Life with Chinese Characteristics, Chapter 9: When Spring Break becomes much more than fun in the sun

As I was sipping a Singapore Sling by the pool the first day that I had arrived in Kota Kinabalu, in Bornean Malaysia, I began to wonder how I would write about this Spring Break vacation. As one sunset turned into the following sunrise, the past week did indeed take on a more meaningful form, something more than imbibing tropical drinks in the sun, though that is of course lovely in its own right. 

At this point in the school year, the notion of spending sun-soaked days by the pool was indeed quite alluring, but so were the adventures offered by Borneo Passages. My traveling companion, Alexandra, and I chose three excursions with this company: Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Springs, an island beach day and BBQ and a morning at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. 

Before I detail the highlights of these trips, I must note that the resort did offer substance to this Spring Break, especially in the form of a beautiful ambiance for reading and watching the sunsets ...

The sun often set in Quito with such magnificence; the sky of Shenzhen does not frequently display such beauty, so these sunsets were nightly savored.

Sometimes you just must surrender yourself to such a scene. Dinner can wait ... even for this hungry woman.

But, really, it was stepping off of the grounds of the resort that made this vacation another opportunity for learning and expanding horizons.

Our guide for the first excursion to the rainforest at the base of Mt Kinabalu was Tamin. He was one of those rather rare souls who exudes a certain softness, so like that of my Grandpa Art, that you feel instantly comfortable in his presence. Tamin is the son of a Muslim father and a Christian mother, so we did speak a bit of religion as we traveled to and from the mountain. In my short time in Kota Kinabalu, I did note the ease that appears to exist between all people there, in a land that is home to many Muslims and Christians. The more I explore Asia, really, the more sincere smiles and kindness I encounter. 

Throughout our day with Tamin, he introduced us to the most majestic mountain here. Climbing Mt Kinabalu is usually a two-day excursion, so on this trip, I enjoyed her beauty from afar:

Just minutes after I took this photo, the clouds covered up the peak that rises 13,435 feet above the sea.
The weather was very sweet on us this day, soaking the earth only after we'd sought shelter.

Not so long after this view, we were fortunate enough to see a very rare beauty: the Rafflesia. This rootless, stemless, parasitic plant blooms for only a handful of days, and, as it decomposes, smells more and more of rotting meat. Rather than give you its exact dimensions, take a look at this for scale:

One of my friends saw this photo and commented that I looked like Alice in Wonderland, and really,
that is one of many things that I love about travel and exploration, making the stuff of storybooks come to life.

Want a closer look at the interior? ...

Watch your small children and chihuahuas lest they end up as this plant's dinner ...
I jest, the Rafflesia smells like bad meat, but doesn't consume it. 

After we gaped in awe at what could star in some fantasy fiction, we were further charmed by the canopy of this Bornean rainforest. 

From below the canopy, the leaves make a lace-like design.

This is above the treetops on the canopy walk ... you may see from my faux smile that I preferred walking on the ground to walking on the wiggly, roped slab of wood some 75 feet above the earth.

And then, these trees ... have I entered Dr. Seuss's forest?

Photo credit: Alexandra Michaels

After this first adventure, I was just sold on Malaysia ... and I have yet to touch down in Kuala Lumpur. I am quite certain Malaysia and I will cross paths again ... but before I get ahead of myself, I must also tell you of the orangutans ... Orangutans!!

Actually, rather than babbling on, these photos from resident photographer Riley Laird say it all ...

We were fortunate to show up for breakfast ... here is the "man of the jungle" himself,
coming down for a sweet start to the day.

And Mama and her Peanut ... goodness, don't you just want to curl up with this duo?

That orange is so ... orange it looks fake ... but these photos are the real deal.

And this Bornean Sun Bear is no afterthought. When I come home this summer, you all get Sun Bear hugs, just like this furry friend is hugging that tree! (I'll cut my nails, though.)

Just five days before jet-setting off to Kota Kinabalu, I was in Singapore for a conference. Spending the short time that I did in both of these places, I was so happy to find that parts of Asia are incredibly earth friendly. The Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre is just one example of how environmentally minded this part of the world is ... may we take some pointers from Malaysia and Singapore and be more mindful of our water consumption, use of plastic, and respect for animals and the way we care for their habitats. 

It is breathing in the rainforest air, talking with the residents of the world, and monkeying around with Orangutan's -- though not because they are monkeys, they aren't -- orangutan's share 96.4% of our DNA; they are primates, and observing them I might have learned a thing or two about the antics of some humans that I know -- that really touches your spirit. Sometimes you've got to step off of that 5-star resort to get down with the best stuff. 

So here I have told you about the beauty that this island named Borneo offers, and I have yet to even get to the capstone of this break ...

The impetus for traveling to Malaysia for Spring Break was the EARCOS (East Asian Regional Council of Schools) Conference. Admittedly I did not do a scrap of research into the conference or the sessions offered before I signed up, I simply followed the advice of my friends and colleagues who sang the island’s praises. It was only lying in my hotel room bed one evening that I began to open up the pamphlets detailing the events, sessions and speakers featured this year. While the focus was on science and math, the opening day’s keynote speaker alone made attending this conference worthwhile. 

It is likely that the following photograph will be familiar to you:

Taken in a small Vietnamese village on June 8, 1972 by Nick Ut, this photo made the girl running towards the camera famous; from here on out, she will be known as The Napalm Girl.

Kim Phuc is the young, naked girl in a state of anguish and fear as she runs from her village. An air strike dropping napalm bombs has just taken place. Prior to this day, Kim has led a joyful and innocent childhood free of tragedy and terror. 

But this day is to change the entire trajectory of her life. 

Ms. Phuc was the keynote speaker that first day of the conference. Still as I sit again in my Shenzhen apartment I am working to articulate the power of her presence. Phuc is now a Canadian citizen, married, with two gorgeous sons. She spoke about this fateful day, her aspirations to become a doctor, her life that was controlled by the Vietnamese government, and how she eventually defected to Canada on the way home from her honeymoon in Moscow (a trip that was entirely dictated by her government). We listened with rapt attention. 

But this was not her main message. She opened up the EARCOS conference with words for us to ponder for the coming days; words for us to ponder for our lifetimes: Peace, hope and forgiveness; this is what we must offer the world. 

After the horror that she was witness to, after the horror that became her world, Phuc has transcended it all. She earned 6 law degrees from different universities, and then she went on to start an organization named The KIM Foundation International that works in countries around the world to offer aid, hope and love to children affected by war. If you click on the link, there is a page to make a gift to this foundation. She has recently published a book entitled Fire Road: The Napalm Girl's Journey Through the Horrors of War to Faith, Forgiveness, and Peace. 

As Phuc continued her keynote, she showed us an image that now juxtaposed the Pulitzer Prize winning photograph by Ut, the photo that many say helped to end the war, with one of herself with her first son. 

She explained that she did not see the young girl in that first photo crying out in pain and fear; she is really crying out for peace. It is peace that Phuc now seeks to share with the world. It is peace that she entreats us to spread through our mindful interactions with others, through our service in volunteering with various organizations, through the smiles we gift to both our loved ones and strangers. 

Tonight I dined with our neighbor Lou from Minnesota. In Shenzhen for business, he had kindly carried over a suitcase stuffed with goodies from Mom. As we ate, we talked of the people that you meet, the way that each one has something to offer us, something to teach us. Especially since moving abroad, I have marveled at and pondered endlessly the way my path has crossed with so many people. Some I have simply shaken hands with, like Ms. Phuc, and others have become some of my closest confidantes, but each has touched and shifted my spirit in a significant way. This Spring Break trip brought me to wonder at this all over again. 

So this is where I close today, reflecting on the purpose we bring to one another. 

Reaching my Sun Bear hugs all over the globe. 

Much peace and love,

Jame