Moving On

Tomorrow morning I will be on a plane which will take me to the other side of Malaysia. I will be in Kuala Lumpur where I will be meeting a good friend, whom I met in Cambodia. I couldn't be more excited however I am sad to leave Kota Kinabalu. It has become somewhat of a home for me and that is definitely thanks to my wonderful accommodation and experience at Lucy's Homestay. It felt like having a mother around since my own lovely mother is back in Boston. I also got used to the city and knew where to go when I wanted to eat, to walk, to sit or to relax in a tropical paradise. It's been great. So thank you Lucy and all of you who have been a part of my adventure so far. Thank you so much to Syida and her family for inviting me to be a part of their celebration of Eid. The food was absolutely delicious and the company was so good and welcoming. It was nice to be a part of a big family celebration. I guess I've missed that quite a lot since all of my family, besides my mother and father, are back in Lithuania. It was lovely to feel a part of a family, even if just for a short afternoon.
During my stay in Borneo I went to the East coast, Sandakan and then Sepilok where the famous Orangutan Rehabilitation Center is located. I met some really nice people on my trip there AND learned a new song on the guitar. Thank you Mark, from Sea View Hotel :)
I also met some funny and super nice tour guides from Iran who made my evenings on Lucy's porch so fun and full of laughter. Shahab and Mike, you guys are crazy and I'll definitely miss you!! I mean, here I am on the porch writing this and there's no one asking me to put on a little plastic sombrero and drink tequila. Good times guys.
I've had some super chill days at the nearby islands of Mamukan and Mamutik. My last journey there, I had the pleasure of having great company of Simon the Lobster, from France. We saw magical dragons and beautiful mermaids. What a relaxing day. Thank you for that!
I also had some delicious and freshly barbeued seafood by the waterfront's night market with Nick from Australia. He is the lucky who has the book that got me through so many long bus rides as well as kept me engrossed in the hundreds of its pages on the beach in Cambodia as well as rainy days everywhere else, like Vietnam. Yes, I have finished reading Shantaram and now it is giving joy and probably anxiety sometimes to Nick. Enjoy!
Also had some lovely chats and a nail painting session with Jane from UK. What a lovely girl! Such a sweetheart. Definitely hope to run into her someday.
Syida returned to Kuala Lumpur today. Hope she had a safe flight back and maybe I'll get to catch up with her while I'm there.

This is to all you traveling out there:

May the wind be at your back
May the sun shine upon your face
And may the winds of destiny carry you aloft with the stars...

xoxo Irma :)
Location: Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu

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