Sabah in December 2009 - Part 2

After we got the diving out of the way, then the question will be - what else is there to do? Hmm...

Of course we will balik kampung to Beaufort, to rest and relax.


This time the whole gang decided to go to Kuala Penyu for a picnic and frolic by the sea. It's about 45 minutes away from Beaufort (but i bet i can do better breaking the speed limits!)


Kuala Penyu is the gateway to the famed Pulau Tiga, where Survivor Season 1 was shot. I'm no fan of reality shows so i can't tell you if it was good or bad :p  .


Our party made our way to the beach there (if you can call it that), where there is a jetty with people fishing and hanging out.

The view is pretty good, and it's nice to walk up and down the jetty, admiring the coastline and the skyline which usually boasts some amazing cloud patterns.

Makan time! Surprisingly a lot of food came along with us, and it was fun...

After all the food, it is main-daun time!

In deep concentration playing cards... the lil' one is learning early

Back at home in Beaufort, anytime is a good time for a barbeque seafood dinner!

This city boy had to go check out the chicken coop for fun

Eggs waiting to hatch I think. Mama Chicken is nowhere to be found, luckily, or she might give me a peck or two

Next was a day trip to Labuan. Sad to say, there was nothing much going on there, and i think people just go there for the duty-free booze and ciggies, and perhaps even the chocolates.

It's a laid-back kinda place to live in, i suppose, which has its perks, like not having any traffic jams!

Labuan is also a place to dive ship-wrecks, but sadly, it was a Sunday and all the shops were closed...

Getting there means going to Menumbok (half-hour or so drive from Beaufort) for a two-hour ferry to Labuan. It's a slow ferry so it's more like a cruise, especially if we sit outside on the upper deck to catch the sun and breeze.

View from the Menumbok jetty - simply picturesque!

Getting on board the ferry in the blazing hot sun for the return journey

This is i believe the Christmas party at Chris' relatives' house in Papar - plenty food, booze and karaoke into the night!

And that's the highlights of this Sabah trip... 

Sabah in December Part 1 - Feeding the addiction

So after having earned my Open Water certification, it was going to be a three-month wait before I hit the seas again. It's helluva long wait ok for those who's been hit by the diving bug. For those who've experienced it, there's a symptom I call the 'Scuba Dream' - it's a very vivid dream of going diving, the sort of experience we don't want to wake up from.

December 2009, and it is the year-end trip to Sabah for Chris and I. It's always lovely to 'balik kampung', and now there's the added incentive of going diving at the Taman Tuanku Abdul Rahman (Taman TAR) marine park. Just a 10-minute boat ride from KK, these islands ( Mamutik, Sapi, Gaya, Suulug, Manukan, et al ) provide a quick getaway for some fun in the sun, and now, provide the very convenient opportunity to do some diving near the city centre.

I must say the visibility isn't great, the marine life nothing to shout about, but it's still good enough to enable me to practice my skills and satisfy the craving for blowing bubbles...

I did get the chance to see turtles, stingrays, and all the fishies in the ocean. But what sets Tmn TAR apart is the macro life. Gobies, shrimp, feather stars, and all those little things that scutter about between the rocks and on the sand.

On the boat heading to the dive site near Pulau Sapi, damn excited to hit the sea after such a long time away.

All dressed up and ready to go. The divemaster, Judan, and I ready to do the back-roll entry in.

While in Sabah, plenty of time to do composite pictures like this    : )

No underwater camera yet so no shots below the waves.

And that was a very good day indeed.

With the diving all done on day one of the trip, we shall put up more pics and stories of my always-enjoyable trip to the Land below the Wind...

Presenting on the big screen...

It was movie night so off we went to catch Salt with Angelina Jolie - wow she really kicks ass in this movie.  It's fast and furious action all the way in this one. Leave brains at door.

Only thing that irritates me is it leaves the door open for more sequels to come. Like a Bourne series for this decade i suppose.

Makes me wanna watch Kick-Ass again. That takes my vote for Action Movie of the Year - the 12-year old Chloe Moretz just steals the show and does twice (and perhaps even thrice) the damage that Angelina does in Salt. You gotta watch it to believe it! WHAM BANG !!! NO THANK U MA'AM.... or little MISS Hit-girl in Kick-Ass...

Back to the idiot box now.

We learn to blow bubbles

After the tragedy we faced last year, I suppose we've recovered. Sufficiently. I don't think our lives will ever be the same again, and this will define how we live our lives out in the near future, at least.

On a brighter note, I did go and achieve one life-long dream - SCUBA DIVING ! This happened in August 2009, and it was GREAT fun!

 Redang is truly a beautiful place with lovely white beaches, clear water like glass, and totally relaxed - recommended for your island getaway!

Leisure Divers at Redang Reef Resort. Great place to go snorkelling right off the rocks to the left. Also, at night, one of the attractions is the bio-luminescent blue-green algae on the sands of the beach here - really unique!

Dive course - read the manuals and watch the DVD - yawnnnn.. i'm sure i nodded off once or twice during the presentation!

First time out learning all the pros and cons - the start of an adventure!

That's me in full gear. Heavy, this stuff.

And after all the 'hard' work - certified diver! This is the Project Aware version - made a contribution for marine conservation, read more about them from the link there. Hope my AUD30 went to good use.

And so, that was the month of August, 2009... have gone to other places to dive after that, will put up more pics later. 

Happy day to you all!