road trip and moving

Went back to cemp from Kota Kinabalu on the 19th of April. I had a really nice few days in KK.
Back at camp I got to enjoy yet another beautiful sunset and a dissection of a turtle,
We found it almost dead on the beach and put in in a box with a little seawater to protect it from the stray dogs. Unfortunately a few minutes later she died.
She was a Green Turtle around 6 years old.
She was very skinny.
We put her on ice to preserve her for dissection the day after.
The dissection was interesting and yucky at the same time.
She had no plastic in her, or any signs any trauma or any wounds, Her organs looked healthy. We don't know what caused her death or why she was so skinny. Our best guess is some kind of infection or virus.

We're having really busy days in camp the coming week. We're rebuilding Pom Pom, and I'll be moving over there May 5th.
April 30th I'm heading over to Kota Kinabalu together with my 40 kg luggage, one tent, one camp bed, one fan and one matress (puh).
In KK I'll buy all we need to Pom Pom for the kitchen, toilets and showers. The list is enormous, two A4 pages. Plus I'm buying some stuff for myself to make my camp life feel a bit more comfortable and hopefully help my sleep better. I'm still only getting like 2-3 hours sleep every night.
May 4th I'm taking the bus to Semporna with everything I've bought + everything I brought from camp (quadruppel puh), luckily I'll have one person with we on the trip from KK to Semporna, but it's still gonna be heard exhausting work.
On the 5th we'll be picked-up in Semporna to go voer to Pom Pom to start rebuilding camp.
It's gonna be some crazy exhausting stressful days ahead.
After we're done re-buidling camp I think I'll sleep for 24 hours.

Oh apparently we have monkey malaria in camp, three people have gotten it. I'm taking some medicin which should prevent me getting it, everyone in camp are. Tomorrow the government clinic will come to take blood tests to check for monkey-malaria and hand out mosquito nets (all for free). I think my test will show negative since I have no symptoms. But it's good to get the blood test so no one brings this to Pom Pom.
Malaria is extremly rare at the Northern Tip of Borneo, that is why the government clinic are coming to camp to take blood samples, they are doing the same thing to other people in the area. That tells you how uncommon it is with Malaria here.

On Pom Pom there is no Malaria and no Dengue, so don't worry mum :)

Best thing with Pom Pom is that I can talk to my mum and dad whenever we feel like it, and I will have internet access (wohoooo) + the diving is outstanding!!!

Here's some pretty and discusting pictures for you :)

Pom Pom re-visited and sunsets Tip of Borneo

Can't get tired of sunsets :)

Yesterday we revisited Pom Pom to see what was left of our old camp. All in all it looked pretty good and some of the structures were still intact.
On Monday they will start re-building the kitchen, then the toilets and shower, after that it's time to move tents, stuff and people over there.
I'm in charge of getting all needed for the kitchen, showers and toilets, while the proffessor is in charge of all mechanic, electric and technical stuff.
Will probably do the shopping for the kitchen within two weeks.
Pom Pom now has both internet and mobile which will make it so much easier to keep our blog, my blog and contact with the family ongoing.
I will be based on Pom Pom when the camp is up and running.
Steve went snorkelling around Pom Pom and the fishlife is incredible. He saw over 30 bumphead parrotfish, really big ones, morays, barracuda, and loads of other big and small fish.
Semporna however is still a shitty dump. It's even poorer now than before. Luckily I only have to go there a few times a month after we've moved to Pom Pom :)
Semporna is such a contrast to Kota Kinabalu, you can't even believe you're in the same country.

Tonight I had a nice steak at Little Italy in KK, it was deliciuos. I'm staying at Jesselton Hotel, it's very good value for money.
Now it's bedtime, tired after the 10 hour nightbus ride from Semporna.

Tip of Borneo sunset

Tip of Borneo waves in the sunset

Bottle nurseries at Pom Pom just waiting for us to return and deploy them

Tent area before re-build

Dive shop and storage before renovation

Kitchen before rebuilding

Pom Pom view!!

City life, Kota Kinabalu, on the road again

Yesterday me and the Marine Science students headed out from camp down to Kota Kinabalu. The students are going to Brunei to do field work, all part of their studies. Pretty awesome going to Brunei to do fieldwork. They'll be back in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday.

Me, Prof Steve and Dino are going to Semporna this afternoon, early tomorrow morning we'll take a boat out to Pom Pom island. There we'll make an assessment and re-con about what we need to build up the camp, how the camp should look with tents, kitchen, showers and toilets, and also storage facilities. We'll be there for a day trying to make sure with have a good plan for the re-build of the TRACC Pom Pom camp. Hopefully with a bit of planning and organization we'll be able to re-build camp and get people over there without to much problem.

I've been staying at Hotel Horizon for a night. I took a nice warm long shower, get my feet cleaned properly. Yesterday evening I went to have dinner at Little Italy. I had a seafood soup with pasta, and it was probably the best seafood soup I've ever eaten. Perfectly seasoned with a generous amount of seafood.
Got back to my room early, talked to mum and dad and then had an amazing good nights sleep in a comfortable bed with crispy clean white sheets :)What a contrast to camp life :)
This morning I had a nice breakfast, soon I'll be checking out. I'm going over to the shopping mall to try and find a new camera, my land camera is dead.

This afternoon we're heading over to Semporna, spending the night there. Tomorrow morning off to Pom Pom, then one night in Semporna before going back to Kota Kinabalu. I'll get one more night in KK if all goes as planned on our Pom Pom re-con trip. Then I hope to buy some wine to bring back to camp, and books. I need my books.
This time I've booked another hotel for Fri-Sat in KK. Jesselton, much cheaper than Horizon and in the same area. Will be interesting to see the standard on that one.

Will be a couple of days with a lot of travelling on hotels nights, but that is all good. It's important that we get as good of a plan as we can for the Pom Pom re-build.

Saturday I'm going back to camp with the Brunei-team.

Monday was Songkran (Thai New Year), how I wish I would've been on Koh Tao for the celebrations. Last year was a blast, all this water craziness brought back the child in me.
I'm so going to go to Koh Tao for my birthday, be with some amazing people and just be me :)

Miss my family, most of all my sister, my lillsnutt, my friends in Sweden and my friends on Koh Tao. But I'm not homesick, don't miss Sweden and the life I had there, I just miss the people there and me and my sisters barbecue weekends with bubbles and great barbecue :)

Hope to be able to give my next update on Friday, after I've gotten back from Semporna/Pom Pom. Hope to have some pictures for you then!

Sunset

Sunset's pretty spectacular, almost worth all the other hassle

camp life

It's been an interesting week to say the least.
I've gotten my tent decorated, bought a dresser so I can have my clothes and stuff in order. Gotten two small mats, one that I have outside and one right inside the tent, my hope is to be able to get to bed with clean feet :) It's been working ok so far. At least I've managed to keep the sand outside.

Not been able to dive yet since I've been working almost 24/7. But the water temperature is only 22 degrees right now and viz max 6 meters so it's not too bad to miss out. But still it would've been nice to be able to cool down occasionally. And they have seen so many cool things on their dives, pipefish, seahorse, nudis etc

Here's such a contrast to New Heaven Reef Conservation Program, people, organization, living conditions, phone- and internet connection, food etc. It's not a bad contrast, it's just very different.
I haven't met the head of this conservation program yet, hopefully I will get the chance to sit down with him soon,
A few hours ago I found out that I'm leaving camp to go to Pom Pom, don't know for how long, how much to bring or anything, but it's just to pack for a few days and see what happens :)

It's only been a week yet and I'm still getting to know the staff and volonteers. I can see that there is a need for getting us together as a team where all of us help eachother and are willing to give that little extra. I also need to work on being a good manager without being to uptight :)
There are some good people working for the project, it just needs to get a bit more organized and time managed. I hope I will be able to make that happen together with the other team members.
I plan on staying for a while, my first VISA-run isn't until June 27th, then I'm going to Bali for a week.

Camplife is also a bit hard for me, not used to being dirty all the time :) but that was expected since I'm a bit fuzzy when it comes to cleanliness. But at least my tent is spotless.

I don't have any mobile- or internet connection in camp, still getting used to that.

The sunsets and ocean is absolutely stunning though, the view is amazing and the stars are beautiful.
The project the professor is running is also a really good thing, so I really hope I have the energy and stamina to stay on. It's such great work he's doing, and I do want to be a part of that,

Tomorrow I'll be in Kota kinabalu and the fantastic Horizon Hotel for a night, Hope to give you another update then.

When someone comes and get me at Tommy's (closest place with internet and served me raw chicken that I asked them to heat up :)) I will pack my smaller bag, hopefully I won't be away for to long.
Don't even know if I'll be based on the mainland here at the Northern Tip or if I'll be moving to Pom Pom. Really hope I will find that out soon.

Miss you all family and friends!

Koh Tao-Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu

I've been in Kota Kinabalu since Thursday, tomorrow around lunch time I'll be heading of to the camp site.
This means that this will probably be my last update for a while since there is no internet at camp. Or it is sporadically and very poor :)

I've had a nice couple of days in Kota Kinabalu, it is a really nice town. I've been going to the gym, hanging by the pool, eating really good food, shopping and walking.
Hotel Horizon, where I'm staying, is perfectly situated right by Gaya Street, the ocean and the shopping malls. They also serve delicious food and have an awesome breakfast buffet.

I do miss the New Heaven crew a lot, and Koh Tao and my "home away from home" Namhasin House. It is such an amazing team to be part of and I love being there, but I also needed to get off the little island for a while as I told you in my previous post.
If I could go back now, I would though :) That is how much I miss the people there.
Will definately be going back to celebrate my birthday on Koh Tao beginning October!
My VISA-run end June I bought flight-ticket to before I got to Koh Tao, I'll be going to Bali for that one.
But now I'm heading of to new adventures and getting new work experience. I know it will be wonderful to arrive at camp site and TRACC, and to be useful again.

All is well otherwise, next update will come when it comes :)

Jewelry from Noog's shop Himapan Jewelry on Koh Tao. She is such a talented jewelry maker

The Why Not Bar cat

View from the plane over to Kota Kinabalu

Mmm a glass of good red wine at Hotel Horizon

Delicious! Asian oxtail ragu! Yum

New bag

To hen that I had opposite my balcony at Namhasin House. Didn't see the eggs hatch though

Last dinner with a great team filled with amazing people. I had a rare steak (surprise surprise)

Shopping in Kota Kinabalu is awesome :)

Off to the gym

A bruise ;) just so that you can see that it's not all fun and play :)

Save water Hotel Horizon

Last day in my home away from home

It's with mixed emotions I'm having my last day in my home away from home. Here I'm surrounded with friends and comfort at New Heaven Dive School. Have my home at Namhasin House. Asia Mood and Koppee restaurants, Why not bar, people you pass on the road say hello, offers you to give you a lift home.
I know that, as all the other times, that I will miss my home a lot and the wonderful lovely people.
But I also think that it will do me good to go somewhere else, learn how things work at another conservation centre, and also be able to contribute with my knowledge and experience with planning and logistics. Hopefully I can bring something good to my new place to be, make it run effectivly and smoothly so that time and money can be saved. Time that can be used to do more and money to be put back into the project to be used for more conservation efforts.
I'm very glad to know that I will have someone I call a friend at camp, I know that will make a big difference in a positive way.
I know I will have challenges with my new job, but most of them are caused by myself. Need to learn to delegate, and not work to much, but the biggest challenge will be having people around my 24/7, not being able to ever have dinner by myself and no privacy, except for the times when I'm in my tent. I have gotten more movies on my hard drive, thanks to one of the divemasters here, Chris. So when I need my own time I can watch movies in my tent.
Another things that's good about me leaving is that I can go forward from being a little unlucky in love. You know the feeling when you kind of like someone but then realise after a while that that person don't like you back, it was all a scam. I thought that I was to old and experienced for falling for stuff like that, but he played it well. Will be good to get over that in a new environment, instead of being reminded every day :)

TRACC will be interesting and a really good learning experience I think. I also know that what they're doing there is really good. I fully believe in what Professor Oakley is trying to do and the conservation work he and his team does.
http://tracc-borneo.org/
Hope I will be a good and valuable new member to the team.

I know that I will come back here to my home when I have time for a holiday, and once again by part of the New Heaven team, both the conservation and dive school.
http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/
http://www.newheavendiveschool.com/marine-conservation-thailand/
I feel really blessed having been able to come here and be part of the team, meeting some truly amazing people that not only care about you as a person but also have a strong passion for helping our oceans and land.
Who would have thought that my first volonteer holiday over here in August 2011 would lead to this totally new direction in my life.

I got presents from Bee, beautiful earrings, and a wonderful blouse from Vin.
Today I'm just hanging at the dive school, enjoying the pool and being with lovely Bua. At least I know she will be well taken care of. She's looking so healthy now, and she's getting more and more friendly and less shy. I know they have a really cool dog at the camp at TRACC called Monsoon, hopefully he's dog enough to be my Bua-substitute.
And tonight I'm going out with a few friends to Hacienda, I'm gonna eat to much really rare steak, and hopefully end the evening at Why Not Bar for a few Gin&Tonics.
Tomorrow morning Papa at Namhasin House will drive my to the pier where my journey to the next chapter in my life will start.
But a piece of my heart will stay right here on Koh Tao, together with my lovely friends.

I'll end this update with some photos taken on my latest dives.

Next update will be from Borneo!

A boring clam on a Diploastrea coral

Christmas tree worms

One of the domes at Hin Fai, also called Biorock

A discoloration on a Porites coral

Black sea urchin in the much at Sai Nuan. This was taken on my last dive which I did with Chad and Chloe.

Bristle worm, also at Sai Nuan

Carpet sea anemone at Sai Nuan

A cowry at Sai Nuan

A family of Nemo

Nudibrach at Sai Nuan

The Nemo family protecting their home in the anemone

ou also find some wierd creatures when in the much, like these ones

Surgeon fish at Bouyancy world

And this is what NOT to do with a coral.....