Didn't I say getting there was half the fun?

I planned to stay 2 nights in Sandakan as the town was the site of a POW camp from which there took place a number of death marches through the jungle, suprisingly there isn't much to see, there is a memorial park and a few plaques, far less than I expected.

But Sandakan is a bustling market town without many tourists, most just go to the long distance bus station 4km out of town (for long distance bus station read large car park where the drivers spend their time gambling!)

So being a tourist there, means you get alot of attention, as you walk around as the Malay people are a very friendly bunch as a whole, just they tend to have the same conversation as the last one.

Now they don't know they are the 10th person (that day) to hold this same conversation with you, so I try and treat each one as if its the only conversation I have had, but these are the questions that you get asked:

• Hello Miss, what's your name
• Where do you come from
• Where are you going
• How old are you
• Are you married
• How come you are single?

To which my stock answers are:

• Lindsay
• England
• Jalen Jalen (means around and about, just looking around)
• Guess (said with a smile and normally a question back to deflect them :p)
• No, Single
• I can't cook

The final answer explains everything, because then they say:

"Ahh" as they nod solemly, "you need to learn to cook, then you will find a nice man" they say reassuringly.

So there you are, the secret to finding a nice man is simple - learn to cook!

Now, I can cook, but to the Malay people it seems a really good reason why I haven't found a man and settled down, its simple to explain and it stops a long conversation about marriage, the simple life for me ;-)

So the next day I am off to Semporna, there was a scheduled long distance bus that runs at 8 or I could ake one of the mini vans that run every 30 mins to Lahad Datu and then from there, you pick another Mini van to Semporna.

Now as I haven't travelled by mini van (pick up truck meets land rover to you and I) I decided to would be fun, so turned up just before 10 am to start my journey.

Technically, they do run every 30 mins, but only as long as they are full, so 10 became 11, which stretched to 12 (there are 3 waiting now) then at 12:30 there are 5 of us, I swear the van didn't look like it could hold 5 + luggage but apparently we are now waiting for 1 more. Personally I think the driver didn't want to leave the gambling he was doing!

At 1:30pm, I went back to the hotel, since the connecting vans stop at 3 and it takes 2 hours to get there, still it was a lesson in patience and I returned the next day for the 8am bus.

Being used to the nice air conditioned bus, it was fun to get on a local bone rattler for 5 hours with Window wipers that didn't work (made the downpour fun), where I was sat next to this little Malay girl (or rather her mum made her sit next to me).

She really didn't want to sit next to the tourist, but eventually she relaxed, the banana crisps I offered her seemed to work, in fact, she became so relaxed that she fell asleep leaning on me.

Her dad signalled that he would remove her, but I said I was ok (he and his wife were already holding 2 kids on their lap)!

After all, as I said before, getting there is half the fun....

p.s. no Photo's this time