We shared a cab to the airport, but the cabbie was rather hostile. Upon reaching the airport at 8.30am, we went to Air-Asia counter to check-in, surprisingly, Kio had the lightest luggage of 4.6kg!!! Oh man, my luggage was about twice her luggage weight... The more shocking luggage were Jas and KS.... And we joked about them going to different destination as compared to us...
You see what I mean??? The size of the baggage....After having breakfast at Ya Kun, we went to shop at duty free shop as they wanted to buy some cosmetics. After which, we rushed for boarding as the information on the TV states that gates are closing!!! When we reached our departure gate, the passengers were still sitting around, and I managed to snap a shot here....
The flight was about an hour and the stewardesses had extremely untidy hair even though their hair are bun neatly. Upon reaching Kuching International airport, we were welcomed by our driver from our hotel. 
Our Toyota Hiace passed by the cat statue which was near our hotel area and I managed to catch a snap of it with the World Cup poster!
We checked in and decided our itinerary, Jas, Ber and Sexy checked into the executive suite at 208, while Kio and KS were at 307 and Occifer and I at 317. We got the hotel shuttle bus to bring us to the Spring shopping centre for lunch and some supermarket shopping. We had Kenny Rogers for lunch and it was rather cheap coz the waitress miscalculated our orders! Next we went to the local supermarket named Da Kiong for some chips and drinks. Well, you got to believe that we actually stock up RM100+ of drinks and chips and instant noodles! We got the hotel to pick us up after our shopping spree. However, we waited quite a while as the shuttle bus was used by other tourists. We were rather tired and napped for about an hour being meeting for dinner. At 7.30pm, we had our dinner at a local Chinese restaurant where we order curry fish head, marmite chicken wing and some other delicacies. We strolled to the Kuching Waterfront and the night view was splendid.
Initially we wanted to get some souvenirs from the main bazaar but to my surprise, the whole row of shops were closed!!! We had nowhere to go but head back to hotel for an early rest!19 June 2010: Land and Sea Tours, nothing but walking and walking...
We woke up very early, feeling refreshed, ready to depart for our very own itinerary. We had breakfast at the very small sublime cafe before setting off at 9a.m. We had to share our van with another family from Singapore as we were too big a group for Toyota Alphard. Occifer and I boarded the Hiace and we set off together with the other family. The land journey was about half an hour before reaching the jetty and the sea journey was also about 30 min before reaching Bako National Park.
This National Park is well known for its sandstone erosion and other wildlife creature like the proboscis monkey. We started off our trekking expedition and most of the time, we had to walk on wooden planks which are rather slippery due to the presence of algae. We were introduced to many species of flora and fauna throughout the journey. Plants like the curry tree, the AIDS resistant tree, rattan tree and pandan tree....
KS had a try at the FOC fish doctor.... After the trek, we went to watch an isolated bachelor proboscis monkey 
and the tour guide picked up a few hermit crab from the mangrove swamp for us to take photos! Before lunch, we climbed a very steep route which was along the edge of the sea. I was damn exasperating tired from the very steep climb!!!! During lunch, we drank lots of isotonic drink before having lunch. We saw a suspicious naughty monkey peeping us from the roof and then the next moment, a monkey attack happened at the cafe..... 
We had a long lunch break before heading back to shore. By then, the tide was extremely low and we had to walk our way to the boat in the shallow sea. I took off my shoes and rolled up my trackpants before walking down the sea. The waves keeps washing in and I tried to cross the waves... haha... I scamper back to the boat after wetting half my trackpants.... It was rather hot in the afternoon. We reached the jetty at about 3pm, however we had to wait for the family to arrive before we could depart to our next destination. It was only after the 1 hour wait then I asked the driver whether we could squeeze in the Alphard!! We waited 1 whole hour in futile!!!! During the wait, we made Kio the walking sticker book and she was stuck with stickers all over her! We headed to Satok Weekend market in the squeezy yet comfy Alphard and woww!!!! It's such a wow with lots of things, ranging from salted fish to souvenirs, bags and slippers and even pets!!! I was just amazed! We did our marketing there and gosh, we were damn good shopaholics. Our hands were full with plastic bags and KS and Ber even had to buy bags to carry their groceries!!! We did our marketing in 1 hour's time and the van drove us back to the hotel!!! We unloaded our plastic bags and made a dash to the bathroom for a nice long bath after the day's walk. 
For dinner, we went to Top Spot upon the guide's recommendation. The place was a little weird as it was just situated above the 6-storey carpark.... We ordered some food and had our fill!!! There was an utter disppointment with the oyster pancake!!! 
U see what I mean??After dinner, we went for foot reflexology, after all, we're all tired from the climbing up and down at Bako National Park!!!! Something fishy happened during the reflexology, my nose actually was blocked and couldn't breathe well during the process. Wahaha... When walking back to the hotel from reflexology, I think we passed by a bar or lounge or something, and I heard catcalls coming from inside. It was obvious that they were whistling at us but definitely not me... After we walked past, KS remarked that she was "meowed" by the people in there... Then she said she going to "woah" them ( as in sound made by a dog).... It was so hilarious... wahahaha....
20 June 2010: Santubong Exploration
We woke up late today as the itinerary allowed us to do so. We had breakfast at the coffeeshop that the tour guide recommended. Oh man, it was totally packed with locals of different races! We had Sarawak Laksa, KoLo Mee and fried carrot cake! The fried carrot cake was so packed with chye poh and some yam pieces which I find it rather tasty. However, the Laksa was such a disappointment as compared to the Penang Laksa I had earlier on this month.... The KoLo mee was rather nice as the sauce had a fragnant fried onion smell and it's just practically like wanton mee without wanton! The unique drink was a medium cup of 3 layer teh C peng!!!!
After breakfast, some of us bought pineapple tarts to prepare for CNY 2011..... We walked back to the hotel and did our "big business" before meeting the guide for the day's itinerary. The guide was a different person as compared to the previous day and some of us commented that he's cute!!! haha..... We headed for Cat Museum which was on top of the hill and there was a winding road. Before we enter, we had to pay some money in order for us to take some photos. In the end, we only chose 1 camera and paid before entering the museum. In the museum, we saw many Kuchings, from the biggest sized to the smallest sized, whatever colour, whatever breed, they also have it!!!! After our visit, the shopaholics bought lots of souvenirs from the booth and I bet the aunty just earned her day's earning from the 7 of us!!!! The tour guide got us a good spot for photo taking and he offered to take a group photo of us. We started our journey to the SCV. It was just magnificent and majestic.... and needless to say, it's a passport to the most unforgettable experience; a living museum!!!
It's like a walking museum, they had 7 ethnic houses consisting of the Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Penan, Melanau, Iban, Malay and Chinese houses.... We got to see live performances in each tribal council and it's very laidback..... Jas was invited to go onto stage to perform a balloon bursting act with a Orang Ulu!!!
The SCV was very close to the jetty where we boarded our boat for the wildlife river cruise. It was late evening and the sun was about to set.... The cruising at South China Sea was picturesque!!! I enjoyed the clear blue sky, the deep water and the fluffy clouds! It was just so tranquil and calm.
caught a glimpse of the beautiful sky before sunset...The boatman and his son was quick in spotting the Irrawaddy dolphins and he had to turn off the engine as we are watching them! i just hear sounds of psssh pssssh psssh.... but the dolphins were too fast for my camera! We spotted quite a few and I was rather happy about it as dolphin watching depends on luck! We spent quite some time to watch the dolphins surface on the water... We moved on to spot a family of proboscis monkey feasting on the mangrove trees and then the finale....fireflies!!! They were so excited on board the boat catching fireflies while Jas and I were busy fanning and scratching ourselves as there were lots of mosquitoes and unknown beings.... Dinner was back at Top Spot but we tried different dishes!!! I had a good hot bath back in the hotel following a short chill out session at the Rooftop Lounge. Supper was at Room 208 where there's a unique scene....
I guess they must have bought back lots of mosquitoes from Bako and that's why they need the patches on the wall! There was a wrestling and pillow fight between Sexy and KS.... However, photos are too glamorous for posting. We had a slide show of the photos that my camera took and we were munching titbits and having supper when Sexy suddenly offered cup noodles of Sarawak Laksa flavour and KoLo mee..... That's a load of crap, I had a hearty laugh!!!21 June 2010: Back to Lion City
Woke up at 6 plus as the flight was early.... Managed to catch a glimpse of the sunrise from our hotel room and we grabbed a quick bite at the cafe before leaving for the airport. The driver told us that our mangoes had a strong smell and advised us to wrapped our mangoes in newspaper... So, we had a mango wrapping competition at the airport and the host was Kio as she was the only one who didn't buy any mangoes! All of us were lined up neatly and wrapping the mangoes in a quick manner.... Gosh, that's also very hilarious..... On flight AK6673, Sexy, Ber and I were recollecting the good times we had for the past 3 days while Kio was sleeping like an aged ah mah with her glasses almost dropping off from her nose bridge... Had McDonalds breakfast with the "dearest" villagers before leaving for home. After reaching home and unpacking, the phone rang, and it was aunt... I had to abort my zzz and accompany her to SGH for a checkup... Nonetheless, the wait at A&E was horrendous.... People would have died from the waiting.............
Well well, you wouldn't know how fun it was till you hear the testimonials of the villagers!!!!
From Kio
Day 1
- Ah kio 's seat is at a very very special place - gate D35 owing to her AK47
- astonished that her lugguage was the 'heaviest' of all - 4.6kg
- aircraft touched down in the middle of nowhere and we gota climb that flight of stairs
- din fill in the address on the white card leading to the officer asking me where i stay in Kuching
- very pleased with the cleanliness of Lime tree Hotel; bed linen smell nice n refreshing
- kinda famished after checking in - kenny Rogers yummy yummy!
- grocery shopping @ Da Qiang - fasincated at the wide variety of drinks n lollipop
- learnt that the we must take photo whenever there is leng chang
- waited for donkey hours before KS 's fren - Mr Hastree appeared (KS 's face was kinda black during the long wait...)
- cars can anyhow hog two lanes of the road
- zhi char at chinese restaurant was cheap!
- had lots of fun calling or rather 'disturbing' fellow villagers asking for 'different services'!haha!
Day 2
- never in my life have I walked for such a long distance!
- first trekking experience in my life!
- very very satisfied having managed to conquer the hill?or mountain?
- lugi surprised that Occifer Yong 's phone still has reception at the top of the mountain
- kena attacked by monkey
- boarding the boat in the middle of the sea; wetting my leggings
- delicious n cheap food at top spot though a bit bit disappointed by the oyster pancake as i was expecting 'or lua'
- feel 'sad' that ber had to 'abort' her baby while waiting for the massage.Muahahaha!
- was trying very hard not to fart during the massage
Day 3
- fascinated by dolphin, crocodile, monkey and catching fireflies!
- enjoyed the sea breeze
- super duper 'like' the mosqitoe patches smell sia!
- tour guide was quite cute hor...?
- laughed till peng when jasmine was performing on the stage!
-enjoyed the complimentary drink n music at the rooftop lounge
- battery was seriously very very flat at end of day 3
Day 4
- surprised that the express team was the last to come down for breakfast
- hand curry luggage instead of hand carry
- being the MC for the mango wrapping competition
All in all, definitely one of the most memorable, fruitful,enriching and lotsa-first-in-my-lifetime-experience trip in my life! Looking forward to many many many more to come!
From Occifer
Kio and Jas ..U r reali Spontaneous!!.. Saya *Salut* u.. Kio: I can see you reali like the Mosquito Patches n Sarawak Cultural Village.. :-) Jas: I wont Tell Chris u got engaged in Kuching wif the Orang Ulu..lol
KS - Noe wat to Gt for u on ur Bday.. Lady Fingers, Cheez Balls, Ginger Beer, Orangina, Ribena Sparkling..etc
Ber - Thou u r Nt feelg well, yet still came along wif us.. Hope ur Sore Throat Gets better!:) Nw I noe who I can share e Tao Gei Nuoi Seaweed wif liao..Lol
Sexy - We are well-taken care of by ur TLC in a very Sexy's way.. most imptly, i noe we r both very allegic to Sunlight...
Me - Not forgetting my Lovable Roommate, Let's Bunk together for our future Trips too Cos we r the Express Team!!..n I'll make tea for u in the MornIng..:-)
This trip is one of the memorable one for all of us I believe.. Looking forward to More Adventureous Trips.. Yeah Yeah.. **Muacks**
From Sexy
my first jungle trekking trip, it’s so fun and interesting….it’s really an unforgettable trip…because I brought more than 20 souvenirs back--> it’s mosquitoes or sandfly bites …don’t know how to differentiate…haha..
Anyway, I love the boat ride alot especially the wildlife cruise, it’s so near to the crocodile, dolphins, fireflies….which is something that we can’t do it in Singapore or Bangkok….It’s really something new to some of us…with this trip, we know that we got more activities to do, not just shopping, KTV…..
Besides the places that we visited, of course it’s the time that we spent with all our villagers. First time we have full attendance to go on holidays. We get to “bond” together and share a lot of fun , lames, happy moments….Also, we have our belated birthday card ceremony @ Lime Hotel’s rooftop lounge…Actually, there are many first time during this trip, like first time all villagers watched world cup together, we might not do that in SG, first time have Irene helped me to apply sun block lotion, first time saw monkey eat mee goreng rather than apple, first time shopping at weekend market and still manage to buy many things i.e ikan bilis, mangoes….the more I write, the more I miss the holidays…think our next outing can start to plan for our next holidays right…hee....
Lastly, thanks :
Kio and Kaisi for the hotel booking....it's so nice and lime...
Ber and Me for the itinerary.....It's so interesting and fruitful trip
Occifer for the air ticket booking (though we share the responsibilities)......and of course, your help to apply sun block lotion...
Jas for taking care of our fund .....