I realize that I haven’t blogged in a few months, but after awhile
your day-to-day routine becomes the norm.
Every day seems to be the same or similar to the day before. Though within the past month I have
traveled to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.
Went hiking/camping on the Kinabatangan River. Celebrated my birthday and Christmas and climbed Mount
Kinabalu. So I would be lying if I
told you that my day-to-day routine is same as usual. After four months, I can
truly start to say that Sandakan is feeling like “home”, as I start to miss it
when I am gone for a few days.
Singapore
photo by Ashley Haseley
Visiting Singapore for me was like visiting any big city, I’ve
always loved cities – could I live in one I
don’t know, I go back and forth on the debate, but I enjoy visiting. Singapore is known to be a clean
city, no chewing gum (yet it can be sold in stores), no spitting, no littering,
etc. The city keeps strict rules,
but lives up to its reputation. As
you walk around the city you see building after building – wondering the height of each. You no longer
feel like you stand out – you are surrounded by the city lights, the tourists
and the shopping malls – Prada, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany’s – the best can be found
here. Even if you are not a fan
of cities, I would still recommend it. If you get tired of the busy city life,
you can always take the subway to the Botanical Gardens, walk around Holland
Village or take an evening cruise to see the night lights of city.
Like any city you can always find something for everyone.
Kuala Lumpur
photo by Ashley Haseley
Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia, located on the peninsula
and is known for Petronas Twin Towers. It can also be compared to any other city, with busy
subways and shopping malls, but when you compare it to Sabah you almost feel
like you are in a different country.
The culture, the food, the language is all mixed. You can visit ‘Chinatown’, ‘Little
India’, or even ‘Times Square’. As I looked around KL, everyone seemed to be hurry, it reminded me of my life before I came here and at that moment I knew I wasn't quite ready to come back home to the States. In Sabah, there is never a reason to be in a hurry, which has taught me to live a more relaxed life. I have learned
that even if you don’t get something done that day, it’s okay, because it will
be there tomorrow. And of course
I’ve heard that saying from my parents many times, but I don’t think I really
understood the meaning till now.
My favorite part of both cities was just walking around, with no
plan, no map and no real destination.
If you go about life this way, you learn that you will never say you are
lost, you can never feel like you are late and you can never be disappointed in
what you see.
My Birthday/Christmas
I have been blessed with great friends here. I couldn’t of asked for a better
birthday and Christmas celebration.
Birthday
I spent my birthday in Sandakan, eating my favorite meals and being
around wonderful people. Some of
my friends took me out for steamboat for a birthday dinner, followed by cake
and ice cream. At the restaurant
they play a birthday song as they sang “Happy Birthday” – it’s
definitely a birthday I will always remember. The next day, I had a lunch celebration with more of my
favorite meals and my co-workers at Cheshire.
photo by Ashley Haseley
For Christmas, I went to a small village near Kundasang called
Bundu Tuhan. The village is
located within the mountains. As
you enter the village all you can see for miles is green peaks and
vegetation farms. You can feel a chill in the air and there were several times I had goosebumps
– which I haven’t felt in months.
The view was breath taking, the peaceful noises was relaxing. I was able to spend a morning on an
organic vegetation farm, picking beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. There were so many rows of so many vegetables;
I found a new respect for farmers that day.
The family I was with was very hospitable and made me feel right
at home – we even had turkey for our Christmas dinner!
My Birthday and Christmas was filled with love and laughter, so I
couldn’t of asked for anything better.
To be continue…. ‘The Adventures on Kinabatangan River’ and ‘The
Climb of Mt. Kinabalu’…
No comments:
Post a Comment