Aug 2005

Day 22. "And then i woke up!" ... at an unknown time due to lack of watch-age. Then had a prawn crackerific breakfast before leaving for work earlier than normal! Whatever normal is around here. A quikk walk later (with empty wicker basket on our backs), we were standing at a riverside. Todays chore was to collect sand and transport it somewhere miles away for building a "dam" - once again, overexaggeration like the "road" was used! The locals shoved sand into sacks with a spade, then places it into our wicker baskets. As we put them on our backs, we couldn't believe that these were the same light and comfortable baskets that we'd just carried. Now they were goddam heavy, painful and very uncomfortable. And we hadn't even started walking yet!
Originally, we were told that the walk would last one and a half hours... which would have clearly killed us! We found out it was much less. The straps dug deep into our weedy shoulders, digging into the sunburn we'd picked up like a venereal rash since coming to Borneo. An "odd-fruit" (like tangerines, but more green!) rest stop did alleviate the pain, but it was still just a big bugger! An arse x lots. Big and sweaty.
At the "dam" site, we didn't have to do any building... instead, we just dumped the sand, had a brief rest, got attacked by bugs then walked back to the village!
The afternoon was once again spent sunbathing (had we learnt nothing by now?!) My neck-eck-cet-er-a got more radishified. As the sun disappered, it was time to return from the grass plains, back to the longhouses.
In the evening, we had more nice food (they have THE sweetest, juiciest pineapples here ever!), then watched the old dears practice their dances. I inspected my sunburn in the sh'wer - not pretty! I'm peeling like a maniac! Alot of time was dedicated to writing journals and listening to music (Libertines!) that Lucy had brought - well done you! Generally, a good evening, well spent!
There's been no rain since we've been in Sarawak, which gives you ample opportunities for drying your clothes after yet another wash! Cuz they smell. Non-stop. Like me.
It's also scooby-doo mAnIa in the village tonight!!! The oddest sight i think i've ever seen! Stumbling into the dull light of the main longhouse from my room, i come across a very unexpected view.
The room is full of young and old, male and female, all playing with lengths of coloured plastic! All transfixed and really into it. Samira etc were teaching them how to make the scooby-doos, and even the Rooney look-alike "Rooney" was twisting them well! The language difference didn't matter, nor did the culture difference - scooby-doos conquer everything! Let the scooby-doo influx of Borneo commence!

Mmm... soy sauce makes nice rice! That dead mouse is still there and still being gnawed by ants...

Today's Leech Count: 2 (Total: 5)