A slice of Maldives in Malaysia, todaks, turtles who breathe like Darth Vader and the piranhas.
Warning! This post is as long winded as the title suggests.
Our most recent sojourn was to the place the quarter really wanted to go to. He told me about this magical place some time ago before we went to Gili Trawangan.
I was reluctant at first, I asked him, did you want to go because you want to relive your past? He said no, he just really likes the place. It's beautiful, and I will love it. It's like Maldives, but it's in Malaysia.
Coming from a guy who has never been to Maldives, I didn't believe him. I told him, can't we go to places where neither of us has been to? Why can't we go to like, Fiji or something. Or Tioman even (he got a free stay at Berjaya Tioman, but that didn't happen - burn) .
After some months, and recently, my heart relented. So he booked us a holiday for the long Malaysian weekend for Kapalai (Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort), off the coast of Semporna in Sabah. We originally planned to go there during the Chinese New Year holidays, but turned out it was fully booked.
So late January it is! We couldn't get a ticket directly to Tawau, so we flew to Kota Kinabalu (KK) for one night. I managed to wriggle myself away from work for the afternoon and rush home to finish packing, throwing away garbage and other boring stuff. His staff and I picked him up from his meeting and we rushed off to the airport.
It's hilarious how he went into the airport in his corporate gear, and came out in tees, shorts and slippers. He looked serious and stressed one minute, and laid back and happier the next. So cute, I love this guy! And so, off we went to the land below the wind.
I was last in Sabah when I was a child, on a one month vacation by myself. Well obviously my parents didn't allow me to gallivant there by myself, I was just 8! My aunt was living in KK at that time, and I stayed with her and she took me for a fantastic visit of the beautiful state in Borneo. I came back brown, happy and richer for the experience.
This time too, I was determined to experience the same feeling and duplicate the skintone.
We arrived in KK late that night, and stayed at the Le Meridien, which is in town near the fish market. Strange place to have the market innit? We went out for a stroll towards the bars and restaurants facing the harbour, for drinks. The quarter explained to me about the development planned for the state of Sabah, because a couple of years ago, he stayed there for a couple of months for research. Apparently the market will soon be moved elsewhere and that harbourfront row will be dedicated to more restaurants, bars and shops.
We chatted for a bit, but because of my incessant cough and the fact that our flight to Tawau was very early the next day, we had to head back to the hotel. Slept without the air conditioning, and I gotta say, I know the smell of dust when there is dust. Hasn't housekeeping heard of vacuums I wonder?
The next morning we woke up as dawn peeks in, and rushed off to the airport. Overall, thanks to my violent coughing, I only slept for ONE hour. We gobbled down a McDonalds breakfast (an airport fave!), and finally made our way to the sleepy town of Tawau. (And no I couldn't sleep on the flight either)
First impression of Tawau: Kelapa sawit country (palm oil country). On our way to the jetty in the town of Semporna, I asked the quarter, so I'm guessing their economy is mainly driven by this? (gesturing towards the plantations we saw along the way). He laughed and said, that's their only economy!
We arrived at the jetty to register and wait for our boat, and were joined by a large group of Chinese tourists. I had read reviews on my fave travel review site Trip Advisor and for the past couple of years, it seems like the place has been inundated with tourists from mainland China. The other travelers were complaining about them.
I was feeling apprehensive about their infamous antics, but decided to not let it spoil our holiday.
The boat ride took us around 40 minutes, we saw the local Bajau people's houses on stilts above water, and we looked at each other, how do they live like that? It was an interesting and amazing skill. But I do wonder how do they go to the toilet? Do they shit directly into the sea? WHAT'S THE PLUMBING LIKE?
But once we arrived at the resort, oh my oh my it was like heaven on water! The water was crystal clear with greenish and blue tones, and although it was a bit choppy, it was nothing like the choppy waters of Gili Trawangan.
We were briefed by one of the members of management, and had a pleasant surprise. We were upgraded to a wonderful chalet! I have to keep this chalet number a secret, though. Whoever you are, if you are lucky, maybe you will get the same one. Or something similar.
The chalet had the most amazing views. And there was a balcony with sun loungers, for us to just chill and..commune with nature. You can see turtles, fishes, stingrays, the most amazing sunset over the ocean and the occasional Chinese tourist at the artificial island from this balcony. We could also spot Mabul and Sipadan in the distance.
It was quiet, and the only sounds you hear are the lapping of the waters beneath the chalet, the birds and the gasps for air made by the turtles. Sometimes you can hear people speaking as they walk towards the artificial island, but that is few and far between.
Speaking of turtles, that was the first time I heard their 'voice'. These turtles all sound like a man, at first I thought it was a snorkeler or a swimmer passing by, and to my pleasant surprise I saw a reptilian head peek out, gasp for air, and then disappear. We both thought they sound like Darth Vader. The friendly staff who briefed us earlier told us during one of our chats that there's a local joke at the resort about the turtles. "Binatang apakah yang banyak kahak?" Answer: Penyu. (What animal has the most phlegm? Answer: Turtles). Because they do sound like they're clearing their phlegmy throat.
My violent coughing slowly dissipated while I was there, it was probably the fresh air, the sea water and the fact that there is no air conditioning in the chalet or anywhere in the resort. I felt rejuvenated, and totally zen. I think it's just the feeling of sun on your skin, the smell of the ocean and being in the water while snorkeling.
We didn't dive,however, and just snorkeled instead. I think if I was in better health I would probably have tried diving. But even if you are just snorkeling, the beauty of the underwater creatures would take your breath away. I'm not someone who knows the names of the fishes or underwater creatures, I just call them fishy fishy when I speak to them (but that's another story), and the ones we saw were simply amazing.
There were these fishes that intrigued me, we both call them the todak. Well I did because the quarter insisted they must be something else. Well of course, if there is an English or scientific name for todak then they are called something else. Am I right or am I right? We saw these fishes at night at first, as they come in droves, attracted to the lights shooting down towards the waters from the resort.
We saw them while snorkeling, but to be honest, they were not hostile, they ignored us and swam away. We had a close encounter with a stingray as well. Well, the quarter saw it, I didn't as I was swimming towards the steps. Apparently a dugong in a yellow bikini scared the stingray away too.
I finally saw a stingray in motion on our last night there, but it was not from being inside the water. We saw it while relaxing on the balcony at the chalet. A few of the stingrays swam towards the light shining down from the chalet, and just hung out there. There was also a single todak swimming in that area, who quickly swam away as the stingray approached. We saw the stingray's chameleon like transformation to blend in with the sand. It was such an experience.
If a todak is scared shitless of the stingray, I was quite glad I didn't accidentally step on one or brush past one while we were snorkeling. And equally glad that we didn't step on rocks while the tide was low, as there were also butt ugly stonefishes in the area (which we have not seen unfortunately, but judging from the frowning cartoon of it to warn people to "BEWARE OF STINGRAYS AND STONFISHES (sic) - NO SWIMMING" near the artificial island, I bet those things were hideous).
Life must suck to be ugly and mortally dangerous for a stonefish innit?
I digress as usual.
Let me tell you about our mealtimes. We were fed 3 meals a day, buffet style, at the resort. Breakfasts were peaceful, but man oh man, lunch and dinner were chaotic! This is no thanks to the newly maligned tourists of the world, the Chinese. It used to be the "stupid American", but that honour has now been given to the new world superpower.
One time during dinner we were sitting at the table outside that had an ashtray. ALL the tables outside had ashtrays. There was this young Chinese couple, who were smoking, and didn't bother to ask for an ashtray. The quarter told me they tried to ask for the ashtray from us, but because we were going to use it, he said no.
Anyway, while I was eating, this chick just came up to the table, leaned across and stubbed out her cigarette in OUR ashtray. So rude. She did not even ask or acknowledge that I was sitting right there. So I told her off, told her to get her own frickin ashtray (politely and clearly of course). She gave me a blank face, and I repeated myself, with my voice slightly louder. We were attracting attention. She decided to go with "I don't speak Engrish". OK fine. I repeated myself and pointed at the ashtray.
I'm not sure if she understood, but minutes later her idiot boyfriend threw his cigarette butt into the ocean! What a prick! I mean, c'mon. There were other tables with non-smokers. Ask them for ashtrays. Lazy kids. I hope they get a bad sunburn by the end of the trip or whipped by a stingray for polluting their ocean.
That was among the other amusing and not so amusing antics of these mainland China travelers. There were these girls that we saw during lunch, full makeup like they were going out clubbing, who kept taking selfies next to the flower pots or while walking . What is the point taking closeup shots of your mug if your backgrounds are so beautiful? Amusing lot.
But at other times we did not bump into tourists from that country so it was quite peaceful. I don't know what they do, don't see many of them snorkeling, not many of them were diving either. They probably sat in their chalets taking selfies or something. We only see them in droves during mealtimes (except for breakfast, because they are not early risers I suppose). I call them piranhas. I know I sound xenophobic with these name calling and complaining, but I don't care because it's all true.
On our last day there, we left with a heart still wanting to stay one more night, just one more night. But we had to go home to our lives and work. And so we flew back. I uploaded pictures and had millions of questions from friends about the place.
All I can say is: You gotta experience that place at least once. And I am now all for visiting the place again.
It's a beautiful experience and part of moving on and living life is making new memories with a loved one. And for that I would like to thank my quarter for sharing that experience and those beautiful memories with me.
Our most recent sojourn was to the place the quarter really wanted to go to. He told me about this magical place some time ago before we went to Gili Trawangan.
I was reluctant at first, I asked him, did you want to go because you want to relive your past? He said no, he just really likes the place. It's beautiful, and I will love it. It's like Maldives, but it's in Malaysia.
Coming from a guy who has never been to Maldives, I didn't believe him. I told him, can't we go to places where neither of us has been to? Why can't we go to like, Fiji or something. Or Tioman even (he got a free stay at Berjaya Tioman, but that didn't happen - burn) .
After some months, and recently, my heart relented. So he booked us a holiday for the long Malaysian weekend for Kapalai (Sipadan Kapalai Dive Resort), off the coast of Semporna in Sabah. We originally planned to go there during the Chinese New Year holidays, but turned out it was fully booked.
So late January it is! We couldn't get a ticket directly to Tawau, so we flew to Kota Kinabalu (KK) for one night. I managed to wriggle myself away from work for the afternoon and rush home to finish packing, throwing away garbage and other boring stuff. His staff and I picked him up from his meeting and we rushed off to the airport.
It's hilarious how he went into the airport in his corporate gear, and came out in tees, shorts and slippers. He looked serious and stressed one minute, and laid back and happier the next. So cute, I love this guy! And so, off we went to the land below the wind.
I was last in Sabah when I was a child, on a one month vacation by myself. Well obviously my parents didn't allow me to gallivant there by myself, I was just 8! My aunt was living in KK at that time, and I stayed with her and she took me for a fantastic visit of the beautiful state in Borneo. I came back brown, happy and richer for the experience.
This time too, I was determined to experience the same feeling and duplicate the skintone.
We arrived in KK late that night, and stayed at the Le Meridien, which is in town near the fish market. Strange place to have the market innit? We went out for a stroll towards the bars and restaurants facing the harbour, for drinks. The quarter explained to me about the development planned for the state of Sabah, because a couple of years ago, he stayed there for a couple of months for research. Apparently the market will soon be moved elsewhere and that harbourfront row will be dedicated to more restaurants, bars and shops.
We chatted for a bit, but because of my incessant cough and the fact that our flight to Tawau was very early the next day, we had to head back to the hotel. Slept without the air conditioning, and I gotta say, I know the smell of dust when there is dust. Hasn't housekeeping heard of vacuums I wonder?
The next morning we woke up as dawn peeks in, and rushed off to the airport. Overall, thanks to my violent coughing, I only slept for ONE hour. We gobbled down a McDonalds breakfast (an airport fave!), and finally made our way to the sleepy town of Tawau. (And no I couldn't sleep on the flight either)
First impression of Tawau: Kelapa sawit country (palm oil country). On our way to the jetty in the town of Semporna, I asked the quarter, so I'm guessing their economy is mainly driven by this? (gesturing towards the plantations we saw along the way). He laughed and said, that's their only economy!
We arrived at the jetty to register and wait for our boat, and were joined by a large group of Chinese tourists. I had read reviews on my fave travel review site Trip Advisor and for the past couple of years, it seems like the place has been inundated with tourists from mainland China. The other travelers were complaining about them.
I was feeling apprehensive about their infamous antics, but decided to not let it spoil our holiday.
The boat ride took us around 40 minutes, we saw the local Bajau people's houses on stilts above water, and we looked at each other, how do they live like that? It was an interesting and amazing skill. But I do wonder how do they go to the toilet? Do they shit directly into the sea? WHAT'S THE PLUMBING LIKE?
But once we arrived at the resort, oh my oh my it was like heaven on water! The water was crystal clear with greenish and blue tones, and although it was a bit choppy, it was nothing like the choppy waters of Gili Trawangan.
We were briefed by one of the members of management, and had a pleasant surprise. We were upgraded to a wonderful chalet! I have to keep this chalet number a secret, though. Whoever you are, if you are lucky, maybe you will get the same one. Or something similar.
The chalet had the most amazing views. And there was a balcony with sun loungers, for us to just chill and..commune with nature. You can see turtles, fishes, stingrays, the most amazing sunset over the ocean and the occasional Chinese tourist at the artificial island from this balcony. We could also spot Mabul and Sipadan in the distance.
It was quiet, and the only sounds you hear are the lapping of the waters beneath the chalet, the birds and the gasps for air made by the turtles. Sometimes you can hear people speaking as they walk towards the artificial island, but that is few and far between.
Speaking of turtles, that was the first time I heard their 'voice'. These turtles all sound like a man, at first I thought it was a snorkeler or a swimmer passing by, and to my pleasant surprise I saw a reptilian head peek out, gasp for air, and then disappear. We both thought they sound like Darth Vader. The friendly staff who briefed us earlier told us during one of our chats that there's a local joke at the resort about the turtles. "Binatang apakah yang banyak kahak?" Answer: Penyu. (What animal has the most phlegm? Answer: Turtles). Because they do sound like they're clearing their phlegmy throat.
My violent coughing slowly dissipated while I was there, it was probably the fresh air, the sea water and the fact that there is no air conditioning in the chalet or anywhere in the resort. I felt rejuvenated, and totally zen. I think it's just the feeling of sun on your skin, the smell of the ocean and being in the water while snorkeling.
We didn't dive,however, and just snorkeled instead. I think if I was in better health I would probably have tried diving. But even if you are just snorkeling, the beauty of the underwater creatures would take your breath away. I'm not someone who knows the names of the fishes or underwater creatures, I just call them fishy fishy when I speak to them (but that's another story), and the ones we saw were simply amazing.
There were these fishes that intrigued me, we both call them the todak. Well I did because the quarter insisted they must be something else. Well of course, if there is an English or scientific name for todak then they are called something else. Am I right or am I right? We saw these fishes at night at first, as they come in droves, attracted to the lights shooting down towards the waters from the resort.
We saw them while snorkeling, but to be honest, they were not hostile, they ignored us and swam away. We had a close encounter with a stingray as well. Well, the quarter saw it, I didn't as I was swimming towards the steps. Apparently a dugong in a yellow bikini scared the stingray away too.
I finally saw a stingray in motion on our last night there, but it was not from being inside the water. We saw it while relaxing on the balcony at the chalet. A few of the stingrays swam towards the light shining down from the chalet, and just hung out there. There was also a single todak swimming in that area, who quickly swam away as the stingray approached. We saw the stingray's chameleon like transformation to blend in with the sand. It was such an experience.
If a todak is scared shitless of the stingray, I was quite glad I didn't accidentally step on one or brush past one while we were snorkeling. And equally glad that we didn't step on rocks while the tide was low, as there were also butt ugly stonefishes in the area (which we have not seen unfortunately, but judging from the frowning cartoon of it to warn people to "BEWARE OF STINGRAYS AND STONFISHES (sic) - NO SWIMMING" near the artificial island, I bet those things were hideous).
Life must suck to be ugly and mortally dangerous for a stonefish innit?
I digress as usual.
Let me tell you about our mealtimes. We were fed 3 meals a day, buffet style, at the resort. Breakfasts were peaceful, but man oh man, lunch and dinner were chaotic! This is no thanks to the newly maligned tourists of the world, the Chinese. It used to be the "stupid American", but that honour has now been given to the new world superpower.
One time during dinner we were sitting at the table outside that had an ashtray. ALL the tables outside had ashtrays. There was this young Chinese couple, who were smoking, and didn't bother to ask for an ashtray. The quarter told me they tried to ask for the ashtray from us, but because we were going to use it, he said no.
Anyway, while I was eating, this chick just came up to the table, leaned across and stubbed out her cigarette in OUR ashtray. So rude. She did not even ask or acknowledge that I was sitting right there. So I told her off, told her to get her own frickin ashtray (politely and clearly of course). She gave me a blank face, and I repeated myself, with my voice slightly louder. We were attracting attention. She decided to go with "I don't speak Engrish". OK fine. I repeated myself and pointed at the ashtray.
I'm not sure if she understood, but minutes later her idiot boyfriend threw his cigarette butt into the ocean! What a prick! I mean, c'mon. There were other tables with non-smokers. Ask them for ashtrays. Lazy kids. I hope they get a bad sunburn by the end of the trip or whipped by a stingray for polluting their ocean.
That was among the other amusing and not so amusing antics of these mainland China travelers. There were these girls that we saw during lunch, full makeup like they were going out clubbing, who kept taking selfies next to the flower pots or while walking . What is the point taking closeup shots of your mug if your backgrounds are so beautiful? Amusing lot.
But at other times we did not bump into tourists from that country so it was quite peaceful. I don't know what they do, don't see many of them snorkeling, not many of them were diving either. They probably sat in their chalets taking selfies or something. We only see them in droves during mealtimes (except for breakfast, because they are not early risers I suppose). I call them piranhas. I know I sound xenophobic with these name calling and complaining, but I don't care because it's all true.
On our last day there, we left with a heart still wanting to stay one more night, just one more night. But we had to go home to our lives and work. And so we flew back. I uploaded pictures and had millions of questions from friends about the place.
All I can say is: You gotta experience that place at least once. And I am now all for visiting the place again.
It's a beautiful experience and part of moving on and living life is making new memories with a loved one. And for that I would like to thank my quarter for sharing that experience and those beautiful memories with me.
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