Borneo pt. 2

I resurfaced from the jungle to Kota Kinabalu before a two day hike up and down Mt. Kinabalu. The climb/hike consists of a slog

Almost close enough to touch.

most of the way up the mountain on the first day. At 3272m I stayed at Laban Rata, a full service resort so to speak. Throughout the course of the over night stay, we were served 3 meals: dinner, 2AM 'supper', and breakfast. All of which, including everything at the lodge short of the structure, has been hiked up by porters for a rate per Kg. These guys are crazy. On the balcony of the lodge, I witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets of my life at the eye level of the clouds.

Sunrise from 4095m.

To reach the top by sunrise, we had to wake up, have 'supper', and be hiking by 3AM. The final climb to the top is not all that difficult, though the altitude is very obvious. The object is to reach the top right at sunrise so you don't have to sit up there and wait in the cold. We had a very steady ascent and timed it just right so that we made it virtually sweat-less. By the time I started feeling cold, the sun's warmth was coming over the ridge. If you look closely at the picture, you can see little specks on bright ridge line. Those are people.

Sunset at eye level.

I hadn't realized it at the time, partially because the day had been so long, but I saw the sun rise from the top of a mountain, and set into the South China Sea all in the same day. It actually took me until recently when I found the pictures in the same dated folder that this was the case. Vacation...It makes you forget some times. This sunset was enjoyed from the shore in Kota Kinabalu.

Just another day.

To top off my adventurous two weeks, I spent two days on the islands off the coast of Kota Kinabalu with some friends. It really takes a pair of swim trunks to find out how powerful the sun is near the equator. Back home, everyone sits in the sun for as long as possible, not very long. Here it seemed no one wanted full sun exposure for most of the day. The backs of my thighs learned why the hard way.

Indonesia pt. 1

Border patrol.

What'r you lookin at?

Over the course of six days, my guide and I walked two days in Malaysia, cross into Indonesia on the third day, walk for two days, and on the sixth day cross back into Malaysia. To my unfamiliar eyes, Indonesia did not seem at all different with the exception of the occasional flag. My guide told me Indonesian and Malay are very similar languages, so the people can communicate very easily. I think all these similarities speak to the history of this region. Although it spreads across the border of two different countries, the villages Kelabit Highlands are filled with relatives.

Helo!

Walking through the small villages of the Highlands, it is amazing to see the simplicity of life. It seems no one has a 9-5 work schedule-most people are self employed. Rice is the major export from the region, and the people are very proud of their product. Though this region may seem impoverished to a first-worlder, the people here live rich lives of simplicity. Instead of the PC Room, the children play with each other, and find entertainment in the simplest objects (as you can see with the tire). Imagine their surprise when they see a sunburned white man walk by their house...

Hard work.

As mentioned the rice-nasi-is a staple and main export for the Kelabit people. It's hard to find someone that doesn't own a rice padi somewhere. It is amazing to watch the process of harvesting the rice and preparing the padi for the next crop. There are no tractors or machines, everything is done by hand and machete. A man asked me why the English language has only one word for rice. I couldn't give him a very satisfying answer. In Malay, there is a word for rice when it's growing in the padi, a word for it when it's dry and ready to cook, and a word for it when it's on your plate.

Turn that one.

For teenagers, motor bikes in the highlands are the equivalent to cars in the States. In fact, the bikes are a source of income for teenagers. Since most airports in the highlands are not accessible by 4x4, supplies and people are ridden in on the back of these motor bikes. It's very impressive when you see the amount of building materials they didn't harvest from the jungle. Tin roofing, re-bar, cement, electrical materials, computers, etc. When not used for cargo, the kids fly around on them to impress their friends-of course they don't wear helmets.

Shreddin.

LTD.

I took many photos while walking through the jungle, but in the thick vegetation, I had a difficult time capturing a good perspective of the canopy overhead. This photo-I think-does the most justice to the sheer height of these trees. Being a native Oregonian, I have seen some big trees and a few thick forests. What I haven't seen is a tree so straight and so tall as many of these. The only vegetation on a particular species is at the canopy, so the rest of the tree is just a big, tall, smooth trunk.

Blood brothers.

Although I hired him and had to pay him at the end, I felt like Reddi and I were just a couple friends going on a hike. He's a very skilled person in the jungle and knows a lot about the highlands. At one point I told him how much I envy his life, getting paid to walk through the jungle with tourists. He chuckled a bit and didn't seem to understand, but I think he's truly living the dream. There's no rat race in the highlands, no need for the pointless luxuries we struggle to afford. Instead it's all about the rice. Now where did I put that iphone?

Borneo pt. 1

Over the two week break between Korean school years (Chinese New Year) I took a trip down south to the island of Borneo. I spent most of my time on the Malaysian side, but stumbled over into Indonesia for a few days. I had the opportunity to spend a week walking through the Kelabit Highlands, in the jungle and through villages. It was great to see into the lives of the Kelabit people. Outside the highlands, I spent a few days in Kota Kinabalu and took the two day slog up and down Mt. Kinabalu. I have included some of my favorite shots and anecdotes from the trip.

To get into the highlands, I had to take three flights: Seoul>Kota Kinabalu>Miri>Bario. The flight from Miri to Bario was in a 15 seat Twin Otter turbo prop. Bario is 45 minutes inland by plane from Miri. Very soon after take off, the housing developments of Miri are replaced by the endless palm oil plantations occupying most of the territory between Miri and Bario. Admittedly, the plantations are a beautiful sight. But the view pales in comparison to the beautiful, diverse jungle these plantations have replaced. Something to consider next time you convert that old diesel... Enjoy the shot.

Biofuel for jungle.

Once I reached Bario, I arranged for a local guide to take me on a 6 day 5 night trek/village walk through the highlands. We spent our first night in the settlement Pa Lungan. While the home stay cooked us our delicious dinner, I took a short trip up to the top of a nearby hill. At the top someone had installed a chrome plated cross which allowed me the opportunity to get a photo in the reflection...

Well, Hello.

Big, puffy, and white.

...and capture the approaching shade.

Dinner?

A popular hobby/source of protein for the Kelabit people is hunting wild boar. Kelabit men spend a lot of time with their trained dogs out in the jungle slaying these beasts. This particular man shared his kill with a few houses in the village, a very common practice. Unfortunately curry was on the menu at the home stay, so I didn't get to try the pig. In this photo he is preparing to skin a hind leg.

The calm after the storm.

My guide was constantly telling me, "You have to finish the rice, or else it will rain tomorrow." The problem was, they always cooked way too much for me to finish the remainder. Needless to say I didn't finish the rice at dinner in Pa Lungan and shortly before bed time it rained. By morning the rain had passed and left in it's place a beautiful morning mist.

마라톤 했어요.

The yellow haze.

(I did a marathon).

I don't know what inspired me to complete such a task, but as with all pre-registration organized group events, paying in advance for a spot means no backing down. At least I thought that was the case until Saturday in Seoul turned into a toxic eastern dust bowl. The picture does little justice to the atmosphere we were looking through four hours earlier. At about 9:30am the air was so saturated it felt like 20 minutes past sundown on a cloudy day. At any rate, some beneficial weather overnight provided a very clear, crisp, and beautiful Sunday morning for the slog across town.

I went a bit to hard at the beginning which made the finish tough. The wall everyone talks about came at about 25K, then 30K, then 35K. It was like running over a healthy ECG heartbeat graph. At any rate, I made it into the stadium and across the finish a mere 2H:20M behind the race winner. In all fairness, they had a 30 minute head start in the first group...

Run Fatboy Run

Dennis: He runs marathons.

Gordon: Why?

I could not agree more.

This guy does marathons.

잠실 or Bust.

Thanks for the pictures Dina.

Pink Martini 입니다

A little Portland treat played through Seoul last weekend. We were lucky enough to have a friend with connections and ended up with some free tickets. Lucky enough might be an understatement because the tickets were 99,000 won. I took my camera out of my pocket a few times, but I just learned I need to clean the lens...

Admittedly, I haven't spent much time listening to Pink Martini but they do put on a good show. I can appreciate the international style. It was nice to feel a little home state pride for a band originating just a short float down river from where I started.

I enjoyed listening to their attempts at Korean. What I don't understand is how the audience could understand the butchered attempts. Sometimes, even when I know what I'm suppose to be saying, Koreans can't understand me. Must be something related to musical tones.

Anyhow, since the time I officially aired this journal of sorts, I have been moving about daily life with a new interest in documenting things. Even though I've become accustomed to the differences in Korea, I have a new found interest in photographing interesting things to put on here. Therefore, more to come.

Enough words.

The last six months.

I have officially been in Seoul for six months and a few days. Since the creation of this little e-diary is my sixth month benchmark, I can't (nor can you) expect to see an accurate account of the events that took place since I've been here. I can reassure you that most of the events, experiences, epiphanies, etc. are not much different than everyone else (there are a lot of us) who has moved to Korea to teach English. Furthermore, you can fairly easily find another blogger having the same experiences I am, in Korea teaching English (there are a lot of us).

That said, as long as I am here, you can rest assured the content proceeding this post will be those of significance to a long-term visitor of this fair city/country/region. The honeymoon phase of orienting to the orient is over--welcome to the year of the White Tiger.

The Beginning

Booya. After 6 months of fighting motivation, I have finally done it. I now have a blog.

I'm not sure what this thing will morph into--if anything at all--but I have a few expectations to attempt to fulfill. The main function of this blog is to document my life through pictures and thoughts. Conveniently enough, I can simultaneously give other people (family and friends) an opportunity to see things as I do.

Here's what you can expect to find here. You can expect to see things produced with a narcissistic, subjective perspective full of cliches, just like every other blog. The only difference is; this one is mine.

More to come.