Kota Kinabalu

 On my way to dinner tonight I got waylaid by a Hungarian restaurant. Never expected that in Borneo but the chilli chocolate red wine braised beef called out to me and I answered a resounding "yes! I said "yes" again to house specialty long drink and am sitting here enjoying a Chilli Vanilla (vodka, vanilla, lime, chilli) under the disapproving, I imagine, stare of the "House of Islam" shop across the street.

I left Indonesia early in the a.m. on Saturday and parted ways with 1/2 my cycle mates the night before, the other 1/2 at the Makassar airport. Sulawesi is truly a special place. Although "western style" service and punctuality are lacking they have set the bar for consideration, hospitality and friendliness - this is the 40th country I've visited so that may stand for something. In the Makassar airport when I got my morning muffin all over myself this nice lady whipped out a package of tissues for me and cleared a space for me to sit down. I was able to ask where she was going and tell her where I was from in Indonesian and then asked "anda bisa besara bahasa engris? Are you able to speak English? She said "a little" which turned out to be a lot. She was on her way to visit family in Surabaya, was a law professor in Makassar, had been to the Netherlands for training course for 3 months and spoke "a little" Dutch (probably a lot!) and loved Amsterdam. We pulled out our respective electronic gadgets and shared pics. So now she is going to go to the Togian islands and I'm going to Komodo national park! We shook hands when her flight was called and I knew by now to touch my heart with my right hand. This made her beam. I'm always amazed at how small gestures can make such a big difference. What a lovely farewell to a lovely place.

1500 km later....Minutes after leaving the KK (Kota Kinabalu) airport I felt firmly back in the modern world - nary a motor scooter in sight, no cows, no goats, no chickens, no garbage. One way streets rule here which means that cars rule. No one lined the streets to greet me! Here I'm just another tourist instead of a special guest :-( not that people are unfriendly they are just caught up with themselves and their stuff much as we are at home. 

I managed to make the guy working the desk at my guesthouse laugh and now we are BFF's. My few words of Indonesian (which is virtually the same as Malay) have astonished people here even more than in Indonesia. But it seems to make them speak English louder. My initial plan was to land in KK and head out out to Mount Kinabalu for a serious summit hike but the earthquake earlier this year put an end to that. The trail is closed till December. Instead I decided to spend 4 days diving. Just 15 minutes from the main jetty is Tunku Abdul Rahman national park, aka T.A.R., which is a collection of 5 islands + marine reserve. The more desirable dive spots in Sabah are off the eastern coast - Sipadan, Lankayan, Mataking etc. these spots are also the favored hunting ground of a Filipino extremist group. As recently as May of this year they brazenly kidnapped some locals from a restaurant just out side the city of Sandakan for ransom. Even though the dive resorts are protected by the military I opted for 4 days of "muck diving" rather than 2 days in an area that the canada foreign office advises against traveling to. And no regrets. It's shoulder season here and the dive company I booked with mainly does beginner training. As such I get my own personal dive guide while the kids are in class. Visibility is crap BUT the colour and variety of fish and corral is amazing. Doesn't make for great photos but what the hey? Today we saw lots of blue spotted Rays, an imperial lobster, sea horses, a turtle! Lots of box fish, mackerel, lion fish, stone fish, cuttlefish and many, many small colourful fishies. 

I get picked up at my guesthouse and dropped off at the jetty then it's a boat to the main island where the dive shop has its clubhouse c/w showers and w.c. Equipment and (yummy) lunch is included. After 3 dives I get delivered back to the mainland and then back to my guesthouse. Works out to about $35/dive - excellent price.

Weather has been dry except for a 20 minute downpour early this morning and a downpour right now. My guest house is basic, clean and comfortable. Breakfast is included. I decide to splurge  and get a private room (it has a shared shower + WC) - at $20/night it's another bargain.

Rain isn't letting up so I hope my waiter can find a plastic bag for my iPad. When he came to clear my dishes which I had wiped clean with bread and fries,  I said with as straight face "saya tidak suka ini" - I don't like this - he went white and looked confused. The sauce was the best ever. Smooth lite chocolate with a hint of sweetness and with no bitterness - better than any mole dish I've had any where! A smile gave me away and he giggled with relief. He provided a plastic bag for my iPad just at a break in the rain...

...tomorrow maybe I'll see an octopus!