Hi All,

  We’ll probably be here till Wednesday.  You have to check out of Sabah with the Harbor Master etc and all government offices are closed until Tuesday because of Merdeka which is Malaysia’s Independence Day August 31st.  Lots more traffic in town is noticible this week and schools are also closed.  More small tents up along the sidewalks.  Today Joy and I are going in to the Sunday Morning market.

  This attachment is about our visit to Agnes Keith’s Home in Sandakan. 

Ru

Agnes Keith and English Tea

I’m going to make this next email all about Agnes Keith because she’s why we went to Sandakan. The rest of our Sandakan tour was more for the exercise. Not that it wasn’t interesting; it was. But Sandakan history isn’t even as old as Roanoke history and half of it is British Colonial History. Odd, but off-hand I don’t remember British colonial leftovers in New England other than putting vinegar on our fries at the beach. When I smell vinegar I still think of Acushnet Beach in New Bedford where I first ate French fries with vinegar.

Agnes Newton Keith and her home Newlands.

http://www.sabahtourism.com/sabah-malaysian-borneo/en/destination/92-agnes-keith-house/

This is the cover of the brochure they give you at her home. No photos are allowed in the house so I don’t feel so bad stealing their photos.

I forgot in the hotel photos to add this sign. We went to all of those places including the stairs with the 100 steps.

This map is also in the brochure. You can see both Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. Cruisers call it Kota (Breathe) Kinaba LU when locals say Kota KinaBAlu (no breath between.) To us it’s SAN (breathe)daKAN while locals say San da kan. Actually I can’t even recreate how locals say Kinabalu because it’s so different really. It was a 6 hour slow bus ride so you know it’s really not all that far. We did stop after about 4 hours for a snack and rush for the tandas. Sandakan was part of British North Borneo and that’s why Agnes Keith was living there. Her husband worked for the British Charter Company that administered the area.

Beginning the “hundred steps” that take you up the hill to Agnes Keith’s home.

These steps weren’t included in the one hundred; only the stairs before these walks and after.

What they really meant to say was the “one hundred stairs” because the flat spaces between the stairs weren’t included in the one hundred number! But it was early enough in the morning and there was some shade and it was a lovely walk. Huff puff sweat!

After you pass the English Tea House and the ticket counter and the small welcome building you finally get to the house.

Off with their shoes! The gorgeous wood floors make up for the annoyance of having to remove your shoes. But removing your shoes is really quite expected here and I’m almost more surprised when you don’t have to do it.

This brochure photo shows the beautiful wood floors. According to the brochure “the house is furnished simply with reproduction colonial furniture and antiques.” Lots of wonderful photos too and great displays of information.

Too be continued with more about Agnes Keith and our visit to the English Tea House.