:: kurami ::

Sort of.

Both of the Softbank stores in Kumagaya had iPhones today and sold them with a lottery system. I went to both shops in turn, notifying them of my intent to purchase a phone, and recieved lottery tickets.

The central store called me during lunch saying that I had won the priveledge to purchase a 16Gb white iPhone. With at least 50 or so people trying to buy 14 phones, I feel pretty lucky.

After riding back to Kumagaya, going through the number portability and new contract procedures, we tried to activate the phone and failed. Apparently Softbank’s systems folded under all the new iPhone activations.

After waiting for about 30 minutes I finally just told them I’ll stop by later in the evening, after work.

Kind of anti climactic, but I’m still really excited and glad that I was able to get one. Or was at least able to deactivate my old phone and pay for the new one.

We spent the last day hanging out at the hotel.  There is a Nature Center attached to Shangri’la Rasa Ria which is home to a bunch of random wildlife, including three orphan Orangutan children.  We registered for the “In Search of Orangutans” tour and showed up at the ranger station shortly after lunch. After a short video were off through the jungle to an observation platform, where the ranger guide broke out food and milk. The orangutan children showed up, ate, and then started playing, wrestling with one another or bouncing on flexible trees just to see how far they would bend.

The hotel also had a fantastic marine center stocked with catamarans, windurfers, jetskis, and other water toys. There was a bit of wind in the morning so I went down to check out how much windsurfing would cost. Free for guests. 

Later in the afternoon Nao and I took out a hobby catamaran.  I’ve been in sail boats before, but this was my first time ‘in charge’ of something larger than a windsurfer.  The catamaran was ridiculously easy to control though, and a lot of fun. We spent a little over an hour cruising around the bay and getting even sun burnt.

Our guide dropped us off in Kota Kinabalu as the sun was starting to set and we were able to check out the Night Market while there was still light. As always the people were incredibly friendly. There were no hawkers or beggers, just people running booths and smiling if you checked out what they were selling. The coconut drink stands were especially cool. You could sit down at the makeshift bar and they would serve up a fresh coconut with a straw sticking out. The only offsetting about the market was the location; It sat on the docks right next to the ocean where what seemed to be raw sewage from the city flowed into the bay. The smell got to be really bad at times.
Kota Kinabalu itself had a lot of personality. Street lights and oddly colored phone booths were plastered with stickers.  Side streets were filled with plastic chairs where people would be eating or just chilling out. Everywhere we went seemed open, welcoming, and safe. A Café had a 30 inch tv in a metal cage facing into one of these streets where about 30 or so people sat in plastic chairs, sipping drinks or eating sandwiches.  While watching pro wrestling.