I was attending a workshop since Monday, 30th March 2009, until today Wednesday, 1st April 2009.

The workshop was held in Borneo Paradise Beach Hotel in Kinarut along the Papar Highway. Our daily programs start from 8.00 am until 10.00 pm!

I was lucky that my roommate is from Kinarut, so he did not stay in the hotel. I have the room, called BISAYA room, for myself throughout the workshop.

The only problem is no one is waking me up. For the final day, the presentation day, I woke up at 7.50 am!!! Damm… I have to skip the breakfast, luckily there was a break at 10.00 am and I was the first one to attack the food till our deputy ‘commented’ me for taking so much bread 😆

I understand the organizer manage to get a good deal… very cheap… from the hotel. But unfortunately the hotel room is not really taken care very well… well probably the hotel is a bit old.

I think the room need new painting… some part of the walls is dirty with smudges. The TV is quite old and too small… about 14 inches, so don’t expect an LCD TV with LCD mount on the wall with spectacular view from the bed… my Dell XPS M1330 screen is almost the size of the TV. The cabinets also need to be ‘replaced’ or fixed.

The bathroom is OK but the built in hot shower is no longer working, it was replaced with an instant hot shower. But unfortunately the shower head holder for the instant hot shower is broken. I reported it to the hotel management but it was not fixed until I check out. I have to use my skills to hang the shower head so that I can take my hot shower without holding the shower head. Overall, this place is still a nice and reasonable place to do function or vacation or resting.

The only bonus is the hotel is next to the beach. But the beach is a bit dirty. And while I was taking photos on the beach, I was attacked… and attacked… and attacked by sand flies. Now both my legs and hands are full with red spots… and it damm bloody itchy. My previous encounter with sand flies in Tempurung Seaside Lodge, Kuala Penyu, are still visible… scars is still visible on my legs. Maybe people will think I’m having skin disease if they see those old and new bites.

Taking photos here is great. Lucky, one of my colleague is quite good in photography, I learn some during our outing in the evening and early morning. We actually walk so far until we reach to some islands… yes… we did reached to an island by walking… coz it was low tide. And that’s why the beach looks a bit dirty since we can see all the garbage lying on the seabed.

Here are some of the beach photos…


We walked all the way to that island… and that island has graveyard 😛


Disney snapping on me…


Time for me to replace my Teva sandal with Crocs 😀


Disney on top of the rocky island… behind him is a graveyard 🙁 Luckily I did not follow him 😀