Since we're changing hotels today, we have to check out, so I get up early to enjoy the pool first. A monitor lizard keeps me company. They come several times a day, take a dip to cool off, and then disappear again.
I find it exciting and watch it curiously as it swims only two meters away from me.
Later, we, who arrived the day before the tour's start, are taken to Sepilok, where we stay for three nights. I have a nice, large room and a huge bathroom. It's nicely air-conditioned. Important, because we're expecting temperatures around 32-34°C! After we've settled in, we have some spare time until we meet up with Forrest and Eryanto, who give us an overview of what to expect over the next few days. This is also where we meet the other participants for the first time.
Afterwards we celebrate our First Supper⛧ – we can get to know each other better. As I expected, given the mix of people someone like Forrest Valkai attracts for a trip like this, everyone seems really nice 😊 This expectation was, of course, a decisive factor in booking the trip. Of course, I had been a little concerned beforehand about the legal situation in Malaysia.💀🏳️🌈. The reason I ultimately decided to go for it was that Sharia is “only” applied to Muslims there☪and also that Borneo is a bit more touristy, and that I would stay with the group most of the time.
Of course, I recognize that the situation for Muslim locals affected is precarious.
Ultimately, however, I felt comfortable, and the interactions I had with locals outside of the group were positive. I found the entire time there much more pleasant than my experience at Istanbul Airport, especially at the gate and on the plane to Düsseldorf two years earlier, where there was an unexpectedly high level of aggression in the air and I felt truly unsafe.
⛧Was ok (no wonder)
💀LGBT rights: Malaysia women caned for attempting to have lesbian sex
🏳️🌈LGBTQ rights in Malaysia (Wikipedia)
☪ Freedom of religion in Malaysia (Wikipedia)
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