cHyOrK: >>

Sunday, December 04, 2005

ok. time to update on the much awaited Sabah trip.. 19 of us from the initial 25-strong OCIP team 2004 decided to return to the village of togudon, exactly one year after the project in 2004...

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Day 1: 29November2005, Tuesday

We met outside TJ and took vans all the way to Senai airport in johore, where we flew domestically to Kota Kinabalu (K.K)..

Reached City Park Inn, the one which we stayed last year, in the late afternoon… Then all of us set off to Centrepoint Sabah, where we wanted to check out movie listings, cos movies are damn cheap!!! 1 movie for RM 7, compared to SGD 10!!!

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Interesting Encounter #1: Ghost Lift

We’re supposed to go to the 8th floor, where the cinema is supposed to be. So, we took a lift from Level 1. All 19 of us squeezed into the lift.. Then the lift moved. We saw the screen showing the numbers changing from 1, 2, 3…all the way to 8. Then suddenly, the lift stopped. BUT the door didn’t open. Then suddenly, we saw the number changing back to 7. The lift door opened. All 19 of us rushed outside. Well, that’s scary.

The story doesn’t end here. Since we’re at level 7, we need to climb ONE level up rite? So, we headed to the nearest stairs and went up ONE floor. After we reached the level, we were shocked to realize we are actually BACK in level 1, the atrium where we first entered the shopping centre from outside. Aren’t we supposed to be at level 8? Why are we back in level 1?

Possible explanation: the lift is spoilt.

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Then it was hor-fun dinner at our favourite hawker, but we none of the hor-fun variety that we tried was tantamount to the one we ate during our previous trip last year..

On the way back to the Inn, some of us oso kena birdshit. But I was lucky enough to survive the attack..

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Day 2: 30November2005, Wednesday

We took vans from KK city to TOGUDON.. it was quite obvious that most of us were in high spirits when we stepped out from the van, into the cooling atmosphere of the mountain depths, with breathtaking scenery that greeted us immediately. YES, this is the familiar place that we vowed to return to..

Although the next few days would be a total different lifestyle from city life, where we would be living with thousands or millions of weird insects big and small, and that we would have to bathe in the sheer coldness of mountain water that numbs your skin on the first splash, and that electricity would be cut off at 9pm to leave the entire place in absolute pitch darkness, THIS is still the kind of life that I really wouldn’t mind leading. I guess the environment, the scenery, the temperature, the way of stress-free life, the night sky studded with SHOOTING stars, the friendly villagers, the unexpected tomorrow, the occasional spotting of fire-flies and everything else, are nice compensation.

In the night, we all gathered in the living room to play childhood games.. ALL in darkness, with few torchlights.. Playing ‘squeeze-hand murderer’ was really fun la, but the ting is, my clammy hands tend to invoke disgust..

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Day 3: 01December2005, Thursday

Basically today most of us are lazing around, playing cards, playing mahjong and enjoying life.. We took turns to cook meals with food that was bought up from the first day..

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Interesting Encounter #2: Locked

The guesthouse that we lived in has 5 individual rooms.. And the kids were running around.. so in order not to let them have the chance to mess around with the ongoing card games, we hid in some rooms to play and locked the door. But some rooms were vacant. So the kids went to lock one of the empty rooms, with the key still inside. Many attempts were made to open the lock using pins..

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Day 4: 02December2005, Friday

The villagers are down with us today.. they were supposed to clean up the village pre-school, something which was planned prior to our arrival. But its better for us to help them up.. so the guys went to dig a drain to improve the drainage.

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Interesting Encounter #3: Making the Situation Worse

And so we digged on… dig dig dig.. den suddenly, it was noticed that at some point of the new drain, water kept gushing out.. So, it was concluded that one pipe was broken, resulting in a cut of water supply to the toilets and the kitchen.. This posed a very big problem to us, cos today was also supposed to be cultural party.. so we had to prepare lots of food on our part to serve the villagers.. But without water, we cant cook.. The cooking process was held up as a result… Then suddenly, there was water supply, but the colour of the water that flowed out was…BROWN.

Lesson: We suck at digging drains. Sometimes its better not to offer help.. sometimes only.
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The cultural party this year was different from last year’s, cos there wasn’t performances on both parts.. It was quite impossible to put up one, considering the time we had, and the false support given by the legendary bloody Lasimbang, someone from the sabah counterpart of SIF/YEP.

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Interesting Encounter #4: Collecting Rainwater

Cultural party has ended, and there was so many plates and cutlery to wash. But at this point, water supply was cut once again. Then since it was raining sooo heavily, we decided to use rainwater to wash everything. And so everyone tried to grab any big containers that could be found, and then found a spot each to collect rainwater that was dripping fast from the roof.. I must say, the process was damn fun.. cos the feeling of everyone working together for a common purpose was really great.. though many were drenched and the weather was soooo cold, the feeling was warm la. The village kids that saw us, were quite amused and they tried helping us.. Albinus, one of the kids, even tried collecting water using plastic bags and cups.. Lol. So damn cute la.
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Day 5: 03December2005, Saturday

We had to leave the village early, so had to wake early.. after the French toast breakfast, it was cleaning up and a bit of phototaking.. After which, it was time to take a last few look at the drooling environment, before we had to say bye, perhaps forever, perhaps not. Really, I guess most, if not all, cant bear to leave la.. this place is really paradise.. and I guess only the team of us will understand wad I mean…

Some ppl suggest coming back for a 3rd time, some 4 years later…. Some suggested coming back some 6 years later.. seriously, I myself wun be putting in much hope for a 3rd trip back, cos of the great uncertainty in everyone’s future.. But still, I guess its everyone’s wish to really have a 3rd trip back to Togudon..

Back at KK city, we checked in at a backpacker’s hotel.. mayb not a hotel la, but its called a hotel anyway.. Then it was shopping for the entire afternoon, and dinner together..

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Day 6: 04December2005, Sunday

Went Sunday Market a few streets away, before embarking on the journey to the airport. At the airport, we presented Jimmy Wong our appreciation gift.. He owns City Park Inn and the hotel we checked in the day before, and he’s the one who arranged all our transport.. so in a way, he helped us quite a bit in our trip la… this is in absolute contrast to the legendary and bloody Lasimbang, who knows only empty talk and false hopes..

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Interesting Encounter #5: Customs Check

At KK Airport, I bought duty-free wine for mum, cos she loves to drink it and would often get ppl to help her buy whenever they travel.. she din request me to do it la, but since I have spare cash, why not rite? And the salesgirl oso gave me the assurance that I can bring it to Singapore. Afterall, im 18++.

But at the Singapore Customs, jac and I were caught for ‘not declaring liquor’. Jac bought her share of liquor too la.. but seriously, we didn’t know we had to declare all liquor/wine FROM MALAYSIA ONLY. Diao la. What trade protectionism is this. So weird one. And it feels bad to hold up everyone at the customs, cos of all the paperwork involved. WTH. And both of us were brought into a small room, where we were told about the restrictions of liquor from Malaysia. And on top of that, we still had to PAY for the TAXES. And I thought I juz had to pay the difference between the retail price in Singapore and the price that I paid for the wine back in m’sia. BUT NO. I was slapped with a SGD 30. Using simple maths, I can conclude that the wine that I bought, was eventually MORE expensive now than if it was bought off the shelves in Singapore. WTF.

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Interesting Encounter #6: Bus

Back in Singapore, I was already on my way home on public bus. After tapping the card, I sat down just behind the driver.

Driver: “Hey boy, show me your ez-link card”

I was puzzled.. Why.. Dun tell me I didn’t tap my card?

Driver: “Just show me, I wanna check.”

Fine, I reached for my pocket and opened the compartment. To my horror, the compartment was empty. OH DEAR, I must have left it at the customs check just now!

Me: “Er uncle, I tink I left it somewhere”

Driver: “Nono! Show me, its inside the wallet! If not how come you are up here in my bus?! If you don’t believe, go tap at the exit and then come back.”

I did. True enough, the reader ‘beep’ at the exit. BUT my card wasn’t in the compartment!!! Oh dear. Wads happening?

Me: “uncle, I really cant find my card in my wallet.. Why so strange..”

Its obvious the driver dun believe me. But I really cant believe how my wallet can ‘beep’ at the reader when my ez-link card’s not in dere! So I stood beside him for a full 5 mins, trying to search and search and search. Then finally, I spotted in, hidden deep inside another compartment. Wakao, how stupid can I get. So I took it out and showed the driver.

Driver: “Is this really you? I don’t believe. You must be using someone’s ez-link to pay, that’s why you are so hesitant when I asked you to show me your card.”

Im stunned. WTH la. Me? Cheat the bus fares using another person’s card? Hello, I admit I cheated many times before la, but that’s years ago. And, IM a student myself la, do I still need to cheat fares using another person’s card, when I can enjoy student fares with MY own card?

Driver: “Show me your IC!”

Me: “I didn’t bring. I can show u my passport.”

After close scrutiny, he finally returned me everything, still looking suspicious. What can I do? With a luggage in one hand, and wine in another, im already dead beat by now. I was only hoping that the suay streak ends soon.

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Some after thoughts..

On the whole, I enjoyed this trip pretty much.. this time round was much much shorter than the previous one, but this trip was really a playing trip.. I tink the trip was quite well-planned on the whole, which I tink should be commendable to the main organizers, considering that there’s just sooo much to look into, and that there isn’t any teachers around to account for anyting. I muz say its generally very smooth-sailing and its definitely a successful trip.

I guess we are all really lucky enough to be able to return to Togudon and re-live the kind of carefree and laidback lifestyle that I really hoped I have.

Hopefully Togudon Episode 3 in 20XX shall be a goal, not just a dream.

人生是黑白的.
11:54 PM <3

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