Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, was our next stop and it was quite a shock to the system arriving at our new home for the week; a family room in a backpackers.

The room was small and, as is quite the norm in Asia, our shower and toilet were combined in the same cubicle which was the size of a broom cupboard. The worst thing about the room was that is had no windows. This was a reality check and quite a fall from grace compared to our jungle retreat, but on the other hand this was part of the travelling experience, and I’m sure there would be far worse places. Conversely the kids were quite excited by our new abode. They felt pretty big walking down two floors on their own and hanging out in the communal area, chatting to the staff and young backpackers and making themselves breakfast. It was another lesson for them in being adaptable to new surroundings and a different environment, and if anything, they taught Becky and I that it wasn’t that bad.

Becky came down with some sort of bug, and was bed ridden for a couple of  days. Being sick is always worse when you’re not in your own confines, and it was infinitely worse when sharing a small room with your family. I let her rest and have the ensuite palace to herself and tried to keep the kids away. We  did schoolwork down in the communal area and walked about town spotting cats (Kuching means ‘cat’ in Bahasa Malaysian and the town is a hub for the feline species: real ones and monuments)

A trip to the laundromat was a particular highlight for Tiana. Having grown up with a maid in our Cape Town house for all of their lives, the kids thought that dirty washing miraculously cleaned and ironed itself and then reappeared back in their cupboards. We had a family trip to do the washing, and the kids fought over putting the coins in the machines and had great fun loading and unloading them. We all sat and read books whilst waiting. Another lesson on appreciating things that were previously taken for granted.

An excursion to Bako National Park was one of the highlights of our trip so far. An hour in a local bus, and then a boat ride took us to a remote island abundant in wildlife and devoid of people. There were treks to do and the accommodation was extremely basic. We got up close and personal with the bizarre looking Proboscus monkeys  that are indigenous to Borneo and not found anywhere else in the world. They had a languid demeanour as the climbed trees and were certainly the most bizarre looking animal I have ever seen. Walks through the jungle were tough and humid, and the the kids weren’t happy to be dragged on one soon after our arrival. Tiana stopped to rest and sat on a log and got the fright of her life when Becky calmly pointed out that she was sharing it with a small snake and it would be best to move.

Despite surpassing all our expectations of getting on together, it was tough for the kids just having each other as company. They were so used to being surrounded by their friends on a daily basis both in and out of school, and were desperate for other kids to engage with, and a chance encounter was about to change that.

As we started our walk we passed a family who were just finishing up one of the more testing trails. I noticed that their children were similar ages to ours and were clearly up to the hike…our kind of family. I spoke to the dad about the difficulty of the trail and we gave each other our travelling bio’s as seems the norm. After the walk we saw them at the communal eating area and sat and chatted again, the kids hit it off instantly, and it was agreed that we would keep in touch and try and organise a rendez-vouz in a few days as we were hiding to the same city.

Our fortnight in Sarawak had been a good introduction to life on the road, and it was time to explore Sabah.