maandag 22 oktober 2007
Adelaide - 22 October
Naar een voorspoedige, maar vermoeiende reis van Singapore naar Brisbane, en Brisbane naar Adelaide, zijn we gisteravond aangekomen in Adelaide. Na een maand in Azië, is het wel even wennen in Australië: alles is zoveel duurder! We moeten nu echt op ons budget letten en kunnen niet zo maar alles doen en eten, zoals we gewend waren. Ook het weer valt een beetje tegen: het is hier vandaag koud en regenachtig! Zo hadden we ons Australië niet voorgesteld. Gelukkig zijn de vooruitzichten goed en wordt het woensdag al weer beter. Waarschijnlijk zullen we binnenkort wel terug verlangen naar de kou en de regen, want vandaag hebben we onze reis naar Alice Spring en Uluru geregeld! We gaan 7 dagen bushcampen in de outback! Met een groep van 10 mensen in een 4WD, en slapen in de woestijn onder de sterren. Dat wordt wel een beetje afzien maar ook een geweldige ervaring. En zolang er geen bloedzuigers zijn of 100% luchtvochtigheid, zoals in de jungle in Borneo, zal het allemaal wel meevallen. Een compleet overzicht van onze trip kun je vinden op http://www.headingbush.com/. We gaan woensdagavond met de Greyhound bus naar Coober Pedy, en worden dan donderdag aan het einde van de ochtend opgehaald. Omdat de reis al begonnen is en wij pas later opstappen, hebben we een erg goede deal gekregen. Binnenkort kun je dus foto’s van ons onder het rode stof bewonderen op de weblog!
Semporna to Singapore - 17 October
It is amazing how much your standards, expectations and perceptions can change over the course of 3.5 weeks. Tonight we arrived back in Singapore after travelling through Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo for 24 days. Had we felt slightly concerned about the safety of our belongings, the hygiene of the hawker’s stalls or the tropical odour of the durian during our first visit, now we are amazed by how clean, efficient and Western Singapore really is.
This morning we set off just before 10 from Seporna, which easily beats Kota Bharu to the number 1 spot of most horrible towns in Malaysia. Only popular because of its vicinity to some of the best diving spots in the world, Semporna is busy, poor and dirty, and the first place in Malaysia we have been to where children are begging on the street. Fortunately, Vincent (the hostel owner of the Tropicana Lodge in KK) had recommended an excellent hotel, the Sipadan Inn, on oasis of peace, quiet and hygiene in this otherwise so unappeling town.
Even though our flight was only at 16:05, and the busride to Tawau Airport only 1.5 hours by minibus, we decided to set off early because we had been told that there was no set schedule and the buses to Tawau only leave when full. Having read about the Asian habit to stuff as many people as possible into a rackety minibus, and the likeliness of a breakdown, we expected at least 1 hour waiting time befoe the bus left, and calculated about 2.5 hours for the journey. However, as soon as we arrived at the busstation, we were assigned the last 2 seats in an already full minibus, and we took off only a few minutes later, after they managed to squeeze a fourth passenger on the backseat of the bus. At 11:15 we arrived at the airport, with nearly 5 boring hours to go before our flight left. Thankfully, even though it there’s about the same amount of daily flights leaving from it, Tawau Airport has quite a few more facilities than Coventry Airport, (for those who are unfamiliar with it: a large shed with a landing strip next to it), so we could at least get something to eat and even managed to buy a final souvenir before we took off.
At 18:15 our flight landed in Johor Bahru, just over the border with Singapore. Even though not much further away from Singapore than 20 km, it took us over 3 hours to make it to our hostel, due to excessive security and customs procedures at the border. But wow! The roads are so well maintained here, the people so used to foreigners, the women clad so much more skimpily, and everything just so much more organised and clean, that we’re nearly suffering our first reverse culture shock.
This morning we set off just before 10 from Seporna, which easily beats Kota Bharu to the number 1 spot of most horrible towns in Malaysia. Only popular because of its vicinity to some of the best diving spots in the world, Semporna is busy, poor and dirty, and the first place in Malaysia we have been to where children are begging on the street. Fortunately, Vincent (the hostel owner of the Tropicana Lodge in KK) had recommended an excellent hotel, the Sipadan Inn, on oasis of peace, quiet and hygiene in this otherwise so unappeling town.
Even though our flight was only at 16:05, and the busride to Tawau Airport only 1.5 hours by minibus, we decided to set off early because we had been told that there was no set schedule and the buses to Tawau only leave when full. Having read about the Asian habit to stuff as many people as possible into a rackety minibus, and the likeliness of a breakdown, we expected at least 1 hour waiting time befoe the bus left, and calculated about 2.5 hours for the journey. However, as soon as we arrived at the busstation, we were assigned the last 2 seats in an already full minibus, and we took off only a few minutes later, after they managed to squeeze a fourth passenger on the backseat of the bus. At 11:15 we arrived at the airport, with nearly 5 boring hours to go before our flight left. Thankfully, even though it there’s about the same amount of daily flights leaving from it, Tawau Airport has quite a few more facilities than Coventry Airport, (for those who are unfamiliar with it: a large shed with a landing strip next to it), so we could at least get something to eat and even managed to buy a final souvenir before we took off.
At 18:15 our flight landed in Johor Bahru, just over the border with Singapore. Even though not much further away from Singapore than 20 km, it took us over 3 hours to make it to our hostel, due to excessive security and customs procedures at the border. But wow! The roads are so well maintained here, the people so used to foreigners, the women clad so much more skimpily, and everything just so much more organised and clean, that we’re nearly suffering our first reverse culture shock.
Diving at Sipadan Island - 15 & 16 October
On 15 and 16 October we went snorkling and diving around Sipadan Island. Sipadan Island is a very small tropical island located in the Celebes Sea on the coast of North Borneo. Sipadan was declared a national park in 1997. This means that there’s limited access to the island and only 150 people per day may enter Sipadan and its surrouding waters. This is strictly regulated by the Malaysian government and a small regiment of soldiers stationed on the island. These are the only people that are permanent residents. Before 1997, there were a couple of small resorts to accommodate the tourists. Now these buildings are abandoned and no longer in use.
On the morning of the 15th we needed to be at the North Borneo Divers diveshop in Semporna at 8:00. Even when we’re travelling we have to get up early sometimes ;-). At 8:30 we went to the boat, which was quite big compared to the other boats we’ve been on so far, but it was equipped with 2x 200 HP engines, so it was very fast. Still, it took us little over one hour and approximately 100L (fuel tanks were transparant 25L jerry cans) of fuel to reach the Island. On the first day I did three dives, all around 45 minutes and between 22 and 15 meters deep. Marjolein went snorkling along the beach and the coral. About 50 meters from the beach there was a huge drop off, dropping down to at least 50 meters. Who thought you could have vertigo when you’re snorkling…? During the dives I saw a wide variety of sealife including huge turtles (too many to count), white tip reef sharks, barracudas, a huge school of travellies and lots and lots more.
After the diving we went to Mabul Island to spend the night in a Longhouse. We stayed with a family who participated in the homestay program, which was very interesting because you get a view of how the local people live their lives. The village on the island was one of the poorest vilages we’ve seen so far. It was rather crude to watch children play in the water, just metres away from where our toilet flushed directly into the sea. A rather strange contrast with the two super expensive resorts that are on the Island as well. Local people may not even enter the premises of these resorts. Our room was very basic with electricity only available from 18:00 till 06:00, which meant we woke up very early from the increasing heat when the fan had stopped working. We know that in Bora Bora there are some very expensive resorts that have glass panels in the floor, which allow you to see the sea and sealife underneath. At Mabul, we had a very budget version of this, with holes in the linoleum and cracks between the floorboards, which allowed us to see the aquamarine water underneath.
The next day, we did the same all over again. I did three dives, Marjolein snorkeled and we were back at Semporna harbour around 16:30 hr. Sipadan Island is known as one of the top ten best divesits in the world. I can only say that I fully agree. It is the best dive site I’ve seen so far since I got my license back in 2001.
On the morning of the 15th we needed to be at the North Borneo Divers diveshop in Semporna at 8:00. Even when we’re travelling we have to get up early sometimes ;-). At 8:30 we went to the boat, which was quite big compared to the other boats we’ve been on so far, but it was equipped with 2x 200 HP engines, so it was very fast. Still, it took us little over one hour and approximately 100L (fuel tanks were transparant 25L jerry cans) of fuel to reach the Island. On the first day I did three dives, all around 45 minutes and between 22 and 15 meters deep. Marjolein went snorkling along the beach and the coral. About 50 meters from the beach there was a huge drop off, dropping down to at least 50 meters. Who thought you could have vertigo when you’re snorkling…? During the dives I saw a wide variety of sealife including huge turtles (too many to count), white tip reef sharks, barracudas, a huge school of travellies and lots and lots more.
After the diving we went to Mabul Island to spend the night in a Longhouse. We stayed with a family who participated in the homestay program, which was very interesting because you get a view of how the local people live their lives. The village on the island was one of the poorest vilages we’ve seen so far. It was rather crude to watch children play in the water, just metres away from where our toilet flushed directly into the sea. A rather strange contrast with the two super expensive resorts that are on the Island as well. Local people may not even enter the premises of these resorts. Our room was very basic with electricity only available from 18:00 till 06:00, which meant we woke up very early from the increasing heat when the fan had stopped working. We know that in Bora Bora there are some very expensive resorts that have glass panels in the floor, which allow you to see the sea and sealife underneath. At Mabul, we had a very budget version of this, with holes in the linoleum and cracks between the floorboards, which allowed us to see the aquamarine water underneath.
The next day, we did the same all over again. I did three dives, Marjolein snorkeled and we were back at Semporna harbour around 16:30 hr. Sipadan Island is known as one of the top ten best divesits in the world. I can only say that I fully agree. It is the best dive site I’ve seen so far since I got my license back in 2001.
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