Leaving on a jet plane.

I finish my packing and take myself for my last brew coffee in Raos. All the staff give me a hug and once again I have a lump in my throat. I bid the boys at Rainbow goodbye and Eddy has kindly offered to drop me to the Airport. As we arrive the weather is terrible and we joke that the flight will be cancelled and I'll be calling him in an hour to pick me up. We have to check in at a machine and everytime I scan my barcode it prints a luggage tag but no boarding pass. I proceed to the check-in desk and I'm always glad to take the weight of the rucksack off my back. The flight to Kuala Lumpur is just an hour but I have a 3 hour layover here. The airport is huge and after eventually finding an exit I grab a cigarette and burger king before making my way to my gate to board my next flight to Sabah. The flights here are really cheap but once you have a hold bag the price more than doubles you literally pay more for your bag than you do for yourself. On board I sit next to a couple with a little girl about 2 yrs old and after a little bit of trepidation we get chatting. The lady's name is Nora( my late aunts name) and the little girl is Zara she is from Sabah and gives me some hints and tips about the area and other places in Sarawak. As I get of the plane and arrive at customs I interrogated for nearly 20 minutes about how long I'll spend here what am I doing here and if I've got a flight booked out. I explain I'm here to climb Mount kinabalu and she asks me again if I have anything booked I explain I haven't and after a little bit of smiling and many thank yous she stamps my passport. Outside I get asked if I want a taxi and he says 30 rm but when I look on Grab its 9rm so I book the Grab and ten minutes arrive at the hostel. I've booked in a dorm so I can meet few people but I've literally for the dorm to myself but I suppose that has its benefits. I head round the corner to get a bite to eat and when I walk in they all laugh with each other. I guess they haven't seen a western person for a while and are having a joke about who's going to take my order. I order butter chicken and they say they haven't got it but a few minutes later and the boss man having a word I get my butter chicken and an added bonus they have three layer tea. I was going for a beer but after the reception in here I think I'll head back for a hot shower and my air conditioning.Read more