Swimming with the fishes

The itinerary had us catching a boat to Manukan Island and swimming and hanging around. I didn't expect much from the day.

Bus to the jetty, pick up goggles and snorkel and into the speedboat we went. The Editor was not impressed with the bumpy ride at the front of the boat. 

At the island we saw a 2m shark at the jetty and lots of fish. After Flo our guide paid and got us through the entry point, we walked a couple of hundred metres and claimed a couple of tables on the beach. Flo told us there had been crocodiles in the nearby mangroves but we should be ok. Excellent.

Five hours on a beach seemed too much so we did the 1.6km walk on mostly paved path through the forest to Sunset Point.

There was a sign warning that the path was under maintenance and to proceed at your own risk.

At the beginning of the walk we disturbed a massive black monitor lizard that scurried off before we could take a pic. I had my camera in my hand but didn't put 1 and 1 together. Sunset point at sunset is probably very nice. We were about 8 hours early.

An hour later we returned and went all Aqua Man with our gear. I spent forever floating and taking pics with a waterproof camera I have had for a long time. The first time I tested the casing was 5 minutes before I started using it. There were lots of fish, but seeing what I was taking was impossible so I just aimed randomly and clicked away. The results will have to wait until I get home.

Another buffet lunch (that was advertised as a BBQ) and back to the beach just hanging around for an hour.

One of the joys of holidays (and please do not target me as racist) is watching Asians taking photos  of themselves. A young couple came and sat in front of us. She lay down and pretended to sleep while he took pics from all angles. Creepy or funny? I'm not sure. 

Of course when this behaviour is presented to us, we will take pics of it happening. Creepy or funny? Still not sure.

Back to the mainland, at the back of the boat this time to protect frail backs, onto the bus and back to the Hilton.

With our free arvo we fought the humidity, looked into some fabric shops and made our way to Suria Sabah shopping centre. So nice and air conditioned. 

There was lots of cheap stuff, expensive stuff and even familiar stores.

The only purchases were 2 bags of coffee (from a shop on the way) a Portuguese tart and Maccas ice cream.

We walked the 30 minutes back, got ready and off to our farewell dinner, as recommended by Adam, our bus driver. Adam is pronounced Adam and not Adam, as is the spelling. 

Annette was dropped off with a lot of the group at an Irish bar while I returned to the 8th floor of the Hilton to start up my Malaysian branch of Dad bank. 

At the island today, a family of 4 expecting to pay for parasailing on card were told cash only. They had to pay our guide that night. Coincidentally, we had overestimated our spending and figured we could exchange 2,000 ringgit with our undercashed group. 2,000, or half of what we came with, was changed for Aussie dollars. $185 is still outstanding as they had to wait until they got back home. Here is where you find out if you can trust people you have known for 9 days.

Our other joy on holidays is taking pics of weird, usually platform, shoes being worn. I'm starting to worry about us.

Tea plantation to the Hilton

First stop was a war memorial and the story of one of the WW2 Sandakan death marches and the saving of the memorial itself. 

Then through some mountain roads where Adam our bus driver showed all his skills on the way to the Botanical Gardens. Lots of interesting plants, some extremely rare orchids and a well worth it visit. 

The mountain views are awesome. 

A short drive to lunch where the demolition crew once more battled the many, or too many, plates of food they give us.

The stomach was feeling a little funky and a long bus drive did not fill me with confidence but luckily 10 minutes down the road there were markets where I spent 50 cents entry for a cubicle with no paper. The 2 tissues I had taken at the restaurant would come in handy, as would the hose next to the toilet. If you are at all apprehensive about using the apparatus, then I suggest staying away from Asia. 

While everyone shopped, I checked out the excellent scenery.

From here it was over an hour to the coast at Kota Kinabalu and the Hilton hotel.

We found the gym and steam room so what better time to get back on the treadmill. I may have put on 5kg in the last week. 

Then to dinner. Every meal has been the same so I just craved a burger. We found a place that google rated highly and made our way through the streets to find it. We couldn't order by QR code as requested as we have no mobile data. We ordered 2 burgers, one with extra pineapple and lime fries. The girl taking the order said "sorry we're out of fries". The Editor doesn’t swear, but this was close. "You can't have burgers without fries!" she said and we walked out the door. Remember us having no data? We wandered aimlessly for half an hour in search of food, and eventually decided that you can have a burger without fries, you just couldn't be happy about it.

This time when we ordered, we were informed that they had run out of pineapple.

Sometimes Maccas is the best option.

A fishy tale

A 4 hour bus trip through the mountains awaited us after breakfast. Our first stop was at the petrol station that had been ransacked by hungry Aussies a few days before. They had restocked and once again all Hell broke loose.

There were roadworks the entire way and houses and shacks marked for demolition spanned the entire way.  

Another two hours and we arrived at the fish spa. Flo, our guide, told of people getting bruising from the fish nibbling on your skin. I can understand why. 

I expected tiny fish. They were not tiny and the teeth on soft skin could hurt. I stayed in a while, the Editor not so much. My feet were very red when I got out. The jury is out on whether there was any benefit, but writing this the day after, everything seems ok. Mark's fish spa

Another service station stop put us about an hour behind arriving at the tea plantation. 

Here we did a basic tea factory tour, Annette did a batik painting and I did a tea tasting. I will never do another tea tasting. Seven flavoured teas, each as bitter as the next. 

More food followed. I am looking forward to a meal where my failing self control is not required. 

Our reliance on wifi is a bit scary and its unreliability is the reason for sporadic posts. It's on and off, as is the power.

A bit of yesterday and more Hammy Hamster adventures

We are staying in an eco lodge so the showering heater is set up to save electricity. I figured out how to get the water flowing from the shower and was given instructions to turn on the 2 switches to get the hot water working. I turned on the only switches I could find and still had a painfully cold shower. The instructions should have mentioned the 2 switches next to the sink on the wall. Anyway, in the heat and humidity that is happening, it may have been a good thing. 

Next morning (if you are unaware of Hammy Hamster Tales of the Riverbank, then shame on you, unless you are too young or were not a television-addicted child in the 70's) up early for another animal spotting experience. The temperature was so much cooler.

Lots of monkeys and birds and a massive crocodile having a feed were spotted. We are taking lots of pics but most of those coming into our gallery from the WhatsApp group are better. The first one below is a woodpecker. 

We were out there around 2 and a half hours and then had the first of our compulsory 3 pig outs for the day.

It was then onto the bus for an hours journey to the cave. We were supplied with helmets, face masks and plastic gloves, which at first seemed like overkill.

It was a big open cave with thousands of birds nests and bats above. There was a mostly (80%) safe boardwalk with railings. Both were covered with crap from up high. Both were thick. It was not a good smell. Cockroaches were everywhere underfoot and poisonous centipedes were on the walls. It was a bit like an Indiana Jones movie. All the protective equipment was needed.

Those going in without PPE were asking for trouble.  

Meal 2 then rest, a 15 minute core class in an attempt to make me feel not as fat, and then back on the jetty to wait for boat ride 3. That is when the heavens opened. After 15 minutes we decided to bail while several others braved the weather. Not much else happened.