Just over two weeks ago, we were stepping off the plane and into the immense heat and humidity of Kota Kinabulu city- overwhelmed with the borneo lifestyle and eager to explore. Our first night was spent in a lodge in KK, having an uncomfortably warm sleep surrounded by the unfamiliar and exciting sights and sounds of the city.
The morning brought a 3 hour bus trip to our first camp 'Tinangol'. When we arrived, we were immediately greeted with warm welcomes from camp manager Zul and the Tinangol staff, along with gifts of beaded necklace made by the village locals. Our time in Tinangol has been incredible since the beginning- staying in a traditional long house, enjoying the delicious meals provided by camp chef Rokia and loving our favourite time of day 'nap-time'.
We have all quickly adapted to the Borneo way of life- having an average week consisting of monday-wednesday doing construction work, thursday and friday spent soaking up culture and beautiful beaches and the weekends are strictly for rest and relaxation, something we're definitely not complaining about.
Our construction projects consist of the building of a new kindergarten in Tinangol village. This involves construction of the floors and walls and working with machetes and saws in the immense heat. It's tough work, but reward is gained each day in viewing our progress and also by a drink from a refreshing coconut and regular swims in the pond at camp.
The team have also been busy with the extension of the long-house at camp, this is done with assistance of camp staff, who we have quickly come to know and love. When we're not working or being lazy, we take turns teaching 3-5 year of kiddies at the existing village kindergarten- attempting to creatively teach English whilst giving hugs and dodging the chairs and toys flung around the classroom.
Whilst in Camp Tinangol, we've all been most definitely immersed in the Malaysian culture and lives of the village locals. On our first night in the village, we were even given the amazing opportunity to attend a traditional wedding. This involved dancing (with Alex leading the bridal waltz like a pro), karaoke (with Dave embracing his inner Bon-Jovi) and of course, our introduction to the 'acquired taste' of Rice Wine- and learning a new word which we've come to love and fear ARAMAITAI! (the equivalent of 'cheers').
Whilst here, we've cooked traditional donuts and made our own rice wine, attended a beading lesson with women of the village and gone fishing with traditional bamboo rods (resulting in us catching nothing and Zul, a remarkable 15). We've spent a few days at the stunning beach nearby, attended a lunch with the chief of Police in Kudat and spent a day working on clearing land for the chief's rice field...just the list a few
. A few of us have also had the opportunity to scale Mt Kinabalu, with Laura and Dave reaching the peak with great skill and the styling of Eilidh's yellow beanie. Ally and Eilidh are off on the same adventure today. We look forward to their return to the team, hoping for more stories and an abundance of Ally's photos.
All eight of us are having the most amazing time and look forward to the rest of our time here, with our move to camp Batu Puteh approaching. We are loving Beautiful Borneo and look forward to what lies ahead.
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