Sabah, Land Below The Wind (part 4)

Readers can breath a sigh of relief at long last as this will be the last post in my Sabahan escapade. I know, I update at a sluggish rate, but hey, i'm a lazy jerk. So sue me. =D

Day three of our stay in Sabah saw us heading out to one of the islands that Sabah is renown for. Manukan Island; that's where I was gonna spend half of the day there.

Ah...imagine the possibilities! For that one, special day, I made a list of 'Things To Do While In Manukan Island'.

1. Go swimming in the crystal clear waters
2. Do a little bit of snorkelling
   
3. Explore the island
4. Oogle at hot babes in bikinis
5. Strike up a conversation with them
6. Get invited to their hotel rooms
7. Have a hot, make-out session with them
8. Dump them after a one night stand

But, seeing as I only have time to cross out the first four in my wishlist, there will be no hot, steamy photos of any exotic babes. Yep, you read that right, NO PHOTOS OF SEXY, BIKINI-CLAD WOMAN =P

At the crack of dawn, our tour headed out to the Jesselton Jetty, a 5-minute drive from the hotel where a boat will charter us off to Manukan Island.

The view at Jesselton Jetty.


The tickets were soon bought without much hassle, despite the fact that there was a long queue of foreigners at the ticketing counter. After a short 10 minutes wait (of which I passed the time by camwhoring with my buddy, Julius) we headed out to the docks where our chartered boat awaited us.


Sure, it's no Titanic, but I'd settle for anything that can stay afloat

Me and my buddy, Julius. He's 20 btw and still single! =P

The boat ride to Manukan Island took us all about 20 minutes at optimum speed, considering the fact that the weather was perfect and that the seas were calm. The whole trip was rather uneventful till we hit open waters.

Oh My Gawd. I'll guarantee you, you'd be wishing why these small boats didn't come equipped with shock absorbers or the very least; cushioned seats. The friggin' boat bounced and bounced as it traversed over small columns of waves once we hit open waters.

Adding insult to injury, the adults would think it the appropriate time to crack some dirty jokes while they were at it. Pshh, as if great minds like mine didn't know enough about the human anatomy in Hokkien. =P

Finally, Manukan Island drifted closer and closer until we docked at the jetty. It was indeed a sight to behold. The island was covered in lush greenery and the waters were of a beautiful prism blue.

Manukan Island.......

Wendy, I totally ripped-off that trademarked pose of yours. My bad XD

The higher reaches of the island provided a splendid view of the ocean

La dee da, with all the hiking and the exploring out of the way, time to hit the waters! (and recreate that famous Baywatch scene while I'm at it)

Oh my, you don't get to see this very often now, do you?

Pay close attention, you could spot a David Hasselhoff look-a-like

Oh my goodness, the view underwater was spectacular! Especially when you snorkel off into the deeper parts of the ocean. However, inexperienced swimmers be warned, there are steep inclines where the ocean floors suddenly plummets off into nothingness.

The azure blue hue of the clear ocean waters was unlike anything I've ever seen before. But, to submerge your head beneath these waters, was totally akin to walking into another realm. The feeling of weightlessness, the rays of sunlight breaking through the waters, the schools of fishes that swam about, I felt like a 7 year old again reliving my dreams of Alice In Wonderland. Indeed, it was really beautiful. Words can do me no justice, I urge you all to experience it first-hand.

Apart from the fishes in the ocean, I, too, managed to catch a glimpse of a mermaid. No, seriously, I did! Honest!

Hehe...told ya so!

And with all good things, they must come to an end sometime. After departing Manukan Island shortly after lunch, we headed back to the mainland. By then, it was nearly 3 p.m. With nothing much left to do, we chanced upon the Phillipino Market to buy some souvenirs. Later, we went back to the hotel for a good rest before venturing out into Centre Point Shopping Complex at night.

Nothing much to see nor do there, seeing as we had limited financial supplies XD. But, the size of the shopping mall was enough to dwarf Kuching's Parkson into nothing more than a microorganism.

The following day, we travelled to the airport to catch our flight back to Kuching, thus ending my Sabahan escapade.

Sabah truly found its way into my heart and it left me pondering; should I come back? Without hesitation, I would indeed wind up here again sometime. There are just so many things to see and do here! As for my next trip, I'm placing high hopes into conquering the highest peak of South-East Asia; Mount Kinabalu!

Cheerio~

Badminton Competition Bonanza

Yep, it's that time of the year again. When badminton is the 'in' thing amongst the students of SMK Batu Lintang. When the cries of 'SMASH! DROP! NETTING! PLACING! DEUCE! SERVICE OVER!' linger about in the air.

This morning, the 24th of August marked the beginning of SMK Batu Lintang's Intra-School Badminton Competition. Taking place at the ever-popular Winner's Court, the place was swamped with dozens of hopefuls looking to emerge victorious in their upcoming matches.

I, too, was not left out. In fact, only reluctantly did I join when my friend, Jason John decided to partner me in the Boys Doubles Under 20 category.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck was again, not on my side as we faced "Lin Dan look-a-like Lai Wei Yei" and his partner, Lawrence "I'm as tall as Yao Ming' Lee in our first match-up. Now, I quote Kenny Sia; "KKNCCB!!!!!" >=(

This is how Wei Yei supposedly looks like on the opposite side of the court

As for Lawrence Lee................*shudders*

Reference nia marrrr.........

In the end, we cut the match rather close. Ended up having a rubber set and losing graciously, I must say.

The scoreboard was: 14-21, 21-17, 16-21.

And to think, I could have gotten this far even after going on hiatus from badminton for 6 months and also, with the help of my partner, Jason John.

Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk. Now, I'm just gonna drown my sorrows by eating.............

Yep, you guessed it.....

ICE-CREAM!!!!!

Sabah's Night Life! (part 3)

Lol...I know everyone's wanting to see me post up pictures of me screaming like a pansy on the roller-coasters in Genting. But that'll have to wait as I finish blogging about Sabah. Not too many more posts to go now. So please, be patient.

Not being 18 and all....the options in Sabah were pretty limited. Not being 18 means no late-night partying, no admittance into clubs, no pretty girls to bring back with me and the likes. My family and I decided to take a little stroll around Karamunsing; Sabah's equivalent of Bukit Bintang Walk.

The night-life here was pretty vibrant and so full of energy. In fact, one could even feel it in the air. I guess it's expected, what not with Kota Kinabalu being a tourist destination and all.

Taken from the waterfront at 10 p.m.

Taken at the waterfront at 1 a.m

Even at 1 in the morning, the night-life has dwindled down somewhat, but it was still going strong in certain pubs and clubs around the area.

As for the food, it wasn't half bad. In fact, for me, I would describe it as a unique fusion of home and innovation.

First stop, Warisan Square. Unlike other shopping malls, this one had a very post-modern feel to it. The layout of the building itself was quite different compared to those I had visited. Rather than having floors stacked on top of each other in regular shopping malls, Warisan Square had the floors evenly distributed as 'wings' lined up next to each other in a rectangle formation.

We chanced the food in the Cafe' Wing and there were so many foreign establishments selling the likes of food I had never seen before. These ranged from a yogurt-ice-cream-ais kacang delicacy to a Oriental-styled fish and chips.

Warisan Square, the Cafe' Wing

At last, we made a choice, ice-cream. Practically, that was the only thing we dared eat cuz' I for one, do not want to run around Manukan Island the next day, looking for a place to take a crap.

Belgian chocolate, tiramisu and lemon piled all into one plate.

After that, we headed out into the Waterfront right opposite our hotel in hopes we could find something affordable yet edible enough to eat. =D

Loads of great food and stalls lined up the whole stretch of the Waterfront. Unfortunately, the lighting was so dim that I could hardly snap some decent shots of. Even the camera flash function didn't do much. Stupid Nikon 3200.

Lemme briefly describe the place. Much like Kuching's waterfront, only more lavishly decorated and furnished. Replace those dinky old, run-down stores with finely-furbished establishments such as pubs, bistros and others. Make away with those murky waters and in its stead, clear, blue waters that shimmer under the moonlight.

Tourists are a common sight here, especially Caucasians enjoying a good foot massage(yep, they even open up massage parlours here, too bad though, no brothels XD) and some good, authentic Asian food.

The aroma that hung in the air was tantalisingly good, so good that I could sample every single dish there was to offer. In the end, I settled down for Pattaya Rice and fresh coconut juice. It wasn't half bad, in fact, it was pretty yummy!

At 1 in the morning, we headed back to the hotel for a good night's rest as we set foot on Manukan Island tomorrow morning!

Ze French ar proudz of zeir hotel, no?

Silent Hill 2 Fun~~~

Found this picture on the net somewhere. Decided that it was simply too cute and funny not to be posted up.

For those, who have played Silent Hill 2, you'll know what I mean.

James Sunderland is just SOOOOOO cute in this lil comic strip!

Sabah, Land Below The Wind (part 2)

I think this post has been delayed long enough. Time to get the rest of my time and adventures in Sabah posted up at last.

Back from where the previous post left out, I set out from the Signal Hill Observation Point and headed to the outskirts of town for a little sight-seeing. Our first stop was Sepanggar Bay, Sabah's equivalent of the satellite town of BDC.

Once there, we headed to University Malaysia Sabah (UMS). And, OH MY GAWD! The overall sight that greeted my eyes was amazing! I tell you, our puny UNIMAS campus has nothing on this university grounds.

The lush greenery was simply amazing and better yet, it was situated on the edge of a large cliff that overlooked the South China Sea. The view was stunning.

Apparently, I have decided to pursue tertiary-education

My next stop was the Menara Datuk Mustapha. Shaped like a rocket, or rather, like a certain male's anatomical feature, it is arguably the most tallest building in Borneo. Heated debates have erupted regarding the height of the building and also, its shape.

Don't tell Cape Canaveral about this, they might try to launch it. XD

We stopped by Sepanggar town for our brunch and I was in for a surprise when my father's friend recommended that we try Sabah's local delicacy. Better yet, the best of the best of this particular delicacy can be found in Sepanggar. Boy, that surely was my lucky day!

We sat down at a coffee-shop and ordered kolo mee. Yes, kolo mee. But this isn't Kuching's kolok mee we're talking about, this is old-school Sabahan kolo mee. The noodles were deep-fried in dark soya sauce and char sio. Finally, it was topped off with scallops, vegetables and fishballs. P.S : You might not want to try the cili-padi, it almost burned my tongue off. Mark the words burned, not scalded, burned!

Yummy~~

Later, we headed back to the city centre and stopped by the museum. However, it was undergoing some major renovations and we weren't allowed inside. Btw, loads of old cars displayed outside, ranging from the 60's to the 90's. I recalled seeing a 67' Chevy Impala if I was not mistaken.

As the clock struck noon, we trotted off once again, to the Golden Triangle of Hotel Resorts. Yep, I was heading towards the famed and fabled Sutera Harbour Bay. Renown as some of the best holiday resorts in the world, I was left with my mouth agape in awe as I learned that it was home to three colossal hotel resorts.

The first was Tanjung Aru Shangri-La's Beach Resort, the second was Sutera Harbour Resort and the third was '(insert fancy name here)' i totally forgot. Wasn't impressive enough for me to remember the name, perhaps. =P

Our first stop, Tanjung Aru Shangri-La Beach Resort. Hmpphh, Damai had never looked so horribly under-accommodated as I stepped foot onto the hotel grounds.

Somebody's getting lucky tonight~~

The resort grounds was pristine and reminded me a little bit of Hawaii

Undoubtedly, the landscaper must have put a lot of thought into this resort

Next up,we travelled to Sutera Harbour Bay, another resort nearby. Indeed, you could see why they called it Sutera Harbour Bay, what not with the uncannily accurate depiction of the marinas in Australia. You could see yachts, boats, sailors, boardwalks as far as the horizon stretched.

Once again, this sight would make you strip off and jump into the ocean, butt-naked

If I hadn't stated it earlier, one might mistake this for the marinas in Perth and Sydney

Tired from all the visiting we had done earlier in the day, we headed back to our hotel, rested up and got ready to see behind the scenes the night-life of Sabah.

Expect a post about Sabah's night-life soon enough as this post has dragged on for too long. Till then, cheerio~