I survived a 12 hour flight!! Eventually, shattered but relieved, we arrived in Singapore.Only to walk straight through the airport and onto the next flight. Chaos ensued at security as all the regulations are different here (not very helpful) so I had my nail scissors confiscated from my hand luggage. I was tired and just a little ratty...cue 'If I've survived a 12 hour flight without stabbing anyone I think I could have survived another 2 hours!!' speech.
It's a lot of travelling and waiting around with not very much to do, but it will be worth it. We should arrive in Kota Kinabalu about 11:00am and then it's a 4 hour drive to Camp Tinangol. I keep thinking about the moment when we arrive in Tinangol and the camp is before us, and I'll know that that is what it has all been building up to, and after 20 months, I'm finally there!
Borneo - Kota Kinabalu 2:00pm
At long last, we're here in Borneo. There's still the 3-4 hour drive down to Tinangol, but at last we're in the country we've longed to be in for so long. We've just started the drive, after getting through the airport and stopping for lunch at the waterfront here in KK. The first thing that you cannot help but notice is the heat. On the air-conditioned coach it's okay, but outside in the glare of the sun is a whole other story. It's so sticky and clammy and HOT. I'm sure I'll begin to acclimatise soon enough over the next couple of days (or at least, I hope I will) but sitting outside to eat lunch, it quickly became unbearable for us all and we soon had to seek shade.
I'm quite anxious to get to camp; all of us are getting restless of constantly being on the move, but it isn't long now. Next stop: Camp Tinangol.
Camp Tinangol 8:50pm
We got to camp about 5 this evening and met the camp manager, Kenny, and the rest of the staff before settling into our accommodation. The sudden change in environment and facilities is a bit of a shock to us all, but the camp is really nice. No hot water here, but that's really not going to be an issue - for the first time in my life I enjoyed a cold shower this evening!! The staff are really lovely and welcoming too, and there's a couple of volunteer staff from England who did exactly what we're doing last year, so it's comforting to have someone who can relate to you.
After dinner we were treated to a welcome dance from the Rengen tribe (also known as the Head Hunters). First we watched the performance, which took place in the girls' longhouse, and then we had to join in ourselves together with the dancers to signal our friendship. At the end we were all presented with a bead necklace each.
Finally, it feels real, after all this time. And tomorrow we're onto the project work, where the hard graft begins!
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