Thank god..the old ugly, worn out lady is dressing up after I just confronted her with her abusive behavior. How grose.

Stuck in Labuan on the way to Kota Kinabalu. The Ferry that should depart 10.30am had engine problems. Now have to wait till 3pm so killing my time in this internet café.

Hmm just now she is showing my face on her webcam. That's it. I complain to the lady in charge. But won't remove her because she is a ‘regular' customer..%$**@!...This can't be true. There like 10 kids waiting to play computer games and this lady is showing her legs and everything in between while there are kids sitting rightnext to her. Well at least everybody in this small room knows about it by now (though for god sake the youngest kids didn't get what I just complained about) ...she feels bad I hope. Yet still complaining towards me I should mind my own business and telling me it's just her friend she already knows for 14 years. Yeah sure..and the other 8 guys your chatting with the same? And what's that yahoo message popping up every few minutes that somebody wants to add you as friend? Shit, still that topless fat guy in her screen. The mustache type with the long hair... Enough! Rot away in your small ‘private' corner, your own sick world.

There are more important things in life. Like people you do care about. Saturday we arrived in Kuching and Sunday during dinner we got the sad news that Regina's grandmother passed away. Positive thing is that our trip fitted in just nice so she was able to see her grandmother one more time. That's just great.

Of course they flew back to Mukah as soon as possible so I was on my own now. Well I could stay in her aunties' place. Very friendly lady and location couldn't have been better, right in the center of Kuching. And still people apologizing to me for the situation...I'm the one that should apologize. After all they still take care of me while they should be worried about their own things only. I really appreciate the generosity towards me. Great people!

I found the Mayflower office after walking and asking around for 45 minutes. A bigger logo won't do any bad I suppose. Maybe here I could get some good advise or some discount. I decided to go to the Orangutan rehabilitation center and the Cultural village. I mean I could visit one longhouse but why not visit this ‘village' and see them all. And yeah I might see Orangutans in Sandakan but to see how a rehabilitation center works might be interesting as well.

I asked the price she could give me. 300 Ringgit! I could have known it. Since I was alone it's a private tour so even with discount expensive. ‘Any tips?' I asked the lady on the phone -the guy who helped me just started his training-. ‘Well you could go to the Holiday Inn and book a shuttle to the cultural village'. ‘You mean the one opposite of the Crowne Plaza next to where I'm staying..How much that costs?' ‘Yeah that one, 10 Ringgit single way' ‘What about the entrance fees?' 60 Ringgit, but if you mention you're from Mayflower or use this guy or my name you might get in for free'.

Same afternoon went to the village. Veni vidi (waited half an hour) vice...I was in for free. The park looked nice. You get a good impression of the different longhouses. I guess bit boring to some though and too bad the Longhouses close after 4pm so I couldn't see half of the interiors.

Next day I had to pay 23RM for a taxi to the airport so I decided to go to the Orangutan center by cab. Cost me 70RM total and the driver dropped me at the airport so that was ok. I almost arranged the deal when I got a phone call from the little tourist office at the Holliday inn. They found someone else who was interested in the tour so for 75rm I could get the same ride including entrance fees (3rm) and a guide. Together with this friendly, pretty, half Malay but definitely English young lady I went to the Orangutans.

Expected more of the center though...bit disappointing. Only saw them eating. Since the entrance fee is 3rm, I just ‘wasted' 40rm. But still it was the cheapest way to get there anyway so...just ok lah! In total it saved me at least 200rm on a package, not too bad. And beside we got to see the newborn baby orangutan.

After my night in Miri I straight went to Mulu National park. The park is great but everything is so disorganized. First of all neither the people from the hostel nor the lodge just outside the park (where I stayed) mentioned that every time you enter the park you have to pay 10rm (well I could enter till next morning so for me just once). I asked what I could do first. Well it seems that first you have to wait for a few hours because next round ‘cave tours' start 2pm. That's really great! Two flights coming in before noon and nothing you can do except for waiting once there. I took the risk and walked up this trail leading to another cave halfway of the one I was going next day by boat. I did manage to reach it but was quite in a hurry to get back in time to grab some lunch and go for the deercave to watch the bat exodus. Which was cool but I expected more spectacular patterns to see in the sky instead of just one long wave...

Next morning went to the counter to get a single way boat ticket to the clearwater and wind caves (since I decided to walk back). That seemed to be a problem. Single way from the cave back to the entrance cost me 15rm but single way from the entrance would cost me full price; 27rm. I complained about the fact it's weird and that they never mentioned it when I informed about this the day before. Another lady admitted actually it is 15rm both ways and she didn't understand why it should be full price. Pff make up your mind.

I expected to have an opportunity to buy food at the ‘local' handicraft market during our stop halfway the 30 minute boat trip. Well not at the market itself but in some longhouse over there. I couldn't figure which longhouse it could be. No signs. I asked the guide. No we would make another stop..well ok then. Next stop was the cave..why why why. Please give correct information. Ah well it seemed you could buy food somewhere at this rest area between the caves. I checked what they sold. They sold nothing at all, only upon reservation. The best part is even two Belgian people who stayed in the expensive resort didn't know they could order food while the rest of their group did have a lunch package. Again nobody mentioned anything when I put my name on the list for this cave excursion. Other people who wanted to go for a 3day/2night camp further into the park found out they had to bring their own food. But nobody could tell them where to get it... There was only one option; walk half ‘n our to that one long house. But then eating dry noodles for 3 days is not really an option.

For the canopy walk you need a guide. Total costs are 30rm. The same kinda walk at the big Taman Negara in peninsular Malaysia will cost you only 5rm and beside you don't need a guide (Here neither by the way, he only opens the door so you can enter the staircase).

The nightwalk I canceled at the security once returned. No problem next day I could get my money back. Hey would drop a note. Well not. I didn't get my 10rm back.

Everything was so disorganized and so ‘expensive'. I mean I read about packages and expected there would be costs anyway, but again it's mentioned nowhere. The best part is; I paid for everything at once, to find out I only need to register myself (just for safety...I mean at least they now your in the park once lost). Thing is; nobody checks if you paid. You can just join any guide at the set times to the caves or whatsoever (and just in case even put your name on the list). I mean, I don't encourage this and yeah I am willing to pay money for park maintenance or whatever....but the prices are ridiculous and the information given worthless. You expect food and drinks to be twice as expensive but fact is normally you get 3 meals for the same money and at least 5 bottles of water instead of 1. So yeah.. that's quit fucked up. I had great time anyway so will stop complaining..

Once back in Miri after my early morning flight I found out the taxi to the Hostel I booked was 55 instead of 40rm. I had my reasons to choose this hostel above the one I stayed the first night (22rm single way taxi). But 110rm taxi costs on top of the room..no way! I decided to go to central bus station first to find out whether there was a bus going to Bandar in Brunei that afternoon. If not I could always go to the cheaper hostel. After all of this I didn't plan to pay 20rm to get a cab to the bus station so I tried to figure out what time the bus to central would arrive. That would cost me only 1,80rm. Of course nobody at the whole damn airport knew anything about bus schedules so after 45 minutes waiting finally the bloody thing shows up. Took another 45 minutes through whole Miri and at least 45 school kids squeezing in before I finally arrived at central station. Whoehooooo..just in time for the bus to Brunei. And yeah I could make it by the end of the afternoon!

A somewhat older white guy with one big bag too much pointed me the counter. He was also heading for Brunei and asked me where I stayed. ‘Well...I booked for tomorrow, but I'm arriving a day earlier so need to call'. He didn't have a room yet so we decided to share one. Splitting the costs it was just as expensive as dorms so why bother. He had a lonely planet and knew a lot about Brunei. Seemed to be a retired professor, Dr in History and getting around being a writer nowadays. He used to give lectures to graduating students at the Erasmus University Rotterdam once. Bit weird now and then especially when it comes to the contents of that one bag. It's a way of humor you have to understand I suppose. Anyway it seemed to have its own history and he is telling about it vividly. It's a big furry Lion which he takes around on his trips. Making pictures in front of important landmarks. By the end of this trip 60 countries in total. The Lion even got his own website: http://www.montgomeryjlion.com/

In Bandar we went to a museum, all in honor of the sultan. And I can tell you, especially since it's free entrance, really worth taking a look. You have to take of you're shoes and will freeze to death if you don't keep moving on the white marbled floor but the museum and it's contents are really impressive. Here again I walked into some history of James Brooke. A name I also read about when I was in Kuching. He has been of great influence to Sarawak and Brunei.

After the museum we took a water taxi (worth taking anyway). We passed the Venice of Bandar and headed to a point where mister history himself could take a picture of the lion in front of the palace. Too bad the palace is covered up so much but anyway. After this stop we headed onwards to spot some proboscis monkeys in the mangroves aside of the river. First I only saw a lizard shooting away in its hole, what - after a close look- seemed to be a small snake. Oops almost stepped on it hehe. Finally got a good look at the monkeys as well but they are so fast I was only able to shoot two pictures of these so called ‘Dutchman'.

Ten days earlier was the sultan's birthday. It was posters with the sultan on it everywhere. They seemed to celebrate it this weekend. Evening time there was a parade. I have seen disorganized but this was worst thing ever. You assume the police will stand every 25 meters or so to clear out the streets. Well here people where told to go elsewhere while same time other people would take their place. Don't ask me how but the parade finally moved. Welllllll after car number 3 almost killed us through its exhausting gasses. But what you expect if people keep moving around from any direction in any direction and there is no way all those people can get behind the well placed fences all at once. Ah well it was fun to experience this and to know most of the oil money goes up to fireworks.

Meanwhile I continued my story from my bunk bed in:.....guess where....Yaaaa.. Labuan of course! The freaking ferry departed on time; 3pm. After a bumpy, jumpy though spectacular ride we arrived a bit too early at Kota Kinabalu. Seemed the thing turned around halfway because of bad weather conditions. Nobody of the staff informed us but yeah..wouldn't make much of a difference. We were back in Labuan. Luckily found out pretty fast there was a hostel just opposite of the ferry terminal. Now will travel tomorrow morning 8.30pm or 22 hours late as you wish.

Afterwards hope to post this blog I just wrote and finally upload some pictures. ...Which I haven't done since half of May!

Then stay in K.K. till at least 29th to finish my schoolwork. Seeing the circumstances still not finished. My assignment I'll have to do later. Need to inform my professor about that.After the 29^th I will have enough time left to travel around. No exact plan yet. But I cannot climb the mountain so maybe visit the Mount Kinabalu park and head-on straight to Sandakan. Seems I can spend a few days and nights there to see the best of Sabah. Afterwards maybe spend a night in Semporna and finally end up in Tawau for my flight to Macau and then Hong Kong! Really looking forward to that.

Oh yeah never made a link to the title of my weblog. Well you know you have your ups and downs and some moments in life you feel like shit and others you feel better then ever. I guess both cases make you really feel alive. Just like the song mentions. I tracked it back few weeks ago when I coincidentally thought about this number 4 song of an album from the EELS a friend let me hear about two years ago. I had no idea what it was and what it was about...but; it's a good song. Nothing much to do with half of what I just wrote but anyway; Hey Man...I'm really living!