Borneo Part 2- Men of the Forest

Kinabalu over, it was time to head to the jungle where I stayed in a lodge for 2 days and spent time on the river looking for wildlife. My eagle eyes were rewarded with a rare sighting of a wild orangutan, crocodiles and various monkeys!

The jungle lodge had several tame visitors- George the Monitor lizard, Maggie the bearded pig and Thomas the civet cat. Bizarre, but a great experience all the same! I found out that the base note for Chanel Number 5 perfume comes from a civet cat's anal glands, which was some interesting party trivia.



I was also lucky enough to visit Sepilok, the orangutan rehabilitation centre to see the men of the forest in their natural habitat. Two orangutans were mothers with babies (which were adorable), and the dominant male had a ridiculously wide face, which is what the lady orangutans find very handsome indeed!

Leechwatch: Doing fine so far with no leeches, but we are hiking to a remote hill tribe next week so I am ready to see some then. Our guide advised 'rolling them like a bogey' and flicking them away, so I shall see how that works.

Borneo Part 1- Climbing the Beast

Tuesday and Wednesday of this week saw me hiking Mount Kinabalu, AKA the Beast. 8.30am on Tuesday morning was the start of what was to be quite an adventure, and little did I know what was to happen.

The group had the option to hike the easy trail, or the hard trail. For reasons unknown to me, we chose the harder trail, which entailed 8 hours of solid uphill hiking, sometimes scrambling on our hands and knees to reach a checkpoint.

About 3 hours into the hike, the heavens opened (which has become a regular feature in Borneo- it rains here. A lot). The rain was a nonstop, heavy downpour, and we were soaked to the skin, with waterlogged shoes, within a matter of minutes. The trail had turned into a river/waterfall and there was the classic approach avoidance conflict of knowing the water had leeches lurking in it, waiting to attach and suck your blood, but also knowing that you have to keep walking. What do you do?! It's a rock or a hard place.

After 8 long hours, we reached Laban Rata, the checkpoint for the summit and the place of rest before the final push. Luckily, our group was in a nearby dormitory so we did not have to hike further up the mountain to get to our beds. After a cup of hot Milo it was bedtime at 6.30pm as we had to be awake for the 2am summit climb. This was where the problems really started.

No- one really slept that night as I think we were all over tired from the first days' hike, and nervous about what the next morning would bring. 2am came around and we strapped on our wet hiking boots ready to start the summit climb. I had no dry clothes due to no radiators in the dorms so was wearing my pajama top with robots on (thanks Cuz!) and leggings, with red knee high socks over the top, which wasn't particularly warm or stylish.

Outside was pitch black- all we could see was the few feet in front of us lit by head torches. The trail soon became very steep, and after about 1km, became completely vertical with a series of ropes that were used to pull ourselves up the mountain. We had no idea if the trail was on a sheer cliff face or not, which added to the fear levels.

In Bolivia and Peru, I suffered quite badly from altitude sickness but didn't think it would pose a problem in Borneo because Kinabalu is 4,000 metres, which is nowhere near as high as some of the mountains I hiked in South America. It did not occur to me that we ascended 1,000 metres in 2 hours for the final push, and as a result, at about 25 feet from the top of the mountain, I became quite unwell.



The girls I was hiking with kept encouraging me to go on, but by this stage, I couldn't see straight (it was like being drunk, when the world spins and images have trouble keeping up with your eyes), nor could I really speak coherently. A passing guide saw me fall over and took it upon himself to carry me up the final section, which was kind of him but didn't really help the situation as with altitude sickness, the only cure is going down, not up.

At the summit, I perched on a rock and couldn't even lift my head to admire the view. I felt utterly awful and must have looked like I'd had a few too many in the restaurant the night before the climb. Luckily, one of our guides took one look at me and dragged me back down the mountain (there was a lot of dragging going on that day). He had one hand around my waist to support me as I was unable to walk straight, and one hand on the rope to ensure that we did not slip off the side of the mountain, which was a distinct possibility. I lost count of the number of times I fell over simply because the guide was running across all these huge rocks and at one point, my arm was ripped from the socket because I was sliding away from him and he tried to pull me back.

It was only when we were halfway back down to Laban Rata that I could focus my eyes again and realised just how sheer the edges of the mountain were. In England, the climb would never happen without proper safety equipment and clothing- I was wearing a pajama top with robots on, for goodness sake!

Luckily, back at Laban Rata I had some breakfast, a cup of tea and was able to get down the mountain, but it was an experience I am not keen to revisit in a hurry.

Hannah + high altitude = recipe for disaster!

The Land Beneath the Wind

I'm now in Borneo and today is the first day of my last tour... mixed feelings, but mainly hunger, in anticipation of the group meal later today.

I got here on Friday after a flight where they served Ferrero Rocher (my kind of flight! It certainly beats weird ham and cheese doughnut things) and have just been relaxing, reading and catching up on admin as I won't have email access for the next week or so, whilst I hike Mount Kinabalu and visit the Orangutans.

I went to the cinema yesterday to watch 'Buried'- (laughably horrendous, watch it if you are sad and need cheering up), which ticked another travelling box of something I wanted to do while I was away (go to the cinema in a foreign country, not watch an awful Ryan Reynolds film).

Leechwatch: None so far, but it is early days still. I have my tights packed in my backpack and I am not afraid to use them, even in 30 degree weather!

Other than that, no news to report. Things are ticking over nicely.

FAO MY BOURNEMOUTH FAMILY AND FRIENDS
The Bournemouth McGuire course is next month and public speech arrangements are as follows:

Date: Saturday 13th November
Place: Millenium Flame, Bournemouth Town Square
Time: 3pm

Please go and support the new students; doing your first public speech is a terrifying but wonderful experience and they need a supportive audience. Applaud their courage and bravery for me!

Things I miss...

I have been unwell this week with a stomach bug and therefore have had much time to consider things that I am now beginning to miss about home. With only six weeks left of my self imposed exile, the list below is not exhaustive, nor in any particular order:



My family and friends
Plugging electrical items straight into the socket
The pound sign on keyboards
Watching 4od
Straightening my hair
Cosmopolitan
Using makeup
Duvets
Builders Tea
Marks and Spencers
Closer Magazine (my guilty pleasure- the real life stories are genius!)
Proper Chips
Highcliffe Beach
Sleeping in a room on my own (as opposed to with up to 13 strangers. Some of whom snore/smell/are guilty of both)
Using a shower without flipflops on
Glasses of milk
Walking to work
Lunches at the Regency
Being cold
New songs on my iPod
Being able to listen to strangers conversations on the bus
Cheese
Elaine Page on Sundays
Beans on toast
X Factor
Powerplates and spinning
Access to the McGuire support list
Party Rings
Cadburys
Knowing what day it is
Glee
Having a working mobile phone
Drinking tap water
London Theatre
Consumer Rights
Baking
Not being charged to get my money out of ATM's
Pizza Express
Raspberries, strawberries and clotted cream
Getting library books out
Adventures
Queuing
Knowing how much things are without having to use mental arithmetic
Random facts with Lucy
Wearing jeans

Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying travelling and love seeing sights that I had only ever dreamed about but sometimes you do just want your home comforts!



The other thing I noticed on Tuesday (when I was ill) was that whenever people spoke to me, I struggled to answer due to not doing a warm up (because being in any position other than flat on my back caused physical pain) and also feeling so rotten. I just don't understand how I managed to last 18 years not being able to communicate...seriously, how?! When I look back, I am genuinely bemused at how I managed to do everything I did (living in New York 3 times, living in the zoo, going to uni etc)- how did people understand me and what I was saying? I don't have my first day video with me but when I get home that's the first thing I want to watch with a cup of tea, to remember exactly how far I have come. Yes, ok, I might have turbulence now and then but speaking eloquently is relatively new to me and I'm very proud of how I've coped, especially in these past 5 months.

Even if I live to be 105, on my deathbed, I will still be astounded at how much better life is when you can speak!

Going Wild!

My arms are sore from shovelling and sweeping, my legs are tired and I am more than ready to fly to Borneo, but I still have 3 days' left working at the zoo.

My first day was spent helping the elephant section and what struck me most was how different the health and safety is to that of English zoos. In my zoo, you were never allowed anywhere near the elephants and always had to stand behind metal bars if they were roaming freely in the paddock. What's more, you certainly never touched them! Imagine my surprise when I found myself in the elephant house next to one male and one female elephant who were being cleaned. Neither were restrained in any way, and the female even laid down on the ground so that the keeper could scrub her belly properly. The keeper handed me a scrubbing brush, and I tentatively helped him whilst simultaneously thinking, "Thank god I added my health insurance information on the sign in sheet!"

Saturday I was with hoofstock, and mainly focused on the giraffes. I love giraffes because I think they are quite like me: gangly and too tall for their bodies! As a special reward for working so hard, the keepers led me to the roof of the giraffe house where we fed them food pellets and I was allowed to stroke them, something which I had never done at my zoo. We sat up on the roof for a long time, just watching them interact with each other; it was wonderful!



Each day at the zoo begins with cleaning enclosures and the Zoo Negara staff are fastidious about this. My hands are blistered and my forearm muscles ache from using them so much, but it is still an amazing experience that I am so grateful to have had. Next week I am working with Tapirs on Monday, and then hippos on Tuesday...brilliant!

I have also had the good fortune to have a complimentary Fitness First gym pass in KL to get my fitness levels up for Mount K. The gym is superb and everyone is very friendly to me. This week is good for my talking practice: all day long I chatter away to zoo keepers and members of the public, and then more talking in group exercise classes at night. Lots of good speaking opportunities here! I think I am finally relaxed about expecting turbulence whilst I am travelling. I am so far out of my comfort zone that I sometimes struggle to remember what a comfort zone would feel like. Even when I am chatting to my family and friends on Skype, I am aware that people in the internet cafe can hear me and are listening (who wouldn't?! My life is a nonstop stream of excitement, hee hee!). I am now looking forward to coming home and getting myself really strong again although this time I will have the confidence to know that my speech does hold up when it is pushed to the limit, as it has been these past 5 months.



On Sunday I had a day of rest and so spent the day doing contacts and shopping, which I normally hate at home but here it is quite fun as most clothes seem to fit me. Karen Millen had some amazing party dresses in stock for Christmas and one navy silk dress caught my eye, but sadly I have nowhere to wear such an item and therefore cannot justify the purchase. If anyone wants to invite me to something special so I can buy the dress, I will gladly accept! Emails to the usual address, please!

Fortune favours the brave

Following a gruelling 10 hour bus journey up Malaysia's west coast, I arrived in George Town. I wasn't sure what to expect because it receives very mixed reviews, but the place itself was charming enough and it killed time until I fly to Borneo. I found nice people (finally!) to sightsee with, and as part of the tourist Heritage Trail, we got our fortunes told by one of Malaysia's oldest tarot card readers.

Auntie Sim works out of a shack near George Town's central market, and from the start I was apprehensive because I only let one of my dear American friends read my cards as she is the only one I trust to tell me the truth about what she sees. The problem with the reading in George Town was that it was so vague, she literally could have been talking about anyone. The reading itself was like a comedy film: she spoke rapidly for about 30 seconds and her husband would translate maybe 4 words into English... so I wondered what she was really saying! The results: I will have a "not bad time" travelling(!), I have to listen to my gut instinct, relax and not think too much. Thanks for that, Auntie Sim!

The hostel in George Town was my worst so far; hamsters everywhere and no air conditioning which is vital in 40 degree heat. Sleep was an unavailable luxury in George Town; the person in the bed under me kept scratching his body throughout the night, which shook the cheap bed frame. I finally drifted off to sleep at about 5am. Then at 6am, I awoke to him shaking my shoulders and trying to show me his bites. No word of a lie. This was the conversation:

Scratchy Man: Have you been bitten?
Me: No (Thank you, NHS London, for my silk sleeping sheet!)
Scratchy: Well, I have.
Me: Oh, ok.
Scratchy: Look, all down my arms and legs. There are bedbugs here.
Me: Ok. Well, why dont you move beds?
Scratchy: I like this bed.
Me: But you think it has bedbugs?
Scratchy: I stayed in this bed in this hostel 6 weeks ago, and I got bedbugs then, too.
Me: Ri-ght. So why did you come back?
Scratchy: (not answering) Look! They are everywhere on me!

In the end, I closed my eyes to ensure he got the message that I did not want to talk (yes readers, I know I have complained about lack of talking recently but I think you'll forgive me for not feeling particularly chatty at 6am with someone who has kept me awake all night because he is a moron).

My daily running routine has stepped up a gear in preparation to hike the beast, Borneo's Mount Kinabalu, in 2 weeks' time. Mount K is South East Asia's highest point and half the height of Everest. Apparently, you need bucketloads of mental endurance to reach the summit for sunrise, so I shall be conserving my energy for what should be a highlight of my jaunt.

In the meantime, another random speaking opportunity came my way. Some of you know that I used to live in a zoo, and as a result of this, I know several zoo keepers. Whilst discussing the lack of speaking with one of them, he mentioned the possibility of me volunteering in KL zoo, to ensure that I keep the speaking up. Never one to miss an opportunity, I instantly accepted the challenge and hotfooted it down to KL and am ready to start work at Kuala Lumpur's Zoo Negara first thing tomorrow morning. I volunteer with them until Wednesday so I am excited but nervous to see what this week will bring!

Marvellous Malacca

On Friday, I crossed the border from Singapore to Malaysia, which was easier than anticipated. The bus was full of locals except for one other Westerner; a septuagenarian from Florida who was surprisingly sprightly despite being three times my age! Two passport stamps later (one slightly crooked, might I add), and we were free to go through to Malaysia.

Melacca is a beautiful, historical city. In the past, it was conquered by both the Dutch and Portuguese, and as such has unusual architecture. I took a boat ride yesterday evening along the Melacca straight, the famous shipping lanes, and then found some tasty food in the shape of roti masala (a kind of potato-vegetable pancake), served on a huge banana leaf. I was slightly concerned when I saw other people eating from banana leaves because I hate the taste of banana and was worried that it might have rubbed off onto the food, but my fears were unfounded and the roti was delicious.

Transport in Malacca is in the form of the tri-shaw: bicycles with sidecards attached that have been pimped up with flowers, cuddly toys, flashing lights and MJ blaring from the speakers. The added extras gives pedestrians the advantage of that you know when they are coming, unlike in Vietnam where they stealth bomb up behind you and graze your calves, then wonder why you are angry!



My hostel is very nice although I am the sole inhabitant in the 8 bed dorm...which to be honest, I should have expected by now! To compensate for the lack of human interaction, I have been doing yet more contacts, focusing on assertive first sound and also overkilling more words. Yesterday, whilst doing contacts, I was approached by 2 separate groups of Indonesian students, keen to practice their English. The first group interviewed me about my thoughts on Melacca and how it could be improved. The second group wanted the same information, but whipped out a video camera to record the 3 minute discussion.



To say I was terrified when I saw the video camera is an understatement, especially because recently I have been experiencing a lot of tension as a result of the challenging circumstances I experience daily. In my mind, the goal of the McGuire programme had warped into "Trying not to stammer", and I was judging my success/failure on how often I blocked. The actual goal of the programme is to become a "strong, eloquent speaker". Having realised this (with my coach Terry's help, obviously!), my mantra for the foreseeable future is now:

"There is a big difference between trying not to stammer and trying to speak well"

Did I speak well with the Indonesian students?

I'd have to say that most definitely, I did.

Singapore Sling

I love Singapore. Genuinely. It is clean, efficient, illegal to smoke in most public places, illegal to drop litter, Cadburys is available, people queue AND they have Marks and Spencers. What is not to like?

On Monday I went to Raffles Hotel and was instantly hit with a wave of nostalgia for the glory days of Noel Coward at the piano and Elizabeth Taylor at a fitting in the onsite dress shop. Raffles is an institution in itself, and wandering along the hallowed halls, I imagined myself, for an instant, being a guest there. (As opposed to my hostel in Little India, which is nice except for the electrical wiring hanging out of the showers).

Raffles is opulent but tasteful; the famous Long Bar is decked in mahogany wood furniture with comfy rattan chairs. Overhead, bamboo fans mechanically waft patrons with refreshing air. I considered ordering a Singapore Sling but it was 10am and therefore far too early for a shocking pink cocktail. My favourite Raffles legend is about the time a tiger slept under the billiards table- which for me, sums up the old school glamour that the hotel epitomises. One day I'll come back for my honeymoon, mark my words!

I tried to go to Toastmasters on Monday evening but it became a bit awkward. You see, when I emailed the organisers to ask about going, they could not have been more welcoming and even informed me that there would be a dinner first, for networking. I thought, "This is my kind of Toastmasters- free food and the chance to practice speaking? Count me in!"

When I arrived at the Sheraton Towers Hotel for the meeting, I tucked into the spread of battered prawns, fried noodles and spinach quiche followed by 2 doughnuts (and 2 more which I smuggled into my lunch box- you can't take me anywhere!), and was thoroughly content...until, the organiser came over to ask me for my $30 admin fee (about 15 pounds). I have never paid to go to Toastmasters and I don't intend to, so using my best assertive first sound, I explained my hesitation, grabbed my bag, and left sharpish before they asked me to pay for the food. It was not agreeable at all!



Speaking of speaking, my plan for the week was to literally speak to anyone and everyone who came my way. I was all buoyed up, confident and had centred and clarified who I am and what I expected from each speaking situation.

Trouble is, in my hostel, I've seen 4 people, none of whom can speak English. To compensate, I have done more contacts than usual, specifically focusing on assertive first sound to counteract the tendency to hold back. I decided to multitask and did contacts at the same time as exploring the ciy, which was very efficient and ensured my feet and brain were both tired. I'm hoping that my Melacca hostel will be busier but I couldn't help reflecting that pre-McGuire, whenever I travelled and stayed in hostels, I actively avoided any speaking situation and hid away from other people socialising in the common areas. Now, I actually want to chat to other travellers and there is no one here. Typical!

My speaking aim for the next week is to continue to actively use assertive first sound to overcome the tendency to hold back. Holding back has been giving me problems recently so I need to use this in every speaking situation. I'll let you all know how I get on next week.

I booked the bus to Melacca for 8.30am on Friday morning, so by the time you all wake up, I shall hopefully be in Malaysia. The border is apparently straightforward and the bus stops once each side to complete formalities. Hopefully the immigration officers will agree to my request to stamp on a page that already has stamps on- the pages are getting ever more limited now...

PS I posted this on Thursday 7th October at 7pm Singapore time (12pm London), so I don't know why it is showing as Monday!

Flying Solo

Following the leech episode, I decided to leave the jungle and make for the relaxing island of Ko Tao, which I had been assured had no "friends" to plague me. Ko Tao was sunny, the pool and beach were both much appreciated and despite nearly getting bottled by a bar owner, all was well. I spent a long time on the beach considering my options about Borneo and the leech situation. The outcome is: I've paid for the flights and the tours, so there is no way I am not going, but I will invest in another pair of leggings that I can seal around my ankles with socks and elastic bands. I can also tuck vests into the waist of the leggings and tie with a belt. I'm taking no chances...

Ko Tao also offered a nightly ladyboy show called 'Queens', which I was pleasantly surprised with. The costumes, makeup and choreography were stellar, and my toe immediately started tapping along to Beyonce and Lady Gaga. Some songs were unfamiliar to my companions, however my love of Eurovision song contests ensured that I knew every hit, most notably Dana International's "Diva"- a call to arms for ladyboys everywhere!



This week I also mentally prepared myself for the fact that as of today, I am going it alone! I fly to Singapore at 6.30pm tonight, and apart from having to be in Kuala Lumpur on Friday 22nd October, Malaysia is my oyster. In true Roamin' Reedy style, I have a rough plan but I also want to see where the time takes me. For the past week, I have been writing 3 positive comments about my speech in my daily diary, to boost my morale and confidence. I think this has worked as I am excited to make new friends and ready to face the speaking challenges ahead! Toastmasters tomorrow night is my first challenge, so wish me luck everyone!



I have also gone into overdrive showing and telling people what I am doing to desensitise myself even further. The reaction I get from people when I disclose to them continues to surprise me and warms my heart. In particular, I have been travelling with a lovely Brummie belly dancer named Helen who was so kind and patient when I met her and had to battle with some words, as well as a surgeon from London who approached me the day after I told him about my stammering recovery to say that after reflecting on my disclosure, he thought what I was doing was "amazing and inspirational". During the first few weeks of my recovery, I rang every coach on the McGuire telephone list as part of my practice, and one advised me to keep a note of positive comments/situations where I was happy with my speech, to keep me going through the hard times. I am so glad I did this because it is easy to forget words of encouragement and just focus on the negative.
FAO McGuire Grads: writing down success stories really works! If you are having a turbulent day, sneaking a look at your positive memory bank instantly moves the hexagon into the positive, so do it!

I've been instigating as many conversations with random strangers as possible, to gain confidence that I am able to be assertive when in an unfamiliar speaking situation. My mindset has shifted from being scared about strangers laughing at my speech, to being slightly mercenary and using people to practice on! If they become friends, brilliant. If not, it was useful practice anyway.

I'll probably blog more this month so that you all know my whereabouts and that I am alive. If you do not hear from me for a week or more, alert the police and foreign office, please!

P.S: T-minus 10 hours until Marks and Spencers food to go biscuits. Just saying...