Trip - 2018 Malaysia — ThePhotoGuy.dk

My 2018 Trip to (eastern) Malaysia

12 Days solo

Early in 2018, I broke 3 ribs in a silly bike accident. While in the hospital I had asked every doctor I met if it would be OK for me to fly in 3 weeks, because I had a trip planned to the Faroe Islands. Everyone said that should be fine. I also asked the physical therapist when I could start strength training again, such as doing chin-ups.

She said, “If you can do it, it’s OK to start again. If you can’t do it because of the pain, it’s best to wait.”

Three weeks later, I took the trip to the Faroe Islands with Anna. We had a great trip. I did over-exert myself on one of the big hikes, but I felt I was healing well when we got back.

The first full day after we got back, I decided to give chin-ups a try. I felt a sharp pain immediately upon grabbing hold of the bar. I didn’t bother even attempting the chin-up and stopped immediately. I worked from home mostly at the time, so I just went in to my home office to work for the day.

Anna was off spending her last day of vacation with another friend, exploring Copenhagen. Yet another mutual friend/co-worker invited all of us for dinner that night. At the end of my work day, I took of the t-shirt I was wearing to put on a nicer shirt, and discovered a huge bruise on my side. It looked like someone had turned on a faucet of blood under the skin of my left armpit.

It came as quite a shock. Trying to figure out what this was, I came to the conclusion that it must have happened on that hike where I over-exerted myself. I had completely forgotten my aborted chin-up.

A few days later, I visited my doctor to ask if she thought it would be OK for me to learn SCUBA diving this summer, given the broken ribs and collapsed lung I had suffered. I mentioned, as we started talking, that I also had a fairly large bruise and I was concerned that I may have internal bleeding. She was shocked to learn that I had gone to the Faroe Islands.

“Most people I know don’t want to get out of bed after breaking any ribs! Why don’t you take it easy this year? Go lay on a beach some where.”

She did not seem to take my concern about internal bleeding very seriously. Just before leaving, I asked if she’d take a look at it. She agreed and when I lifted my shirt, her tone changed.

“That’s not a little internal bleeding!”

Still, that’s where the conversation ended.

Quite honestly, I thought I did take a longer break before learning SCUBA, but it turns out that it was just a few months later that I did go to Malaysia to learn to SCUBA dive.

I don’t think my ribs caused my any problems on this trip to Malaysia (which was another vacation attached to a business trip).

On the other hand, I have another minor medical condition, polyps in my nasal cavity, which gives symptoms similar to pollen allergies. This did, I think, cause problems with my SCUBA, as I was never completely able to equalize the pressure in my ears, first when descending, and later when returning to the surface.

When I started putting together this page, I was surprised to see how much I had written in my journal. Much of my writing is related to the complications with equalizing pressure during SCUBA and the flu like symptoms I had afterwards.

Otherwise, on this trip I used my journal as a way to keep myself company during the more extensive time when I was neither in transit, taking pictures, learning, or doing anything else.

If anyone actually reads any of this, you’ll see that, both then and now, I don’t consider this very interesting reading for anyone other than myself. I include it regardless, as it was quite interesting to me.

My route

Day 1 - Friday, August 31, 2018

Kuala Lumpur Airport 06.40

Well, all has gone well so far. The driver arrived already at 4.12 (he sent me a text). I was up at 4.20 and responded. I took a shower, packed up the rest of my things, and headed down by 4.30. I left one bag as planned and got checked out fairly quickly.

There was almost no traffic on the roads, but the driver took me to terminal 1 after all. I asked, however, as we were pulling up, if this was terminal 2, and he had to drive back out to the highway to bring me there.

Once in the airport, I could see that Veslyn had been right, the airport was already packed. I went to check in counter S, as the signs instructed, but it turned out that there was a premium checkin counter at W, so I walked back to that. I knew my suitcase would be heavy, so I did not want any problems. That worked out well. It weighs 25kg at the moment, so that may indeed be a problem for my next flight. We shall see.

They didn’t weigh my backpack, but I couldn’t get a premium ticket for my next flights, so who knows what they’ll do.

In any case, I managed to get a coffee and find a good seat close to the boarding door and I’m here about an hour early, which is fine with me.

On plane 08.39

In the plane. The tired has caught up with me, but I managed to take a little nap while waiting to take off.

I’m starting to wonder if I want to go snorkelling today, after I arrive and after lunch, or just relax and explore the island a bit. There is no rush, perhaps I will consider the weather first.

I need to learn about my class, which starts tomorrow. Snorkelling is fun, and it will be my only real chance, I think, but I am a bit tired. We’ll see.

Sitting in so much air conditioning, it’s hard to imagine that it will be sunny and warm when I arrive at the island.

The view I must learn to live with for the next couple of days...

Day 2 - Saturday, September 1, 2018

Waking up to rain

Day 3 - Sunday, September 2, 2018

Good morning crabs

Mabul 19.34

OK, I’m surprised I didn’t write yesterday. Let me just check...

Nope. OK, I see. I wrote on the plane, but never continued after that. Let me give a summary.

I moved back one row while sitting on the plane, because I had an empty row behind me and two people sitting in my row, both quite old, the woman switched seats with her husband when I sat down (she looked Muslim, so perhaps that contributed to her not wanting to sit next to me... not that I disagree with her choice). Her husband had an injured foot. In any case, they didn’t seem to speak English and I wouldn’t have wanted to talk to them anyway.

I was still the first off the plane and the first through immigration, the first to get my suitcase (after waiting for about 20 minutes) and the first of 5 to find the transfer agent to Mabul. I had to wait again for the others to come. First, a cute young Asian couple (Japanese, I think), then an unfortunately talkative pair of middle aged Chinese men. They spoke for most of the drive, which took what seemed like forever, but was probably a little less than an hour.

We (again) had to wait, for another group. This time an extended Chinese family or group of friends, with one toddler boy and various couples and elderly men. The people from the van did not get on our boat, so I suppose they were going to a different resort, although who knows, because I seem to think I saw the young couple again.

I took some pictures on the boat ride and 4 have survived my review process, though only one or two seem likely to stay in my memory. We arrived at the water bungalows, due to low tide, then drove electric golf carts to the beach resort. They stowed our suitcases at the restaurant and we ate lunch first. One of the guys from the Chinese group came to sit with me during lunch. We talked a little, though his English was very sparing. He wondered about my ukulele, thinking it may be a violin. I showed him the instrument but it was out of tune and I can’t really impress anyone anyway, so I avoided more than a single strum.

When I was done eating, a woman asked my name an pulled me aside. I met my dive instructor, Leona. She is Asian of some sort, perhaps from the Philippines. She gave me an orientation and struggled a bit, since the older woman giving an orientation to the Chinese group normally gives orientations, apparently. She gave me my dive book and a USB with videos to watch, and suggested that I might be able to finish my reading that evening, so we could start the pool exercises in the morning.

That turned out to be overly optimistic for multiple reasons. I was in my beach bungalow by about 4pm, but I was quite tired and reading was slow both due to my fatigue and because a friend started texting me. I took a nap, then had dinner, but went to bed after only finishing the introduction and reading a small part of Chapter 1 (of 5).

On Saturday, I ate breakfast at 7 (after a perfect night of sleep... 100%). Then continued reading. When I finished chapter 2, it was about 10am or so. Since Leona had thought we might be able to start with the pool in the morning, I could see that was not likely. I went looking for her. She came with her gear and seemed disappointed to hear that I was still reading. She thought, perhaps we could start after lunch. I had to disappoint her, but luckily asked for her phone number, so I was able to text when I finished Chapter 3 (it was already getting late in the afternoon), then when I finished Chapter 5 (before watching the last video, which would take until 7pm... time for dinner).

We met at dinner and I handed over my book, she thought it looked fine. I ate dinner and went back to my bungalow, after we agreed to meet to get started at 8:15. Back in my bungalow, I was again quite tired. I practiced ukulele for a while and watched the news, then went to bed fairly early again.

I woke up at about 6am to heavy rain. When I checked my phone, I saw that Leona had texted that we could meet at breakfast for my exam and hopefully get started in the pool when the rain stopped. That worked well. I had breakfast at about 7:30 and Leona arrived a little before I finished. I got a cup of coffee and she gave me the first of two exams. I got 100% correct on the first, with 40 questions in 4 sections of 10 each. Then I got 49 out of 50 right on the second, “final” exam, which was mostly a repeat of the first. The only question I got wrong was how close one must be to the “diver down” flag (15m), although I actually guessed on about 3 questions.

We then agreed to meet at the shop, after I got my stuff. I needed to use the toilet first and think the coffee I had made the day before had influenced the quality of what I produced (I had thought it tasted salty, and blamed the creamer, until I realized I had used tap water, which, on such a small island, must essentially be sea water... Oops! I didn’t make that mistake again, but it took me a while to finally figure it out and pour the last few sips down the sink).

Our pool exercises (there are 5), went fairly quickly. She showed me how to put the kit together and the other various things promised in the book and videos (skipping a few things, like, they do not provide a computer). The pool was quite shallow, so achieving neutral buoyancy was a struggle, but she seemed to think I did OK. At one point, I completely forgot what I was suppose to do (swim the length of the pool saying “ahhhhh”), but finally remembered after an embarrassingly long time). We laughed about that when I was done, since it was the last thing to do before lunch.

The afternoon we finished lessons 4 and 5 in less than an hour and I transferred to the water bungalows (after forgetting my BCD, regulator, weight belt, and fins, as she told me not to). Once we retrieved that, it was about 4pm and I was hungry. I noticed they were having “tea-time” at the bar and I grabbed a (second) cup of afternoon coffee and some pastries and sat there, feeling a little lonely compared to at the other spot. There were more people milling about, which often makes me feel more lonely. I did a little tour of the area, then went to my bungalow and tried to decide if I should try snorkelling, but decided against it.

Instead, I unpacked then walked around with my cameras and tripod taking pictures until after 6pm. I then returned again to my room and learned the various light switches and power outlets, transferred pictures to my computer, and went for dinner. I needed to explain that I had spent the first two nights at the beach resort and had not received any orientation, so they explained that I could sit where I wanted, pointed out a table set for one, and that’s where I ate (fairly quickly, as always).

I forgot to mention that the Chinese guy invited me to eat with them on Saturday evening. I declined as politely as I could. He suggested that we have a beer together, and I told him that I don’t drink. I (luckily) had a book open on my iPhone and could point to it and say that I like to read. I always feel so rude about admitting that I want my solitude. I’m sure he meant well.

I’m back now and my legs are tired. I’m thinking of watching yesterday’s news and practicing my ukulele now. I’ll probably sleep soon afterwards.

Our plan is to meet at 8:15 in the dive shop tomorrow to do our Open Water portions of my course. If all goes well, I should have Tuesday and Wednesday for a “real” dive, together with Leona. I see that my little camera is only certified to 10m... not 18m. Hmmm. I may well choose not to bring it then. Going to 18m is almost double the pressure, so it’s probably not worth risking it. I’ll have to try to remember to mention that to Leona, but I can bring it and point it out when we get somewhere if I forget.

Day 4 - Monday, September 3, 2018

Mabul 07.31

I woke at about 1am last night, after going to be just before 9pm, so it really didn’t surprise me. I didn’t eat a lot at dinner, so I was feeling a little hungry, but mostly I was kept awake by the squeaking of my bathroom door. After a bit, it was clear that things were getting windier and I wondered about my wet suit, which I had left out to dry.

I decided to get up and bring that in after a while, and found a way to silence my bathroom door by putting the floor mat/towel in to the crack under the door, but I stayed awake for almost 2 hours. I must admit, once the idea of a tsunami coming in enters my mind, I have a hard time putting it out again.

I heard a crash at one point, which my mind interpreted as something ramming the stilts holding up the water bungalows, even though I knew this was unlikely. I got up several times to look out my windows and porch doors, and there was a storm coming, I could see lightning and, eventually, a lot of wind and rain. I was glad I had brought my wetsuit in.

I did a little work on pictures and finally lay down to sleep again at about 2:30am, at which time I realized I had forgotten my sleep cycle app, so I turned it on. All told, I got about 7 and a half hours sleep and woke at about 6:30.

I’ve had breakfast and walked around now. I’m wondering if I should attempt a nap before suiting up for the start of my open water day at 8:15.

12.51

I tried the nap but didn’t sleep. I was in my wet suit and out with my gear ready by about 8:10. Leona was there soon after. We spoke through the day’s events, similar to the pool, but she would not demonstrate. A boat left just before we were able to enter the water, so we tried the giant stride. As expected, I struggled a lot once I was in the water to position myself as I wanted to. I definitely had flailing newbie syndrome. We used a rope to descend and I immediately had problems clearing my ears. I signalled and we went up, first a little, then all the way, then tried again.

Eventually, we made it down, after what seemed like a very long time to me. I actually felt discomfort, ranging up to pain, and, most likely, I just failed to equalize appropriately at the start. I made a lot of the typical mistakes I had heard or read about. I struggled a lot to achieve neutral buoyancy and good trim. I tended to ascend out of control fairly often and Leona had to pull me down by my fins. We managed to do some “diving”, which means swimming around underwater without doing exercises, although it’s an exercise in trying to stay at the same depth, and I did see a couple turtles (Leona pointed them out to me).

At one point I saw some seaweed stuck to my mask, but after a while I realized I had a nose bleed. Leona had noticed it by then and suggested that I clear my mask. In doing so, I sank and nearly hit a sunken structure. Or, perhaps I did. She swam to stop me but I don’t think she managed to completely. She pointed out once we made it to the surface that I would have killed the coral if it had been a reef, or could have gotten stung or bitten by a fish, so I need to get better at that.

We came up for a break and discussed things at a picnic table for about a half hour, then went down again with new bottles. I also have a problem with cramping, which I had been afraid of, as I often cramp in my calves when swimming. No difference here. I thought that running may have helped it.

I told her during our break that I felt like my head is in a bubble. I still have that feeling. I got a nose bleed on our second swim as well. Oh well. She admitted that she has as well. She also let slip that she’s only been diving for about a year. So she’s not exactly a life long expert.

We are done, however, with the exercises, so tomorrow we will take our first real dive.

BTW, I just used a tissue and it came out bloody, but the next was not, so it was probably just left over blood from earlier. My ears hurt a little and I hope the clear before tomorrow.

At the moment, I’d say that I doubt diving will be a major calling for me. That might change, but it doesn’t really live up to the hype, as far as I’m concerned. Still, I’m here to learn, so I will try to get the most out of it. Leona agreed that I should not bring my camera for our dives, because we will go deeper than 10 meters.

Leona and I were done just before 12. I’ve had lunch and been having coffee and a protein bar for dessert as I’ve been writing this. Next I can watch the news and work on my pictures from yesterday. Then perhaps print and write postcards.

Or, perhaps I’ll take a nap first. I’m feeling a little sleepy.

14.01

I took a 15 minute nap and I think I even slept a little. Now I’m sitting outside on my porch and just finished watching the Danish TV news. I’ve made a list of postcard recipients. I’ve probably forgotten a few.

I’m enjoying this solo vacation and feeling even more certain that this is right for me. I both feel a tiny bit lonely at times, and mostly happy to be on my own.

I struggled enough as it is to admit that I was having problems equalizing when it was just Leona that I was slowing down, and I’m paying her to go at my pace.

16.40

My ears are still clicking every time I swallow. More the right one than the left one. The left one is the one that has been worse all along.

I’ve been working on pictures, though I did take a break to get coffee. I’m a little self-conscious when walking about, since I’m here alone and just about all the other tourists are Asian, as I had expected them to be. I prefer that, actually, since this means there are no tourists who try to talk to me, but it also makes me wonder if they are thinking about me. I know this is a typical response for people. We tend to worry what others are thinking about us more than we think about them, except in cases when we think a lot about them.

It doesn’t really matter, of course, but I came back to my room rather than walk too much after my coffee. I didn’t take any pictures, though I brought my camera with me.

I have a bit of a sun burn on my head. I didn’t think to take on sun screen earlier today. Must do so tomorrow.

21.10

Lots of entries today. You can tell I have not been studying or taking pictures. I have processed all my pictures (and I have 11 finished shots so far). I printed all 11 and will send 10 of them to friends and family, and hand deliver one.

I decided to write once more before bed because I’m thinking a bit about whether I am being honest to say that I enjoy traveling alone.

Perhaps partially because I feel like I can either enjoy my time alone (like now) or have a romantic partner and have no time alone, but it doesn’t feel possible to have both. Plus I don’t like the feeling that I get when I suspect that others “pity” me for being alone. Actually, the Chinese guy seemed to like that I was traveling alone, at least until I turned him down regarding sitting together and having a beer. At least, that was my fear.

What other people think, once again, is none of my business, and not even possible for me to know. So.

What I’m really worried about is what I think.

And, to be honest, I am not missing anyone on this trip. If someone were along, that would make things more difficult, to be honest. Traveling to the Faroe Islands with Anna was perfect. Traveling here, alone, is perfect for this trip. Perhaps I could have taken this trip with someone, and if it were the right person, that would have been perfect as well. But since I’m traveling alone, I seem to have set it up very well.

I’m glad I have my camera, but I’m not attempting to take pictures every second. I like having my little printer, so my postcards are now my own. That’s cool.

I wish my ears weren’t clicking so much, but they are better now. I got a little sunburn on my head, but not too bad. I took some aspirin equivalents and don’t have a headache.

Leona sent a message to ask if I want to visit Sipadan the next two days and I answered yes, assuming that she would join me. She agreed. I hope that I don’t have problems with clearing my ears tomorrow and the day after. I don’t think I’m likely to be addicted to diving after this, but I might as well do it completely on this trip. Then I can decide what to do on future trips later. I’m 100% glad that I did not bring my underwater camera case. I don’t need that distraction. Will I ever use that case again? Who knows. I know it was a “waste” of money if I don’t, but I knew that going into the purchase.

You never really know.

Day 5 - Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Mabul 07.39

I had a good night’s sleep. I don’t remember waking up in the middle of the night, although I may have around 1:30am, based on my Sleep Cycle graph. I woke at about 5am to the sound of winds and rain, and later thunder.

My right ear feels clear now, and my left is clicking when I swallow. I’ve had breakfast.

I’m a bit early still, although I may take on my wet suit soon. It may be a bit “premature” to do so, before getting on the boat. I don’t know really how long we have to “sail”, but it’s troublesome for me to get on, so I’d rather have it on earlier than later.

On my way to Sipadan

Leopard Shark

Behind the sceens shows how hard it really was
(at least for me)

Swimming with the sharks

15.02

OK, my ears are hurting full force again, but I’m happy that I did go to Sipadan. I have another trip planned for tomorrow. I’m getting better at clearing my ears while descending, and ascending they just click like mad. Leona was excited about some of the wild life we saw. Apparently some of it was unusual. I’m not quite sure what she was talking about, but we did see some turtles, sharks, and other big fish. I think we saw one eel.

18.24

Tea Time took a long time to get underway. I haven’t really figured out exactly when it starts on this side. I broke down and asked, but the guy manning the bar didn’t give a direct answer. When I asked for the wifi password, which he didn’t know, then admitted it only really works in our rooms, he offered to make me a coffee, which I accepted. The “bread” didn’t come for another 30 to 40 minutes or so. I was hungry, so I waited and sampled one of each thing they laid out. I’m trying to eat small meals, even if the food here is not so healthy. I only have 6 bars left as backup for my trip to Bako, so I’m trying to hold off from eating any more of them.

My ears are hurting more now than earlier. I took some pain killers. I’m a little uncertain if I should consider cancelling my dive tomorrow. I don’t really want to, but since I’m flying, I’ll have to consider. I may, in the worst case, just cancel the last dive, which starts at 1:30, I think. I was back by about 2:30 today, and if we only dive for about 30 minutes, how does the math work out?

Let’s say we dive until 2:15 (14:15). That leaves 10 hours until 0:15 and another 10 until 10:15. That’s 20 hours, which seems to be sufficient, based on the current guidelines. Granted, if I were to drop that dive and make my last exit of the water 12:15, that would mean 22 hours. Let’s see. I think my feeling in the morning may have the biggest influence. If my ears feel OK then, I can hope that I’ll feel good on Thursday morning as well. If I wake with pain still, then I may give myself another day to heal.

Dinner starts in 30 minutes. I’m always one of the first there.

Day 6 - Wednesday, September 5, 2018

No sale today... (Local fisherman canoe over to the resort to try to sell fish... Apparently the kitchen will cook them for you... This one could not find buyers, though.)

Mabul 17.13

Bad wifi again today. Frustrating, but not really surprising.

OK, so I woke up with my ears hurting a little and my head feeling it it’s bubble still. I wondered whether it would still be a problem tomorrow morning for my flight, and thought that I could consider skipping my last dive, as I probably wrote last night.

I mentioned this to Leona as well. Going down today was fairly easy. I took my time and did not experience much pain while I cleared my ears. We had a different group today, including a photographer who would be taking video of the trip. We saw some nice schools of fish, turtles, and sharks. I may have been filmed a bit, I’m not sure. I continued to be a little nervous about maintaining my depth, but felt I did fairly well.

Ascending, however, continued to be painful, especially that last 5 meters. I came above sea level to a roar of clicks and pain in my ears. I couldn’t hear Leona talking to me and spat out a clump of blood and mucus. Leona asked if I was alright (I think) and I admitted that it continued to be painful coming up. She said this is called a reverse block, which I remember reading about. I decided by the time I was on the boat that I did not want to dive again today. I told Leona once we were at the picnic table. She agreed that this was probably wise.

I had to wait until after lunch, but then was able to return early with the people who served lunch. One of them is a somewhat bizarre looking person with unnaturally white skin and strange features. I thought fairly early that they might be a transitioning transsexual, heading towards female. She definitely presents as female and appears to wear a bra and lipstick. Leona, however, said that I should just follow “him”, which suggested that she may have met this person as a male. I can’t help but think of her as a she, however, and though she is not an attractive woman, I could see that she seemed to avoid eye contact. I felt both admiration of her willingness to take the struggle, if I am right, and pity for what seems to be a difficult life ahead. I may also, however, be inappropriately condescending, as perhaps she is very happy with her life. Who knows.

I’ve been back in my room since about 2:30 and have packed my suitcase except for a few things, like my wetsuit.

I took a nap at 3:45, since I was waiting for coffee at 4pm. That seemed to help a little. I could just about use another nap now. I have to leave at 6:30 tomorrow. Before breakfast. Bummer. I’m not 100% sure how I take care of all the charges, etc. There hasn’t really been much of a reception hall here. I suspect that Leona may help with that tonight. She tells me that she will register my results with the Australian PADI office and I should get my certification card within 3 months.

My thought is that I should try to take an underwater photography course in 2019. Perhaps here in Malaysia, but perhaps somewhere else. I am hopeful that if I can avoid the experience of failing to clear my ears on the first dive, and can handle the pressure better. If not, then I can stop attempting to dive altogether. I’ll still be happy to have tried it however, and I may still take an opportunity to do some pool dives with models at some point in the future. Who knows.

20.28

Everything wrapped up for this trip. I’m mostly packed, just leaving my toiletries in the bathroom along with a few things that need to dry (wet suit, boots, etc).

It occurred to me to wonder if I’ll be able to check my luggage all the way to Kuching. I hope so. But since it’s a domestic flight, I suspect that I could leave the airport and come back. I have about 4 hours between flights. I will need to get lunch and would love to buy a hat and stamps. Don’t know if I want to bother leaving the airport, but I suspect that it’s a very small airport, if Tawau can be any reference.

I got a dive log from Leona (which, of course, I had to pay for... everything costs extra here... well, perhaps not everything...). Anyway, I gave her my puffin postcard and she noticed that I printed it upside down. I’ve filled in the log book and can see that I have nearly 4 hours of dive experience now.

As I’ve written to many in emails, I am glad that I decided to give SCUBA a try, though I am not carried away with enthusiasm. Just like sky diving. It was an ambition from my youth that, at this age, is less significant and I’m aware of the discomfort as well as the joys. People do seem impressed that I am willing to throw myself into these adventures, though that may just be the polite thing to say. Either way, it doesn’t really matter. I’m happy enough for my own thoughts about the trip.

I can say that paying the extra for the nice hotel room, in this case, does feel worth it. I spent a lot of time in the room, so I’m glad that it has a nice couch, air conditioning, when I want it, the porch which I’ve used at times as well. I’m glad to give myself the same luxuries I have focused mostly on giving others in the past.

Day 7 - Thursday, September 6, 2018

On plane 09.48

Whew. On my flight to Kota Kinabalu, just seated and found space for my carry-on bags. I have more than planned, because my suitcase is indeed too heavy, as expected. Apparently you have to purchase extra weight 4 hours before the flight. I can try to do so for my next flight, but I’m not sure that I will have enough time. We’ll see. As it is, I have my wetsuit and some liquids in a plastic bag, plus my tripod in its carry bag. It’s manageable, but not perfect. At least I haven’t had to leave anything behind.

My head is still in a bit of a bubble, I don’t hear very well. So the next interesting thing to learn is whether I will have problems with the change in pressure. Fingers crossed.

14.07

Well, I’ve resolved a few things I needed to get done in this airport. First, I paid for the extra 5kg for my suitcase. It cost all of 18RM. I was aware of the problem, but just didn’t know how to deal with it earlier. I’ll continue paying extra if I choose to fly with Air Asia again.

Next I found a post office and sent all 14 postcards that I have written so far. I also bought an extra 11 stamps, so I can send most postcards if I get any good pictures. If not, I could send different pictures to people, if I just want to spend some time writing.

I have not found a SIM card yet. I asked at Starbucks and people claimed that there would be vendors in the airport, but I haven’t seen any. I’m sitting by the gate now, and don’t feel like getting up to search. My guess is that they have them outside of the departure halls, but I missed them if that was indeed the case.

Day 8 - Friday, September 7, 2018

Bako 13.25

Ug. It's not often too hot for me, but today fits that criteria. Of course, the fact that I feel I have a sore throat, ear ache, and my head in a bubble contributes.

I'm at Bako National Park now, after hiring a private boat to come already at 11:30 or so. I considered eating at the seafood restaurant recommended by the woman at my hotel, but I wasn't actually very hungry and figured I could eat there on my return if I wanted to.

Here's a recount of my time since yesterday...

I took my time upon arriving in Kuching. I found the Avis counter to get my rental, the told me were I could find a SIM card with the recommended company, on the way there I found an ugly hat at a body glove shop.

I used Waze to find my way to the hotel. Parked nearby. Went in and asked about parking. The woman offered to help me find it and we drove in smaller circles around the hotel.

She gave me an introduction to the area and I was glad to have chosen that hotel. She gave me a welcome drink and some small brownies. We talked for a while and I showed her my jaw harp.

I went up to the room, which was small but cosy, with no bath tub unfortunately. I took a shower and tried to watch the news, but really didn't feel well. Decided I needed a nap before preparing for today and sleep, pretty much, all the way to 5:30.

Once up I packed my day pack, deciding to leave my IR camera in the room. Then also decided to have breakfast in the hotel at 7 am and drop my plan to get to the caves at 7:00.

That was good for several reasons.

1. I needed food.

2. It turned out that the caves were locked and opened first at 8:30.

3. The keeper was late and first arrived at 9:00.

The caves were pretty cool, but also as hot and humid as a steam bath. My lens constantly closed over. I was the only one there, so I could take whatever pictures I wanted, but had my fill by 10:00.

The drive to Bako only took about an hour. So I got here pretty early, booked my own boat, but have to be careful about money because I did not take it all that much cash. I will try to get on a boat with others when I leave, if I'm low on money by then.

I have 15 minutes until I can get my key. The light is boring right now, so my current thought is to try a shower and nap in my room and stay close to camp today.

Then tomorrow, Saturday, try a boat to the stacks and the waterfall walk. Then I'll be back for lunch and nap shower again.

I can also consider just hiking. We'll see.

I do need to buy more water though.

16.03

I bought a liter of water and got my room key. Happily, I’m able to keep the same cabin for both tonight and tomorrow night. My “room” is actually a little house with two apartments, each with 3 beds, a refrigerator, a shower, and a toilet. They both have air conditioning, but only one seems to work, so I choose that room. Once the air conditioner was underway, I took a shower and lay down for about an hour. I don’t think I slept at all.

I got up at about 15:30 and emptied my day pack, then ate a protein bar while listening to first Up First and then the Danish TV News from yesterday.

My throat hurts even more, my sinuses got stuffed while I was laying down, though I can breath clearly now. I have pain in both ears and I’m generally feeling aches in much of my body. Oh well. I presume this will pass. Oh, and my chest feels some pressure as well, as when I had pneumonia. At least I am able to relax today, if I want to. It is supposed to rain this evening. I am thinking I’ll go out to take pictures of animals, if I can find any, in a moment.

19.03

I did go out, despite not feeling great. The first thing I saw was a small snake. I took a few pictures of it, but nothing very interesting. I walked around then went back to the main building, and walking past that I saw small groups of people pointing up, so I went over towards them and found some of the monkeys with big noses. Unfortunately, I discovered first just before my last couple of pictures, that I had turned off image stabilization on my 70-300mm, so most of those images are probably going to have some motion.

I headed out onto the beach, which had low tide and some of the structures I had noticed on the internet, so I took pictures of them, using HDR until it was getting fairly late, then headed back and took a few more monkey pictures.

Day 9 - Saturday, September 8, 2018

Bako 05.50

Well, I slept for quite a few hours and got 100% in my sleep cycle, but my ears are even more blocked now then last night, and I have more of a head cold. I considered using my nose spray, but I left it at the hotel.

A friend wrote to remind me to drink lots. Which reminded me and I just grabbed a bottle of water for a drink.

She was worried about air conditioning, which I am using (although it’s turned off now) to bring the room to a comfortable 21C. This makes sleep much more possible.

It’s raining outside, which is a nice way to feel fine about staying indoors. The sun hasn’t risen yet, of course, but I feel no desire to capture that event when it comes. I’d really prefer to sleep more hours, but I don’t think I’d be able to convince my body to do so.

I went to sleep at 20.14 and woke up at 5:24, with only one episode of waking earlier, at about 4am. Overwise, quite deep sleep it seems.

I can watch the news from yesterday now...

08.07

I thought that the cafeteria opened at 6:30, but it was 7:30. I was actually 10 minutes early, after thinking I would wait until everyone else was gone. Instead, of course, I was the first and only customer at 7:30. There are not a lot of choices, but I had a quick breakfast. I saw that the monkeys were indeed active at that time, so I went back with my big camera. Unfortunately, spending the night in air conditioning meant that the lens immediately fogged up and stayed fogged up despite nearly continuous wiping down with my lint free cloth. Oh well.

Now I have put the camera and my two lenses in the bathroom, which is not air conditioned. Hopefully, they will be at a better temperature when I leave again, if I feel well enough to hike today.

At the moment, I do not feel good at all. OK, I’m actually fully functioning and I doubt anyone who saw me eating breakfast or taking pictures would be able to say that I wasn’t feeling well, except, perhaps for the occasional cough. But my ears are feeling a lot of pressure, I have a humming going on and a headache. My nose is stuffy as well, my throat raspy, and a tickle in my lungs. I do have pain killers with me, so I will take a few and perhaps try to sleep some more.

16.15

I did sleep more, until about 12:30 actually. As I was waking up, my friend wrote. She thought I should exercise, which I had also been wondering about. So after talking to her, I went to get lunch and then hiked out to the beach with the view of the stacks that the hotel woman had recommended.

By the time I was back I was pretty much soaked through with sweat. I’ve now taken a shower and I’ve hung my shorts over a fan in a desperate attempt to dry them before dinner.

16.36

I’m getting much more stuffy now that I’m back in the room. It is probably the air conditioning. I just turned it off. The fan, however, seems to be doing a good job drying my shorts. I’m not bothering to take more pictures of monkeys tonight.

I will have dinner then come back to the room. The room may not be good for me, but I don’t really care. I’m uncomfortable no matter where I am, and I’d rather be uncomfortable here than elsewhere.

17.11

Just watched a TED Talk by a couple where the man lost his sight then started running “insane” marathons in the desert, from the Mt. Everett base camp, and the South Pole. When he met the woman, he asked her to teach him to dance. She has been traveling the world. Then he fell out of a 3rd story building and broke a bunch of stuff, was expected to die, but lived, and now they are working on finding potential ways to cure paralysis.

OK, inspirational, sure, and commendable, absolutely.

I do find myself thinking about my own small worries, like having a head cold after my SCUBA lessons. It’s easy to wonder if I should just ignore the pain and hike even more. Or try to take more pictures of monkeys.

My own thoughts are that I have enough pictures of monkeys now, even though I did fail to have my stabilizer on yesterday.

I’m taking an easy way out.

On the one hand, I don’t expect to get invited to give a TED Talk about the value of relaxing rather than pushing yourself. No one is going to want to publish my pictures, because I have not gone through extremes to take these pictures. We celebrate those who achieve extremes. How could we celebrate those who just do things that are “normal”. There are too many people doing “normal’ things.

On the other hand, I agree that we can choose, as realists, to decide what we are going to do with our lives. I can decide to take it easy, take the pictures I want to take, and live the life that I want to, even though I will impress no one, simply because that’s what I want. I don’t need the approval and acceptance of millions. I just need my own acceptance. The acceptance of one.

19.07

So, I’d like to complain a little more. My head is still stuffy. I still have the hum in my ears. I slept for a while longer, while listening, on and off, as I slipped in and out of sleep, to various podcasts. It’s now past the start of dinner and I’m not especially hungry. I don’t feel like leaving my room. If I get hungry again, I can eat a protein bar. I expect to get breakfast tomorrow and probably leave soon after, but I don’t have enough cash left to buy a private boat. I just counted. I have 87.70RM. I may get 10RM (key deposit). That would mean I would have 97.70RM for a private boat, if I skip breakfast.

Maybe. We’ll see.

I have turned off the air conditioner and it’s still fairly comfortable in my room. I still feel stuffy. Ug.

I’m not sure how I’m going to sleep, since I’ve slept most of the day. On the other hand, I don’t have a lot of energy, so perhaps I will.

I’m a little concerned about the fact that I have multiple additional flights lined up. First one on Tuesday, just 3 days. Luckily, that’s a short flight. Then another, much longer flight just 3 days after that. Then another flight about a week later, and a return flight a week later again.

As I remember it, when I had this issue with my trip to Seattle to interview with Microsoft, it took nearly a month for my ears to recover, and that was with a 21 year old body. I’m not sure how well my nearly 53 year old body is going to cope. My energy level is much lower when I have such a condition to deal with. At the moment, I’d just like to stay in my hotel in Kuching. I am nearly out of underwear, though, so I’ll need to do some shopping, if nothing else.

I actually feel tired. I’m doing my best to stay awake. I closed my eyes just a moment ago.

At least when I get back to the hotel I can work on some pictures. Nothing award winning, but I’ll remember the various locations and this trip.

I’m still wondering what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Day 10 - Sunday, September 9, 2018

Bako 07.09

I have managed to sleep through the night and wake up at about 5:00 again. I forgot to turn on my sleep cycle, but it doesn’t really matter, because I have been sleeping so much anyway.

I feel, perhaps, a tiny bit better today. Still have a headache and completely plugged ears (plus pain in my ears), but my throat is a little less sore. I’m not planning on hiking at all today. I just want to get out of here. I will buy breakfast, because I’m getting sick of my protein bars.

Then I’ll just have to wait for a shared boat ride back.

At least it is not raining.

I can’t say that I got the most out of Bako National Park, although, what I needed was a place to recuperate, and it served well enough for that.

I can’t help but think that I have a bit of the man flu, but if that’s the case, so be it. I am not, at least, pining for a woman to take care of me or do whatever I should be doing. I did manage to hike yesterday. I’m sure if I had been with Anna, we would have done a lot more, but that’s why I think the Faroe Islands was a perfect trip to do with her, but on this trip it’s better to be alone.

I wonder if I should tell her.

I’m still sneezing a lot. I keep hoping that the sneezes will build up pressure and relieve my ears. The pressure does seem to change at times, sometimes, lightening up, other times closing in again.

Isle of the Dogs... meet... City of the Cats

Kuching 21.54

I forgot who I was thinking I might tell what. Took me a little while to remember that it was to tell Anna about this trip being better alone.

My friend and I continue to write a lot and she wrote today to tell me that she considers me inspirational. I laughed about that. Here I am, being such a wimp, sleeping my vacation away, and she finds me inspirational. Her comment came when I mentioned that I was working on my pictures (basically, although I didn’t mention it, hiding in my room to avoid having to go outside).

My swimming with the sharks video (thanks to Leona) is popular, however. People seem to consider this worthwhile. People like a willingness to face danger, it seems, although swimming with sharks is hardly dangerous.

I’m glad to have pictures to work on. I’m not sure if I’m making them a bit too garish (using HDR), but I can always rework them when I get home (as I did with the Faroe Islands pictures).

Day 11 - Monday, September 10, 2018

Kuching 02.03

That’s 2am. I woke up about an hour ago, feeling thirsty and soon having a sneezing fit.

Meanwhile, my ears are still plugged, but since I’ve been awake, I’ve noticed that the tilt of my head influences the sense of how much they are plugged. If I tilt my head to the left, my right ear can feel as though the pressure is less, and it’s like being under the water in a tub, with your ear just barely underwater. I don’t get as great an effect if I tilt my head to the right. I’ve also tried, after a while, tiling my head in other angles, Nose down. Crown down (over the edge of the bed). But none of these really do anything. I’m sitting upright now, as I write, but they both feel plugged.

I realized that I could not have slept all this time if I did not really need to sleep. That’s why I’m awake now. Because my body is finally catching up with the sleep it needs to fight whatever opportunistic virus has taken advantage of the challenge I presented to my immune system by diving and failing to clear my ears properly on that first dive.

At different times, last night, as I walked for dinner, my ears came tantalizingly close to clearing.

So here’s how I spent yesterday. I got a boat back from Bako at 9am. Perfect. The “captain” only asked for 20RM, since he probably needed to head back anyway. I had walked to the boat jetty but it was low tide and there was no chance for any boats there until about 12, as I had feared. An old couple passed with a guide, and he asked if I was waiting for a boat, and pointed out that I would need to get one on the beach. My timing was pretty much perfect as one boat unloaded people.

The point where I started a few days ago was packed with cars and people. The park would surely be overrun, not surprising since this is a holiday weekend. I was happy to leave when I did.

I managed to get back to the hotel with 10 minutes to spare for breakfast. I got French Toast again, which I think I’ve already written.

I believe I took another nap then. Plus I had a shower and started working on pictures. I think I’ve written about that as well. I am afraid that I am over processing them with HDR. This is just a first pass though.

I took a walk in the afternoon, after skipping lunch due to my late breakfast. I walked down to a modern bridge and took pictures with my iPhone, and ended at a cafe where I got an ice cappuccino and a bright pink slice of cake, based on the recommendation of the girl behind the counter. It was my last choice and I suspect that she wanted to get rid of it, but I had asked her advice and prefer to take advice when I ask for it. Cakes here generally all taste the same, and this one was no different.

In the evening, I asked the hotel hostess about the orangoutangs. Feeding is at 9am, it turns out (I had forgotten that), and the hotel has a big group that will leave early tomorrow, so they will have an early breakfast. She offered to take my order now and make it when I got there (we agreed on 7:15). It will take an hour to drive to the orangoutangs, so I’d like to leave fairly early.

Then I asked for advice regarding dinner. She made several suggestions for local food, and I realized that I was not feeling adventurous. I asked about how much money I would need and she lent me 100RM.

I headed out to a spot that had several restaurants to choose from, and I guiltily picked a cafe and bought a burger and fries. That cost just a little over 20RM, and only because I bought extra fries and the burger already came with two types. But I picked up another 200RM in an ATM so that I can pay her back later today.

It was easy to be out in the evening. The weather is warm, but comfortable in my shorts and a t-shirt. I asked if she could have laundry done for me, as I am out of clean underwear. She’s skeptical, but promised to try (that was before my afternoon walk). Perhaps tomorrow I should consider going for a walk with my big camera. There was some sort of activity at a Chinese building with lots of people but no clear idea of what was happening. I took some pictures which I had forgotten. I just looked at them again. Nothing worth Instagramming.

So my plan for tomorrow morning will be to get up early, prepare my bag with camera, and head out to the orangoutangs. After that, I have no real idea. It’s my last full day, but I don’t feel like hiking. The hotel’s advice is to see some sort of long house, which has some guy who does something musical. I can check that out.

Otherwise, I can just come back to the hotel, work on pictures, and pack for tomorrow. I don’t mind taking it easy tomorrow.

Now I would like to go to sleep, thank you, but I don’t feel tired. I have downloaded the news, so perhaps I’ll watch that and it may help.

You'd think all these people never saw an orangutan eat before...

"Don't make faces at the tourists, dear."

15.15

Now more than 12 hours since my first entry today. I did not get to sleep right away. I only managed to sleep a little, actually, but I think I did sleep some.

I followed my plan though. I was in the restaurant by 7:10 or so, had my French Toast. Mentioned to the hostess that Waze claimed 30 minutes, and she agreed that, given that today is a holiday, that’s probably about right, and I could leave later. I said that I’d go at the same time anyway, to give my camera a chance to acclimate to the outside. “Oh, how serious!” She teased.

It turned out to be very good that I left when I did. I thought it opened at 9am, but they were selling entrance tickets at 8:30 when I arrived, and I got one of the last parking spaces close to the feeding area. It turns out that they were ONLY open between 9-10am. I took over 400 images. It will take a while to sort through them, and I was most often shooting up against a white sky, so getting detail was difficult. I think I heard someone behind me, at one point, say something about his girlfriend getting better pictures than him (meaning me, if my paranoid suspicion was right).

This is typical of me. There was a huge crowd. The people working asked everyone to be very quiet, which, of course, many people were not so good at. I was self conscious about having the largest (and loudest) camera. I tried using spot metering, which did make the pictures much lighter on my screen than appeared appropriate, but I think this was probably good, as it ensured that I got detail in my focus point, usually the faces.

Such pictures are always difficult, but it did give me something to do. I left at about 9:40, before the rush, and I was happy for it.

I didn’t want to come back to the hotel immediately, so instead I drove to the “long house” that the hotel hostess had mentioned.

That took a little longer than expected, which was fine with me. It was nice to see the country side. The long house itself was a bit bizarre. It was basically a mix of cement buildings with a raised bamboo boardwalk connecting them. Walking on the bamboo felt a little unsafe, because it doesn’t seem that it would support my weight (but I know that bamboo is incredibly strong) and because it felt like walking through the yards of the people who lived in the structures, though they seemed to have small shops along the way.

I got there around the same time as a group of about 10 people. I signed in and paid my fee, then walked through the area before they did, without any knowledge of what I was seeing (and not really wanting any). Such things do make me feel like the ugly American tourist. Just like eating white people food, which is what I prefer, embarrassing as that is. I think I would be more adventurous with the food if I were not traveling alone or if I had a local to eat with. Maybe not. I still have to figure out what to eat tonight. I had lunch at a western style cafe and got butter chicken. The chicken was bone free, which was my main concern.

I need to pack soon, and print some post cards (and write them). I’ve processed more pictures, though now have a large set of images to work through, despite my laying in bed for most of this half of my vacation.

Anna wrote via Skype and we chatted for a bit, but she’s at work. I wrote that I was glad to be traveling without her on this trip, since I had needed to sleep so much. I was glad to learn SCUBA at my own pace and then sleep when I needed to, which would have left her bored, I feel certain (although she could probably have fended fine for herself while I lay in my sick bed).

20.18

I started practicing ukulele again today. I’m curious to see how things go with my instrument at home. Gone off the jaw harp again. May pick it up again later. I don’t plan to bring either uke with me to Kiev. Don’t expect to have much time.

My ears have swapped now. My left ear is almost clear, but my right ear is fully plugged. I am hopeful that they will clear before my flight tomorrow, but definitely before my flight on Friday. Too bad I cannot expect to be upgraded on my home flight, although if I can avoid the headache I had upon arriving, I’ll be happy regardless.

Day 12 - Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Kuching 07.54

I’m all packed up, dressed, showered, breakfasted, and pretty much ready to go. I should leave in about 30 minutes and I’ll be quite early.

My nose is still frustratingly stuffed and my ears plugged fully again, but no sore throat or (much of a) cough. I slept pretty well, so I’m feeling fresh, sitting on the bed.

I wonder if I never get my hearing back if this is a bit what it’s like to be deaf. I can’t hear my fingers on the keyboard. I can only feel the noise they make. I’m not really deaf. I can hear things, but at the moment, it’s only the hum of the air conditioner and my own ears and breathing.

I went to the roof today and discovered it is raining. That’s the first day with rain in Kuching, although it did rain in the night and morning in Bako. I have been quite fortunate to avoid the rain that came when I wanted to be outside during this trip.

Kuching Airport 10.20

I’m sitting in a cafe in the Kuching airport about as far away from my gate as possible, which always makes me a bit nervous, out of fear that I’ll lose track of time and miss my flight.

I’ve watched the news and a TED Talk about a guy, an eye doctor, who is helping make sure that everyone in African countries gets quality eye care. Such things do make me wonder if I should find a “cause” to devote my life to. Taking vacations is nice and all, but I’m sure not as rewarding as doing something that would be more meaningful for me.

Such a “calling” has not rung yet, so I don’t know what I might do. Until it I comes to me, I’ll just have to continue living the life before me.

My ears are still annoyingly plugged. I suppose when I stop writing about it you’ll know they are fine. As if anyone is actually ever going to read these entries with enough interest to notice.

Kuala Lumpur 19.44

I’ve arrived in KL and the flight seemed to help my ears, although they are partially clogged again, but not as bad. Went to the shopping center and bought a Chopin sheet music book. Will be interesting to see if I decide to try to learn any of his work. I did like him a lot in my college years and learning some of his pieces was an ambition, but I’ve lost that desire after learning how much more difficult “classical” music is and how less likely to sound nice while learning. Reading Play It Again has me a little inspired, though, so who knows. I’m doing so many other things that I wanted to do back in my childhood.