Blogs from Sipadan, Sabah, Malaysia, Asia

Some of you did guess properly, our next stop is indeed Sipadan, or should I rather say Mabul Island. We stay for a night in Tawau in a rather nice place for the city, and by 7.30am we were on our way to Mabul Island. I first came to Sipadan four years ago. If you are a diver, Sipadan is a mecca in Asia...or is it really? This time, I wanted to share the experience with Leslie and Tiffany. Tiffany has now over 20 dives, and she is ready for her next step, her Advanced Junior Open Water...but only next month as she is not yet 12 years old. For Leslie, well, he should be very very close to is 100th dives by the end of this year...so yes, he is diving... I starting the booking ... read more

After an amazing 7 weeks of volcanoes, beaches, scooters and boats it came time to bid Indonesia goodbye. I absolutely loved my stay in spite of the fact that I have merely scratched the surface of the country. I will have to save Java, Sumatra and Sulawasi for another trip as I clearly had underestimated the enormity of the country and the tediously long bus trips and ferries that made many of the farther away islands an impossibility while holding a 60 day visa. Interestingly, leaving Indonesia felt like the conclusion of my journey; a familiar feeling after many years of 7-8 week summer trips. However, instead of arriving home, a new adventure lay just to the north and a new trip began. How Malaysia turned up on my travel itinerary was by pure accident. A ... read more

Sipadan!! We have both done some incredible things on our trip which we will never forget, but our two days in the underwater world of Sipadan were the best yet.  Known as one of the best dive sites in the world, Sipadan is (now) an uninhabited island off the east coast of Borneo. Due to it's magnificent reputation, the government imposed a permit scheme, where only 100 divers per day are allowed to visit the island and it's surrounding reefs, therefore protecting it from overuse and development. Because of this, we had to book our permits in advance and after a long period of sending emails, we  managed to secure a days diving in Sipadan along with a days diving off the nearby island of Mabul. The company who we booked with were the cheapest we ... read more

(english text see below) Eine 8-stündige Busreise brachte uns von Sandakan in den chaotischen und siffigen Ort von Semporna. Eigentlich wäre die Busfahrt ruhig und angenehm gewesen (wenn man von den frostigen Klimaanlagen einmal absieht). Aber irgendwie vertragen die Malaysier Busfahren nicht und sie füllten fleissig ihre Kotztüten, die immer in den Bussen in Sabah verteilt werden. In Semporna hiess es für uns eigentlich nur, eine Nacht zu überleben. So waren wir extrem angenehm überrascht, als wir in unser Zimmer im Dragon Inn kamen. Es war gross, sauber und sehr günstig. Das ganze Hostel ist auf dem Wasser gebaut und gehört immerhin zu den Top 10 Floating Hotels der Welt. Am nächsten morgen fuhren wir dann 1 Stunde mit dem Boot in unser Paradies: Pom Pom Island. Über Sylvester gönnten wir uns einfach 4 Tage/3 Nächte ... read more

The sun is muted by the water into gradients of baby blue while darker sapphire obscures the ocean’s depths. I might be looking out for miles without exaggeration. Big turtles and white-tip sharks, one to two meters long, swim behind a hazy blue curtain, giving perspective on distance and visibility. I equalize my ears and sink lower, unable to take in every detail that vies for attention on the coral wall. Kaleidoscopes of fish flicker every which way. I'm in an otherworld on par with Dr. Seuss’s imagination. This is Sipadan, for the Big Stuff. If poetry takes physical form, surely, the ocean provides one of the most prosaic experiences. Sharp, crackling sounds travel through the water (4x the speed of sound in air). Every diver turns a different direction while trying to pinpoint the sound’s ... read more