"Show me the way"

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Leaving KL was a good thing because if there is one thing I have learned on my travels is this: I am not a city girl. KL was wonderful in itself but for me it lacked the essential ingredient, a beating heart. In essence a pulse, a vibe that draws people in, makes them want to stay. It's just different strokes for different folks. It's as simple as that.

Now, I have never had expectations of any destination but it was hard not to in anticipation of visiting Borneo. You might say that I was hoping to find tribal villages and forests or at the very least some inkling of the past manifest in the now. As I was making my way through the metropolis that is Kota Kinabulu (KK), the northeastern city in the Sabah region of Borneo, the prevailling thought was WTF!!!

At best, a cosmopolitan city decorated with mountains (the most famous being mount kinabulu) and jungle and the south China sea with beautiful resort hotels and the best chinese food I have ever sampled. Yes, I could have gone trekking and explored the jungles to my hearts content but I don't know, I simply didn't want to. Something inside was telling me not to bother. Whether that was because I was travel weary I do not know. At worst, just another city of concrete blocks and shopping. This would have been my fate if it were not for Vincent who owns Tropicana guesthouse.

It was thanks to him that I saw the city, not as a tourist but as a local. He took me to the best chinese eateries which without him I would not have been able to visit, the menu not being in English! I ate deer, fish soup, beef, vegetables that only grow locally, and huge shrimps and crabs! I was in heaven.

The best thing however about meeting Vincent was his ability to find me permits and accomodation to Mabul Island which would be my base for diving in Sipadan. This I was finding impossible to arrange prior to meeting him. No dive operator was responding to my emails and I was loathe to spend more than 3 days in KK. Within half a day of meeting Vincent everything was booked and the permits confirmed. At last I could breathe a sigh of relief.

As I wouldn't be leaving for a couple of days I was recommnded to visit Sapi Island which is just a 20 minute boat ride from mainland island. It is absolutely beautiful but unfortunately with so many people crowding the shores and disturbing the bottom bringing up the sand, the visibility was terrible. I couldn't even see my hand in front of my face let along other snorkellers. So, I headed to the rocks where there was an abundance of marine life but the water was too shallow and apparantly, according to Vincent, I didn't know the right place to go to experience the best snorkelling!

Nonetheless, I had what I wanted. Time to myself in the sun on a beach with clean water to swim in. The day passed quickly and I was loathed to return to the city but I was comforted by the thought that in a couple of days I would be going to Sipadan.

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Photos

friends in KK
Yoshi (fellow guest at Tropicana) and the girls who went diving, vincent

Comments

[Liz]

scuba!
See, the way you feel about climbing is the way I would feel about scuba! Only I would be yelling "let me up, let me up!" heheh. Scaaaary!