Foresight. Survival. and staying amused.

An entry for Vague-a-bond:

 Cooking with Hannelore

(trying a Badjao dish with the locals)

I was in the middle of my trip in Borneo when Dang wrote about The Absolute Solo Must in onecentoneplace. I thought it ironic to be reading about security & independence, when I was doing the opposite, staying at a co-ed dormitory.

I'll tell you, this sleeping arrangement certainly is not "featureless" -- this is a place where the spice starts early, like before 7AM with an argument between a pushy Westerner and a Chinese who don't speak English. Now that's certainly fruitful!

One of the Asian girls I met was so relieved to have finally found another girl to share the 2-double-deck dorm with, she told me stories at a hand's breath distance away from me. She said for a week her strategy had been to stay out late, sneak in quiet as a mouse  in the middle of the night, tuck herself to sleep, and get up early the next day.

I could certainly empathize with her. On my first night in the backpackers' inn I was staying at, I walked into an old man in his underwear sharing the room with me. Apparently, Sabah is too humid for him he goes to sleep wearing nothing else but his brief. Now I tell you, that's not a good sight to see. I don't fucking care how liberal you are -- but a strange old man in his underwear, in close proximity, is not cool for me. I spent the next 2 nights tossing in my sleep, hunted by an image of him over my bed, laughing an evil laugh. 

I've always reserve days on my own when I go on trips with friends. Time only for myself to do the things I want to do, go to places I want to see, that I otherwise won't be able to arrange with the company I keep. This recent trip was the time I actually spent partially on my own. Sabah is a good place to travel solo (same with Vietnam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei) or with company. I've been here twice and I still haven't done everything there is to do there -- they offer so many things: islands, mountain, river, spring, falls, flora and fauna, and so much more! I'll still be back for the Tip Of Borneo, at least. 

Mount Kinabalu behind me

canopy walk

talk about isolated

I don’t know how others do it, but I thought, overall, I did pretty well on my own. I participated in every opportunity offered for a hands-on involvement in the culture or the tour -- dance, play games, compete against an Orangutan, light a fire with just wood, cook, smoke the local cigarettes, jump at the local trampoline, or shoot a target with a blowpipe. I took the public transport (buses that takes forever to leave I’ve struck conversations with the drivers, and kept it up too, mind you), my fares paid by strangers I met on the road on more than one occasion, pose as a local, bargained my grilled dinner at the night food bazaar (I didn’t think you could do that with food too until I tried), and get hit on by boys – literally – at the beach. I still have the cougar-effect LMAO!

play games

light a fire with just wood

cook

smoke, anyone?

I guess my contribution to Vague-a-bond's blog entry is . . . when traveling alone, lose your inhibitions.


other traveling solo experiences:
1 is a COMFORTABLE number