Hello from Borneo!

I am SO behind with my blog entries…please forgive me as I am about to post loads of them all at once before my imminent arrival at Gatwick Airport!

I have to be honest….when I first set foot in Semporna (well second if you count back in October last year) I started to get heart palpitations about whether this was going to work or not. Our room wasn't ready and I soon discovered that this room was actually a home built room with no windows above the dive shop itself….the kind of room I had said to Gene I did not want to stay in for 3 months. It was band night that night and quite late so everyone who could help us find another room was drunk and although very welcoming also very quick to list the faults of the dive shop I was about to start working for. Yayee!!

We checked into a room at Dragon Inn for the night where I promptly burst into tears about my sorry little state. That first night was horrible. We shared our room with a massive rat which decided to follow me everywhere I went - i.e. bathroom, toilet, eating on my bedside table etc. I didn't sleep a wink that night in case it touched me! Anyone who knows how much I hate rodents will understand how petrified I was.

However after a somewhat girly and emotional start I soon got into a routine and became happier by the day. The diving is amazing here, every single island that I have taken customers to I have absolutely loved and have seen SO many things that I hadn't ever seen before….different colour frogfish, ornate ghost pipefish, sharks, rays, dragonets, flying gurnards… you name it I saw it in that first week alone. I have also been to Sipadan a fair few times guiding which I didn't expect as the new recruit but I have been very lucky. Mabul is my favourite though with the most amazing macro on every single dive.

I think it must have been written all over my face that first week that I was dubious about staying 3 months in Semporna as everyone went out of their way to make me feel welcome. I guess the hardest thing for me was the close proximity in which we all work…you get NO personal time at all. You have breakfast, lunch and dinner with everyone you work with…you work long hours and only really get to your bedroom for some personal time at about 9pm each evening. But after 2 weeks I felt at home and started to relax and enjoy myself.

I managed to get our little box room into a state that resembled cosy, with a wardrobe, little boxes, cushions, lamps etc. Not perfect but no longer just a prison cell with no windows!!

The diving is awesome and the thing that I have loved most is that our customers are backpackers so we get to meet some really cool people each day that we are guiding and hear all of their stories too. I've met a few people who I will definitely be keeping in touch with, that said I have also met some who I would happily run like crazy from if I ever saw them heading my way again!

I'm trying to write this blog sounding upbeat and realize that it doesn't really read this way….I am actually very happy and enjoying myself. I just wish that I could combine the diving of Borneo with the lifestyle that I had in Koh Lanta or anywhere in Thailand for that matter, but sadly it doesn't work like that. When we said we were coming to Borneo we thought we would only be spending a month in Semporna before moving to the newly built resort on Mabul. Mabul Island is amazingly beautiful and chilled out and peaceful and just lovely. The diving is my favourite in the area too so it would have been perfect all round.It quickly became clear that it wouldn't be ready while we were here though so we decided to treat ourselves to a mini holiday to break up the time. The Philippines!!! One of Gene's customers Mark had come to dive with Scuba Junkies for a week and mentioned to Gene that he owns a little dive shop in Sabang and that we should come and visit - so we took him up on his offer!! Next stop Sabang, Puerta Galero, Philippines J I am VERY excited about a beach, chilled out time away and some cool macro diving.

Hope everyone at home is well, keep in touch and speak again soon xxx