Sabah, You Beautiful Place

      So, during my last mid-semester break ever I went on a magical unicorn trip with my friend Erica to Sabah, on 12/4-16/4. It was beyond what I imagined, a thousand times better. So, without further delay let me take you on a magical ride on my unicorn through my experiences. 

      We started planning this trip in early February before it finally happened in April. There were many obstacles encountered, for instance when my choice of airline decided to suspend itself so all flights for April were suspended as well. And then I had to buy new tickets which were 2x as expensive as my original tickets. In which if they suspended themselves earlier, I could have gotten even cheaper tickets that my original tickets. Anyway moving on. 

DAY 1

      I arrived at about 3pm, and so did Erica. As soon as we exit the airport, we got on the shuttle bus to the city. Once at the city, we checked in to this place called The Bunk on Gaya Street. I saw people raving about this place online, so I decided to give it a try. We walked around the city center in the evening, and managed to catch the last sliver of sunset just as it was emerging on the other side of the globe. 

Our first sunset!

      So we went back to get some sleep. But that place was so hot. Okay, that's not really a huge issue so I just sucked it up and went to bed right after the loud ass China people went to bed. Then I was woken up in the middle of the night to the loud ass sound of a white man trying to flirt with the female receptionist who was pumping the leaking shower water. I looked at the time, and guess what? It was 2 FUCKING AM in the fucking morning. He was flirting with her the whole time talking about congested sewage water. Dude... you could bring your loud ass downstairs and flirt with her there.

DAY 2

      We woke up early for some sang nyuk mian, and oh man they were good. 

Pork pork pork pork pork 

      We then walked to Jesselton Point to catch a boat to Pulau Sapi and when we reached the pier of the island I went OH MY GOD because the water was so so so so SO blue and clear! I have yet to see such beautiful clear sea in my life until now (and yes I am very well aware that there are clearer seas in Thailand or the Philippines, I'm almost there!). 

Looook at thaaaat ooommggg

      We had our snorkeling gear and when we found a secluded spot after doing some steep slippery rock climbing falling and screaming multiple times, we reached out little private space. The water was so tempting so I went inside and OH MY GOD the sea was SO SALTY my eyes were burning! 

My private little tree trunk 

      Afterwards, we got back to the Point at 3pm to go to Kundasang. But we had a problem with the car rental. The car rental made empty promises so we had to look for other car rentals and we found a legit car rental place at the last minute so we took it. It was a manual because manuals are cheaper and I can drive manuals so I agreed. But I vastly underestimated the road to Kundasang, because the road was winding, serpentine AND uphill and I couldn't go beyond 3rd gear for fear of the car rolling down backwards. AND then it started raining and then at some parts of the UPHILL AND WINDING ROAD IT WAS FULL ON FOGGY. Like my field of vision was legit limited to 2 meters in front of my eyes, no joke. It was as though as if I drove straight into Silent Hill. I couldn't even see the car in front of me, let alone oncoming cars from the opposite side. I was screaming to Erica the whole time because ERICA I'M BLIND I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING but in the end we made it to our place for the night, Jungle Jack Backpackers. 

     

      Oh my, Jungle Jack Backpackers' was such an amazing place. We had a couple as roommates, and everyone there were so so friendly! I love how social that place is. Later on we met two other travelers, Lancy and a crazy Slovakian (this is the second crazy Slovakian I met). Did I mention the weather was 16 deg C ? The weather was 16 deg C. 

DAY 3

      The sun rose at 5+ and by 6 I was already up because it was already bright. The moment I opened our cabin door, I was awestruck. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes (and the door) was the majestic Gunung Kinabalu right before my eyes. It was such a unique experience, to be able to see the highest mountain in SEA as soon as I wake up. This experience definitely is on top of the list next to the feeling of waking up in a foreign country. 

My view from the front door. How blissful.

      So our plans today were to go to the Desa Cattle Dairy farm to see some cows and drink some cow milk, so we did that. The scenery there was so beautiful, the pasture green dotted with the occasional cow dung. 

It's me, Erica, and our NY friend Lancy!

    The next place we went to was Kinabalu Park, where we took a short tour around the Park. Nothing special there, but we still spend an hour there despite running short on time to our next destination. 

     Our most awaited destination next was Ranau, where we had planned to paraglide. The waiting time was so long that we had to extend our car rental but it was 100% worth it!!!! It was such an amazing experience because paragliding feels just like flying without wings. I was fueled with adrenaline the whole time I was up there in the sky, and even when I crashed on the ground during landing. I highly recommend paying the hefty sum for it, and this is definitely an experience to repeat. I absolutely loved spending every minute in the sky, and I discovered that I don't have a fear of height. 

Fun fact: this instructor was a really cool dude from Kuching!

     Because it was already late when we finished flying, we drove back to KK late as well. This time it's driving downhill, and it's equally as challenging as driving uphill because since I didn't want to exhaust the brake, I was trying to drive at 2nd gear and even at such low gear, the speedometer went up to 60kph. ON 2ND GEAR!!! What the fucking fuck it shows how steep the road is. Again, I entered Silent Hill where I couldn't see anything, but this time a car broke down in front of me. A CAR BROKE DOWN. IN FRONT OF ME. IN SILENT HILL, THE FOGGIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD. I couldn't see oncoming traffic, neither could they see me, so I trailed some dude with huge ass balls that overtook the broken car despite being temporarily blinded in this area, because my train of thought was that if there was really oncoming traffic, he'd get hit first not me. I'm so smart sometimes but anyway moving on.

     We reached KK at 6+, so we were still early to return the car. All is well again when we returned the car, cause the car was in tip top condition despite me being so panicky that I'd dent it. Some food later we were back at this new hostel called H2 Backpackers where there weren't any obnoxious China people anymore. I took the top bunk and let me tell you, it was HELL to climb up because the ladder was a vertical 90deg ladder. With absolutely no support that a normal bunk bed has. 

DAY 4

      We went for some Tuaran Mee in the morning before heading to two islands, which are Pulau Mamutik and Pulau Manukan. Pulau Mamutik has nothing much to offer because it was crowded with China people and there weren't any private areas like Pulau Sapi that we could retreat to, so it was pretty boring. We then made our way to Pulau Manukan, and it was worse. There weren't many people, but there wasn't anything to see in the sea either. It was such a boring little island but I got a sweet tan so it's all good. 

Tuaran mee!

Legs for only maybe 2 days

      Lancy contacted me to go for dinner right after we had dinner so we agreed. Then after dinner, since we checked out of H2 Backpackers and didn't have accommodation for the night, we went to her hostel. The receptionist gave us a 4 bed female dorm, and when we entered, someone already set their stuff on the bottom bunk. Just as Lancy was telling us about her experience of sharing a dorm with a male despite requesting for a female dorm because she was suspecting that our roommate couldn't have been a girl, guess what? A blond curly haired German dude walked in. Wow. Not that I'm complaining, but this was supposed to be a female dorm? And Erica slept on top of him. Literally. 

DAY 5

     We didn't have much to do today after breakfast, so we went to Suria Sabah mall before going back to the hostel to check out, then going over to Centrepoint for ice cream. However, Erica was running short on time so she left first and then it was just me and Lancy. We caught The Jungle Book (a really good children movie!) then ate some vegetarian buffet with sushi for RM10 per person! And then it was my turn to leave. So I made my way to the airport with over 3 hours to kill before my flight at 11pm. 

      This whole trip has been such an amazing experience, and it was a trip where I had many firsts. It was my first time paragliding, it was my first time seeing Mount Kinabalu as soon as I woke up, it was my first time seeing such clear blue sea, and it was my first time driving in such a challenging situation. It was also my first time travelling with Erica, and it has been a very magical unicorn trip. This trip only further fuels my desire to wander the world, and now my wanderlust is uncontrollable. 

     I look forward to more trips in the future with you, Erica. You have been a good company with your constant snapchats and perving on me when I least expect it, and I hope this trip does not deter you from sitting in my car next time. Love you !

First Time in VIETNAM!

     Okay so this post is way overdue, 1 month and two days to be exact so do you see where I'm coming from? I have very chronic procrastination issues and it's very hard for me to get going but once I start off, I am fine. But to get started is the hardest part... help me.

     So I went to Ho Chi Minh City on the 11/1 - 16/1. This trip is a very important milestone in my life because this was my first solo overseas trip that my parents ever allowed me to do so I was very excited !!! It's not exactly solo because I traveled with a buddy there but still! Why HCMC ? Because my dad ruled out Cambodia as a poor 4th world country with nothing to offer and also because landmines (what??? dad's logic). And also because it was pretty cheap to fly there from KL as well, my return flight tickets were only RM315. 

DAY 1

     My flight took off at about 12pm local time, and I arrived at Tan Son Nhat Airport at about 3. So from there I took bus no. 152 to Ben Thanh Market, where Pham Ngu Lao was. I have no idea what to expect; I didn't know my stop and I didn't really know how to get there from the stop either but fortunately, there was a fellow Malaysian with me who was heading to the same place so at least we were somewhat fucked together. And then we met a Vietnamese tour guide who was more than willing to help us with directions; and that was my first of the many friendly encounters with the locals.

     I managed to find the hostel I was staying at, it was hidden inside a restaurant called Punjabi. I got there and waited for my travel buddy who was supposed to arrive at about the same time as me to check in, because he made the booking and it was under his name. Tick tock. 5 minutes passed. 10. 20. 30. 45. Finally the very nice lady allowed me to check in under his name probably because she was sick of looking at my face because I've been sitting in front of her for almost an hour. About an hour later after the hour, I FINALLY heard from him. So many things were running through my mind, like did he step on a landmine and die? Did the bus run over a landmine and explode? Did the landmine die ??? Okay the last one doesn't make sense but still. Well, it turned out that he had food poisoning. Food poisoning is like the worst way to die because you simultaneously shit and vomit out of both holes at the same time, so I completely understood his plight. 

     So, since I didn't want to get food poisoning on my first day here either, I chose to eat pasta. Yes. Pasta in Vietnam. Don't question it please.

     Did I mention that I survived crossing the roads here? The traffic here is so insane, my first thought when I had to cross the road for the first time was "fuck this fuck that fuckity fuck me". Apparently you don't wait for the road to clear up because it never will, so what you do is just go ahead and cross and the traffic will flow around you, just as long as you don't chicken out. I tested it and it was like magic - the traffic just goes around you so if you want to commit suicide here it's gonna be really tough. 

DAY 2

     So I went out for some Vietnamese food in the morning (finally!) and it was really good, no lie. My love for cha gio will never die.

     And then I walked into this little cafe and I had my first taste of cute Vietnamese boys. I forgot the name of the cafe cause I was obviously distracted by the waiters. Oh wait... I just noticed that the cafe name is right there in the picture. 

 

     So, since I didn't feel like getting mugged in the streets, I went back for a nap and SURPRISE I wasn't a solo traveller anymore! My travel buddy finally showed up (about time he did) and I was so happy/ relieved because a part of me was 100% convinced that I was going to be left here alone. 

     I was equally as surprised to see that coke in a glass bottle still exists??? I remember drinking these kinda coke back in my mom's hometown in the rubber estate, Bahau when I was 5. And at that moment I was so tempted to smuggle one home for old time's sake.

DAY 3

     Day 3 was Chinatown Day and I had a culture shock in the bus on the way there. If I've ever drove you around, you'd know that I absolutely cannot lay my hands off the honk and based on the incessant honking 24/7, I thought I'd feel right at home. Wrong. I swear the bus driver honks at anything, everything, and NOTHING. The road was straight with nothing in front of you, WHY ARE YOU HONKING??? 

Obviously we got lost because I wanted to go to Chinatown but I have absolutely no sense of direction. Basically it was just a huge market everywhere.

     Well to be honest it was my fault because I dragged us there, so after wandering aimlessly forever his rationale was to have coffee and we did! One thing I noticed with the drinks served there is that it is usually accompanied with a glass of tea. Very fragrant tea, tasted like Jasmine but not exactly that. So in that little coffee shop there are tiny stools for you to sit on that allows you to watch people, and they have tiny coffee tables as well and it was like a little coffee place made for adults. 

     So instead of taking the bus back we walked back because I said the words "If you can do it I can do it" or something along those lines. I said it because he had a huge hole in his knee from a fall and he wanted to walk, so I figured since I did not have a hole in my knee I should be fine walking back. Trust me when I say the hole is huge. Plus, it didn't seem too far from the bus journey there so why not? 

     Not even halfway into the journey I realised what a grave mistake I have made. He kept marching on non stop while I was getting slower by the pace, heavier by the steps. The weather didn't help either cause I'm pretty sure it could have well been 40 deg Celcius at that time because I honestly felt like my body cells were slowly shutting down. Not even halfway into the journey and I've already started asking "are we there yet?". Not even halfway into the journey and I've already wanted to just sleep on the streets for the night. 

     FINALLY we made it back and I just collapsed on the bed. It wasn't until later that we went out for food, and naturally I inclined towards a bowl of pho and it was the only bowl of pho that has ever made me wish for death. Here is the pho in question. 

     The moment I ate it, I felt that something was wrong. No, nothing is wrong with the food because it was piping hot. Well, even before I ate it I felt a little unwell, so I attributed it to being unwell. WRONG AGAIN. I ate about what? 7 spoonfuls? before I decided to waste the whole bowl. On the way back I felt like my stomach was revolting against me. A World War 3 erupted in my digestive tract and food was coming out from everywhere. Remember that R rated description I gave you about food poisoning above? It happened to me. FIVE times. And he had to clean my vomit so José, I am really sorry about that. 

DAY 4

    The next morning I was so much better, but still unwell so we had French food! Holy smokes that baguette was so good I have no words. Tres delicieux! Je veux manger la baguette encore.

     Our next destination was the art museum. The walk there was much better, it was almost nothing compared to the walk the day before. 

    There's nothing much to shout about about this museum, but maybe that's because I don't know how to appreciate art. Oh well.

     By the way I had another culture shock when I went into McDonalds and I saw pork being sold??? Okay I might have overexaggerated a little bit but it was definitely unusual for me to see pork on the menu because, you know, pork and sex is haram in Malaysia. I didn't get the pork burger either because, you know, pork and sex is WHO AM I KIDDING I DON'T EVEN EAT KETCHUP OR MAYONNAISE. 

     This particular McD was already playing Chinese New Year songs when I stepped in, and it was the weirdest thing ever because those songs are Mandarin New Year songs I used to listen to, sung in Vietnamese. I think my brain broke trying to make sense of the songs, and the only way I could describe this weird sensation is Nestum Squid.

     It gets dark by 6pm there, and by dark I mean pitch black and by 6pm I really mean 6pm. Pitch black at 6pm. We headed to the Saigon Central Post Office because I was really interested in this other architecture Gustave Eiffel designed, and I vastly underestimated the distance. The map said 2km, but in actuality it was so much more than 2km. I know this for a fact because my travel buddy complained that it was really far. And you know this for a fact too, because he can really walk (ahem Chinatown, anyone?). 

DAY 5

     Day 5 was beach day! Since the nearest accessible beach was Vung Tau, we headed there first thing in the morning. I had plans to go to the sand dunes in Mui Ne (holy shit sand dunes??) but because of circumstances that left me with very limited time to travel, that plan was scraped. Anyway it is always nice to see other places, and I had a good company so no complaints there! 

 

     It was so peaceful at the beach, and I really enjoyed lazing under the umbrella just chit chatting and doing nothing. Pure bliss.

     Here is us on our last night together in Vietnam (face blurred out because he is too handsome)! I might have gotten on his nerves and he might have gotten on mine, but I would never change anything from this trip because good company beats everything else.

DAY 6

     This was the day I left, and undeniably it was a sad occasion because I've had such an amazing week away from everything that's been bugging me in my life. Waking up in a different country really is an exhilarating feeling. So this is what Vietnam is to me in a single photo:

    Noisy, exciting, fun, amazing. I feel a little saudade thinking back about my time there, from the traffic to the food (except pho) and especially not being able to catch up while crossing the road, but hopefully more adventures are coming in the future. What matters is the memories made, right? 

    So thank you for putting up with my crazy antics, José! I hope you had a good time (if not great) with me tugging on your shirt as we played Crossy Road together. My next destination hopefully might be Portugal so get ready!