Nasi Nasi Nasi (rice)

hello everyone,
This is a novel. I apologize but i think its got some interesting stuff and a couple of laughs!!
Anyways, i will start this email off by letting you all know that my life is complete. In Borneo we went from Sandakan in northern Malaysian Borneo to Sukau which is this little town on the largest river in Borneo. A lot of Borneo has been devastated by the Palm Oil plantations so the wildlife have less and less forest to use. The area around Sukau is an area that has tons of wildlife. We took a boat out on the river around sunset and saw wild orangutans, proboscis monkeys ( which if you have not seen look them up cuz they are so funny looking), amazing birds including horn bills, macaws, and, yes this where the life complete thing comes into play, Pygmy elephants. That's right, six real live wild pygmy elephants. Just like regular elephants but smaller. They ranged in size but the smallest full grown elephant was about the size of a large dog and the biggest was about the size of a huge horse. They may have been the coolest animals I have ever seen. We were in a small boat and they were bathing and eating not 5 feet from us. Unbelievable! I will send pics later so that you all can take a look, especially you Jon and Marcus!
After Sukau, we spent a couple of days around Northern Borneo before we headed back to Kota Kinabalu. We decided not to go to Sipidan on the east coast, which is supposed to be one of the 5 best places to dive in the world. It was either dive and stay for a couple of days or by a plane ticket to Indonesia, so i chose the ticket. I love diving but I couldn't pass up the chance to go to another country. Lauran stayed in KK for the next three days because we had booked a really cheap flight ahead of time to Jakarta and we some time to hang out. I decided to go to Brunei, which is a 3 hour boat trip to a tax free offshore island that the British used to own. It is called Labuan. From Labuan its another 1 hour ride to Brunei. As many of you know I lived on a ship for 3 months, and Inever got sea sick once. But here's the thing, the boat they used to transport you in the open water was some where inbetween half a submarine and half a tin can. It was long and skinny and you sat half way under water. The seas where fine on my way to Brunei but I didn't get to see much cuz I spent the whole time in the gentleman's room. Haha I had some bad Mee goreng (fried noodles). On the way back, the seas where absolutely terrible. I spent the whole journey getting rid of everything that was in my stomach into the nice trash can that was placed at my seat. It was conveniently picked up about every 20 minutes by the nice gentlemen that worked for the boat company. Don't worry though, I was one of many people using the bins provided. I think the sickness could have been a mixture of things, I am not ready to call it sea sickness yet. I met a couple of Norwegians the night before and could have had one to many San Miguels. Also I had some Mee Goreng right before the boat ride. You think I would have learned my lesson the first time. In fairness though, mee goreng is so tasty and Lauran got sick because she ate to much Mee Goreng a couple of days after me. Haha!
Brunei was really tremendous. I have been fascinated with it since childhood, so I wanted to go see it. It is one of the nicest places I have ever been. The architecture is fantastic. It is a little spendy and in Bansar Seri, the capital. there is only one cheep place to stay. I think it is being illegally run. I stayed there though and it was nice and luckily i found it because everything else was super expensive. I knew this coming in and was prepared to sleep in the bus station. I brought my sleeping bag just in case. The Sultan's palace is amazing, its like the Islamic version of Bill Gates house. There is one of the most beautiful mosques in the middle of town that I have ever seen. The really amazing thing about Brunei is that even though it is so affluent they have managed to keep so much of their culture. For example, on the sultans 60th birthday, two years ago, they paraded him around in a golden chair pulled by young men dressed traditionally with elephant muskets. Its truly a remarkable place.
From Kota Kinabalu, KK, we traveled down to Jakarta, Indonesia. Jakarta is unbelievable. The city is so enormous. It literally takes you 3 hours to get from one side of the town to the other on a train that barely has any stops. It is a town of more then 30 million people and its crazy but so intriguing. It was built purely for purpose. Skyscrapers were built on top of neighborhoods. They built over almost all the lakes and rivers in the area. So there is a bit of civil engineering nightmare. The city floods constantly during the rainy season. Ben if you need work this is the place. Its a great city though. It had been plagued by natural disaster after natural disaster recently but its wonderful. It is a city that needs to be taken and loved for what it is, super chaotic and unbelievable intriguing. We met the coolest guy named Arman and he took us around for a couple of days. He turned into a really good friend. I met him the second night when he yelled at me as I was coming out of our guesthouse. He asked if I wanted a taxi and I said no but do you want to have a beer. It is amazing how buying someone a beer is a such a universal sign of friendship.
We spent about three days in Jakarta and then took the overnight train to YogyJakarta. The train was epic! We took the economy train because it was cheaper. Mind you, we could have payed 4 dollars more for the nice air conditioned sleeper but that was way to expensive and lacked culture. The train was pretty packed and the fans didn't work. It was a bit stuffy but the real kicker was everyone who walked up and down the whole night selling nasi (rice) and everything else you could possibly imagine. We thought that around midnight or one o'clock they might stop but they didn't. We both got about an hour of sleep. It was great though. At one point we both woke up to a man yelling nasi and started laughing when we looked at our watches and it was 430 in the morning. They sold everything on the train. A man even went through and sprayed fabreeze for money. Genius! YogyJakarta was a really wonderful city. It is full of art. We stayed in this guesthouse run by a famous local artist. He had paintings everywhere. From YogyJar. we went to Borobudur which is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. It is a Buddhist complex built in the 9th century with an undeniable aura and energy. It was filled with people, so many people, and was still so peaceful. We got there in the morning and watched the sun come up and the mist as it rose over the valley. So beautiful. From there we went to Prambanan, which are Hindu temples built near and in the same time frame as Borobudur. They were just as amazing. They were somewhat damaged in the recent earthquake that happened but still remarkable, and filled with statues of Vishnu, Shiva, Brahman. We stayed there for about 8 hours to watch the traditional dance they do with the temples in the background. It told the story of the region. Grandma you would have loved it!!!
From YogyJar we took the same overnight train, and i mean everything was the same even the nasi guys, to the end of Java, where we took a flight to Lombok island. So Lauran constantly made fun of me during this trip because I am more cautious then her about the mosquitoes. I was even more cautious in Indonesia because it was the rainy season. I put bug spray on ever once in a while and wore pants at night cuz they were really bad. Well when we got to Lombok the mosquitoes were worse then I have ever experienced in my life. Mom and Dad they were like Mt. Baker that one summer where we left with like 60 bites in 2 days. We would walk out of our room in the morning, have breakfast and would have 10 bites by the end of the meal. Well as irony would have it, little old Lauran got Dengue Fever! Which if you don't know what Dengue Fever is I will sum up the whole illness by its nickname "the bone breaking disease". She wasn't feeling so good in the middle of the one day, so she went back and laid down. I went to this really cool temple in a town called Sengigi and when I can back she was rockin about a 103+ fever (I couldn't tell exactly cuz I bought a thermometer and it was in Celsius), the worst headache of her life, the worst stomach ache of her life, and body aches everywhere. She is tough though. She had a horrible 2 days but didn't really ever complain. Luckily, this is funny, there are two types of Dengue, one type is like malaria and one type is like encephalitis, she thankfully, i guess, got the one like malaria. She is fine now, but it took her a while. She is tough though, the next afternoon after she was really sick, we took a hour bus ride and hour boat ride to the most epic islands on the planet, the Gili Islands.
The Gili Islands are a bit indescribable but I will try. Picture 3 islands that you can walk around in less than an hour, the most amazing tropical fish you have ever imagined, sea turtles everywhere, manta rays and white tips swimming just off the reef, 4 dollar bungalows, no cops( which i will say changed the vibe of the place, a lot of Bob Marley being smoked and Josh Heytvelts' being taken, which are legal. Crazy place in the middle of a Muslim country that gives the death penalty for drug trafficking. The whole island is surrounded by white sand beaches and there is just enough nightlife that every night you wont be bored. Not that you ever would! We stayed there for 6 days and it was unbelievable. There was a break just before the manta reef that was good for people like me learning to surf. What an unbelievable place. Paradise if you will! Ohh and the best part is that it takes so long to get there that it isn't over run with people. One island is a bit more built up but the others are bare.
From Gili we went to Bali which is amazing. It is filled with Balinese Hinduism which is unreal. Ryan you would absolutely die.There are temples and offering chairs everywhere. Literally every single block there is a temple. Every morning everyone wakes up and spreads flowers all over the ground. It is so beautiful. They walk out and sprinkle holy water and give rice offerings. I have never experience anything like it. The first 3 days in Bali, I spent at an ashram, a Hindu monastery devoted to tranquility and peace, in a town called Candidasa. I showed up in the mornings and talked with the kids and read about traditional medicine and they taught me all about the culture. I leaned so much in those three days. I got to meditate with them. They even fed me. It is truly remarkable. They taught me the difference between Balinese Hinduism and Indian Hinduism and its pretty substantial. This was one of the coolest things I have ever done. After the ashram we went up to Ubud, which is a sacred town for Balinese people. I had the best meal of my life. If any of you have seen the "No Reservations" episode with Anthony Bourdain where he is in Bali, he eats at this place with suckling pig that is famous. That is all the serve but it was the best meal of my life. Lauran agrees, it was amazing!
Well that was long but I hope interesting. I was thinking the other day that when I first traveled a couple of years ago I saw all the differences in the culture and people. Different dress different language, different customs, but this time around I see all the similarities. Maybe because there are so many. Customs maybe different but everyone's emotions are the same.

Hope all is well!

Brent


"To be good and genuinely good as a person is two different things; to be good as a person mean to helps others, to be genuinely good as a person means you would drop everything, no matter how trying the circumstances, to help someone in need."

Beautiful people, scenery, and beaches!

Hey hey,

I am sorry if this email is a bit long but you dont have read the whole thing if you dont want, but read the bottom half if nothing else. Haha anyway after the amazing time in Manila we headed up to Bagio which is about 6 hours north. Its a really nice town, kind of the San Francisco of the Philippines (not a bunch of billy boys, its built on a hill). We stayed in a rather rough hotel but it was super cheap. Lauran woke up with a cockroach on her head but, but we saved a bunch a money!!!Anyways from there we went another 8 hours north to the Mountain Provence and the city of Bontok. The roads were a bit rough and a little steep to say the least. Grandma I am sorry but you wouldnt have made it. From Bontok we made our way up to Batad which is this little village that you have to hike about 2 hours to reach. The UNESCO Rice Terraces sit right in back of this perfect, electricity free village. one of the most perfect villages I have ever witnessed. There lives are so simple but filled with so much happiness. We stayed the night in the village in a hut that we literally we walked out the door and the rice terraces where directly in front of us. The only hang up with the whole experience was that we left our bags at the guesthouse in Bontok which was a three hour bus ride and 2 hour hike away. We were going to go back that day but there weren't any buses leaving that late. This actually turned out to be a blessing because the hike wasn't easy so we didnt have to pack our bags. Also, Batad was so fantastic that Lauran and I decided that our bags were worth less then the experience. We didnt have our sleeping bags and it got really cold at night. We tried to ask for more blankets but I kid you not there where probably 10 extra blankets and 2 other people staying there, a couple from Germany, and they took all 10. I hope they got dehydrated from all the extra heat! Haha Anyway on our way back I left my camera and had to get off the bus about an hour walk from the town where I left it. When I got back my camera was fine, in fact the lady had put it away in a drawer for me. Our bags were fine, the didnt even charge us for leaving them at the hotel in Bontok . The Filipino people have been so unbelievable kind and generous. I feel very lucky to have spent three weeks in their country getting to know them. We stayed in the Bishop of the Mountain Province house back in Bontok that night. It was the highest peak over looking the hill so we went up there to watch the sunset and they offered us a room. I met a Swedish guy named Tom who had taken his family and moved to the Philippines to help them improve their roads. He is a civil engineer who is married with two kids, age 2 and 4. I was so Intrigued that he would move his young kids there but he said, which is just brilliant, "he wanted to live back words." He wanted his kids to at least grow up for a while in a simpler life. The next day we did some caving in a town called Sagada about 2 hours away. The caves were amazing. We were 1000 feet under the ground and we traversed from one cave to the other. The cave was filled with hanging caskets. Some had fallen open and it was a bit eerie. Lauran had no problem, but I am a little bigger then the Filipinos so it was a struggle! We ended up after a few days flying into Palawan, which is the big long skinny island on the south west side of the Philippines. I was able to do some diving in WWII wrecks in Coron (north Palawan). It was spectacular to see the insides of the ships. I dove 2 Japanese cargo ships that were downed by American Hellfighters. They ships still had the jail and they dining rooms inside them. Jon, I got stung by a jellyfish in the leg and I am a little disappointed that you were not there to pee on me. There will be other times I am sure! We did some beaching it on a couple of little towns on the coast. Ry I met the Filipino version of you in this little town called El Nido. Really cool kid that walked around on the beach and played music for everyone. He played the drums like a champ. We ended up watching Obamas inauguration with him and all his friends. They were really excited. It was one of the coolest experiences. Last time I traveled people loved us as Americans but had a large distrust and distaste for our government. Its been so different so far, people have really grabbed on to Obama and his message of America being allies to everyone. At least abroad, in southeast Asia, people seem to have confidence in him. Anyways life was good in Palawan, we rented a motorcycle which I drove to see the Underground River which is in one of the Wonders of the World. Its massive!! And yes I killed the motorcycle like a rookie about 5 mins in, but that was it so Andy, you probably dont believe me, but you would have been proud. I also road on top of an 8 hour bus through Palalwan likes the locals do it. Really amazing, who wants to be cramped up in a stinky bus when you can ride on top and see the countryside. We flew back to Manila after about a week from Puerto Princessa which is the capital of the island. The town is beautiful, really eco-friendly. There is no garbage in the whole town. We took an earlier plane flight to Manila to see our friend Ryan who was the Filipino guy that we met during the festival. We didnt tell him we were coming, so he was a little surprised, but very happy to see us. He took us around all day to different places where he grew up. We played pool at the local pool hall. It was sweet, I held my own, even after a few shots of wonderful Filipino Rhum. We spent the whole day meeting his family. We were very blessed to have met Ryan. He dropped everything to show us around a side of Manila and the Philippines that we would have not seen without him. That is something I am truly grateful for. As someone once said, " the true gem of a country is not its wealth, power, or attractions, it is its people." From Manila we went up to Clark to meet my uncle. He is a pilot for UPS and it just so happened that he was flying into the same apart we were flying out of to go to KK (Kota Kinabalu), Malaysian Borneo. I am really grateful because even though we didnt get to hang out for that long it was one of those experiences where I can always say that I met my uncle in the Phillipines. We flew to Kota Kinabalu, stayed there for a couple of days. Its a really nice place it just lacks a little of the culture that you kind of are reaching for when you go to Malaysia. From there we climbed Mt. Kinabalu. Its the tallest mountain east of the Himalyas until Papa New Guinea. Its the tallest mountain in South East Asia at 12,300 feet. Which is pretty impressive, but whats really impressive is that the climb takes 2 days because the trail head start at 5,400 feet and climbs straight up for 8.5 kilometers. Its a two day hike thats actually really expensive but we found a way to get around it. They make us pay for a summit pass which is fine but they also make you pay to sleep in these huts at about 10,500 feet. Thats not the problem the problem is that they wont give you a pass to climb unless you have a reservation in the huts which is the only place you can stay and way over priced. They make you pay for meals to. Lauran and I reserved 2 beds in the huts but didnt we give them a credit card. Our plan, or at least my plan, was to sleep on the mountain because, with the early summit your not in the room really anyways. Lauran actually talked her way from 360 ringuit, about 70 dollars, to 60 (about 15 dollars) for one person. Anyway we ended up getting free meals because, it was a buffet and when it was over, no one else was eating so they gave us food. Also, the guy at the front desk hooked it up and put Lauran in a dorm room that was empty with 4 beds and he saw me come in so I think he was being nice. I ended up sleeping in ono of the empty beds. Anyway we got up to the hut about midday, it took us about 4.5 hours to get up there. We woke up and summited the mountain with about 200 hundred people. It was a few to many people to say the least but still wonderful. We watched the sun come up it was beautiful. Here is what I cant grasp. I climbed the last 2 hours with people everywhere in the dark. The summit isn't super spacious so when we reached the top people where crammed together. The top was freezing. It took some people 9 hours just to get to the summit. When the sun came up at 630 there people everywhere, but by 715, no lie, there was myself and an Italian couple at the summit. One lady climbed up literally took a picture of herself and the summit sign and started down.To each there own but it baffles me that people would spend that much time and effort and not take the time to enjoy the fruits of there hard work. I shouldn't judge but I almost felt like it was disrespectful in some weird way. How many times are you on top of a mountain and how much will you remember if you don't at least take the time to take it all in. The Italians were great though, they gave me some rice wine to warm up with and as they said, "toasted the spirit of the mountain". From the top of that mountain I could see almost all of Borneo, if not the most diverse jungle second only to the amazon, the Philippine islands and both seas. It was unreal. The most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen. . I shouldn't care that everyone left though, I should be thankful, because after the Italians left about a half an hour later, I spent about 2 hours on top of the mountain by myself. Not one single person in sight. I guess in the end it was truly a blessing.

Well I am on my way to see some monkeys in the Borneo jungle. Just so everyone knows the food in Malaysia is amazing! They have these things that we nicknamed Malaysian pancakes that are these fryed bread wrapped with vegis and noodles. Ummmmm anyway I digress. I hope everyone is doing well. I miss you all!

Peace and Love

Brent

"people either have time or money, they rarely have both"

The beginning of the Philipines

Halo! (By the way Halo is filapino for hello, real original) Well the flight was fine it was really long but it gave me time to figure out some travel plans. Luckily I was able to out smart the system a little bit. So Philippine law states that you can not enter the country without showing exit. They dont want people over staying their visas. This is understandable, the policy is the same in the US. Well i bought a one way ticket thinking that I would be fine. I figured it couldnt be that big of deal and I could talk my way out of any problem. I did a little research and got mixed messages. Some said there would be no problems and others said they would not let me on the plane. Well they wouldnt have let me on the plane. I actually was lucky enough to recieve a little advice form my uncle right before I left and I bought a fully refunable ticket which I am in the process of canceling, with a little help. They asked me to show proof of exit in Seattle, in Seoul, and through customs in the Philippines. Haha good thing I bought it! The first night was amazing, nothing like being in a new city for the first time. We stayed in Malate a predominately, how should i say this, gender challenged district of Manila. I have come to find out "gender challenged" is actually not just specific to Malate or Manila its the Philippines in general. With maybe the exception of Vietnam, I never traveled in a place with more hospitable, genuinily nice people. Every one on one experince seems to be memeoriable. I am struck by how nice the Filipinos are to each other. As not to bore you all ill summarize the next day. I traveled to Intermuros which is the old Spanish fort in down town Manila. Beautiful place. Heres where is gets good. My third day here Lauran and I went to the Black Nazerene festival in Manila. I cant descibe in words what the festival was like but ill try. It is a Catholic festival where 4 million Filipinos camp for days prior to the 9th of January, where they pull a 400 year old eneormous statue of Jesus on the cross through the streets of Manila barefoot from 8 in the morning tell 8 at night. They lend the festival by placing it at its normal resting place inside the Quiopo church. Everyone carries around a towel becuase family miracles are said to come to those who rub the towel on the face of the Black Nazerene. The crowd pulls the rope that carries this one ton relic. I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful native Filipino man named Ryan who took us around all day. I told him my grandmother was sick and he told me that she would get better if I was able to touch the towel to the Nazernes face.I also asked him if everyone recives Miracle when they touch the Narazrene and he said " yes because everyday you wake up its a miracle." I love him, he is a good kid. Now picture this for a minute. 4 million people in the street, a street that has no exits becuase it is a boulavard and it is inclosed by concrete barriers almost the whole way to the church. These 4 million Filipinos are celebrating the largest festival in the Philippines and most, struck with the moment, will pretty much do anything to touch the Black Nazerene or pull the rope. Pulling the rope is seen as even a larger feet because it is much harder and much more dangerous. People literally fight each other for it. Youtube it if you get a chance. Well i couldnt get anywhere close to the Nazerene and Ryan saw this so he grabbed my towel jumped down into the crowd and touched the face. When he brought it back he said "here now your grandma is getting better". Pretty touching stuff. If only you would have seen what he had to go through to get that done. Then we were walking back and Ryan asked if I wanted to pull the rope. When in Manila right! So I took off my shoes and walked barefoot down the steet. The rope was a little rediculous. Its frightening because the rope is so huge and once you grab on you cant let go. It picks you up and pulls you through the crowd. Some people were hurt while participating in the rope pull. I was not one of them luckily, except my feet were a little cut up, so for the sake of my mother and grandmother ill leave it at that. Anyway after that we walked back to a friend of Ryans and had fiesta all day at their humble house with all their friends and family. *Mr. Harper, this was the back alley in Ho Chi Minh that we always wanted to hang out in!!! The played games and ate all day it was wonderful. I am very thankful for all their hospitality. I did finish 2nd in a Red Horse (haha the extra strong San Miguel beer) drinking game with all the other older more experienced beer drinkers. Today I am headed up north to check out the old head hunter tribal people north of Bagio. Hopefully it goes well. Miss you all

Peace and love

Brent