We're Finally Here!

31^st July was the day Batch 3 arrived Bario. The long anticipation months before was finally put to an end. The Twin Otter plane landed and we all got down, overwhelmed with excitement for the journey ahead of us.

Yes it was the first time most of us sat in such a tiny plane.
So, a selfie wouldn't hurt, right?

After some 15 minutes spent taking pictures at the place we landed, we were finally ready to retrieve our luggages that were already brought into the airport. We loaded them into a 4 wheel drive that would take the bags to Tepuq Sinah Rang's homestay - the place where we were going to stay, then headed to the shop in the airport for a short break and  started our walk to the homestay. 

The walk took us almost an hour partly because we were a little slow but also because we were too mesmerised by what we saw. Bario is such a beautiful place and I can now understand why the previous batches spoke so highly of its beauty. It is surrounded by never ending mountains, the skies were cloudy on that day and most importantly, the air was so fresh that I could take really deep breaths without being worried of inhaling haze that so often haunts the air in Peninsular! It was also breezy which made the walk so much more enjoyable. Last but not least, it was my first time seeing paddy fields up close. 

The journey to Bario Asal with the threatening skies.

Oh look! Paddy fields!

We arrived just in time for lunch and met Tepuq Sinah Rang who warmly welcomed us and made us feel at home. I remember all of us took turns shaking her hand and hugging her while she introduced herself to each of us. It was evident that she has been looking forward to meeting us and I felt really honoured to have met such a lovely lady. 

The rest of the day was spent resting, walking around Bario Asal, familiarising ourselves with the place, meeting some of the people and bonding together as a group. It was a good first day in such a beautiful place.