Day 53 - Sunday Feb 19 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on Borneo

Kota Kinabalu 2 photos

position at 6:00 am: N5 59.47 latitude E116 4.47 longitude
(Kota Kinabualu, Malaysia on the island of Borneo)
temperature: 79F, 100% humidity, mostly cloudy
distance since FLL: 19, 089 miles

We had to be on dock by 8:05am to meet the bus for our morning tour. We went up to LaVeranda shortly after it opened at 7am. Lucky day! Debbie had 2 chocolate croissants and a bowl of raspberries. Clay had eggs again.

We were out on the dock by 7:50am. We could hear the music coming from outside before we left. There were men in native costumes playing drums and gongs. There were young women in native costumes putting strands of beads on everyone. Roger told us to go to bus 2, the closest one for our tour. There were already several people on it and the AC was on, so it was nice. Clay went back out to take a lot of pictures of our welcome committee. By 8:20am, the last person finally decided to reboard the bus. (We could not leave because she had turned in her ticket and the head count did not work out.) We drove about 10 minutes through KK (what the locals call Kota Kinabalu) and to the train station. This is the northern terminus of the only train track on Borneo. It is narrow gauge. And, surprise! We had been told that we would get a diesel engine. The old steam engine generally only makes this run from KK to Papar on Wednesday and Saturday, but RSSC made special arrangements and we got the steam engine. It was great! A couple of busloads went to the train first and a couple of busloads went to the beach cultural show first and then we switched. So, each group took the train one way and the bus one way. They blew the train's whistle almost constantly and ran off the tracks everything from packs of children to herds of water buffalo. It was all open air and you could smell the mangrove wood they were burning and sometimes get the ashes on you. It traveled 30km/h so you could take lots of pictures. Everyone along the way was stopping and waving and taking pictures of us taking pictures. It was very special.

They unloaded us from the train in the village of Papar. It was a small village they said, but it was bustling with a Sunday market. We drove us for a half-hour or so to a beachfront hotel for a cultural show. They gave us each a cold water, or soda, and a chance to use the toilets. They had some vendors set up with sovenirs and crafts. They had a shaded, raised, wooden performance platform with rows of plastic chairs set up for us. We had about 50-60 passengers there. We got some seats in the front and center row because we had done our shopping last night and did not linger through the vendor area. They had musicians and dancers. They did about 4-5 dances in all and demonstrated some games with tops and with rattan balls, while the dancers changed costumes. They also did a blowdart demonstration. That was a hunting method here, historically. One of the dancers popped 2 balloons in one try as another dancer held the balloons out on a pole. Then... the MC asked for a volunteer to shoot the remaining balloon with the blowdart gun. Now if we had known that this performance was going to involve audience participation, we would have sat in the back. But... The average age on the front row was probably 70, and where the heck are all those kids when you need one? Anyway. After trying to pull several people out of the front 2 rows and not dislodging one, and Debbie refusing to make eye contact, he came back and politely entreated her to help out. He pulled on her and with a push from Clay and the woman next to her, she got up. Now Debbie is shy and has the worst hand-eye coordination of almost anyone alive today. She was pretty much completely appalled and mortified. After a moment of panic about hitting one of the performers with a dart, or missing the balloon 3 times and being humiliated, she flashbacked on a TV special and remembered not to inhale with the gun to her mouth. She took a deep breath and the guy showed her the sight on the end and helped her line it up and she blew hard. Hurray! Popped it in one try! They did 2 more dances, then they did one with bamboo poles beat rhythmically on the ground and dancers stepping between. The MC asked for volunteers again and pretty much everyone pointed at Debbie. The girl tried a few other people and when no one whose hand she pulled on stood up, she asked Debbie. It started out OK and then they just kept getting faster and faster and Debbie choked. No one got hurt, only Debbie's dignity. A couple of people later congratulated her for being brave and a good sport. (Debbie would like to explain the most unflattering outfit she owns, that sadly managed to be put on public display and now posted on the Internet by Clay! Borneo has not only malaria but also dengue fever. We shopped for BuzzOff clothes almost as soon as we booked this cruise. BuzzOffs are impregnated with Permethrin bug repellent and are good for 25 washes. Clay managed to get a pair from ExOfficio of zip-off-leg pants and 2 shirts at Orvis for a fraction of their regular price right away. But Orvis had no women's BuzzOff clothes on sale at the time. One pair of long pants in her size would have cost more than twice the cost of all 3 of Clay's sale pieces. So, Debbie rummaged through the kid's clearance clothes box and came up with a XL pants and a matching L shirt in boys'. They looked awful when she tried them on, like pajamas, but they fit and let's face it, the BuzzOff clothes were not going to be fashionable anyway. So, for $25 she got a whole BuzzOff outfit, with long pants and long sleeves, but very lightweight CoolMaxx knit. So, today when she knew it was mostly bus and train riding and NO ONE would notice her awful, unflattering knit bug repellent clothes, she wore the bargain BuzzOff outfit.... The rest is, sadly, now recorded history. Debbie out.)

We forgot to say last night that they drive on the left here. Also, they said they had a meter of rain last week and it had only been clear for yesterday and today. Lucky for us again. It is about 83 degrees and 65% humidity. There has been a nice breeze everywhere, so it has been as pleasant as we could hope for it to be.

Lunch at LaVeranda in a hurry, again. Cabin potty break and back out to board buses. Our luck finally broke and after we left KK heading 18 miles SW to the Sabah Zoo we hit rain and thunderstorms. Too bad no one warned us it was raining out that way, because there was a big barrel of RSSC Voyager golf umbrellas at the top of the gangway. Debbie had a small umbrella in her purse and used it. Otherwise, the guides passed out plastic pullovers as we exited the bus. They were not as spacious as ponchos and did not open down the front, but were pullovers. We also lost all the breeze. So, it was about 85 degrees with 100% humidity. Whether we were soaked with rain or sweat, we were soaked through. The zoo was wonderful. It was small and compact. We saw birds, binturongs (or bear cats), pygmy Borneo elephants, rhea (like ostrich), Malayan tiger, orangutan, proboscis monkey, mouse deer, barking deer, banteng (wild cow), and ostriches. They had 2 six-year old girl elephants. One played in the pond right next to the viewing platform and was just too funny. The other little girl the keepers had out in front of the enclosure and you could stand right next to her. She licked Debbie's hand and then rumbled! This zoo is brand new and a month from opening yet (maybe more). So, we were their first foreign visitors. They were very interested in speaking to us about every exhibit and there were so few of us that we all at some point had an opportunity for a one-on-one session with some species' keepers. It was great even in the hot, pouring rain. Clay feels it was the highlight of the trip so far for him. When we arrived back at the ship, not yet dried out, the local guides were at the bus door handing out RSSC Voyager umbrellas to everyone for the walk to the ship.

Forgot to say that we turned another corner yesterday and left the Sulu Sea and entered the South China Sea. At 6pm, we left the dock at Kota Kinabalu and are now sailing in the South China Sea again on our way to Manila.

Here is the tour description for our Last Train in Borneo Tour.
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Duration: 4 Hours.
Seated.

Travel back in time as you journey through the scenic Borneo countryside in a diesel train. Mangrove swamps, villages, smiling children and wallowing buffaloes pass by the window, as this almost century old train ambles slowly along its rails to the agricultural town of Papar. Proceed to one of Sabah's most beautiful beaches to watch a colorful display of cultural dances. Sabah has over 108 dances with 32 ethnic groups. On your return, capture an overview of Kota Kinabalu, with a drive through the city before reaching your ship.
Price: $115 pp
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In overview, this has been the most pleasant and unexpectedly wonderful of the ports we have yet visited. There are a few reasons that we can identify for this. One is just the warmth and open friendliness of the people that have approached us in Kota Kinabalu and Sabah State. For example, last night after the shuttle bus dropped us off in front of the waterfront taverns and pubs. Debbie stepped out of the bustle of passengers and onto the sidewalk. A woman came out of the parking lot adjacent to the walk and asked her, in English, if she needed anything. Debbie replied no and gestured to the group. The woman then smiled and said "Welcome to Kota Kinabalu," before walking on to her car. The second is that nearly everyone we encountered spoke English. This was in addition to being warm and friendly and graciously welcoming to us. Every time people saw our buses they would look up and smile and wave. It seemed that the entire populace was pleased that we, as tourists, had come to their neighborhood. Now, this does not happen everywhere, or almost anywhere else. Third, and very importantly, was the quality and performance of the ground operator, Exotic Borneo Holidays. We have not taken a lot of Voyager's tours, so we are no experts, but these people were head and shoulders above every other tour operator that we have experienced to date. When they were operating the complimentary shuttles, they had a guide come on to offer maps and answer questions or just offer advice and suggestions. When the shuttle arrived at its destination there were additional personnel there to meet us. They too had maps to hand out and solicited questions and of course, the guy last night did walk us to that mall and back for no apparent reason other than that several people asked and it was easier to just walk with us than repeat the directions over and over, but still. No other shuttle from dock to town on this cruise has had guides available at all, much less at each point. The same kind of thing happened today. We had attendants on the train. Every time a bus stopped, the guide alone did not have to handle 30 people, because 1-5 people were there waiting for us to show up and to offer assistance. Again, we have not seen this level of commitment of manpower or eagerness to anticipate and fulfill our needs as their guests. It has been an amazing experience and we are grateful for it.

In ship's news, Latitudes is turning into TGIFriday's on February 25th. It has been back to Indochine since sometime last week. We got a letter inviting us to make our reservations for this happy event before the next segment's cruisers board. Either someone has never been to TGIFriday's or whoever is writing these letters is practicing irony. Here is the first part of the letter to share the excitement. "After the excitement of the Outback Dinner, we become more cosmopolitan, and are delighted to introduce you to the thrills and spills of TGI Friday's. The room will be transformed into the famous design of this world renowned restaurant, and we will also proudly present a genuine cocktail master flown over from Minneapolis to give you the authentic TGI Friday's experience." OK. Cosmopolitan and world renowned. Admittedly, we have not been in a TGIFriday's in a number of years, but those are not words we would have used to describe it. We have our reservation for March 1st. Keeping our fingers crossed that this one sticks better than the Outback reservation did when we showed up after receiving our confirmation card that afternoon to be told that someone had called and cancelled our res. Well, we got in to eat that night anyway and frankly if we were to miss any of these, we would live.

Kota Kinabalu 2 photos