Hitchhiking in Borneo

In February 2011 I took the kids to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.  Kota Kinabalu is part of Malaysian Borneo and I'll let Wiki explain the island a little further:
"Borneo (Indonesian: Kalimantan) is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia.
The island is divided among three countries: Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. Approximately 73% of the island is Indonesian territory."

Let me begin our February 2011 adventure at the beginning.  The kids and I arrived at the airport in Kota Kinabalu and quickly hailed the taxi that we hoped would deliver us to the Shangri La Rasa Ria resort.  Friends and tripadvisor alike had sworn the Rasa Ria was heaven on earth and we were due for a successful holiday after failing the Philippines the previous month.  The resort is about a 45 minute drive from the airport but after about 20 minutes our taxi pulled off the road and stopped.  By this time we were too far outside of the city to walk back and I had no idea where we were. The driver spoke very little english but I gathered that the taxi had broken down.  I asked/demanded that the driver arrange for another taxi take us the rest of the way.  At that moment it was excruciatingly hot, the kids were in bad moods from being woken up at the crack of dawn to catch our flight, and the driver's cell phone died.  Great.

After standing on the side of the road for about 15 minutes with the kids and our luggage a car pulled over and the driver started talking to our taxi driver.  Both men were speaking Bahasa Malaysia so I had no clue what was going on but it seemed like they were arguing.  Without saying a word to me, the taxi driver took our luggage and put it in the back of this stranger's car and motioned for us to get in the backseat.  Keep in mind the car in question was not a taxi and every travel guide published warns of the dangers of hitchhiking or accepting rides from strangers.  To say I was uneasy with this arrangement would be an understatement.  I asked the taxi driver if he knew this other person and he said no.  I asked if there was a payphone somewhere within walking distance and he said no.  I felt like I was in a nightmare.  I was alone in a foreign country with my kids, stranded, and with no way to call anyone for help.  Once again my decision to purchase a cheap phone that's useless anywhere but Singapore had come back to haunt me.  Great.

I didn't really have any better option than to hope and pray that this stranger was not a terrorist/lunatic/Islamic fanatic/etc. He looked like a normal guy but so do a lot of serial killers.  He also had a plethora of stuffed animals on his dash board which I hoped meant he had an innocent heart.  What if this guy was a criminal?  What on earth was I going to do?  Use my purse strap as a garrote?  No one that knew me had any idea where I was or who I was with and the United States government had recently upgraded it's warnings to Americans traveling in this part of Asia.  Great.

Thankfully this person DID take us to our resort and I've never been so glad to be out of a car in my life.  The staff at the hotel told me that he had been on his way to pick up his daughter from school when he saw us on the side of the road and had stopped to help.  Thank God for good samaritans and, yes, I'm immensely ashamed that all those other thoughts crossed my mind.  I'm not going to waste time raving about the Shangri La Rasa Ria because anyone who has ever been there already has.  This resort is one of the most kid friendly I've found.  The rooms accommodate families, the kid's club is amazing, the prices are reasonable, the beach is clean, the pool is safe for a variety of swim abilities, and there are a myriad of activities for all ages.  We spent some time with orangutans, the kids rode horses on the beach, Baby Girl Castello and I enjoyed the spa, Miniman and I both won blow dart competitions, and we spent hours in the pool and on the beach.  It didn't hurt that the food and staff were amazing.  I went back to the Rasa Ria for a romantic getaway in June 2011 with The Man and we both agreed that it was one of our best vacations.  We left Kota Kinabalu completely satisfied and with memories I think we'll cherish forever.  Great.

I failed at the Philippines

All of our trips start the same way: I decide on a location, read every review possible, check multiple sights for rates, talk to friends who've been where I want to go, and so on. I create a plan and then a backup plan and then a backup plan for my backup plan. The Man often tells me that some of his favorite trips started with no plan, a willing friend, a pack of Ramen noodles, and whatever cash he could dig out of the couch cushions. For our Philippine adventure I thought I would employ a somewhat similar mindset and try to let go and see what happened. I checked weather forecasts, booked our flights and hotel, and scheduled a dive trip but everything else was left up to chance.

When we arrived in the Philippines it was raining and the streets were starting to hold water. Not the best way to start a holiday but I hoped the bad weather wouldn't last. I had chosen a hotel that was significantly more expensive than most in Cebu because it was built around a water park and on the beach and hoped that I had spent the money well. I hadn't. The people at the front desk were rude and made it clear that our presence was annoying. Everything at the hotel was outrageously expensive which made it hard to relax. I tried to convince myself that money is only paper but that only goes so far when you're being charged 10x the market rate for everything.

On day 2 we woke up and the streets were completely flooded but the dive company managed to pick us up and get us to the rendezvous point anyway. All along the way we dodged chickens, dogs, and kids that were all playing in the muddy streets. I had been looking forward to scuba diving for months and had high hopes for our day. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed in what we found. We were diving in a marine sanctuary but regularly swam over traps, nets, and litter. On the other hand, we saw hundreds of huge blue starfish so that was pretty special. The weather was decent while we were diving but the rain returned as soon as we got back to the shore and didn't stop for hours. When we got back to our hotel, The Man and I relaxed under thatched roof umbrellas while the kids enjoyed the water park. Because I had not planned this trip to the hilt I had no idea where to go for a good meal and the hotel staff couldn't have been less helpful. We ended up eating at the pool which was nice but I had really wanted to leave the hotel and experience some local foods.

On day 3 I was determined to get away from the hotel and asked the staff at the front desk to direct us to some of the local markets. Local markets are rustic, crowded, chaotic, and almost always a good place to see a variety of people, goods and produce and get some great pics. The hotel staff told the taxi driver where to take us so I was more than disappointed when we were dropped off at a shopping mall. A shopping mall? Really? I think I was quite clear about where I wanted to go and this wasn't it. If I had wanted to shop in a modern mall I would have stayed in Singapore. Again, I hadn't planned this trip like I normally do so I couldn't name the market I wanted to go to and was at the mercy of strangers. The entrance to the mall was blocked by two armed guards who searched our bags before allowing us to enter which was more than a little unsettling. On a positive note, that afternoon The Man and Miniman got to go para sailing. BGC had gotten to para sail in Destin a few years before and there's nothing Miniman loves more than finally getting to do all the things his much older sister has experienced. Miniman was only 4 but had absolutely no fear and it was a joy to watch his face light up when he and his dad took off. The parasailing also marked the only time of that entire day that it wasn't raining. Miniman and Baby Girl Castello didn't mind the rain as they were enjoying the water park. I, on the other hand, was regretting my "let's see what happens when I don't plan anything" experiment. Normally, I would have had several rainy day plans but not this time so I was stuck. We paid a small fortune for the very non-Filipino dinner at the hotel that night which didn't do much for my mood.

On day 4 it rained and rained and rained. Our flight left later in the day so the kids had plenty of time to enjoy the water park. It killed me that we hadn't learned a single thing about the Philippines, hadn't learned any of the language, hadn't eaten any authentic food, and hadn't seen anything we would remember forever. Constantly reminding myself that The Man rarely travels with us and it would be months before he went anywhere with us again only served to drag me down further.

So, my lack of planning led to my failing the Philippines. I feel that I wasted the opportunity to get to know a place that graces the cover of travel magazines on a regular basis, to get to know a people that are famous for their love of life, and to show the kids something they may never have the chance to experience again. If I get the chance to go back I'll research for hours, plan like crazy, and hopefully find the Philippines everyone else seems to know.