Mabul Island

I went to Mabul Island in 2008, right after Mount Kinabalu expedition. These are some photos to share. We landed at Tawau from Kota Kinabalu Airport and took a taxi from Tawau Airport to Semporna, a 45 minutes drive. From there, we (me and my sister) took a boat from Semporna straight to Mabul. The sea really mesmerized me..crystal clear water..now, you don't get that in Penang alright..hehe.

Ni masa on the way ke Pulau Mabul dari Semporna

As we were getting nearer to Mabul Island, we passed this ex-oil rig..now a hotel for tourists and an expensive one too..

 

To tell you the truth, we took a package from Big John that cost us RM200 for a one night ke 2 nights stay..not sure..hmm..and this covers everything. By everything, I mean food, transportation etc. However, the place was not a hotel at all, I don't know whether it could actually be called a motel even..hehe..but we don't really mind. The guides were good people and we don't have to pay anymore throughout the stay. Plus, just tell them where we want to go and they'll take us, by boat or by foot..The first thing we did was going round Mabul Island. By foot, because it's just a small island. kejap ke dah pusing 1 pulau..

The kids at Mabul Island are still playing with tyres. Seriously, you feel like you've gone back to the late 80's.

We went to see other hotels too and here are some pics of the executive hotels there in Mabul.

The locals there also do some businesses. We came across this little shop that sells products from the sea. The shark teeth are for real..and they don't smell nice either..smells like rotten meat, so they're really for real.

This is their kampung. I could see babies running barefoot and also naked..really feels like you went back to the 80's and 90's. I really feel for them. On one side of the island, rich people and tourists are having the time of their life relaxing and enjoying the holiday. On the other side of the island, there are people who I guess don't have enough clothes to wear and are really in need for basic infrastructure and needs.

As we go along, we were surprised and also sad to see this poor turtle..it's already dead and the wave must have brought it to shore. Kesian kan? There's a possibility that this poor creature might have got caught in the fisherman's net or something.

At the place we were staying, there were also kids fishing and boating. They looked really happy and are enjoying what they were doing. It was fun just watching them..we don't have that anymore in other developed states and countries I guess. Here, the world is wide for them.

can you see the bottom of the sea? the water really is clear..

look at the little boy in yellow shirt..quite dangerous but I guess the locals are used to this..and the boy must have had a really good grip..

just these two kids..no adult supervision or anything..fishing for food..and I bet that boat is made by themselves..

i zoomed this pic..

sea urchin, among the sea creatures at the bottom of the sea..I could see it clearly from far..

Inilah hasil tangkapan budak2 tadi..guna tin air gas je utk mancing..mana ada alat2 canggih...

just so u know, this is the view from where we stayed..and the place that we stayed is similar to these..

kesian kan? mmg macam setinggan..budak2 kecik, yg baru bleh jalan pun ada, main tepi2 air camni..mak dia basuh baju..budak2 kt sini matang awal, kecik2 dah pandai mengasuh adik2 yg baby..

electricity is limited here and also clean water..they don't really have proper sewage and electricity or water supply...

Can you imagine? here they are, living with little means and are in really needy..yet other people are using their land and make it a holiday spot..where's their share? they deserve better..
Another interesting thing would be the Bajau Laut..they are nomads on the sea. Their houses are their boat..It was really interesting to see boats passing by with sinks and plate rack with rooms..and a girl relaxing by the boat with face mask on her face..where else do you get to see that? I was wondering at first (don't u have anywhere else better to wear face masks?), but it came to me when I realized that, that's her home..

that white boat is the boat that we used to get here and there

On the boat at sea, we came across turtles too..quite a number of them...we even went snorkeling. The corals are beautiful..seriously..and we fed the fishes with bread..Once there was a big barracuda looking straight at us as if ready to attack..then the guide told me that my pocket zip is attracting it. Barracuda's like shiny objects..SCARYY..close call..

this is Kapalai Island..we swam here but there were too many small creatures that bit us like mosquitoes..they're really itchy..

saying bye bye to Mabul Island..we stayed at the one with blue colour and two swings..a really nice place to relax..

Although we did not stay at one of the nicer hotels at Mabul, I really appreciated and felt that where we stayed gave more meaning. Being nearer to poor people and getting to look at their daily life activity with my own eyes, really touches me and made me feel so lucky to be born in my family. I hope to return there one day bringing something for the people of Mabul Island.
You might wonder why I did not go to Sipadan..the quota to Sipadan was full. And full for another two weeks when we arrived at Semporna. So for anyone who is planning to visit Sipadan, be sure to book your place early. The quota is only 40 people per day if I'm not mistaken. This is to control the habitat of the corals. I'll go back to Mabul and visit Sipadan one day.. it's on my list!