Back in Ranau and waiting for my wonderful dinner to arrive, I opened a new mystery novel I bought in Penang. Those words were the introduction page before the first chapter began. “The unapparent connection is more powerful than the apparent one”.
Today was another example of it for me and no surprise that those words were first to read in my new book. For some background on the past couple days. Once I landed in Sabah, Malaysia, the Northern portion of Malaysian Borneo, I became aware that I was here unprepared. I hadn’t looked at a map of KK (Kota Kinabalu), the largest city here and where I landed. I didn’t know the location of my hotel nor had I looked into options for how to get from the airport. Compared to past research, I was trekking blind.
When I find myself in that situation, I ask questions. And the only way asking questions produces anything useful is to practice the companion skill of listening. I started asking and first learned how expensive it was to get from the airport, especially that time of night, and that if I had booked a few days earlier, the hostel had free pick-up. Next, I listened to me, inside, to the flow of my trip.
“I didn’t book three days earlier. I am traveling now. I am not on the ground yet but when I am, everything will work out perfectly. If it costs more, so be it. Arriving at my hotel late at night safely is my intention. Before leaving baggage claim and talking with the family next to me, the pointed to a taxi service posted mounted on the wall by the exit. Thanking them, I left and found the counter near the airport exit. I arrived minutes before the taxi rate went up by 50% at 11:00. My friendly driver gave me an overview of KK, things I should see, the layout of the city, and drove out of his way to deliver me to the front door so I wouldn’t have to deal with traffic.
I woke the next day with no plans, went walking, asking and listening and watched the whole day unfold. Informed, I made choices for what I wanted to experience. Lots of ideas are for tourist who are trying to jam everything into a couple days.
I learned where to catch the minibus to Mt. Kinabalu and as it happened, it was only two blocks from my hotel. On the way, the driver recommended a budget hotel 500 meters from the park entrance. Hostels in the park are $145 MYR a night, about $28 a night. The hostel I walked to hung on the side of the hill, overlooked the valley (when the clouds dispersed for a few minutes at a time), rented beds for $30 MYR a night including a full breakfast, and I was the only person there.
Last night was brutally cold. I had on every warm stitch of clothing, a blanket tucked around me and a towel around my head to conserve body heat. I woke from the cold about every 30 minutes, a combination of the damp foggy cold and the draft through my room. Sitting at breakfast, I felt like it was time to leave. They didn’t know when or if buses would pass but they would be on the other side of the road.
Rainy and misty, I felt like now was the time, checked out and surrounded by concerned looks, headed into the mist for the other side of the road. A massive luxury bus stopped for me within five minutes and I was on my way for the 30 minute ride.
Ranau only came to my attention a day ago, it was the name on the minibus from KK and the true destination for them. I learned it’s also the place to get another bus for the Pouring Hot Springs: Poring Hot Springs
The luxury bus dropped me at the side of the road, a village sprawled away opposite me. Clueless, I wandered up a couple streets paying attention to what I was feeling. I thought of taking my pack and going to the hot springs? First, I had to find an internet cafe and call mom for her birthday!
Then, I stopped at a restaurant for coffee. They sent me to one that made roti. After breakfast and Teh Tarik (Teh Tarik), I decided to go look for a hostel.
Sing Sing was working the desk at Ranau Hostel, showed me the dorm which is $18 MYR a night, and I booked a bed. Storing my backpack and computer, I headed off looking for a bus. That was interesting as I kept getting directed to different streets by helpful locals. On my fourth stop, a man came up and asked me if I was going to Poring? He was a taxi driver and I braced myself for the fee, I had heard $30 MYR earlier as the bus cost only $5 MYR. When I asked how much, he replied 10 MYR.
He assured me there might be any more buses to the hot springs but many many buses from the hot springs. I was off. My private tub, heated to whatever temp I desired, under a protecting roof during the rain, and several hours of relaxing later, I was ready to return.
A small glitch emerged, there weren’t ANY buses returning to Ranau! The staff at the park ticket office was trying to help but couldn’t speak English. They said the minibus had left and maybe no more?
I stopped a man wearing a taxi shirt and he couldn’t help me, too tired. Then he said “You have NO transport?” When I replied yes, he told me to wait and they would return for me later. I heard the unspoken “Maybe” at the end of his statement but had little else going at the moment.
Once again, I reminded myself that EVERYTHING works out perfectly. I walked out to the road, a dead-end road, and looked around remembering. “Things always work out”! I didn’t know how, didn’t spend any energy thinking about it, but settled into KNOWING that somehow, in spite of outward appearances, things work out. My mind could have really tangled with that one!
“Yea, right, no bus bud, how’s that going to work for you? All the taxi’s are here because they brought someone, they are full!” But none of that happened. I simply looked around and knew that somehow, something would show up and I would be on my way.
Walking back to the parking lot, I noticed a couple walk out of the hot springs area and went over to ask if they were going to Ranau? No bus, no taxi but new friends named Ata and Joann. They were headed back to Kota Kinabalu, wouldn’t take any money, were the most comfortable ride so far and dropped me in front of my hotel.
I’m being reminded of the subtle but powerful difference between: wishing, hoping, believing, saying you believe, and knowing! My whole body was in alignment with knowing and letting the solution remain a mystery! POOF! Within a few minutes, my new friends materialized.
AND, Joann mentioned islands on the coast great for snorkeling. A light and buzzer went off in my being so I’ll be checking those out when I get to that side of Sabah!
As I sat to write this, I was reminded of the words of Paulo Coelho in “The Alchemist”. I’ve met people from all over the world, their lives touched by that little book. If you haven’t read it, consider checking it out.
The quote from the book: “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”