On Sunday 18th September 2011 I said my goodbyes and hop pen on a plain from Sydney airport headed for Kuala Lumpur. I was off on my next adventure, Project managing 3 projects in Borneo with Raleigh International I thought I would be signing off this digital world for there months and I probably will but I just ended with some internet and a little story to tell.
I had packed my bags carrying everything for the next 3 months including sleeping bag, roll mat, hiking boots, cooking tins, work clothes, a mammoth first aid kit and a load of other things. However I squeezed it into one backpack weighing just 19kgs. Wow I hardly own anything.
I was at the airport trying to check in for my flight to Brunei , a tiny country on the north side of the island Borneo, when I ran into a little problem. I did not have a flight out of Brunei which means I would be declined entrance and deported home to the UK. Oops. The thing is I am supposed to be in Kota Kinabalu in 4 days to meet the Raleigh international team. I had no idea how I would make the trip up the north coast of Borneo and over the Malaysian border but I new I would make it. However the lady at the airport didn’t seem convinced and started telling me about the huge fines the airline would incur if in was refused entry. Anyway a littler sweet talking later and I was running through the airport to catch the soon departing flight. I made it and slept for most of the 8 hour flight.
I had 6 hours in Kuala Lumpur airport before my 2 hour flight to Brunei. Somehow in all this time I did not check anything about the country, where to stay, where the airport was or even what currency they use. Needless to say I was unprepared.
Somehow I ended still running for this flight, I sat down and that’s when I realised I had no idea what I was doing when I got off the other side. I mean does anyone have any idea what to do when arriving in Brunei? I just had to make up an address for where I was staying in Brunei. The have ‘Holiday Inn Hotels’ everywhere right? Oh and it clearly said if any false information was given there is a $40,000 fine and up to 3 years in prison. It also said drug traffickers would be killed. They repeated this on the speaker system too.
Next thing was to find out what the currency was. 5 minutes later I was standing there with 60 Brunei dollars. I asked where I could get a bus into the city and I was told outside for a dollar. Sweet, everything is going well so far. So I walk through the taxi rank and ask a driver for directions who replied ‘walk over that bit of grass, cross the highway then walk down the flowerbed for 5 minutes then there will be a roundabout, the bus comes there sometimes. Ok so this was not so straight forward so I asked how much a cab would be, $25, so I headed for the flowerbed.
10 minutes later I am standing at a roundabout sweating in the heat with 19kgs on my back waiting for an illusive bus.
This got boring within Bout 2 minutes so I did something which is probably breaking all the backpackers rules. I stuck my thumb out and tried to hitch a ride. I have no idea about this culture and if anything like this is acceptable.
It only to about 10 minutes and I hopped into the back of a minivan with two guys lively chatting (or arguing) in the front. Luckily they spoke English and were happy to do the 20 minute drive into the city. They asked where I wanted to be, I had no idea and asked if there was a bus station.
During this trip I picked up a few bits of information on what to see and how I might get to Kota Kinabalu. When I asked what there was to do at night I learned that Brunie is a dry state, meaning there is no alcohol allowed. Good to know as I remember I have a hip flask of Grey Goose Vodka in my backpack. Remember what I said about fines and prison sentences, well you have to go through double customs meaning you have two opportunities to declare anything. I had just lied and was carrying illegal goods. Oops.
I just kept quiet and got dropped off in the middle of the city. I said thank you and I was alone again. Ok it’s 6pm and I need somewhere to stay. I walk for two minutes and as a security guard on the street who pointed me in the direction of a guest house which was only minutes away. This is what I found.
With nowhere else to go I walk up the mouldy staircase to the 3rd floor where an electronic buzzer goes off and a recorded voice squeaks ‘welcome’. I get a room for what amounts to about £10 but I could have booked it buy the hour. (always a good sign!).
If it was 30*C outside it was about 40*C in this room. I fought with the zircon unit for about 5 minutes before I gave up and asked one of the 7 family members from 3 generations on the front desk. The problem was that really hard thing to find which is on the wall right in front of you.
The room was cooling off and as I opened my back I found the illegal vodka had leaked all over my bag. Well it had mostly been soaked up by a pair of brand new socks.
So I’m sweating in my mouldy room in a country i no nothing about knowing nobody for miles (countries) with a pair of vodka soaked socks. There was only one thing to do. Suck the socks dry. I had one go at this and realised it was a bad idea so headed for a shower instead. I poured the rest of the illegal vodka away, I had lasted this long with it but even I don’t want to experience prison in Brunei.
I took a shower and washed the clothes I had warn for this lengthy and eventful journey. The water was refreshingly cold but it was hard to feel clean when it was so hot and humid as soon as the tap was off. I contemplated the day and threw my towel over my shoulders. It had been quite the journey and as I stood in my new travel towel that was too small and still having the label ‘wash before use for best results’ I thought right now I could do with a nice cold beer.
No chance of that though…… Aaaargh. Where’s that vodka sock.
As always everything turned out just fine and I go to see this spectacular sunset of the Mosque. I have just drunk some sort of soy drink (which is really nutty) and showed down on some spicy green curry. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.
Thanks for travelling
The Kid
NOTABLE THINGS.
– Being early for a flight doenst mean you won’t have to run for it
– Checking laws in a country before you enter is a good idea
– Vodka through a sock is not good, even if it is clean and the vodka is Grey Goose.
– I’m still alive.
My blog: which you are reading.
Twitter: @thekidtravels
Flickr: thekidtravels
The Kid Travels 