I tossed and turned last night, unable to turn my mind off. Up early and down to the waterfront to meet Sim at 5.50. By just after six she hadn't shown, so I ran a couple of kilometres and then decided to take a tambang across the river and run around the kampungs. It's very odd over on that side: there are some significant buildings — the Legislative Assembly Hall (shown here), the Astana, or former Rajah's palace, and Fort Marguerite — but I couldn't find how to get to the first two. Roads and paths just dwindle to nothing. The buildings seem to be plonked down in the middle of nowhere, though they are seen to advantage from this side of the river. I got quite lost, and was a bit wary of dogs, and ended up sort of scrambling through someone's backyard to get to a laneway that took me to a narrow road, that took me back down to the river. From there I walked back along to the tambang jetty. I was one of the first in, and we waited as more people arrived for their morning commute until it seemed no more could fit. Then a pair of legs appeared wearing running shoes, then two more pairs. It was Sim and two friends she had invited to join us on our run! I thought it was amazing that we had both chosen to cross the river and had ended up at the jetty for the return trip at about the same time! She said she'd been running a bit late.
"Sorry-ah. Tomorrow-ah? Sixaclock-ah? Wait-ah?"
Yesterday I read in "The Borneo Post" about an English-writing workshop being held on 19 June, organised by SOSWE (Society of Sarawakians Writing in English). Thinking it was being held in Kuching, I phoned up the contact given, Jennie Soh, and offered to help out if she thought I could be useful. She was keen.
I had lunch with Bernard Long, a former Old China Hand now turned Old Borneo Hand. His company researches companies and prepares "health reports" on them for clients in the US and elsewhere. Just the sort of thing I could help with, except that he does any of the rewriting that's necessary himself :-)) He has run 14 marathons.
After lunch I went to the travel desk at the Hilton and finally worked out an itinerary for next week's hike along the Headhunters Trail, and visits to longhouses and various caves in Gunung Mulu National Park in northern Sarawak. It involves five days and four nights, and four flights in small planes. I thought I'd be back in Kuching the day before I'd be needed for the writing workshop.
Today, Jennie Soh contacted me, asking if I would mind if they did a piece for "The Borneo Post", using me as a kind of drawcard to get people to come along to the workshop! That's also when I realised the workshop is in Miri, in the north. So, I've now changed my bookings to spend two nights in Miri following the trek in order to be a guest speaker. It's a totally unexpected turn of events!
I called in to see Ramsay and Alicia at Artrageous, and we're having dinner on Saturday night. I'm going to buy the work of his that I really loved and will send it back to the Albury gallery when I leave at the end of the month.
Having dinner tonight with Emily, from the laundry around the corner, who I've enjoyed chatting with. She asked for more of my cards and has been handing them out to various people.
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