December and January in Pictures

I know it's time to put up some more photographs because I've run out of room on my camera again, so here they are!

This is Zainal laying out our surprise Christmas meal on the 23rd December; we were so surprised because nobody else at the centre celebrates Christmas!

This is the family after our mission to cook Christmas dinner in the kitchen of the Sunset Hostel in Sandakan... Below is the beach on Koh Lipe: a very welcome sight after the travelling to get there!Amazingly, and not through any planning of our own, the owner of our bungalow also ran the 'Monkey Bar'. Some things are just meant to be...This is just a shot for anyone who wishes it wasn't quite as cold in Britain right now... hehe!
I know this is stating the obvious, but it's amazing to think that wherever you are in the world, if you look out to sea it's the same piece of water that everyone else can see, if they also happen to be looking at the sea. That was a very long-winded way of writing something very simple.
New Year's Eve saw lots of lanterns being let off on the beach. It also saw a fair few flop into the sea and one man dramatically drop to one knee in front of his girlfriend as the fireworks went off, all of which was quite interesting...

Back in the jungle I discovered that Santa Claus had brought me a hammock. Eager to try it out I attempted to put it up in the studio, but predictably the table leg wasn't strong enough and all I suceeded in doing was lying on the floor. I actually managed to sleep in it last night outside my boss' house in Kota Kinabalu. Well, I say 'sleep', what I really mean is 'suceeded in not falling out until daybreak', but either way it stayed up all night so my knotting ability has far surpassed my expectations.

These are a few examples of our other boss' sword collection and a boat in the background. You'd be forgiven for thinking that there was one less Pirate in the Caribbean.

One Sunday morning Haji took me to the market at Kota Belud along with her friend Min. Here we met a travelling Canadian who not only made for interesting conversation but also came in very handy when we went to push Benoit's dead car out of the driveway later that morning.

This is Mount Kinabalu. Chloe and I are intending to climb it before we come home in July. I think it may be more a case of her hauling me up the mountainside, but we'll see.

And lastly some fish...

Rachel x