Welcome to Borneo, Malaysia!

Hello, everyone! Sitting in a sarong and swimming costume sipping on a coke while Pete does an afternoon dive, his 3^rd of the day. Just finished watching a turtle the size of a 6 seater table float between the little legs of the local sea gypsy children swimming in crystal water the same colour as the sky. Every guide book raved about it, everyone recommended it, but that still doesn’t prepare you for the wonders of this place.

We arrived on Mabul yesterday morning after a short sleepover in Semporna, the gateway to the archipelago. The trip from Bangkok via Kuala Lumpur as uneventful except for the maniacal taxi ride from the airport to our accommodation. Oh, and the exceptional similarity between the locals’ facial features with those of many a resident in Cape Town. (The term “Cape Malay” takes on a whole new meaning now!) We keep expecting to hear, “Ja, waaaar kom jy vandaaaaan” but everyone still has their front teeth so no luck as yet J.   

We have 4 days of diving booked while staying on Mabul Island. 3 Days will be spent diving around the island at places like Lobster Wall, Artificial Reef and Stingray Gardens. Tomorrow we head to Sipadan, the crème de la crème of dive areas in South East Asia and one of the top 10 dive sites in the world! If the last 2 days are anything to go by, I have a feeling we will be blown out of the water. Sharks are a virtual guarantee (but don’t worry, no great whites…only hammerheads and reef sharks!), shoals of fish and barracudas into the thousands, possible whale sharks and even manta rays…holding thumbs for them all.

Yesterday was an amazing reintroduction to diving with sightings of creatures that belong more in an episode of Star Trek than in front of your eyes. Tiny little wriggly fish called Juvenile Harlequin Sweetlips, ginormous prehistoric turtles that I still can’t quite believe are real, fish that vary in colour, size and quantity it would be impossible to name them all. It blows my mind that someone actually has! And that doesn’t even cover the corals which vary in as much colour intensity and variety as the fish. There is a backdrop within a backdrop within a backdrop of activity going on here. Like a “Where’s Wally” picture, the more you look the more you see. We just have to be careful not to get too close to all the Mooray Eels that suddenly lurch out of their hiding places with an underwater hiss.

Stunningly, there is as much going on sociologically on the island as there is biologically. I mentioned sea gypsies earlier. Yesterday, we were told by our dive guide that the people living on shacks and boats moored next to the dive accommodation are literally sea gypsies who have drifted down from the Philippines and set up shop. The Bajau, as they are called, have been declared illegal by the Malaysian Government and therefore are not entitled to schooling or healthcare. A school has been set up by the local dive schools for the stateless children called School of Hope, but it follows more of an environmental curriculum than a traditional scholastic one. There is a large focus in general on conservation here for adults and children alike. We were lucky enough to enjoy a lecture on sea turtles last night and there are a number of people walking around with awareness t-shirts about shark finning. With any like we might even see a sea turtle hatchery before we leave as they frequently nest on the beach right in front of the resort!

But now, I’m off. Pete’s just got back and there’s coffee waiting downstairs. We have a night dive booked for tonight, before our early morning 6am start to get to Sipadan. Will fill you in more again soon.

Lots of love  

6am start!

30C water!

Diving Bliss!

Nice spot for lunch!

Sea Gypsies.

Safe and sound in Borneo, Malaysia!

Tomorrow diving! ;-) woohoo!!!

Harriet, Natalie & Amanda

Last few days of school...

A few pics of the crazy kids, they keep us on our toes!

The last stretch until the end of term...Can't wait!

Yippeeee!!!!

The guys at the back of the class!!!

They managed to get out of this one unscathed!

Rest in Peace, little Mowgli…

It is with great sadness that we had to bid farewell to our little kitty cat this past weekend. After keeping us awake most of Friday night, he became extremely lethargic and refused to eat or drink. We did our best to keep him hydrated, but by Saturday afternoon he was no longer with us.

In retrospect, his short life may have been a blessing in disguise. While asking around for a home last week at school, we were surprised to find out that black cats are not exactly desired as pets in this part of the world. Unlike Peru, where black animals are highly prized for their ability to ward off evil, black cats in Thailand are viewed with extreme suspicion. If one jumps over a coffin at a funeral, then the dead person is said to come back to life and haunt the guests at the funeral!?! One of my grade 1 teachers (who supposedly loves cats) practically turned her nose up in distaste when she heard it was black. Poor little Mowgli. With little hope of finding a home, maybe the afterlife is a better bet after all.

So, after a rather ugly cry that squirted tears horizontally out of my face for the better part of an hour, we decided to bury him. But given the suspicions about black cats (and the fact that Buddhists cremate everything from humans to plastic cups), where could we do it? Armed with a metal spoon and a banana leaf we headed to the edge of the property. Half way through digging the whole, we realized that our very religious landlady may be horrified if he gets exhumed by some strange situation - always a possibility in Thailand. So off to the lake we went. And now he is safely tucked beneath some earth at the side of the road.

It has been an amazing 2 weeks getting to know this little guy and having him yowl his way into our hearts. Although exhausted from the lack of sleep and rigorous feeding routine, it was worth it to watch his little ears twitching and paws kneading the air while he sucked on a syringe full of milk. It is an absolute mystery that the human heart can expand so quickly to include something so small and then forget to contract again once it is gone.

Just a little note of thanks to all the ladies whose information kept him going these past 2 weeks:  My mum and the ladies of Cat Care in Cape Town and Jeri Dopp from Safe Haven for Cats who is “Ruining the sex lives of cats in Northern California and proud of it!” (As per her website.) Your information has proved invaluable and Mowgli would not have survived as long as he did without you. Many thanks!

Here is a little poem forwarded by Jeri after hearing about Mowgli. Such a sweet comforting poem, I had to share it… (She obviously has a lot of experience after 20 years looking after little kitties!)

"A Kittens Remorse……..

I came to you so small and weak – cold and hungry too.

I counted on your expertise to help me – pull me through.

When I would cry you rushed to me with bottles and warm hands

That held me tenderly and showed the softer side of man.

My birth was just so ill timed – my Mother had bad health,

That I was born alive is quite a miracle itself.

Yet you looked beyond my failings and gave hope where there was none

You picked me up and snuggled me and said this one’s not done…

We spent a lot of hours together – it was just you and I

Not knowing that our time was marked and we would say good-bye.

I left you suddenly one day, someone was calling me.

Did you fail? No, never you – It was just not meant to be."

Rest in Peace, little Mowgli.