Tag Archives: Semporna

10 Best Places to see Sunset in Sabah

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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. 🙂

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Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Speargun Fishing

It was a quiet morning in Semporna. I setup my camera and tripod, and waited for the magic moment of Semporna sunrise. Due to the cloudy sky, the sunrise was not particularly impressive. Then I saw a sea Bajau paddling a canoe and headed to my direction.

Being focus in the sunrise shots that I wanted to get, I just ignored this common scene in the sea of Semporna.

But what this fisherman did next stimulated my curiosity. He submerged his head into the water and maneuver the boat with one foot, as if he was looking for something.

Then I noticed he carried a speargun.

But no worry. He was hunting for fishes under the stilt houses of a sea resort.

As the sunrise was over, I just observed him from a distance. He had a fruitful day, he got a fish every few minutes, even better than fishing.

He seemed happy with his caught too. After getting 6 or 7 fishes. He gave me a friendly smile and left. The morning was back to silence again.

You may watch the 30-sec video below to see him fished:

My mom was an expert in speargun fishing too. She made her own speargun with umbrella metal stretcher, rubber tyre, wood, string and iron wires. Then she would catch a lot of fishes and prawns in river with her brothers. Every time she told me this same old childhood stories, her eyes sparkled, like she was recalling a happy past, though her family was so poor that time. Fish is a vital source of protein for poor men.

From that fisherman, I saw how my mother lived.

Photos taken in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Islands of Semporna

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Half of the popular attractions of Malaysia are sea and islands. Besides the tropical weather, white sandy beaches and crystal clear seawater, the islands of Sabah are rich in marine biodiversity. The sea of Semporna lies inside the Coral Triangle, “The Amazon of the Seas” that covers six countries, and Malaysia (North and East of Sabah) is one of them.

With an area equal in size to half of the United States, Coral Triangle is home to 75% of coral species, more than half of the world’s reefs, 3,000 species of reef fish, and seven species of marine turtle. In year 2014 there were about 65,139 tourists came to dive in Sabah. You can bet most of them dive in one of the recommended islands below:

Pom Pom Island

Pom Pom is 45 minutes by boat from Semporna. This island has almost everything what a tourist expects for a dream holiday on island. The chalets are built with traditional local methods which make them blend nicely with the ambiance of the island.

What I really like about Pom-Pom is its environmental-friendly approaches to operate the resort. For example, they have a turtle hatchery to protect the turtle eggs, a reverse osmosis re-cycling rainwater system to cut down pollution from importing of water, and the waste water and residual waste is re-cycled and used for irrigation and fertilization for their gardens.

As tourists are getting more conservation-conscious, green resort like Pom Pom should Resort should be a role model for other island resorts to follow.

>> Click Here to read more about Pom-Pom

Mataking Island

Mataking is well-known as a romance island, even for newlyweds from Italy. In fact Mataking is a 2-in-1 island, with 20 acres of land divided between two islands, namely Mataking Kecil and Mataking Besar. During low tide, you can walk to other island on long stretch of sandy beach that connects two islands.

For divers, you can post a letter in “Underwater Post Office”, the first of its kind in Malaysia. The mailbox is on Mataking 1, an old 40-foot wooden cargo ship sank by Mataking in March 2006, to create an artificial reef.

For non-divers, you may laze on the beach or try activities such as Jamu Spa, batik painting and kayaking. You also can join night trekking to see fireflies, turtles and the rare coconut crab.

>> Click Here to read more about Mataking

Kapalai Island

Kapalai is a magic island, as the island will “disappear” during high tide. Kapalai was once a beautiful island 200 years ago, but due to land erosion, now what remains is a narrow sandy bar only visible during low tide. This makes its wooden accommodation looks like a floating resort.

The chalets are built on high wooden stilts on the sand and connected by boardwalk. At night you can see marine lives such as lionfish, sting ray and even turtle swim under the walkways. There is an opening on the deck of the restaurant. You can see schools of fish passing under the viewing hole.

On Kapalai, you feel like you are living in the middle of the ocean, not just an island.

>> Click Here to read more about Kapalai

Mabul Island

Mabul is one of the best muck-diving sites in the world. When I saw Mabul, I was amazed by abundant of corals growing so near to the shore. This is quite impossible when the island has over 2,000 of residents. Thanks to the tour operators who engage the local community on conservation, the marine ecology of this island is recovering from its history of fish bombing.

Just drop off from the end of the jetty for a dive or snorkeling, you would see variety of macro life such as flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, spike-fin gobies and frogfish. Mabul is near to Sipadan, an ideal stop-over for divers who want to dive in Sipadan. The resorts and dive operators on Mabul have been trying to involve the locals in beach and underwater clean-ups, coral transplanting and environmental education. One of them even pays the villagers to collect the garbage, which otherwise would end up in the sea. For some guest houses, I hope they could be more eco-friendly, for example, I don’t feel comfortable to see my bath water goes directly into the sea.

>> Click Here to read more about Mabul Island

Sipadan Island

As one of the top 10 dive sites in the world, Sipadan doesn’t need more introduction. Sipadan is the only oceanic island of Malaysia. This mushroom-shape island was formed by living corals growing on top of an extinct undersea volcano, which rises 600 Meters from the ocean floor.

There a total of 12 dive sites in Sipadan, and the most recommended dive sites are the Barracuda Point, South Point, Hanging Garden and Turtle Cavern. Most divers can spot many green and hawksbill turtles, sharks and school of large fishes in a single dive.

However, please save Sipadan (best) for the last. I feel uneasy when divers, who just earn their cert, say, “Now I want to go to Sipadan!” The water current in Sipadan is a bit strong. We don’t want those clumsy new divers, who cannot control their buoyancy totally, kick and crush the fragile corals by accident. And please stop chasing and touching the sea turtles!

That’s a right decision that the government asked all the dive resorts moved out of Sipadan in year 2004, to preserve the island’s pristine state. The number of divers allowed to dive in Sipadan is also limited to 120 persons a day. Although the tourism ministry is constantly pressured by the tour operators to increase the daily quota, I am glad that government’s determination to protect the marine ecosystem doesn’t change.

>> Click Here to read more about Sipadan Island

Tun Sakaran Marine Park

In photo exhibition of Sabah, if you see those beautiful photos of primitive stilt houses over turquoise sea water, usually with a kid paddling a boat in foreground, very likely they are taken in the islands of Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP).

Above: viewing from Semporna town, Tun Sakaran Marine Park looks like a “Sleeping Old Man”.

Also known as the Semporna Islands Park, TSMP consists of eight islands (i.e. Bohey Dulang, Bodgaya, Sebangkat, Selakan, Mantabuan, Sibuan, Maiga, Church Reef and Kapikan Reef) and is the largest marine park of Sabah. With a size of 350 sq KM, it also has the largest concentration of coral reefs in Malaysia.

Even though this park is not as popular as Sipadan, TSMP has more biodiversity in terms of species and habitats. Total species recorded in TSMP includes 544 species of coral reef fish, 255 species of hard coral, 70 species soft coral, 140 species sponge, 265 species mollusc and 109 species echinoderms. I think it is better to keep the Park as pristine as it is, rather than promoting it as a dive paradise.

>> Click Here to read more about Semporna Islands Park

How to get there?

Semporna is a small town and doesn’t have any airport. To go there, you need to take a flight (by Malaysia Airlines or AirAsia) from Kota Kinabalu City, capital of Sabah, (or from Kuala Lumpur of Peninsular Malaysia) to fly to Tawau airport. You can hire a taxi from Tawau Airport to go to Semporna, which takes about an hour. It costs about RM200-RM250 (≈US$50-US$62) per taxi, which is a standard sedan that can take 4 passengers (but may end up only can take 1 or 2 people, if you have diving equipment and lot of big luggages). Taxi is always available in Tawau Airport, because the taxi drivers keep track of the arrival of flights.

The best arrangement is to book the accommodation or tour in advance, and request the resort / dive operator to fetch you at Tawau Airport. They would charge a fee of RM50-RM60 per head (≈US$12.50-US$15) and normally pick you up by van (more space).

Do not go to Tawau city and take a taxi to Semporna from there, it’s a waste of traveling time (take nearly 2 hours).

Photos taken in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Lepa Fun Ride with Queens

Even though the Annual Regatta Lepa Festival in Semporna is over many months ago, I want to add more info to this most colorful cultural event of Sea Bajau people in Sabah’s east coast. Lepa means “boat” in Sea Bajau dialect. I have blogged about lepa a few times, you may read my previous articles about regatta lepa festival 2005 and 2008.

During the festival, Sea Bajau, also known as Sea Gypsies, will decorate their traditional lepa boats with colorful canvas and flags. And thousands of locals and tourists will flow into this small town, it is always so crowded that all hotels are fully booked.

Hundred years ago, Sea Bajau spent most of their lives on lepa boats. They cooked, ate, slept, traveled and gave birth on-board. They only came to the shore to bury the dead, as they believe that they were cursed and not allowed to walk on dry land. Of course, thing is different today. Most Sea Bajau lives along the coast and work mainly as fishermen.

Hearing about their history, aren’t you curious to take a look inside the lepa boat? The Sea Bajau people were using lepa to travel between Sabah, Philippines and Indonesia by sea.

Still not interested to check it out? Hey, see what is waiting for you on the boat. It’s a Sea Bajau dancer in beautiful traditional costumes.

Besides long line of traditional lepa boats on display, one of the highlights of Regatta Lepa is that each boat has someone dancing on it and accompanied by loud music from drum, gong and kulintangan (idiophones). The dancer(s) can be a pretty girl, a child, a couple or even a family.

Though I have visited Regatta Lepa the 4th time, the scene is always eye-catching and I can’t stop clicking shutter button.

The dancers move and shake their fingers, hands, shoulder, wrist and feet gracefully, as they dance Igal-Igal. The dance is mesmerizing and it can be seductive (if the dancer intends to).

You will definitely notice the dancers wearing long metal fingernails, which is known as Janggay, a nail extension to emphasize the graceful movement of fingers. Janggay can be a simple cut-out from aluminum Milo tin. But I notice over the years the nails are getting more fashionable by having more colorful ornaments and shiny accessories on them.

Every year this festival also holds Lepa Queen Beauty Pageant in Semporna town field (padang) at night. Usually I skipped this show because the field was so packed with people that I could hardly moved. Anyway, I paid a visit this year and got some photos. The contestants are judged based on their beauty, traditional costumes, dancing skill and IQ. Just click the link below to view the photos:

Don’t forget to take a fun ride on lepa boat if you come to Regatta Lepa (usually in April of every year). It is something new and cost only MYR20 per person per trip.

The best time to take the ride is in the morning, when the day is not too warm and everyone is full of energy. If you go in late afternoon, the lepa dancers may be taking a rest or leave earlier to prepare for beauty pageant.

The lepa boat will take you for a 20-minutes trip on the sea. Every tourists come back with happy smile, a nice way to wrap up the whole lepa experience I guess. Do take a few photos for your album.

You may watch the following 30-sec video of Lepa fun ride:

More Photos

You may check out the photo album of Lepa fun ride for more nice pictures:

Related Posts:
Regatta Lepa 2005
Regatta Lepa 2006
Regatta Lepa 2008

Photos taken in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Monkey in Semporna

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Because of Sipadan Island, Semporna town is now well-known as a gateway to world-class diving sites. Divers are impressed by the underwater world, but they don’t know the endangered and famous Proboscis Monkey are also found in Semporna. If you are a scuba diver, to avoid decompression sickness, you know you have to wait 12 to 24 hours before departing on a flight.

Therefore, during the waiting time, it is a great option for divers to join a river cruise in Semporna, to see the long-nosed monkey of Borneo. The tour costs about RM125 (less than USD$40) per person. Below is the itinerary:
3:30pm: Depart from Semporna by land to Kg. Tunggulangan
4:15pm: Tea break
4:45pm-6:30pm: River cruise
6:30pm: BBQ seafood dinner
7:30pm: Return to Semporna/Tawau

Of course, non-divers also can join the tour. Just book the river cruise package at www.borneotourstravel.com (Borneo Semporna Proboscis River Cruise). The show has begun by the moment we reached the site in Kg. Tunggulangan, which is about 20 KM away from Semporna town. The worker placed some food on a feeding platform next to the entrance, to attract about 20 long-tailed macaque monkey for the fest.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Semporna River Cruise

Last year I was told that the monkeys there were shy and not used to human. After being fed for a period, now these monkey have no fear about our presence, even though we are only a few feet away. You can take very clear photos of them.

However, they are still wild, so better don’t get too near to them. They do bite if they feel threaten. I have no doubt the monkey in photo above have the balls to do so.

Then we took a short walk on a wooden boardwalk, which is built in the mangrove forest.

The mangrove trees grow on intertidal zone, which is flooded during high tide, so they have stilt root that allows them to breathe and anchor themselves firmly in the mud.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Semporna River Cruise

The boardwalk led us to an Activity and Dining Hall built next to the river. We had our afternoon tea break before the river cruise.

Above: the building is inside the mangrove forest. Please bring insect repellent coz there are mosquitoes in this area.

Above: the hall and the jetty of Borneo Semporna Proboscis River Cruise.

Above: the route map of our river cruise. Our boats departed at 4:30pm to explore Sungai Tohok (Tohok River) and Sungai Buaya (Buaya River) to look for proboscis monkey. We also went to Pegagau to check out the egrets.

Our boat cruised slowly on the river to spot for wildlife on the trees.

The mangrove here is a forest reserve, which means it is protected from being cut or clear, so the trees here remain intact. This area has become the sanctuary for different birds and wildlife.

Above: the seeds of the mangrove trees. Once ripen, they will fall into the river and float to somewhere else to germinate.

Above: I have to say that Semporna has very beautiful mangrove. I saw many picturesque green reflection like above in the river.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Semporna River Cruise

Our boatman is busy looking for monkey. He has very sharp vision, as if he has X-ray eyes that can see through dense layers of trees.

Finally we spotted a female proboscis monkey sitting high on top of a tree.

Soon we found more proboscis monkey. I notice that the proboscis monkey here are very elusive, unlike those who are already used to tourists in Klias and Kinabatangan. All of them fled into the mangrove before our boats came close.

Some of them even carrying baby.

Our guide, Soon Lee, spotted a male proboscis monkey deep inside the wood.

The male proboscis monkey was sitting on a root, with his back facing us.

We want to see his big nose so badly, so we move our boat as close as we can. We tried really hard to look at him through the gap between the woods, like how a peeper watches his target in bathroom.

Luckily it made a move and we were so happy to see his sexy big nose, though it was only a split second. The long nose of male proboscis monkey is a sex symbol to attract female. Later we saw 3 or 4 herds of proboscis monkey. That is considered our lucky day. In bad day, visitor may not see any proboscis monkey.

Below is a 3-minute video of our river cruise tour:

Click Here to watch wider video.
>> Click Here to see more photos of Semporna River Cruise

Proboscis monkey is not the only wildlife here. There are some birds around too, like the friendly white-collared kingfisher above.

My favorite bird is the white-bellied woodpecker above. Its look is so cartoon.

But the animals which steal the show is a pair of Brahminy Kite. The worker threw a few slices of chicken skin on the river, then we spent about 10 minutes watching both Brahminy Kite showing their high-speed & high-accuracy grasping skill in flight. Brahminy Kite is the commonest bird of prey in Borneo. In Iban belief, Brahminy Kite is an omen bird that represents senior God.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Semporna River Cruise

We reached Pegagau River around 6pm, the start of sunset cruise.

We saw many groups of egrets (most are cattle egret) flying over the river, then they all congregated on a few mangrove trees. It is quite a view to see dozens of them perched on a few trees.

Our river cruise ended at 6:30pm and we were back to the jetty to have our BBQ seafood dinner. I forgot to take photo so I only remember we had tiger prawn and satay. It was dark when we walked out on the boardwalk, and we saw many twinkling fireflies on the trees on both sides! Overall, this trip is a fun experience.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Semporna River Cruise

Photos taken in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Pom-Pom Island – looking for bom-bom girls

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Pom-Pom Island is a relatively new destination compared to other islands such as Sipadan and Mabul in Semporna, Sabah. Few people know that Tun Sakaran Marine Park (TSMP), also known as Semporna Islands Park, is the most reachable from Pom-Pom. In fact, TSMP is currently the biggest marine park of Malaysia and has richer marine ecology and biodiversity than Sipadan in terms of macro lives, many new species wait to be named and discovered.

Pom-Pom Island is 45-minute by boat from jetty of Semporna town. There are two accommodations on Pom-Pom. I was going to Pom-Pom Island Resort, the one which operates in environment-friendly manner. Without any fishing village and island residents, tourists enjoy more privacy on Pom-Pom. Don’t confuse Pom-Pom with another island named Bum-Bum.

The white sandy beach and crystal clear sea are as spectacular as other islands in Celebes Sea. Under the hot tropical sun, everyone just can’t wait to jump into sea. We even saw lion fishes and many other fishes under the jetty. To say it in a tacky way, Pom-Pom looks like the picture in dream holiday ad. Visitors can swim, dive, snorkel and kayak around the island.

In case you wonder if Pom-Pom Island has many hot pom-pom girls…

Actually Pom-Pom gets its name from the “Pom-Pom” tree (photo above), which is abundant on the island.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Pom-Pom Island

We checked in at their activity hall and restaurant (photo above). Welcoming drink was served (but no dancing Pom-Pom girls). It’s very nice that they sent our heavy luggage to our chalet with mini-tractor. I’ve been hearing positive feedback about the excellent service of Pom-Pom. Basically they take care of everything, so you are worry-free. They can even pick you up at Tawau Airport.

Island Chalets

>> Click Here to see more photos of Pom-Pom Island

Of course the most luxurious chalet is the Water Villa built on the sea, and of course I can’t afford it. Anyway, I was busybody a bit and took a few photos of Water Villa (see 4 photos above).

I remember an incident that a hotel put me and my male colleague in a room with honeymoon setting. There is only a transparent glass between the room and bathroom, so I can see what my roommate doing in toilet. I am not that “open-minded”, so I requested the hotel to give us a “normal” room. Well, even if sharing room with wife, I don’t think it’s romantic to see her wiping her butt after doing number 1?

Though I stayed in Beach Villa (photo above), it’s already a 5-star lodging to me. Yes, the chalet has electricity, hot shower, light, fans and air-conditioning, and the room is spacious.

Pom-Pom is a small island that needs only 40 minutes to walk one round, but it’s big enough to have the soil to plant fruits such as Papaya and Dragon Fruit. After sunset, a large number of fruit bats (flying fox) will fly to this island to enjoy the fruits. The big bats are just everywhere after dusk. By the way, they have jogging and cycling tracks on the island.

I went for a bird-watching hunt around the island. The sighting of Barred Rail is reported on this island. This bird species is common in Philippines but it is only recently spotted and added to the list of birds found in Sabah. I was told that it likes to wander in the grass near the fruit garden, but too bad I didn’t see it. I saw other birds such as sunbirds and kingfisher.

You can find a sense of humor in many little things on the island..

Mr. Bean dustbin?

Kampung House? (Village House)

>> Click Here to see more photos of Pom-Pom Island

OMG, a Plate Warmer? This is the first plate warmer I see in Sabah. I love food to be served on warm plate. One thing that Sabah “kopitiam” (Malaysian coffee shop) always make me mildly pissed off is when they give me the plate and spoon that are still wet. I think it is kind of disgusting.

Pom-Pom Island Resort also invests on reverse osmosis (R.O.) plant to use rainwater. It is the only island in Sabah employs such green technology. They also plan to use wind energy in future.

Below is a 2.5-min video about Pom-Pom:

Click Here to watch bigger video.

BOHEY DULANG

From Pom-Pom, you can clearly see Bohey Dulang, one of the islands of Semporna Islands Park.

According to the legend, a notorious Sultan of South Philippines eyed on Arung Salamiah, a beautiful princess lived on Bum-Bum Island, so her parents hid her on Bohey Dulang island. She vanished few days later and people believe that she was hidden by the spirits on the island and turned into fairy. Locals say they could hear her singing and her dog barking during full moon, and even occasionally see her walking on the island.

The romantic story of Arung Salamiah was even played in Sabah Fest 2010.

We dropped by Bohey Dulang island on the first day, not to visit Salamiah, but to look at the giant clam nursery. I blogged about this giant clam nursery before. FYI, you may snorkel here because they release many giant clams in front of the giant clam nursery.

We also checked out the cultivation of abalone on the island. The species of our abalone is relatively smaller.

Our initial itinerary included a 30 to 45 minutes trekking up to the high point of Bohey Dulang (probably Salamiah stood on this hill before?), to get a bird eye view of Tun Sakaran Marine Park. Due to time constraint, we had to cancel the plan, too bad, next time then.

Mantabuan

Later Pom-Pom sent us to Mantabuan Island for snorkeling. Being one of the islands of bio-diversified Semporna Islands Park, we saw so much in only 8 Meters of depth! Luckily coral bleaching does not affect the cooler Celebes Sea of Semporna, so the corals are in great shape. In merely 1 hour of snorkeling, we saw stack horn, brain corals, blue corals, lettuce corals, thorns of stars, huge sea cucumbers, puffer fish, crocodile fishes and 3 Green and Hawsbill Turtles!!! I was told by my friends that they also spotted turtle when they snorkel near the jetty of Pom-Pom in next morning. A scuba diver also said that she found 13 turtles in the sea in front of the jetty.

Above: Mantabuan Island

The sea current was not strong and the visibility was about 9 Meters. To see more, you can join scuba diving to see the precious black corals in deeper water. It’s about RM365 (USD$110) for 2 boat dives, permit fee and rental of dive equipments. Pom-Pom Island Resort has a dive center.

Night Patrol

Another feature of Pom-Pom is the night patrol for sighting of turtle laying eggs. The staffs of Pom-Pom were trained as the wildlife warden, so they know the right steps and measures on conservation of sea turtles. The nesting records will be submitted to WWF and Sabah Wildlife Department. The guests were offered a night walk with the guides around 8pm.

No turtle nest found during my stay. I only saw a ghost crab on the beach. The luck was not with us that night.

If any turtle nests on Pom-Pom, for better survival rate, the staffs will collect the eggs and move them to a protected turtle hatchery next to the dive center. The eggs will hatch after 2 months and the baby turtles will be released back to the sea. The staff (Sally) told us the number of eggs of Green Turtles and Hawsbill Turtles are nearly equal. FYI, you can sponsor the nest.

Before we departed on second day, two turtles showed up near the jetty, as if they were saying goodbye to us.

To know more about Pom-Pom Island, you may visit their website at:
http://pompomisland.com
They also have an interesting and updated blog.

>> Click Here to see more photos of Pom-Pom Island

Photos taken in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Giant Clams of Sabah

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Out of 9 species of giant clams (Kima Gergasi) in the world, Sabah has 7. Namely (number in bracket is the adult size of each species):-
1. Tridacna gigas (1.5M)
2. Tridacna derasa (40cm)
3. Tridacna squamosa (30cm)
4. Tridacna maxima (20cm)
5. Tridacna crocea (15cm)
6. Hipoppus porcelanus (40cm)
7. Hipoppus hipoppus (30cm)

Don’t be so happy yet. Due to overfishing, the two largest species, Tridacna gigas and Tridacna derasa, are now considered critically endangered in Sabah (some say they are locally extinct). All species of giant clams are listed in “Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora” (CITES), which means they are endangered and should be protected.

Above: Tridacna gigas, the largest species of giant clam, can reach 2 M in length, weigh over 200 KG, and live to more than 100 years old! But sorry, locally extinct already.

Above: Tridacna derasa, also a locally extinct species. Very rare in the wild.

Above: Tridacna squamosa species

Above: Tridacna maxima species

Above: Tridacna squamosa species

Giant clams live like a plant, as their main diet is organic nutrients which come from the photosynthesis of millions of symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae) that live inside their mantle. In return, giant clams offer the algae a safe home.

Harvesting, trading and buying of giant clams are prohibited under the Malaysian Law. However, enforcement is different story. Just went to tamu (native market) in Kota Belud and see it yourselves. The hawkers sell and slaughter the giant clams openly. They don’t feel anything wrong about it, and didn’t even bother when I was photographing them.

Above: see the yellow and red boxes and two big white sacks behind the seller? They are all giant claim shells! There were many happy buyers and many giant clams were sold in just a few minutes.

Poor giant clams. They may have taken more than 3 years to grow to these sizes. They are eaten before they are mature enough to breed.

Giant clams live in shallow lagoons, reef flats, and the sandy and rubbly substrate of coral reefs in the tropical Indo West Pacific.

Giant clams were once everywhere. Now they are getting rare because human eats their meat. Humans are the worst predators of giant clams.

Giant clams do not get enough attention like sharks and turtles, though they are one of the most fascinating marine creatures.

Giant clams also uses a siphon to draw in water to filter and consume plankton. By absorbing and filtering nitrates, ammonia and other organics that are harmful to coral reefs, giant clams help to clean the water in marine ecosystems.

These giant clams were slaughtered for their meat and sold for RM5 (small) or RM8 (big) each.

Above: giant clams waited to be slaughtered alive. Business was good and they were unlikely to survive until sunset.

I also went to Gaya Street Sunday Market on the same day. More than 100 giant clam shells were sold as handicraft items such as soap dishes, ash trays, shell lamps and ornaments.

There were tourists buying giant clams. Under the regulations of CITES, giant clams, whether dead or alive, cannot be carried out of our country. I don’t blame the tourists don’t know they are sponsoring an illegal trade. But what the heck is happening to our authorities (Fishery and Wildlife Departments)? Are they blind?

Below: a big giant clam shell is sold for RM25 (about USD7.50).

More photos of giant clams sales in Gaya Street… It seems like giant clam trade has become an “industry”. It is very hard to find the whole complete set of giant clam shells on the beach, so very likely these shells were taken from live giant clams.

So you think that the problem is not serious enough? Just take a walk in dried seafood market nearby. You will see giant clams (as dried seafood) everywhere.

The most valuable part of giant clam is its adductor muscle, which is commonly sold as scallops, which cost over RM100 for a small pack in dried seafood markets.

Overfishing of giant clams is a serious problem, as they are considered as a delicacy and profitable seafood. Besides overharvesting, climate change and pollution are also factors that speed up the extinction of giant clams. Excessive CO2 from atmosphere makes the sea water more acidic and lessens the ability of giant clams to grow their shells. The rise in sea temperature will also disturb the symbiotic relationship between the clams and the zooxanthellae that nourishes them. The introduction of a coal power plant in Darvel Bay, which is located inside the Coral Triangle, would pose a threat to giant clams.

More giant clam handicraft items sold in handicraft market… My heart is broken.. FYI, giant clam in movies is always portrayed as a man-eater because it snaps swimmers’ legs by surprise and drowns them. Actually this is impossible. First, you have to find a really huge giant clam, which is extremely rare. Second, giant clams close very slowly and most do not close completely. They do not snap. They are not monsters ok.

Currently Sabah has two places that spawn and propagate giant clams and you can see all 7 species of giant clams in their sites. The first one is Marine & Ecology Research Centre (MERC) in Gayana Eco Resort of Gaya Island, and another one is Sabah Parks Hatchery at Bohey Dulang Island (see photo below) in Tun Sakaran Marine Park off Semporna. This hatchery was built in year 2004 and fully operational with a completed laboratory in 2009.

To start, the giant clams will be induced (by temperature or injection of chemical) to release their eggs and sperms for fertilisation. The eggs will be collected. A week later, the larva of giant clams will settle and find a spot to grow, then they are moved to settlement tanks.

The giant clam larva will spend half a year to grow up to 3 cm. Then they will be released to the sea inside a cage (to protect them from predators), until they grow to 9cm or more after a few months. At last, they will be released independently to the ocean bottom without a cage. Less than 10% of the eggs will survive at the end.

T. gigas and T. derasa have the fastest growth rate. They may reach up to 9-12cm after a year. The suitable release spot will be clean and well-illuminated sea about 10 feet in depth or less with mild water current. Giant clams reach maturity very late, at about 7 to 8 years old.

Bohey Dulang Hatchery Station has a mini exhibition hall and a settlement tank area, which are open for public to visit. You can see at least 5 species of big giant clams in their display tank, great for an education tour. To visit the islands of Tun Sakaran Marine Park, you need to get a permit from Sabah Parks first.

However, no matter how hard and how long these two centres try, they are only able to increase the population of giant clams in limited scale, not the whole ocean around Sabah. The conservation has to be started from you, the consumers. Just don’t eat and buy any giant clam product and the killing will stop. Eating giant clams is as bad as eating shark fin and turtle eggs. The key obstacle of all conservation efforts in Malaysia is the mentality of “if I don’t kill them, others will”, a selfish excuse for greedy mouth of Malaysians. Well, that’s why our country is so dirty, as everyone thinks, “if I don’t throw rubbish, others will.” Anyway, if I can make only one of you to stop consuming giant clam, this blog already worths my time and efforts.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu & Semporna, Sabah Malaysia

Mataking – Islands of Romance

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What makes a perfect honeymoon destination? Tropical island? White sany beach? Crystal clear sea water? Beautiful sunset? Luxury room? Mataking Islands seem to contain all these elements. In fact, many Italian tourists spend their honeymoon on Mataking. To go to Mataking, first you need to take a flight to Tawau city (a 45-minute flight between Kota Kinabalu and Tawau), drive one hour from Tawau to Semporna town, then take a 40 minutes boot ride to Mataking. This island is also gaining popularity among Chinese tourists from Hong Kong and China.

Mataking consists of two islands, namely, Mataking Besar and Mataking Kecil (in Malaysia language, Besar means Big, Kecil means Small). Both islands are connected by a long and narrow beach (isn’t this look like connecting two hearts?). During low tide, you can walk to Mataking Kecil in 20 minutes. All the facilities and accommodation are built on Mataking Besar. At the moment, the island is managed by Reef Dive Resort. I saw a new luxury resort was being built in the middle of the island, so there will be two resorts in the future.

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Besides making baby, there are many other activities you can do on Mataking. They have a 5-star dive centre, which can bring you to dive around Mataking Island, as well as dive sites around the islands of Tun Sakaran Marine Park. The dive site that is worth a mention is the “underwater post office” in a ship wreck about 40 feet deep. You can send a letter there, probably Nemo will help to deliver? This is a remote island, so the best ways to spend your time are diving, snorkelling, canoeing, kayaking, batik painting and enjoying SPA. They also have a reading area with a lot of books. Asian tourists NEVER read, but westerners do read a lot.

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Upon arrival, we were welcome by a singing group at the jetty, the start of king treatment experience. After a short briefing by a friendly host at reception area, we checked in. I was staying a night in a King Chalet. Everything was perfect, but too bad I was sharing room with a guy, not a female, haha… The room was very comfortable, just like the room in 5-star hotel, completed with bathroom, big bed, air-con, TV, cabinet, etc., but I like their wooden structure and traditional architecture with more natural setting. They have a generator on island so power supply is available 24 hours. Each room was also given a mosquito insecticide. Since the accommodation is under the shade of trees, there are some mosquitoes around. Just keep your door closed all the time and it won’t be a problem. Don’t spray insecticide in your room coz it smells. I hope no tourists would spray this on their bodies like insect repellent.

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Chinese New Year was approaching so the restaurant was nicely decorated with new year theme. I didn’t really shoot a lot of nice photos. My external flash (Canon 580 EX II) was malfunction (and it costed me RM427 to fix it later, about USD$120!). Another thing was I had 3 dives at Sipadan Island earlier, so tired that I had little mood to move in such a relaxing environment.

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Anyway, I still checked out the sunset from a 20 Metres wooden tower inside the resort. It was a breath-taking view on top. They said we could see island of Philippines just 500 Metres away from east side of the island. Look at the photo below. I didn’t see any island though. FYI, my mobile phone could receive one bar of weak signal at the jetty. Sound quality was bad but I was able to text (sms).

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Next morning I waked up early for the sunrise shots. After that, it was low tide so I tried to walk to Mataking Kecil along the exposed sand. But I was a bit late. The connecting sand was flooded by incoming high tide. There were many stuffs washed up to the beach, like tree branches, corals, seaweed, etc. Not quite pretty for beach photos. They say April and May are the best months for photography, as there is little junk on the beach. Mataking Besar is not very big. To walk circling the island only takes 40 minutes.

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Previous night I was supposed to join the night safari at 9pm. But they cancelled it, for the reason that part of the trail was blocked by high tide. So disappointed… Because the famous coconut crabs only come out at night. Coconut crab is closely related to lobster and a protected species. They feed on coconut and pandan pineapples, and baby coconut crab also shelters in seashell like hermit crab. Another feature of the night walk is the firefly “Christmas” tree. I am surprised Mataking has fireflies. The fireflies there always gather on a specific plant every night. If you are lucky, you will see turtle laying eggs. They will collect the eggs and put them inside a hatchery area in the resort. When the turtles hatched, they will release them back into the sea. They have released thousands of baby turtles. 99% are green turtles.

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Anyway, I decided to exlpore the forest in the morning. The friendly host, Ms Fatimah, was kind to be my company and gave an educational tour. The “jungle” was not so jungle, as the trees on this island are small and short (but quite dense), look more like a city park. It was fairly a short tour. Fatimah introduced the fruits and herb we saw along the trail. The vegetation of this island forest is so different. I had visited so many places and islands in Sabah, but most of the plant in Mataking looks so unfamiliar, may be Mataking is too far from mainland so it has developed its own unique ecology.

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There was a police base on the island. On the beach, I saw so many old and new footprints of guide dogs, meaning that patrol is carried out regularly. They also have more police bases in nearby islands. Despite the travel advisory from US, this is really a safe place. I will come back again, hopefully next time bringing a female. I am not that irresistible but the island is. 😉

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Photos taken in Semporna, Sabah Malaysia

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