Bali Bound

Well, I'm back in Singapore waiting for a connecting flight to Bali. I'll be here for a good 5 hours so I thought I'd say hello while I have some free time here. Just in case you might be wondering, it is really easy and cheap to get around out here. Airfares are very low and there is a flight to virtually any city in this area of the world.

So, Kuching was a bit of a bust. Borneo is a beautiful tropical jungle of an island but there are few travellers and even fewer my age. I wanted to go on a kayak trip along the river and a trek to a village in the Borneo highlands to see tribal natives but there was nobody to go along with. Most of the tours must be scheduled in parties of 3 minimum. The real bummer is that I booked my flight to Bali a couple of hours before I finally met someone who was going out to climb a mountain today. Anyways, that is life and I am learning the ropes of the game.

All was not lost there, either. Yesterday, I visited an orangutan sanctuary during feeding time. When they first come swinging through the trees I felt like I was in Jurassic Park. You can see the trees jostling and shaking, and the rustling of the leaves before you finally see a furry orange dwarf like figure watching you way up in the canopy. The orangutans are fascinating animals. Watching them exist peacefully in their natural habitat as they fed on bananas and hung upside down from the trees was a pretty rare experience and a pacifying one at that. They are brilliant climbers, silent and contemplative, and took only a passive interest in all of us annoying shutter happy tourists. When I look at these simple and dignified orangutans sometimes I wonder which species has really evolved more.

Bali should be a nice stop. I've heard it's a little touristy (expected since I am one after all) but I hope to climb a volcano there, visit the beach, and hopefully meet some people. It's been a bit lonely the last few days so some travelling company would be nice. This whole experience is forcing me to come out of my shell and become proactive and unafraid of strangers in foreign lands. It's a little tough but rewarding once you break through.

I hope all is well in Canada. Judging by the Leafs' record everything appears to be normal. It is so hot here that I honestly crave the cold winds of the great white north. Winter has probably set in around Timmins. Are you still at Perry Lake, Pete? It is surreal to think that winter is approaching over there and summer has just started over here. Okay, you probably want to slap me so I'll stop talking about the seasons. Well, my time is almost expired so I might try to catch some z's in the terminal here. I miss you all and I'll check in when I get to Bali.

Love Paul