Bario is so beautiful

10^th: Saturday

Bario has mist, thick heavy mist - how cool! Literally. It was very cold as we all woke around about 6+ this morning.  Ji Bee and I went for a short walk around the village, embracing the cold air and making our way through the fog.

Can you see the mist?

This is a lifestyle that I really enjoy. The atmosphere is so peaceful and the weather is so blissful. Also, I don't feel scared here like I do in the city. People seem much more content here than they do back in KL. They do not need much to make them happy. However, I am not so sure if I can live here for the rest of my life; firstly, I do not like insects, and secondly, I like absolute cleanliness. #citygirl

Now, we are doing our community service by cleaning up the longhouse. It is very, very dusty. So far, we are about done cleaning the community area. The other half of the batch is helping out in Nicole's kebun (garden).

After lunch, Rhon took Felice and I for a walk before resuming our cleaning. We went up to Tom Harrison's monument where we had a view of the Prayer Mountain. More than that, we had a breathtaking view that simply left me with an urge to come back. I will. It was so pretty. I could see the whole Bario - I think that was the whole of Bario. I saw villages, mountains, mountains, mountains, clouds, field, and mountains. It is so peaceful.

At night, some of us went outside and stared at the sky. It was very beautiful spending the night looking at the stars and planets. With the super cool Google Sky Map, we managed to identify Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. Then I thought about it, there is no one that is better: city or kampung. It was nice to have a mix between the advanced technologies that allowed me to identify constellations as well as the peaceful life here at Bario.

18^th: Sunrise Sunday

I am catching the sunrise now with Keller and Kim. We are up on Tom Harrison's monument.  We didn't see a sunrise but the sky changed color from dark blue to lighter blue with strips of pink, yellow, and fog.

Couldn't catch the beautiful sunrise with my phone camera

Before coming to Bario, my Mom bought me a book titled 'Bario Revival'. Once, I was talking with Sina' Nicole and told her about this book. Then, she knew about it. When I showed her the book, she told me that the woman on the front page is actually her mother!  #cool. Today, some of my friends and I were walking to church. We met a woman who was dressed very beautifully. She greeted us and told us that she was also on her way to church. We introduced ourselves, and guess who she was? Nicole's mother!  I should get my book signed.

After church, five of us went to Gloria's ladies place - Aunty Catherine. Gloria is the only person who has a Penan woman to teach. Aunty Catherine makes accessories for a living. Together we bought RM260 worth of bracelets and necklaces! The accessories are all handmade and carefully carved. They have unique designs and come in two colours: light brown and dark brown. I loved them so much that I bought seven bracelets for myself (and as souvenirs, obviously). It was so funny and sweet how Divya bought me one more as a birthday gift for me! We are very happy that we are able to help support her. She was very grateful towards us, and especially to her anak penan, Gloria.

Carefully crafted bamboo bracelets

At night, we had our second spa session for the longhouse women. We had an unexpected dance session taught by the tepu's and Sina Nicole. It was pretty intense but it looked so graceful. It is so wonderful to have such fun and sporting grandmas.