The rain last night was off-and-on until this morning. The skies glooming and the birds chirping under the big leaves of the tree outside my room. They just enjoyed the coolness of the day. I slept back after I plugged my laptop to recharge it.
At 8:00 AM I woke up to see if the rain stopped, but it was still raining outside. I was hungry then, so I took a bath and wore my sweater, brought my camera and laptop with me, to find a wi-fi zone at the mall nearby. When I reached the gate, the rain heavily poured and I need to walk about 5-7 minutes towards the nearest fastfood which is owned by a Filipino. So I went back to my room and I remember I still have 1 pack of biscuit in my bag. That somehow solved my hunger. I waited for almost an hour for the rain to stop.
When the rain stopped, I hurriedly walked out to buy some stuffs to bring home. I picked up some noodles, native delicacies and a small jar of coffee for my parents. I also ate lunch in a Chinese Resto for just B$6.50 (tamarind shrimp with rice & 1 bottle of water). Delicious!
The Chinese resto where I ate had no wi-fi too. While I was eating, it rained again, so I ate slowly just to kill the time.
Then around 1:00 PM when the rain was slow, I went back to the centre to rest. Then after few minutes, it was raining cats & dogs again. But around 3:00 PM, the sun miraculously smiled and it was too hot outside. Then I changed my mind. Instead of staying in my room, I thought of going to the Royal Regalia Museum. I used the map to locate it and it was just at the next street.
There were many Korean & Japanese tourists who came in buses. I just followed what the crowd was doing. Shoes off, please. I looked for the ticket booth, but there is no entrance fee, and cameras are also allowed inside. What a rich government! I was awed by the things I saw inside. They are exceptional. A true regalia!
After roaming around the museum, I decided to hike towards the Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque while the sun still shines. In some part of the skies the dark clouds begin to gather again, so I walked very fast. I took photos along the way going to the mosque. There was one corner that all the traffic lights stopped, all the vehicles stopped, so I also stopped. I sense somebody, a dignitary was coming. I was alone walking beside the road that time, so I felt it would be an insult, I think, if I don’t stop. I heard a loud siren coming and it was the Royal Family who passed by. The policemen saluted the convoy.
I turned left because the road to my right was a long and dangerous overpass, where fast vehicles pass. I was scared, so I followed the left road going down. I felt I was lost, so I asked the man who was walking in front of me and showed him the map. He said he is Pinoy from Zamboanga and working in a hospital as cook. He was on his way home and he guided me to a muddy road going down. I was hesitant to follow at first because I knew it was a wrong direction. But there was also this feeling of trust when you meet a co-Pinoy in a foreign land. So I showed him the map again. He thought I was going to Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, where there’s a wooden bridge beside the river that serves as shortcut. He apologized and pointed me the road to follow towards Jame’ Asr Hassanil Bolkiah Mosque. It was another long overpass and it was dangerous for me to walk beside that road, so I went back and walked towards the road going down. Now I know I was lost!
I felt tired so I decided not to proceed to the mosque. I looked for the bus stop at the other side of the road and went back to Bandar. I dropped by the bus terminal and thought of taking out food at Jollibee for dinner. I hurriedly walked because I can feel some droplets on my head again.
The rain poured heavily until the evening. I took a shower and waited the centre supervisor outside while typing some narratives in my laptop. I need his help to contact a taxi for me to take me to the airport the following day for my flight back to Manila via Kota Kinabalu at 7:10 AM.
The supervisor arrived and he called up the watchman on duty that evening if he can take me to the airport in the morning at 5:00 AM. The watchman said he would knock my door as soon as he arrives at the centre at 10:00 PM. Mr Firdaus told me it’s B$20 going to the airport, which is cheaper than calling a taxi.
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