It’s hard to believe two months has passed since I was in
Borneo, and it seems even crazier now that I have relocated to live and teach
in Exmouth.
After my whirlwind trip to Beijing I flew from Beijing to
Hanoi, Hanoi to KL, KL to Sandakan and finally bartered for a taxi to drive me
to Sepilok. A few short days and a LOT of travel, a tired and cranky Nadia
arrived in Sepilok. My head hit the pillow and I was dead to the world for the
next 10 hours.
Sepilok is well known for one thing, Orang-utans. There is a
sanctuary there, and very little else. I made my way to the park so I would be
there in time for the 11am feeding session. I followed the boardwalk through
the jungle until I found the feeding station where you have the best
opportunity to spot some Orang-utans. Since it was late November, the height of
rainy season, there was no guarantee that I would see many (if any).
Fortunately, after the park ranger arrived and laid food on the platform, three
adult orang-utans and three babies soon came down to the feeding platform in front
of me. For about thirty minutes I was lucky enough to watch as they ate and played
among the forest around me. Such an incredible opportunity to watch them in a
semi wild environment. Of course the
humidity in the jungle was intense; I was pouring sweat and got out of there as
soon as the Orang-utans had dispersed. Side note- there are other (lamer)
monkeys that hang around the feeding station hassling tourists and getting very
food aggressive.
Next stop was Sandakan, an unimpressive town that boasts
some nice nearby islands and a lovely old English tea house up on the hill
overlooking town. If I had more time I would have spent a few days chilling out
with turtles on the islands, but I was headed to Semporna to get some serious
diving done. A half day bus ride and I was there… and it lived up to every word
that I had heard about it.
Semporna is a dirty, smelly town that you would not even get
of the bus to bother looking around. However, it is the gateway to Sipidan and
some of the greatest dive sites in South East Asia. And the bar at Scuba
Junkies does make an awesome Lasagne! I did my diving with Sipidan Scuba, and I
cannot speak highly enough of the team there. With a mixture of local and expat
dive instructors, it was a team that knew the dive sites inside out and showed
me the very best of an amazing dive area.
My first day was at Sipidan, the one we all go there to see.
I saw so many sharks and turtles I lost count. What surprised me was how placid
and content the sharks were, they just cruised on past without a care in the
world. Every other place I have spotted sharks they disappear almost as soon as
you see them. The drop off was amazing, and as I floated along the side of that
wall I couldn’t help but freak out a little bit when I thought about how far
down that drop actually goes. The coral, the fish, the macro life… it all just
blew my mind. As if what’s under the waves wasn’t enough, the island of Sipidan
is a truly beautiful place to spend the day lazing on the beach.
Next day we headed to Mantabuan, another beautiful site that
is dotted with small islands and sandbars to relax on between dives. Again we
saw sharks and turtles, but Mantabuan is really spectacular because of the tiny
macro life that thrives within its waters. I was fortunate to have a local
diver as my guide that day, and he spotted things that I would never have
noticed in a million years. Although it’s been two months I can still remember
that dive like it was yesterday.
Final day of diving was spent at Sibuan. It seems unfair to
say it was the ‘worst’ day of diving because it was still a great, clear dive
with heaps of marine life; it just wasn’t as spectacular as the other two days.
On the plus side, Rob, the dive master, let us take two of those cool hand held
propellers that you see spies using in James Bond films. So much fun!
With a tinge of sadness I boarded the bus to Kota Kinabalu
and left Semporna. I know I will return to dive those beautiful waters again,
hopefully sooner rather than later. The bus ride to KK was a nine hour
experience that I will not be racing back to relive. It was school holidays and
the bus was full of children, many of them were unwell. I had a long back and
forth text conversation with a friend while on that bus… much of which I did
not remember when thinking back. It was one of those trips where time seems to
stand still.
Once I arrived in KK I checked into a swanky hotel that I
had arranged on the internet. I won’t lie, I delighted in luxuriating for a few
days. KK has some great food, some great shopping and some beautiful little
islands just a short boat trip away. I took a day to go over to Sapi Island and
enjoy some snorkelling and sunbathing, which I highly recommend if you are ever
in KK. I also arranged with the desk
clerk at my hotel to drive me to Lok Kwai Zoo on his day off, a bargain for me
and some extra money for him. My last day in KK was spent white water rafting
with a Chinese family. Words cannot express how amusing that day was. A
terrified mother who screamed every time the boat nudged a rock, a teenage daughter
who screeched with laughed every time she got wet, a teenage son who wasn’t
paddling hard enough if you ask me, and a father who was trying to manage all
of the above.
And then it was time to fly back to KL and on to Perth. I
was pretty impressed with my sneaky stealth moves, managing to surprise my
family and friends with my arrival home. Mez and Adelina were waiting to pick
me up and whisk me home to surprise Mummy Boots and The Dad Person. That day
feels like it was a million years ago. In the weeks that followed I drank too
much, welcomed a new niece, ate too much
at Christmas, hit the beach a lot, travelled to Brisbane and accepted a job
offer at Exmouth District High.
For those of you who read all of these posts and shared my
trip with me, thank you J I hope you had even one tenth as much fun reading
these as I did creating them xox luv Nads
