Short take: We swapped jungle mud for hot water and separate rooms. Then the lights went out. Twice.
From Rainforest Shack to City Comfort
We rolled into Sandakan feeling relieved, 3 nights in the rainforest is enough for anyone yet alone with 2 kids no hot water and more mosquitoes than you want attached to you.
Georgia wanted a television, we wanted our own rooms, hot shower and more space (our shack literally fit the beds in it and that was it, as we arrived at our new accommodation our street looked grubby at first glance, but… the accommodation itself felt AAA compared to the rainforest. We got in, took our first hot showers in three days, and I even had a shave. It felt like luxury.
And Then The Power Cut………
We had just started unpacking and getting ready for bed, and the power went. Luckily we travel with small torches for the USB plugs and a stack of charged batteries, so we could see the night through. It was a hot, sticky night. The electricity came back at midnight, then dropped again at about two in the morning – so we had a short aircon reset!
A Day Without Electricity
By morning the power was still off, and the water supply had started acting up, which we guessed was the pumps losing pressure. With no electricity and most places likely shut or unable to run tills, we decided to do the sensible thing. We stayed put.
It turned into a quiet house day. Colouring books, and keeping cool as best we could. Not the Sandakan start we imagined, but the kind of travel day you remember because it did not go to plan, Georgia had already started to get cabin fever… so we were relieved by late afternoon when the lights finally blinked back on and everything hummed to life again, aircon, tv and a very grateful family. (Water was still an issue though)
Takeaway…
Keep a couple of USB-rechargeable torches (or plugs in our case) in the day bag. Power banks are worth their weight in gold, they keep powering a light for days!
Oh and if the grid goes down, expect water pressure to go odd as well.
Would we recommend today’s blackout? Hard pass, but it makes a cracking story. (One we we will laugh about in time, but honestly after the jungle we just wanted to relax and this made it all extra stressful)
About the Author
