We arrived in Kota Kinabalu and were met at the airport by a transfer. Mum had organised a 10 day tour of Borneo through Intrepid Travel so we had to at back and be led around the island.
We got to the hotel and had the day to kill before meeting our guide and the rest of our group. We opted to fill that time with a relaxing massage. Well it was supposed to be relaxing, I had a hot stone massage, mum and head neck and shoulders.
The ambiance of my massage was constantly interrupted by giggles, oofs and ahhhs coming from mums bed next door. Not sure mum enjoyed it too much, saying that she didn’t have as many knots in the shoulders afterwards!
We met our group the following day, 8 Australians, 2 Americans and us 2 brits. We would be lead by our guide Aldrin. We made our introductions and sat and listened to the tour itinerary.
Due to the nature of the “comfort” tour, many of our fellow tourists were a bit older, and the itinerary was suited to an older clientele. It was perfect for mum, maybe a bit restrictive for me but we would have fun.
After introductions we grabbed some much needed zs.
I awoke early the following day, and decided to start my 29th year as I meant it to go on, by a morning trip to the hotel gym!
We jumped on a bus and headed a few hours out of KK towards mount Kinabalu. We spent some time at a stunning viewpoint enjoying the imposing view of the mountains before heading out to a local town.
We had a lovely walk through the town, seeing all the local fruits growing, including some juicy looking pineapples! The walk was topped off by some wonderful home cooked lunch, at a locals house. We got to learn about the local culture and way of life.
We followed lunch with a hike around the Kinabalu mountain national park. While I would have loved to have climbed the mountain mum wouldn’t have managed to get to the top. It was a 2 night trek. We settled for the hour long hike around.
It was a nice walk. I’m incredibly proud of mum for how she did. It wasn’t an easy walk, it was a hot day, hiking through slippery and uneven ground, and she smashed it.
Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: WanderCursed: Borneo
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