such a beautiful sunset.

At 16:00, I had arranged to have a massage at Body Senses, the Pan Pacific's own in-house fitness suite. I arrived into reception and within minutes was motioned into a barely lit room. Then, a petite young Malaysian girl of about twenty entered the room, motioning for me to lay face down on the massage table. I was stunned by the strength this young girl had coming from such a small pair of hands. She certainly gave me a good working over and amidst the ooh's and aah's, I felt at peace. It was very uplifting though an hour after the massage started, I had to summon the energy to even move! It was well worth the £20 I paid, which is at least half the price of what it would cost in the UK.

Shortly before I started writing this entry, at approximately 17:45, a group of people had begun their journeys homeward. Some of the goodbye's were heartfelt, some a relief! My particularly sorrowful parting was from Sharon of Poole. Throughout the trip, we had been wild, lead a jaunt to a nightclub and made our own day of adventure when we both opted not to take part in the second day of cycling.

I gave here a piece of paper saying: "Thanks for making the trip what it was". She said that I would always be in her heart and I could have given her a smacker on the lips right there and then! She hinted about meeting up at a later date, but I forget when. That would be nice, but we'll all return to our own lives now, won't we? Right, it's now 18:46 and I've booked a seat on the Complimentary Shuttle Bus into Kota Kinabalu. When I return, the next section will pick up from where I have left off: the first day of cycling.

22:25, SMT...

Tonight has been a bit of a drama. I left the apartment just before 19:00 to catch a bus into town. Despite the receptionists claim, there were in fact NO buses at 19:00. So, I took a cab. It cost me RM10 (£1.60) to get to Centre Point. What a bargain, eh? It costs double that to just get into a taxi in the UK! Once there, I had planned to get a cash advance using my VISA Card. The Bureau de Change closed at 19:00 and I panicked. I had RM6 left, barely enough to buy a can of drink! All the banks were now closed so what was I to do? I had no choice, but to go to the hotel and change my last sterling twenty pound note and hope that someone, somehow would be able to draw an advance by tomorrow morning.

I got back to the hotel, changed my last £20, paid the taxi and then sought the advice of Charlie Chan, the charity event emergency contact. He suggested the hotel refund the RM800 I paid them in respect of my hotel accommodation and charge the refunded amount to my credit card. This was the ideal solution and once again, I had been saved! Now I had money, I could have dinner! I had a Club Sandwich with Ham and Chicken and a portion of chips with plenty of tomato sauce. Not bad for RM23, equivalent to £3.80. Anyway, I'm now in bed as tomorrow is going to be a long day. I'm due to fly to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary in Sandakan on the East Coast of Borneo. I guess I'll be writing about that soon too.