Monkeys galore

We had another lie in this morning as I was still a little weak and the tour we had booked didn't start until 2pm. After some toast we strolled about KK, heading for the markets by the harbour. Here there were two markets: the handicraft market and the Filipino market. Unfortunately, it was raining so we walked through the handicraft market for a while, checking out the scarves and clothes and trinkets on offer. Neither of us wanted to buy anything though. The Filipino market didn't consist of much so we quickly bypassed it and went to hide in a mall instead. As it was past midday by this point we chose to find some food, knowing there was a food court at the mall we were in. There was a lot of choice of food and when we finally settled on a place our eyes were bigger than our bellies. With our plates piled high we sat and tasted all that we'd chosen. It wasn't actually that good. I had an okay chicken curry and deep fried fish in a sweet and sour sauce and Matt had some nice aubergine and veg dishes. With my appetite still not at its best I didn't finish my plate meaning Matt had to. We left quite a few things (which I hate doing) just because they didn't taste nice. Dried fish was added to my veg for example that ruined the taste. Greens should be eaten alone or with something good like bacon. I miss bacon. 

Back at the hostel our tour guide was waiting for us (we weren't late though) so we were able to board the bus straight away. We picked up another English couple (who lived in Australia) and a load of Asians (I think most were actually Malaysian) before the hour journey to the river boat cruise. When we arrived by a river bank there were people waiting with tea and coffee and deep fried banana and green pancakes (a delicacy). We had our little tea break, feeling the food was a tad greasy, before boarding a motor boat that took us up and down the river to find the proboscis monkeys. It's worth googling pictures of these monkeys as our pictures weren't the best (we were quite far away). They are very interesting and our nice guide told me all about the different males and how some are dominant and have big bellies. It was all very interesting and something I won't forget easily. First, we saw a few huge lizards and a couple of beautiful kingfishers before finally spotting some of the monkeys. They are very well protected by the Malays as they are so rare. Along the river we also got glimpses of mount Kinabalu which rose beautifully into the now blue sky. It truly was a lovely cruise. 

Back off the boat it was time for tea which was laid out for us. We grabbed plates and ate similar things to what we'd had at lunch but these were beautifully homemade with nice flavours. The greens had no dried fish! There was also a white watermelon (or something that looked and tasted like that) which I found interesting. I tried some rambutan which are like lychees but juicier and a little nicer. Apparently rambutan means hair which they are called because they are hairy! We had to rush the last bit of our meal as it was getting dark and we needed to move onto the next place to see the fireflies. 

It was only a 10 minute drive to the next boat which we boarded straight away and set sail onto the black water (it was dark by this point). We were told not to take pictures so a guy could attract the fireflies using a torch and some special hand movements. Whatever he was doing it worked and brought the fireflies to life, glittering out of the bushes like a Christmas tree. It was magical. Occasionally they would fly out of the trees and towards the boat, some floating around the boat so we could actually see what they looked like. I thought of them like fairies that were granting wishes to all of the children in the world. Really they are just flies that cause some kind of chemical reaction so that they shine bright like a diamond (I should have named one of them Rihanna). It was an experience I will never forget. 

Off the boat and on the bus we had an hour journey back to KK. The English Australian people gave us their details as they offered us a place to stay near Brisbane. It could be nice having some home comforts at that point. We didn't get to KK until gone 9 so we headed straight back to the hostel for some much needed sleep. The tour had been pretty amazing but I thought it was too expensive for what it was.