Diving Sipdan - Uncle Chang's :)

Sipadan Island

When I got to Semporna I had to choose which dive operator to use. I decided to go with Uncle Chang's as I wanted to stay on Mabul, an island close to Sipadan. I got in too late and had to spent the first night at the Dragon Inn in Semporna instead of at Uncle Changs which was a pity. However the hotel was bliss, a floating hotel with good rooms. Although once again it called for an early start: 6.30am..... getting really tired of these short nights - God I needed some sleep!! The boat to Mabul left early in the next morning and before we knew it, we were there!

The Rock Stars

We were met by the traditional 'Uncle Chang's Welcome' a band playing - the first thing that goes through your mind is 'What on earth is happening???', the next is 'Smile people are watching!' :) and the next is wow I'm actually here and boy we're off diving in a mo where's my room and lets get going!

Uncle Chang's - The Restaurant

I noticed immediately that the group there was a good one and I was looking forward to chilling out with them and getting to know them at the party later that night. Chez Uncle Chang's ...there's a party every night.

The Drum Kit was made of Bins - It was incredible

Sipadan is the island on which 21 foreigners and Malysians were abducted by 6 men armed with AK-47s back in 2000. Its a beauty of a spot and now the Malaysian Navy have a base there and keep watch 24/7. No one is allowed to walk around the island or to stay overnight and only 150 dive permits are issued a day which makes it really difficult to dive there on an ad hoc basis.

Sipadan Beach

The 3 dives there were a lot of fun - my dive buddy, a Frenchman called Patrick. He was a dive master so no babysitting all around! Great! As for the actual diving well it was good - wait a second what I'm I saying? It was GREAT - I saw my first hammerhead shark!!!!

Rudy Kissing His Hammerhead Pendent

I have been lucky, very lucky. We were over the moon! Rudy our DM was amazing he spotted it. Patrick and I swam out fast, we managed to get to just two metres away from it. Patrick has the shots and I hope he will email me one! The return boat trip was a good one, spirits were high. The arrival back at camp even better - all on-board took on the hammerhead sign to alert the poor divers at camp (those who hadn't been with us) as to what we had seen!! Cruel!! Hehe

Town Cry: Hammerhead!

Mabul is a tiny island with a little village and a couple of high-end floating resorts that charge at least 200/400+ dollars a night. Uncle Chang's is a floating outfit that caters to us backpackers charging just 50 RM a night. It was lovely.

Ed a Dive Bud

The sun set and the evening warmed up slowly. Uncle Chang was there in the flesh and this meant that we all got free drinks all night long. The boys on the home team turned into rock stars and had us up and dancing the night away and once that was over the air was still and the temperature hot, it called for a midnight swim.

Sunset Swim

The next morning called for more diving, this time Mabul, I was unlucky, unfortunately Sipadan was all booked up but Mabul was great too. The visibility here wasn't too good but we saw good marine life. That evening it was back to the Dragon Inn in Semporna. I could have just missed my flight(s) to Kuching.

ADIEU!

I have been lucky extremely lucky. I have seen the most amazing wildlife and met some wonderful people. Just catching up on the Borneo blog entries tonight (its 2am now) has reminded me just how lucky I've been.

PS: just reading an email from a great pal back home whilst adding the pics to this posting and this last bit's cracked me up! Forgive me babes, I just have to publish this!! Haha !!

'...And.... next time an opportunity/crazy thing turns up your way - say YES!!!! you live only once and are on holidays for G's sake!!! ;o)'

Ancient Mariners

I've just arrived in Semporna having spent the day traveling from Turtle island back to Sandakan in North Borneo and then on numerous buses through to Lahad Datu and finally Semporna. Tomorrow I will dive Sipadan one of the top ten dive sites in the world, I seem to be clocking them up - I'm such a lucky person and I try and thank the Gods for that everyday! BUT the most important news of the day is that of this morning's. JUMPY where were you!!! I so missed you and the rest of crew from Ban Tale Nork so!! Remember our Turtle Conservation (search) ? WE SHOULD HAVE GONE TO Selingaan, an island in the Sulu Sea and also referred to as Turtle Island. I have just spent one night on Turtle Island. One can volunteer on the island if they write a letter to the Park headquarters and it gets approved. This place is expensive (for a backpacker) to visit (STG40) but so worth it.

Turtle Island, a small island, is an hour off the coast of Sandakan, North East Borneo by speedboat and on the border with the Philippines. So close you can see the beaches on the Philippino deserted islands that surround. So I guess I can say that I saw the Philippines from afar!
It was a real treat to go there. On arrival it looks like a small deserted tropical paradise. Housed on the island, a turtle sanctuary. We arrived yesterday morning and had the rest of the day to relax and snorkel. It was great as Vyga and Mike from Uncle Tan's were there too.

Vyga and I left the beach early in search of the rangers. We spent some time trying to sweet talk them into allowing us to work with them for an hour, basically looking for an excuse to legally go behind scenes - hehehe) We got no where but one ranger, who even had our email addresses by now (thats how desperate we were) suggested we got up at 5am for more egg laying sights etc. After the tried and failed negotiations we had to find a way to entertain ourselves until sundown.

easy take more pictures!

The highlight of the program was held in the evening when after dinner we were called in small groups to watch Mama turtle lay her eggs,

the rangers transplant the eggs into the sanctuary's hatchery

and highlight of all highlights: the bambini turtles to be released into the sea.. it was mind numbing. All pictures of the night activities were taken with no flash - just a single torch light. The exposures slow and therefore when it came to the bambini being released I decided to just enjoy the moment and watch. It would have been pointless trying to take a shot. It was incredible. I know, I went gaga. I knew I liked turtles but I didn't know that I liked turtles this much. It was just so amazing to watch and such a miracle to see those tiny little cuties making a mad dash to the sea. Of course only a fraction will survive to adulthood and I will quite possibly be gone before they reach sexual maturity (30 - 50 yrs) - they are just ancient mariners and the experience was amazing.

I did get up at 5am as suggested by the rangers, Vyga unfortunately didn't make it. AND Lucky I did as I spotted two new baby turtles in the hatchery. They tend to crawl up through the sand at dusk (6pm onwards) and after a heavy downpour. I remember being woken up at some point during the night due to the heavy rain (the effect on me was a sleepy cheeky smile :) ) Once up I went straight to the hatchery and spotted the two darlings. I told a ranger that he had two new ones and he simply said 'Come with me' My chin fell to the floor, I raced back for my camera and met him on the beach near the hatchery. He simply handed the two adorable struggle'rs over and disappeared, allowing me to release them alone, without himself or the rest of the 30 odd tourists that were there on the island!!

Baby turtles are so funny - if you hold them in the air at face height, they just flap crazily and look so cute!! Its almost like your bro's toy cars the ones you had to drag backwards on the floor and then release and allow them to race off, just like that! You can't do it for long because they need all their strength to survive the Big Blue. One last look, this is where I have to come back to in 50 yrs time, umm that should do it off I go!

I placed the baby turtles on the sand, one in front of the other (had to organise the catwalk!!)and I watched whilst taking photos, praying that these tiny beauties would make it past their predators. There are no words to describe it. It was very special.

Borneo Jungle

Well I've just had my first shower in 3 days!! I'm back from the Jungle!! What a fun experience. I must admit it depends hugely on the group of people who are on your trip too. Ours was quite a funny bunch - full of incredible characters!!! I spent a lot of time with a Czech couple Honza and Olga and an American couple Mike and Vyga.

You arrive there by speedboat up the Kinabatangan River. When we got to the river it was during a torrential downpour. We drove for 30 mins down river and got absolutely soaked. We checked in had our briefing and after a great dinner it was off on a night boat safari. Boy we saw some amazing animals, the star of the show was definitely the Slow Loris which is a rare sight. I don't know how these boys (rangers) do it, they spot things in the dead of the night with the aid of spot lights but a slow loris is about as long as an average woman's lower arm. One ranger spotted it and signaled to all the boats we came over got onto land and spent a good five minutes watching the poor creature as he scampered (slowly) up a tree for shelter away from our torches. We also spotted two Civit Cats having a drink on the river bank, lots of Maquac Monkeys asleep on the branches of a riverside tree.

Maquac Monkey - been through the wars, blood on nose.

The next morning it was up at 6am (have by this time forgotten what a lie in actually is) and it was off to see more animals in the Jungle Book. We had a lot of fun on these safaris and finally even saw Crocodiles! There were the Probiscus Monkeys, one Gibbon, monitor lizards, lots of birds and of course the theiving maquacs who were on the river banks and also at the camp! One of them may even have my baseball cap! Im sure there are animals I am forgetting to mention.

Little croc

We left the forest the same way we got there. Some new tricks in hand. Want to spot a croc? easy at night the light shines over their eyes and they are bright red, monkeys: look for moving tree branches they tend to fly through the canopies.

Probiscus Monkey

In hindsight, the lack of showers and the raw ankles resulting from the wellies worn on land were small prices to pay to be there and to see the animals in their own habitat.

BUG :)

And luckily I didn't see any snakes!!!

BLOODY LOGGERS ! :(

Tired in Borneo - Kota Kinabalu

I arrived last night at 10pm with the morning memories of Bali's waves still crashing around in my head and I was met by Hody at the airport. She was looking for backpackers like myself for her new guesthouse. According to a map in the Lonely Planet, it was in 'the wrong area of town', by a street but: it was also 10pm, it came with an offer of free transportation and hey, I might even like the rooms so I decided not to complicate life when it had been made so simple. It work out really well, the rooms are great and I immediately bumped into a fun couple from London who were also staying. I ended up chatting to them until 2am. (another short night!!)

Im in KK, aka Kota Kinabalu and there are some great islands to hop over to from here but first I am going to do absolutely nothing and catch my breath, update this blog and do some general admin!

I did just that and then made tracks over to Sandakan, a 5hr bus journey to the Sulu coast up on the North Eastern side of Borneo. It was here that I could visit the Orangutan Sanctuary of Sepilok, do the Uncle Tan's Jungle Experience and finish it off with a grand finale Turtle Island.

Sepilok - The Orangutan Sanctuary

I missed the bus here and had to take a taxi up - it was all a bit of a rush but then that's been my life for the last two weeks. The feeding platform was filling up with people. We didn't have to wait long.
The crowd was silent and we just stood there and watched until it was time for a coffee. Uncle Tan's team picked me up at 12.30 from the centre and it was off on yet another adventure!

Sheer Joy - Bali!

It wasn't that I didn't enjoy Sumba but the sheer Joy of being back in Bali was beautiful. I immediately caught up with Natalie for lunch before she whizzed off to the airport. Nat was flying back to Thailand through Singapore and going back to the 'Special Place' Grrr I'm jealous. But before she left she passed on a very good tip, if you want to learn how to surf then head to Zanzibar (a bar on the beach) and look for Sunny, a blond Balinese in white shorts a green t-shirt and a green Starbucks cap. So I checked myself into a nice hotel (Felt a distinct need for pampering!) rented a moped, dumped my backpack with housekeeping for laundry service and then it was off to the beach. Sure enough Sunny was found. The lesson booked, I headed off for sun downers with Daphne and Peggy followed by an early night.

Peggy and I

The next morning we all met bright and early on the beach and off I was, my first lesson in Surfin!!! It was AMAZING, Im totally hooked! I managed to stand on the board!!!! and I managed to turn right and left!!! I was on a 9.4 board and then that was reduced to an 8!!! Ive a long way to go but I think I'm gonna be able to call myself a surfer (in a couple of years) !!! haha I even caught myself strutting around surfer style later on day 2 - it was hilarious!!! Don't worry I smirked to myself and shock it off! (immediately)

Reached the beach in one piece!

Love this shot - The Wipe Out - well 2secs before!

Unfortunately my Indonesian visa expired on the 15th leaving me only 2 nights in Bali. I didn't stop, lunch with Nat, finding Sunny, window shopping, dinner with Daphne and Carrie on Thursday night and surfing all day on Thursday and for 2 more hours on Friday morn before the mad dash to the airport: direction Borneo!!

The Surfin Crew, Sunny and the Girls.

It was fun and I must admit I might have to spend more time in Bali.... if I'm going to learn how to surf!!! haha - Told you I was hooked!

...walking through customs having just paid my departure tax 100,000 Rupiah ($10), the customs officer (so official for the 1st 2secs, then they smile that Balinese smile and they become your instant friend) asked me can you cancel your flight? I can extend your visa... Damn - I had told him it was a visa run to Borneo!!

I waked to the gate with a smile on my face and the waves still on my mind.

Ahhh La Vie Est Trops Belle!


13th - 15th June 2007

PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALOISIA!!!!

SUMBA

It was great to wake up in Sumba. I had heard that somewhere in town was an internet cafe and I was heading straight for it. A couple of admin chores and a million emails to be answered it actually felt like a visit to the office.

I made it back to the hotel in time to meet my Sumbanese pal Augustine and her fiance Alfred. We met on the ferry, she was terrified we were going to sink and it was my job to check the swell every now and then from the window and report back. I always returned nodding my head with a smile as if to say 'yeah we're fine' but she told me later... 'you were just trying to make me feel better.' hehe I was.

Chicken Farm

Sumba is famous for its ornamental wood carvings, Ikat (sarongs), traditional tall roofed bamboo houses, horse breeding and the huge Kampung tombs.

Typical houses

Kampungs

Lau (woman's sarong) Ikat (man's sarong)

We took a bus across the island to West Sumba. We had decided that I would base myself in a town called Waikabubak for a few days and then met them in Waikelo on the west coast so that I could visit her and her family at their village (traditional bamboo hut village) They were going home because Alfred wanted to marry her and had to have the chat with her Dad... It was all very exciting.

I had a wonderful time on the bus - I sat up in the front seat, often the best seat on a bus in terms of comfort but as far as safety goes, if he bus goes, here, you would go too.... :) The buses in Sumba were Fantastic. A cross between an old Maltese bus (again) and a suuped up monster truck from a Red Neck corner of the US.

I sat next to a certain 'Mr John'. He was a teacher, had a big family and used to live in East Timor. He and I whiled away the 5hr journey by teaching each other English/Indonesian and I also took photos of the village life we drove through.

It was fun, so much fun for all three of us in the front seats that the bus driver actually drove me to my guest house - talk about door to door service!! The bus actually drove off the road and into the guesthouse's drive. It was a funny sight. Goodbyes said, waves were waved and there I was in a town I had yet to read up on and not entirely sure why I was there. Am I traveling too fast??? I wonder... grrr

The room was ok, the numerous piles of wood dust on the floor under each piece of furniture were slightly disconcerting. This was a new one..... I wracked my brain, asking myself whether woodworm was a threat to my backpack or not :) I accepted the room dumped my bags and set off to explore. It was a dusty sleepy town and the only thing happening was a football match. I might also add that this was the end of day one in Sumba and I had only spotted one other westerner since arriving the night prior, he was staying at Merlin Hotel in Waingapu the hotel I stayed at once off the ferry. I hadn't seen a whitie all day which was a welcome break. So you can imagine, my turning up on the side lines of this match caused quite a stir. Photos were snapped and this produced the usual smiles all around, it was fun.

I also bought myself a new Indo SIM card which should have better coverage of the off the beaten track routes. The number is +6281353542173 and this is the number I'll use when back in Indonesia in July.

The next day I was up at dawn, literally. People here wake up here at 4am so 5am seemed, to them, to be a respectable time to make noise, a lot of noise should you want (they always do) afterall who on earth would still be asleep at this time.... but MEEE the only whitie on the island!!!!

I rented a motorcycle and mapped out a route to the beach through a couple of very traditional villages. It turned out to be beautiful day.

I spent some time in a couple of villages and spoke to the people for a while. The kids and a lady called Marta were particularly friendly. They lived in the village of Waigalli which was the first village I visited. They practically introduced me to the whole family.

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The woman in Sumba may have their legs tattooed after the birth of their first child as a mark of status. Often they'll use the same motifs that adorn their sarong. I saw the lady pictured below. She had tattoos all over her legs and arms I wanted to ask how many children she had had but they didn't speak much English in Praigoli so I was none the wiser.

In order not to offend when visiting villages here in Sumba you basically need some Sirih Pinang (Betel Nut), anything from a 10,000 to 20,000 Rupiah (1-2$) donation and a smile. Its quite simple and the effects are wonderful.







I always found one or two people (usually the litt'uns) who'd be able to translate and then there was always my very limited Indonesian which made them laugh... it was fun. I decided to go back to the hotel for a late lunch as I needed to free up space on my camera's storage cards.

AFTER LUNCH..... :)))))) Barefootin it in Waikelo Sawah!!!

Ummm get ready, this is a good op for you guys to have a laugh....

I had been told about Waikelo Sawah - this is a little village which is home to some of the most beautiful Paddy Fields. So off I sped on my little moto. :) Once I got there I was not disappointed. It was beautiful.

The only problem was that I realised the sun was already setting, therefore time was limited, the people were miles away and the tracks in the fields seemed to be really narrow. I also had my camera case, my waterproof bag and a helmet to carry.... I should have left the helmet locked under the bike seat. Oh well. So it was just going to be hard work.

Little did I know but most of my problems were solved a second later.... heheheeee I got about 5 meters into the field and down one level (ahem) when I suddenly thought: OPPS OHMYGOD I why I'm I moving so fast... ? hehehe I bloddy well fell in. My camera, in hand, had taken a slight dunking on the bottom left side but all was ok. The helmet was full of brown water and the waterproof bag well, it didn't matter it was waterproof. The first problem though, was how do I stand up? It was like quicksand, finding my flops etc (yes I was wearing them - lesson no. 2 - don't wear flip flops when navigating paddy fields, they don't) Luckily the front of my body was not covered in mud but the back from waist down was just thick in it :))) I managed to get out without getting into any further trouble and was really happy to see lines of people coming towards me. Wow problem solved I wasn't going to go through all this and not get a shot!! And one that included people, well they wouldn't be working in a rice field but they were there!!!

There was a lot of laughing and the fact that I didn't speak their language nor they mine didn't matter. We communicated well. Apparently a lot of tourists fall in every year, I wasn't the first! I asked them to help me as there was no way in hell that I was going to go back to the hotel covered in mud!

They made me follow them and I was led to the gutter on the side of the road. I had seen this countless times in Asia but had never tried it,,, I wonder why!!! :) This is where some Asians have their baths in the mornings or evenings!

I was put there surrounded by villagers all of whom were rice farmers. I got one of the younger ones to snap a shot (above) They took good care of me. You could tell they were intrigued by me, they were just friendly and respectful and we all had such a laugh, it was great.

But there you have it, I was one cold and wet gal that drove back to the hotel, trying to get the bike back to Ladru (my contact and friend at the Hotel) on time and somehow explain the wet helmet!!
Ladru was in hysterics - We really enjoyed it and I so wish I could've been a fly on the wall during his explaination to the helmet's owner. 'Why did she wash my helmet?'

The next morning I set off on a motorcycle taxi to Waikelo (not to be confused with Waikelo Sawah which is inland, this village is on the north west coast of the island - near the airport and also home to a 'luxury' resort.

To Be Continued...... (next: overnight in a bamboo traditional house)