I thoroughly enjoyed Sabah. I'm glad I chose this part of Borneo to visit over the Indonesian Kalimantan. I saw a great variety of landscapes & creatures in a relatively short amount of time. Remarkable considering the challenging environment of tangled jungle as compared to something like open African savanahs or barren Antarctic islands (look, it's a penguin!) I also felt very well cared for by my various hosts. Borneo Eco Tours who I booked through (they own and operate Sukau lodge,) were particularly good at being on time and having excellent communication along the way. I would highly recommend them to anyone, even the most independent traveler who wants a little TLC for a change.
The ride from Changi airport in Singapore was amazing. A beautiful tree and pink flowering shrub lined boulevard, absolutely immaculate. Three hours later I was flat on my back in a chi-chi capsule hotel. After cycling over 800 km and trekking over the knarliest of jungle roots I was taken down by bad design - the kind that sacrifices fashion over function: the ladder to the upper level capsules. I slipped and fell hard on my left hip and just knew that it was a fractured my pelvis. I got comfortable on my back on the floor, sort or preparing for a setubandhāsana pose, and waited..and waited...and pounded on the wall...and waited. After about 50 minutes the nicest young Aussie woman from Brisbane, Bec, came to my rescue. She insisted on sitting on the floor to keep me company till the ambulance got there - i knew it was pointless to try and get up on my own.
This hotel is a retrofit into a small office building spread out over three floors connected by a micro-elevator so no chance of a stretcher. As i scootched over onto their carrying tarp a packet of laundry soap slipped out of my pocket. This complimentary packet of white powder was in a tiny ziplock about 1"x2" and looked perilously like something you would get the death penalty for here in Singapore. They all froze and i started my protestations! I made them smell it even and eventually we were all laughing.
I was skeptical of the four skinny E.M.T. guys' capabilities but they managed to carry me down in this bag like thing. I concentrated on maintaining my yoga pose so didn't see much. The sensation was like that point of view shot in Children of Men towards the end of the movie when a small group are fleeing furtively through some stairwells with guns firing and lights flashing.
One of the guys said he had been accepted at U of T med school but got called for his military service...and then i noticed the military badges on their uniforms. Interesting arrangement - makes sense to make the most of the military for public service especially in a small country. Triage was fast and efficient - I was x-rayed within an hour of arriving. Bec had hopped in the ambulance to keep me company but i shooed her away at 11p telling her she had a big balance in her travel karma account now.
A couple of hours later the doctors verdict, yes a small pelvic fracture. I had a bed an hour later. Singapore and Toronto are about the same population but i couldn't help but think the process would take much longer in T.O.
I'm on the gov't subsidized floor. There is no aircon but 7 ceiling fans keep the 6 bed ward quite pleasant and provides some nice white noise. Food is Chinese and since it's the cheapy ward there are no little extras.
I don't think that the patients interact with nurses much even if they are not in agony. Everyone seems a little surprised when I say thank you or chat. It's the time of year when student nurses do their placement and it's been entertaining watching them - so serious and gawky at the same time.
The nurse in charge of them is a lovely woman named Barbara who comes and chats with me every day. She has friends in Toronto and is planning a drive across Canada next year(!) She says she finds that young asian women are very protected, spoiled even, and unprepared for this type of work so she is always reminding to think about others and tell the patient what they're doing. She also said admires how outgoing and independent "Caucasians" are...I pointed out the she doesn't get to see all the ones who aren't! :-P
Several nurses have expressed their amazement at my traveling alone and how much they want to but are afraid. One woman said she was planning a trip to El Salvador/Nicaragua/Honduras but it was very expensive and maybe she should try backpacking this time. I suggested that maybe should should start her independent traveling with a less challenging destination - apart from the language, she is Chinese with a heavy accent on her English, Honduras is one of the most war-torn countries in the world!
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