Fishing is FUN! I don’t understand why women never like it. So, for man who wants to get rid of his “sticky” girlfriend, just say you go fishing then she won’t follow you like a Remora (suckerfish), wahaha!
Fishing can be an addictive hobby, and you won’t be short of male companion to join you. During our trip to Mantanani, the Mermaid Island, the guys thought it’s probably a good idea to fish for “mermaid”. Ta-da!!! An angler team (men only of course) was formed in minutes and we couldn’t wait to start.
Pic: preparing fish bait (shrimp and squid)
You can book a fishing trip with tour operator of Mantanani Island. The cost for a 3-hour fishing trip is RM150 (?USD50) per person. A fiberglass small boat will bring you to a few coral reef areas near Mantanani, where the reef fishes concentrated.
Pic: 101 crash course on fishing
The boat provided everything from fish bait to fishing rod. They even taught me how to fish. The weather was not good, the sea was rough and it rained. However, it didn’t put off the passion of enthusiastic anglers like us. Six of us released the fishing lines at both side of the boat and waited quietly.
It didn’t take a long time to hook our first caught.
Shortly, we got another fish. Half of our caught were scad fishes.
I also got a grouper. Everyone caught something and we had a great time. We changed fishing location around the island 4 or 5 times.
Pic: the caught of the day by Jul, it’s a grouper weight nearly 1 KG.
Our bucket was full of fishes!
Below is a 30-sec video of our fishing trip:
We headed back to our lodge, Sayang-Sayang, just in time for our dinner, so we barbecued the small fishes. For the bigger fishes, we steamed them.
The BBQ fishes are almost ready. Our mouth was watering.
Pic: the crispy BBQ fishes
Fresh fishes taste best if steamed. It felt great to eat the fishes we caught than those we bought from fish market.
Dip the fish meat into sauce made of small chili, lime juice and soy sauce, and you can taste the heaven, the Sabahan style.
Photos taken in Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
Mantanani, the Mermaid Island of Sabah has become one of the favorite island destinations of tourists. Instead of day trip, many tourists want to spend a night or two on the lovely island. FYI, there are two budget accommodation on Mantanani Besar Island, namely Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge and Sayang-Sayang Hostel. Both are managed by Traverse Tours and just next to each other.
Below is the location map of both island accommodation: View My Sabah Map in a larger map
Please note you need to book the tour package to Mantanani Island in advance. Walk-in tourist may not be entertained. Just contact Traverse Tours for info.
1. Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge
Tourists love Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge because of its exotic design. The roof of each wooden lodge is covered with palm leaves, making it looks like a hut of a native tribe.
Pic: the entrance of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge
Pic: don’t you want to stay in this lodge?
There are two types of room in Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge (Online Booking available): 1) Standard Room (5 houses)
Each room can host maximum 4 guests. Mattress only and without attached toilet/bathroom. Rate per head per night: RM85* (≈USD26)
2) Deluxe Room (7 houses)
Each room can host 2 to 3 guests. Single or Twin queen/king size bed. With attached toilet/bathroom. Rate per head per night: RM120* (≈USD36)
*room rate as of Sep 2012. Note the rate is per head.
Below are more photos of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge.
Pic: standard room of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge
Pic: common bathroom of standard room
Pic: resting area under the lodge
Pic: deluxe room of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge is slightly further with more privacy
Pic: deluxe room of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge
Pic: bed of deluxe room
Pic: attached bathroom + toilet of deluxe room
Pic: reception counter of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge
Pic: list of services and rates. You may click the photo above to zoom in.
Pic: diving packages of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge
Pic: dining hall of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge. They have Wifi here but it’s not free.
The cafe is open from 8am to 9pm daily. The tour package is not full board, so you may need to buy meal here. They have variety of Asian and Western food such as salad, lamb/chicken chop, sandwich, snack, pasta, American breakfast, BBQ and fried rice/noodle. The price ranges from RM12 to 20 in average (≈USD3.60 to USD6).
Pic: fried rice with egg
Pic: souvenir shop where you can buy snack, soft drink and alcohol.
Pic: volleyball field
Pic: the cow from nearby village sometimes wandering around the lodge.
2. Sayang-Sayang Hostel
Sayang-Sayang Hostel is a new and cheaper accommodation less than 10 Meters away from Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge.
Pic: Sayang-Sayang Hostel
Sayang-Sayang Hostel has 4 rooms. Each room can take 6 to 8 people. The room rate per night per head is RM60 (≈USD18).
Pic: the room is very basic but clean. Mantanani is windy at night so it’s not too warm.
Pic: shady area with hammock outside the room. Watch out for red ants on the ground.
Pic: common bathroom and toilet of Sayang-Sayang Hostel, with mirrors and sinks outside. At the left is male toilet/bathroom, right side is for female.
Pic: toilet and bathroom. Hot water shower is available (6pm – 6am).
Pic: they have BBQ stoves. Bring some charcoal if you plan to have a barbecue party.
Pic: the beach is a few Meters away from both accommodation. You can see Mt. Kinabalu from there.
The power supply for both accommodation is available from 6pm to 6am. The check-out time is 9.30am. Hope this article gives you a good overview of the places to stay on Mantanani. Have a nice trip.
Photos taken in Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
Huffington Post says Sabah has one of the best sunset in the world. I guess there might be a few reasons. The sun looks bigger near equator. Our air is clean for better clarity of sunset view. The high humidity and dense cloud of our tropical climate also help to paint a more colorful and magnificent sky for sunset.
Below are 10 best places to see sunset in Sabah. I had personally visited all these locations. However, you need a bit of luck for seeing a beautiful sunset in good weather.
No. 10. Sutera Harbor
Only 2 KM from Kota Kinabalu city (KK), Sutera Harbor is highly accessible and it is next to 5-star Sutera Harbour Resort.
Unlike the bustling and noisy city, Sutera Harbor is a clean and quiet place for holiday, providing a better ambiance to appreciate sunset.
I rank Sutera Harbor as number 10 because its surrounding man-made structures don’t blend well into nature. I love the port view anyway.
No. 9. Bukit Padang
You need to workout a bit to earn the breath-taking view of sunset on top of Bukit Padang. Bukit Padang is a small hill in the most famous jogging park of KK, Tun Fuad Stephens Park.
Near the start of jogging track around Kampung Nelayan Seafood Restaurant, there is a nature trail that leads you to the top of Bukit Padang.
The uphill trail is a good training site for people who want to climb Mt. Kinabalu. You can see many people here during weekends. Just follow them, walk slowly and you will reach the top in 30 minutes. On top of Bukit Padang, you will have a bird-eye view of KK and the South China Sea.
Please note that there is no street light on the nature trail. You better bring a torchlight if you plan to see sunset and leave in the dark.
No. 8. Waterfront
Some may ask, “Just sunset no beer?” Ok, you may think beautiful sunset should go with beer, then Waterfront is for you. Waterfront is in the heart of KK and a famous Food & Beverage and Night-life center.
When sunset approaches, many tourists and locals congregate on the wooden open space platform facing the sea. There are plenty of choices for food and drink, for example, seafood, cocktail, BBQ lamb, beer, steak, chicken wing, fruit juice, western and Asian food, you name it.
After enjoying the sunset and sea breeze, you can continue your party in pubs and night entertainment centers nearby.
No. 7. Tanjung Aru Beach
If you ask our locals for nice place to see sunset, 99 out of 100 will say Tanjung Aru Beach. To KK folks, Tanjung Aru Beach holds an important place in their memories. Many build their first sand castle or bring their first love here.
Most come there for the sunset. There are some restaurants along the beach so you can dine with the big egg yolk (sunset). Or you can enjoy a cocktail at the Sunset Bar of Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort only a KM away.
You can see Sulug and Manukan Islands on South China Sea. After the sunset, you may walk about 200 Meters to Perdana Park nearby to watch Musical Fountain, which starts at 7pm, 7:30pm, 8pm and 8:30pm daily.
Above: the famous “fire cloud”, which looks like burning cloud. It usually displays in full intensity a few minutes after the sunset.
No. 6. Pom-Pom Island
Pom-Pom Island is one of the islands of Semporna at east coast of Sabah. Tourists love to spend a holiday in their water bungalow. Pom-Pom is facing Bohey Dulang island at west side.
You can see sunset of Bohey Dulang island from Pom-Pom Island. Legend says there is a beautiful Suluk princess, named Arung Salamiah, hiding on Bohey Dulang.
There is no resident, except resort guests, on Pom-Pom. The whole sandy white beach and sunset of Celebes Sea are totally yours.
No. 5. Tip of Borneo
Located on the northern-most tip of Borneo, the third largest island in the world, Tip of Borneo is the meeting point of two vast oceans, namely, South China Sea and Sulu Sea. Tip of Borneo is frequented by tourists even during daytime, due to its scenic beach and countryside.
However, when most tourists leave before dark, it’s the time The Tip of Borneo shows her true beauty to those who are keen to stay put.
When the sun sinks, the ultra wide sea horizon becomes an infinite stage for the rich colors of sunset, extending over the edges of your eyesight.
No. 4. Maliau Basin
To see how nature goes to sleep, you must visit Maliau Rim Observation Tower of Maliau Basin, in the middle of Sabah.
In contrast to tranquility of sunset, the sunset in this pristine forest reserve is accompanied by numerous bird chirping and animal calls around you. Due to deforestation, such lively rainforest sunset is very rare nowadays.
At the end of the sunset, thick mist covers the forest, like Mother Earth putting a blanket over her land before bedtime. I want to rank Maliau Basin as the BEST sunset site, but its accessibility is poor, you need to drive more than 200 KM on 4-wheel drive to reach this place.
No. 3. Weston River
Weston River is a popular river cruise destination for sighting of firefly and long-nosed monkey. However, it is something else that catches the heart of tourists.
After visiting Weston, almost every tourists will post the sunset photos on their Facebook and Instagram, because it is so breathtaking!
The colors of sunset in Weston is so intense that you can even capture it with low-end phone camera. The sky is painted red and yellow, and these colors are also reflected on the big Weston River.
It’s a sunset with sky, river and trees as canvas, no wonder everyone is crazy about it.
No. 2. Laban Rata
Laban Rata is the mid-way accommodation for climbers of Mt. Kinabalu, the highest mountain of Malaysia. All climbers stay here for a night, before they conquer the summit next day. During good day, most of them will be rewarded by the sunset above the cloud, which is 3,000 Meters above sea level.
No. 1. Kokol Haven Resort
Alright, I know you can’t wait to see the BEST sunset of Sabah. My favorite place for sunset view is Kokol Haven Resort on Kokol Hill!
Sunset view at Kokol Hill
Kokol Hill is the highest point in KK and it is only 35 KM away from KK. After you pass by Menggatal town, just turn to junction that leads you to St. Joseph Church. Your car will zig-zag on a winding and hilly road for nearly half an hour (for 10 KM) and reach Kokol Haven Resort at 750 Meters above sea level (see Location Map). I was really surprised to find a cooling place (20°C) only 40-minute drive from warm KK city.
Night view of Kota Kinabalu City
The resort is at the edge of Crocker Range Park and surrounded by forested hills. You can see KK city from Kokol Haven Resort. There is a viewing platform with some dining tables. You can eat and drink there while enjoying the sunset view.
Sunset at Kokol Haven Resort
Don’t leave right after the magic moment of sunset. Just wait for a few more minutes to see the mesmerizing city light of KK.
Do you agree with my ranking? You can vote and comment in the list (and even edit it) below. Let’s see if we share the same favourite. 🙂
Pekan Nabalu (“pekan” means town) is used to be a “toilet stop” for tourists heading to Kinabalu Park. Now this small town is flourishing and become a “must stop” for tourists.
Pekan Nabalu is only 12 KM before Kinabalu Park, so a lot of tourists stop here for toilet break or breakfast. Tourist buses love to stop here due to the ample and spacious parking space in Nabalu.
However, there are more reasons why tourists like to stop here but not other places.
The 15-Meter watch tower of Nabalu is so prominent at the roadside that every motorist passing by will notice it. Nabalu town is one of the best spots to see Mt. Kinabalu and its adjacent landscape. Tour Guides also like to bring climbers here for a “preview” of the mountain before the climb.
Above: the view of Mt. Kinabalu from watch tower
At the edge of the town there is also a platform to see Mt. Kinabalu. It’s an ideal photography point to use Mt. Kinabalu as your backdrop, as there is nothing obstruct the view, no tall trees, no electricity wire, etc. The mountain also looks very close as if you can hug it.
However, Mt. Kinabalu is covered in mist most of the time, so you need to be lucky to get a clear view of it. You will have better chance if you get there before 8am or 9am and the weather is good.
Above: group selfie with Mt. Kinabalu
Above: The information board at the platform to show you what peaks you are looking at.
Above: a lovely morning view of Mt. Kinabalu from Nabalu
Reason 2: Local Handicraft & Food Markets
Another reason that draws the tourists is the handicraft and food markets in Nabalu. The price is cheaper than city, provided that you have good bargaining skill. Don’t be shy to ask for discount.
Above: a corner of the food market
You can find rich variety of local food and produces. Almost every type of fruits, vegetables and snacks are available in the food market of Nabalu.
Above: honey with bee nest for RM85 (≈USD26)!
Above: hill paddy in 5 colors, RM5 per pack (≈USD1.50). The seller says the 1st one (from left) has aroma of maize, and the 3rd one is Pandan favor.
Above: local peanut
Above: they even have wild durian if you come at right season
There is a building with tons of handicraft and souvenirs line up in its 50-Meter long verandah. Being bombarded by so many colorful and beautiful items, very few tourists can resist not buying anything.
The shops sell almost any item that you can name, e.g. T-shirt, bags, stationary, key-chain, refrig magnet, puff toy, batik cloth, hats, baskets, purses, handicraft, photo frames, bead work, postcards. The things pile up like factory outlet and you will be spoiled with choices. Remember, ask for discount.
Reason 3: The Toilet
The last reason, but not the least, is the toilet. Though it’s not a 5-star toilet, it’s reasonably clean. The air in Nabalu is cool and refreshing, so it’s nice to take a short walk and stretch your muscle, after sitting so long in the car.
Above: public toilet, RM0.30 per entry (≈USD0.10)
Photos taken in Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo
Early this month I was driving to Kinabalu Park, when I was near the junction to Kota Belud, about 42 KM before Ranau, I saw a roadside stall selling a fruit that I’ve never seen before. As I was in a hurry, I didn’t pull over and check it out.
However, my curiosity keeps on bugging me and I couldn’t stop thinking what it is. After nearly 10 KM, I made a U-turn to come back to that stall. The fruit looks like mini-orange with smooth skin. The stall is quite striking with this orange-color fruit hanging and displayed all over the place.
The owner, Ms Latifah told me that this fruit is called Tampui or Tampoi. It’s a familiar name to me coz my friends who live in villages of highland told me about it, but I never taste one.
Latifah says this fruits are pluck in her orchard not far away. The Tampoi tree takes about 3 years to fully grown and it normally flowers near year end. This is a seasonal fruit that is only available between Jan and Mar.
Fruiting Tampoi tree
If you like, you can sample the fruit before buying.
Latifah is busy taking Tampoi from her bamboo basket (called “wakid”) and string them into a clump of ten, each is only sold for RM2 (≈USD0.60).
Actually I am more interested in photographing the stall as it looks so visually pleasing with these orange fruit. Latifah gladly agreed. I bet she was thinking who the heck I am coz I shot so many photos. I also bought Tampoi from her to show my appreciation.
Tampoi also grows in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, and Ambon.
Of course, photo-taking is not enough. I got to try one. Tampoi has very thick skin but it’s effortless to peel it into half to reveal the white pulp inside.
Tampo is known as puak by Iban in Sarawak, its fruit is also used to make a fruit wine.
Tampoi looks like mangosteen. Its pulp is divided into a few slices, each with a seed in it. However, unlike mangosteen, the pulp of Tampui is dry and slight harder. I ate it and it tastes sweet with a bit of sour, very similar to mangosteen but less sour. Actually Mangosteen is a Garcinia species, while the scientific name of Tampoi is Baccaurea macrocarpa.
The seed is small and has a layer of pulp glued with it. I believe such feature will make monkey consumes the whole seed, so Tampoi can take advantage of its mobility to spread to further place via excretion.
The story of an island boy and a friendly male dugong (named Nicky) in Mantanani was once featured in Discovery Channel. Besides their touching friendship, viewers are also impressed by the beautiful scene of the island. Due to the mysterious and human-like appearance of dugong, the people call it “mermaid”. Mantanani consists of three islands, namely, Mantanani Kecil, Mantanani Besar and Lungisan.
Two years ago, I had a 2-day-1-night trip in Mari-Mari Dive Lodge on Mantanani Kecil Island. Earlier this month, I decided to have a day trip to Mantanani Besar Island this time. FYI, as of this writing, the accommodation (Mari-Mari Dive Lodge) of Mantanani Kecil is destroyed by storm and will be open in later date.
Above: jetty at Abai Village
There are a few tour operators such as Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge on Mantanani Besar. You need to book the tour with them for day / overnight trip on Mantanani, they will arrange the land transport and boat transfer for you. First, a tour bus will bring you to jetty of Kg. Abai (Abai Village) in Kota Belud in the morning (now boat transfer from Kota Kinabalu is also available daily). The land transfer takes about 1.5 hours. A day trip to Mantanani costs about RM300 (about USD90), which includes return transport, lunch and 2 snorkeling (with gears).
Then you will take a boat at jetty to transfer to Mantanani. The boat ride takes about an hour, depend on the sea condition. It’ll take longer time if the sea is rough during bad weather. I know it’ll be a good day when I see the face of Mt. Kinabalu is clear of mist.
Everyone on the boat is in happy mood and we enjoy the ride and breeze. The ride took less than 1 hour.
Probably most are first-time visitors. I heard lot of WOW and WAH when they saw the crystal blue sea of Mantanani Besar. Many stood up and took photos like crazy and they couldn’t wait to get out of the boat to take a dip. The visibility is so good that we can see the corals deep in the water. You can watch the 2-min video below:
Unlike the yellow sand we see in other beaches, the sand on this island is white and as fine as powder.
Frankly, I don’t mind resting in this little hut and watch the sea all day long. You may watch the 40-sec video below to see the surrounding:
You can see Mt. Kinabalu and mainland from this side. What’s better than having blue sky, peaceful sea and our iconic mountain in one open view?
Above: Sayang-Sayang, the place we have our break and lunch.
Above: toilets nearby Sayang-Sayang
Above: a friendly cat
Above: a cattle asks for a share of our lunch. It’s from a nearby village of islanders. It doesn’t swim all the way here from mainland.
Above: The Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge of Mantanani Besar looks really nice. Too bad I was on a day trip. There are about 10 of them and each house can host 4 guests. The starting price is about RM80/night per person. They will build more houses like this at Sayang-Sayang soon.
Above: reception counter of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge
Above: Cafe of Mari-Mari Backpackers Lodge. We collected our snorkeling mask, fin and life jacket behind this cafe.
Our day trip includes 2 snorkeling. You may go for Diving Package instead, which costs RM500 (about USD150) and includes 2 discovery scuba diving (no diver license required) in water of 3 to 7 Meters in depth.
Our first snorkeling site is near Magic Rock, an area near Mantanani Kecil Island. Though our snorkeling sites are far from shore, the depth is only 2 to 3 Meters only. The sea there is quite choppy and we were being tossed around by rough waves. At first I was having fun, then I started to feel dizzy after 10 minutes. All of us got seasick and felt very uncomfortable.
After returning to island for a lunch break, our boatman took us to second snorkeling site near the sand bars. This time the sea is calmer, but the water is quite cool and the current is strong too. Instead of fighting with the current, I just stay relax and let myself flow with the current and I was sent to a warmer zone. Then I felt something stinging me like mosquito. I look carefully and find that I’m in a swarm of translucent jelly bug! Their stings are very light so no worry. I saw a few tiny flashing jellyfishes, so cool..
Above: I wonder what is on that sand bar. Too bad we didn’t explore it. There might be tons of seashells and corals on it?
Frankly speaking, I’m a bit disappointed with what I see during snorkeling. Even though I still see quite a number of fishes, many corals are dead and the rest don’t look healthy, probably damaged by blast fishing (fish bombing). If you go for snorkeling, the corals at Rocky Point and Magic Rock near Mantanani Kecil Island are still in great shape.
Banana is one of the most popular fruit in the world. People use banana fruit in making cake, dessert, ice-cream, etc.
But, do you know that other part of banana tree is edible too?
In Malaysia, banana bud is a delicacy and even monkey knows it.
However, in Miki Survival Camp in Kota Belud, I learn that banana trunk is edible too!
Not the whole trunk is edible though, first you need to remove the outer layer of banana trunk to get its core (the edible part). The banana “core” is so smooth and white that it looks like a PVC plastic pipe.
Then cutting the core into smaller pieces and pull out the thread-like fiber in the core, otherwise it will taste sticky and weird.
At last cook it with coconut milk and a banana vege is ready to be served. Though it is not my favorite, it tastes ok. For those who lose in jungle, they can consume the banana trunk after they finish the banana. This can save their lives.
You may watch the 1-min video below:
My grandfather and mother were used to feed the pigs with banana trunk too in old day. They take the whole banana trunk and chop it into pieces then cook it with husk and other unwanted stuffs.
In a night walk inside Sabah highland forest, Jimmy shouted, “Hey! There is a horned frog here!” “Where?” I asked. I only saw him pointing his torchlight to a leaf. He picked up the “leaf” and showed me a Bornean Horned Frog (Megophrys nasuta) that I had been dreaming of photographing.
Suddenly, this Bornean Horned Frog became a superstar and everyone was busy photographing it. With “horns” on its head, this horned frog looks grumpy and so evil that if a princess kisses it, I believe it would turn into a demon, the prince of darkness, instead of a handsome prince riding on white horse. Just kidding, it’s a very gentle frog.
However, many told me that this one looks special as its throat is bright-orange in color.
Its “horn” is a pointy and triangular projection from the edge of the eyelid. In fact, this structure makes horned frog looks like foliage on forest floor. It remains stealth and still, waits and snaps the unsuspecting preys that passing by.
Don’t you think that it’s cute? I love horned frog.
Besides horned frog, there were many other frogs after the rain, when the snakes are less active. I took a lot of photos of frogs and other small creatures, and share them in this album. Thank you Mr. Kelvin Kueh (Anurans researcher from Universiti Malaysia Sabah) for the identification of the frog species.
We also saw a very tiny frog but don’t know what species it is. Anyone can tell if it is the smallest frog in the world?
