{"id":2058,"date":"2012-08-15T18:08:25","date_gmt":"2012-08-15T10:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/?p=2058"},"modified":"2014-03-05T11:41:28","modified_gmt":"2014-03-05T03:41:28","slug":"snake-island-of-pulau-tiga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/snake-island-of-pulau-tiga\/","title":{"rendered":"Snake Island of Pulau Tiga Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

My day 2 in Pulau Tiga is as exciting as first day<\/a>. Today I’m going to Snake Island<\/strong> (Pulau Ular or Pulau Kalampunian Damit) of Pulau Tiga Park. I’ve seen the video of dozens of highly venomous Yellow-lipped Sea Kraits or Banded Sea Kraits (species: Laticauda colubrina<\/em>) roaming on this island. The poison of this sea snake is 3 to 4 times more potent than cobra!<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/p>\n

Snake Island (Pulau Ular)<\/h3>\n

The trip to Snake Island is optional. You can pay RM40 (≈USD12) to visit two islands (Snake Island and Sands Spit Island) of Pulau Tiga Park. The tour also includes a snorkeling trip off the island, so it is a good deal.<\/p>\n

\"going
\nWe depart at 9am and reach the Snake Island after 15 minutes. They only allow you to go during good weather.<\/p>\n

\"Pulau
\nAccording to a legend, Snake Island is the resting place of a heart-broken princess, whose lover is turned into rock by black magic of her sisters. The angry king penalized the evil sisters by turning their islands into mud volcanoes (Pulau Tiga).<\/p>\n

\"Snake
\nSnake Island is so small that you need only 15 minutes to walk one round of the island.<\/p>\n

\"Pulau
\nBesides a jetty and a shelter, there is no other facility on Snake Island.<\/p>\n

\"warning
\nPic: a warning sign. Watch your steps! You must be accompanied by a guide. We are happy to have Mr. Mohammad Syaheer, the “snake catcher” from Pulau Tiga Resort, to go with us.<\/p>\n

\"forest<\/p>\n

\"tree
\nThough Snake Island is tiny, it has interesting plant such as tall Pisonia tree, which has smooth bark and grows well in sandstone, limestone and shale of Snake Island.<\/p>\n

\"rocky
\nAt first glance, Snake Island looks like an ordinary island with rocky shore. I saw the feather and dropping of white-bellied sea eagle, a bird that preys on sea snake.<\/p>\n

\"looking
\nActually the sea snakes are sleeping in the crevices between the rocks. Mohammad is so brave to pull one of them out of the hole. I can’t forget it’s one of the most poisonous snakes in the world!<\/p>\n

\"tourist
\nHe even let us to touch and hold the sea snake. Surprisingly, its skin is dry and feel like plastic. We only saw two sea snakes. The guides say probably it’s not mating season and most sea snakes go hunting in sea during daytime.<\/p>\n

You may watch the 2-min video below about Snake Island:
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