Link to photo album -> here
Thursday, November 26
Friday being a holiday, we are a small group to go to Sipadan in Malaysian Borneo part.
Flights Air Asia Singapore-Tawau leave Thursday and return on Tuesday, not practical if you do not want to ask holidays. We must therefore pass through Kuala Lumpur before taking the morning flight to Tawau.
2 options open to us: to fly Singapore-Kuala Lumpur or take a night bus. We choose the first option and so it's a crazy night on the dancefloors Malaysian available to us.
arrived at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, it was after nearly an hour taxi that we reach the city center (KLCC) where the Petronas Towers. Then we go on Jalan P. Ramlee or are most of the bars of KLCC. We stop at Padi House Restoran which, as its name does not indicate, is a bar / box outside. Very nice, it reminds us a little of our Double 0. It takes a few drinks before trying our luck on the 8th floor Jalan Bintang Lot 10, Rootz, which also prove a very good place, a little less local than the Padi.
JB joined us there, and after a McDonald's late night, we sleep in the airport before our flight to 7am.
Friday, November 27
Arrive Tawau, a minibus picks JB. We took the opportunity to embed it for 50 MYR for 2 instead of 95/100 MYR for a taxi. In Semporna, after trying unsuccessfully to take the same boat of JB, we will office at Uncle Chang's. One would pay the sum of 840 MYR covering 2 nights (and food) and the 2-boat trips Semporna Mabul. After 1h
ship, we finally arrived at Mabul. He is 14h. The buffet breakfast is cold but it will do.
At 15:30 we go snorkeling for a small loan from the Water Village Resort, on the other side of Uncle Chang's. Many Trumptefishes of Damsels, .. but unfortunately no turtles, lionfish ... We forgot to rent fins and the water is somewhat cloudy. After half an hour, a big Titan Triggerfish gives us the final push to return to the beach. Already with palms are not sheltered from a good bite, then without fins is a suicide mission.
After dinner, served around 19h, we join our friends at Smart Divers Dive Resort for a few games of cards. From Sipadan diving well, they saw turtles, sharks and rare species throughout the day. The only undesirable species appear to be the sand flies on the beach of Sipadan.
Saturday, November 28
Sunrise 8am, I leave for a little snorkeling in the same place as yesterday. Nothing exceptional, the same fish as the day before, and the water still a bit cloudy. Note that some jellyfish roam. The boat was leaving at 11:45 Kapalai, he will leave after lunch.
schedules boats from Uncle Chang's are:
- Boat for diving and snorkeling at Mabul: 9h, 11h and 15h. (Free! Same time we can go to the place on foot in 5 minutes)
- Boat Kapalai: 11.45 (40 MYR per person, 10 minutes by boat).
We therefore arrive at Kapalai, a small village of houses built on stilts in the middle of a coral reef. The water is clearer, still much less than water Bunaken / Manado, but hey it is not in the good season. Found to Kapalai fish much larger than those of Mabul. There will be some Bluefin Trevally and Red Mangroove Snapers. By cons, there are lots of small jellyfish everywhere so it's with the red belly and arms that we go to Uncle Chang's.
It made a sprite little break before returning for a snorkel on Mabul. The same small fish that day, still no turtles.
We return to Uncle Chang's, where the atmosphere is always festive. The staff is nice, customers are Caucasian, some others have juggled out guitar style ... backpackeur. After dinner
will join us as our companions for our last evening on the island.
Sunday, November 29
Sunrise 8. We are able to negotiate a charter boat to Kapalai at 9:30-10am. Arrived, having become expert in the area, we head immediately below the piling where the big fish sit in the sunlight. I spend the most time behind a bank of Trevally, fish and parrots Foxfacefishes. Note that there was no jellyfish.
is 14h when we take the boat to Semporna (1h) and the car to the airport Tawau (1h).
Major expenditures:
- Tawau airport taxi - Semporna: 100 MYR
- housing Uncle Chang: 60 MYR / person / night
- boat "special" Semporna - Mabul (excluding commuting): 300 MYR
- Mabul trip - Kapalai: 40 MYR / person
- Rental fins: 15 MYR / person / day
budget for 2 persons for 3 days: 1100 MYR
Contact
- Uncle Chang's: Tel: 6089781002, 60178950002, 6089781988
Thursday, November 26
Friday being a holiday, we are a small group to go to Sipadan in Malaysian Borneo part.
Flights Air Asia Singapore-Tawau leave Thursday and return on Tuesday, not practical if you do not want to ask holidays. We must therefore pass through Kuala Lumpur before taking the morning flight to Tawau.
2 options open to us: to fly Singapore-Kuala Lumpur or take a night bus. We choose the first option and so it's a crazy night on the dancefloors Malaysian available to us.
arrived at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, it was after nearly an hour taxi that we reach the city center (KLCC) where the Petronas Towers. Then we go on Jalan P. Ramlee or are most of the bars of KLCC. We stop at Padi House Restoran which, as its name does not indicate, is a bar / box outside. Very nice, it reminds us a little of our Double 0. It takes a few drinks before trying our luck on the 8th floor Jalan Bintang Lot 10, Rootz, which also prove a very good place, a little less local than the Padi.
JB joined us there, and after a McDonald's late night, we sleep in the airport before our flight to 7am.
Friday, November 27
Arrive Tawau, a minibus picks JB. We took the opportunity to embed it for 50 MYR for 2 instead of 95/100 MYR for a taxi. In Semporna, after trying unsuccessfully to take the same boat of JB, we will office at Uncle Chang's. One would pay the sum of 840 MYR covering 2 nights (and food) and the 2-boat trips Semporna Mabul. After 1h
ship, we finally arrived at Mabul. He is 14h. The buffet breakfast is cold but it will do.
At 15:30 we go snorkeling for a small loan from the Water Village Resort, on the other side of Uncle Chang's. Many Trumptefishes of Damsels, .. but unfortunately no turtles, lionfish ... We forgot to rent fins and the water is somewhat cloudy. After half an hour, a big Titan Triggerfish gives us the final push to return to the beach. Already with palms are not sheltered from a good bite, then without fins is a suicide mission.
After dinner, served around 19h, we join our friends at Smart Divers Dive Resort for a few games of cards. From Sipadan diving well, they saw turtles, sharks and rare species throughout the day. The only undesirable species appear to be the sand flies on the beach of Sipadan.
Saturday, November 28
Sunrise 8am, I leave for a little snorkeling in the same place as yesterday. Nothing exceptional, the same fish as the day before, and the water still a bit cloudy. Note that some jellyfish roam. The boat was leaving at 11:45 Kapalai, he will leave after lunch.
schedules boats from Uncle Chang's are:
- Boat for diving and snorkeling at Mabul: 9h, 11h and 15h. (Free! Same time we can go to the place on foot in 5 minutes)
- Boat Kapalai: 11.45 (40 MYR per person, 10 minutes by boat).
We therefore arrive at Kapalai, a small village of houses built on stilts in the middle of a coral reef. The water is clearer, still much less than water Bunaken / Manado, but hey it is not in the good season. Found to Kapalai fish much larger than those of Mabul. There will be some Bluefin Trevally and Red Mangroove Snapers. By cons, there are lots of small jellyfish everywhere so it's with the red belly and arms that we go to Uncle Chang's.
It made a sprite little break before returning for a snorkel on Mabul. The same small fish that day, still no turtles.
We return to Uncle Chang's, where the atmosphere is always festive. The staff is nice, customers are Caucasian, some others have juggled out guitar style ... backpackeur. After dinner
will join us as our companions for our last evening on the island.
Sunday, November 29
Sunrise 8. We are able to negotiate a charter boat to Kapalai at 9:30-10am. Arrived, having become expert in the area, we head immediately below the piling where the big fish sit in the sunlight. I spend the most time behind a bank of Trevally, fish and parrots Foxfacefishes. Note that there was no jellyfish.
is 14h when we take the boat to Semporna (1h) and the car to the airport Tawau (1h).
Major expenditures:
- Tawau airport taxi - Semporna: 100 MYR
- housing Uncle Chang: 60 MYR / person / night
- boat "special" Semporna - Mabul (excluding commuting): 300 MYR
- Mabul trip - Kapalai: 40 MYR / person
- Rental fins: 15 MYR / person / day
budget for 2 persons for 3 days: 1100 MYR
Contact
- Uncle Chang's: Tel: 6089781002, 60178950002, 6089781988
