Hi everyone ^^!!
Still about my recent get away during the FT holidays.
I heard a lot of stories about Semporna, a good one and also the scary part. Lols... I am stuck with Sam for few more days before he came back to Kuala Lumpur. This time, he would like to try to reach Semporna via the Kalabakan road. We left Beaufort about 10am and stopped by in Keningau to 'Tapau' some pizzas. At first, the road seems fine. I began to compare that road against the Ranau-Sandakan road, which I feel much better.
BUT few hours down the road, the gravel part of the road begin to surface. Most of the road were damaged by the logging/timber activities around Sepulut and Nabawan area. Kalabakan also one of the worst part of the road. No wonder most people choose the longer journey via Ranau-Sandakan.
Sometimes the huge hole on the road can cause the price of your car depending on the the way you drive. Thanks to Sam for being a very good driver. He seemed a bit pissed with the condition of the road but we have no other choice than keep on moving forward.
After hours and hours of driving, we reached Semporna about 7.30pm. We were very tired by the long journey. We took an early nap to wake up the next day in a fresh look.
According to Wikipedia, Semporna is the gateway to Tun Sakaran Marine Park, a group of 8 islands with dive sites on the Kapikan and Church reefs. Bodgaya Lagoon is home to eagle rays and barracudas. On Bohey Dulang Island, the rocky Bohey Dulang Nature Trail has panoramic views. Hawksbill and green turtles hatch their eggs on the biodiverse Pom Pom Island. Unfortunately, we do not have enough time to explore the island because we only have few hours before we make a move to its Capital City, Tawau.
We were wondering why most of the hotels were fully booked. According to the local, it is normal due to the Chinese tourist from the mainland. Sam and me also were mistaken as Chinese on few occasion and we keep on mentioning that we are local.
Sam's mom would like to have the Anchovies with the blue eyes and we try to find it at the local market but no avail. We spent few hours exploring the jetty but there is nothing much to see. It would be great if we can go to the island. Well, maybe next time!!!
Who would like to eat the GIANT KERAPU?? I thought this fish is just small. Normally, I only see them in smaller size... I never thought that they could be that BIG.
We took our lunch at the Scuba tiger holiday resort around the area of Kampung Tampi-Tampi. The food was nice, plus the beautiful ambiance by the seaside. The entrance fee was RM30 per person.
Before checking out from the Sipadan Inn 3, we enjoyed some yogurt ice cream and depart to Tawau about 3pm.
See you again Semporna, we will definitely come back with a swimming suit!! ^^
And the quest on finding the ANCHOVIES with the blue eyes continues.....