17/4/18 - Day 80

A long day of travelling, first flight leaves Langkawi for KL at 9.30. Arrives into KL at 10.30, next flight to Tawau at 12.20 to Sipadan.

We arrive on time, collect bags and more cash and then out of arrivals back into departures. I love this airport it’s so clean, new and easy to get around. J sends me on my way and he’s boarding a bus from KL to Melaka, I feel sad but also excited by the prospect of diving in Sipadan. I know I’m going to miss my man though...but as always cheered up by the next adventure...

The flight takes nearly three hours from KL to Tawau, then I head into a taxi who drives like the devil and I’m in Semporna at my hostel in about an hour and 15. The hostel is full of Chinese, I’ve seen one other Westerner but that’s it. I’m staying at the Cube Bed Station, it has great views out to sea and there restaurants and dive shops everywhere. I am fortunate that they’ve allocated me a bunk / cube bed in the female dorm right on the end so I have space for my yoga mat. I roll it out and spend an hour doing a yin yoga session (accompanied by funny looks from my new Chinese tribe). Afterwards I head out to one of the waterfront food stalls / cafe places and order some sort of noodle soup. I watch the street kids trying to sell stuff and finishing off left-over diners food, very sad but at least they are getting some food I suppose, even if it’s leftovers. I realise that I have no towel, as I’m in a £12 a night hostel they don’t provide such things, I’m lucky to get toilet paper:) I need to buy something so I can dry myself after a wash at least. I manage to find a flannel! I think the shower will have to wait until I transfer to the Island tomorrow... I’m only 2 mins walk from the dive centre where I need to be at 7.30 tomorrow morning so going to have an early night in my cube.

Meantime with all that going on, J has safely arrived in Malacca and is staying in the usual style to which he’s become accustomed, no slumming it in a hostel for him. Seriously though my hostel is fine, although perhaps I should reserve judgement on that until I make it through the night.

18/4/18 - Semporna to Mabul Island (Lara) / Malacca (James) - Day 81

Lara; last night was amazing quiet but bed extremely hard! It’s tipping down with rain in Semporna, I have to make my way to the Billabong Scuba office to sort out my transfer to Mabul Island. They decide that they would prefer cash so I have to traipse to the cash point, I’m accompanied as it’s quite a walk and the young girl that takes me insists on holding my hand (I think she’d be great working for GS4!). Eventually make it back to Billabong, sort the cash and then we’re transferred to the jetty, me and a bunch of Chinese that is. We’re then taken to Mabul Island by speedboat, it takes about half an hour.

I arrive and check in, they’re very sweet ladies checking us in. I go to my room (brown gloss walls, black curtains... this could be quite depressing although I do have a royal blue wet room, with black curtains, think that interior designer was having an off day!). I then pop along to the dive school, sort out my gear and we’re off for our 1st dive of the trip, the boat leaves about 10.30/11 with only a few divers and a whole bunch of snorkelers. Nice first dive at Kalapai Island House reef which is a mini village that has been created to support Marine life. I’ve buddied with a Chinese girl who is pretty good at diving and speaks a bit of English. Back for lunch which isn’t great but get chatting to a Mexican guy who is living in Barcelona. I think I might be living on peanut butter sandwiches for the next few days. Have my second dive on Mabul Island at Panglima Reef, this was a drift dive so I flew along a few times and saw tonnes of large Green Turtles plus lots of other life to look at, beautiful.

Meantime our man is in Malacca sightseeing on dry land.

19/4/18 - Day 82 Lara; Diving Sipadan

Leave for the first dive at 8, it takes about half an hour to get to the island. We then have to check in with the island police who check our permit to ensure we can dive. 1st dive was amazing, I counted over 17 white, grey and black tip sharks during the dive. Max depth was 36m, we then go and take a tea break for our surface interval on the island. Back for our 2nd dive around 11, when we jump in there is a massive school of Trevalli, plus more sharks and yet more turtles. We’re diving at Coral Garden. Lunch is served on the island, I manage to get a look in but as there are only six of us it’s veg and rice which is perfectly fine. The 3rd dive takes place at Barracuda Point, we jump in and there are tonnes of Bumphead fish, which are huge and if I’m honest a bit ugly, I only spot a few Barracuda so it doesn’t exactly live up to the name.

Get back to the resort and my Chinese friend grabs a shower in my room and then she’s off back to Semporna. It’s a very transient place! I do a yoga session in my room with the door open so it doesn’t feel like a complete prison and then I venture out of our ‘resort’ and head to the Reggae Bar, I manage to get a beer and get chatting to a few western travellers then make the mistake of getting back at 7.30, all the food has been demolished by the Chinese. I have to ask if they can make me some food, I end up with an omelet and stir fried cabbage, unusual combo but it seems to work ok.

20/4/18 - Day 83 Lara: Diving in Sipadan

I can’t quite believe I’ve managed to bag another permit for today (although was pre-booked a few weeks ago). Another three dives, diving is again very good, different group of divers today, three Chinese, one Australian and one American. Similar suspects spotted as we saw yesterday but in addition we saw a huge school of Barracuda swimming in a ball formation, at surprise, surprise Barracuda Point. More reef sharks and turtles than you can shake a stick at. Lovely day and the weather has been great today. Back to Mabul, I get showered and then do a bit of yin yoga to stretch things out, feel great after, manage to elbow the Chinese out of the way (they have now swelled to 32!) to get some food, I make sure I’m there dead on 7. Back to my room (aka prison cell) to read and relax (if that’s possible in a room that’s painted in brown gloss paint!). I keep telling myself it’s all about the diving not the interior of my room...

21/4/18 - Day 84: Lara - Diving Mabul Island

I’m on the boat at 8am there is one other diver a lady called Sharifa (Lin) who is from Malaysia and speaks brilliant English. It’s just us and we are taken out by Otto, one of the guides. We go to Ray Point and have a cracking dive, lots to see, loads of moray eels, blue spotted rays, colourful nudibranch and a Devil box fish which is pretty unusual apparently...For the mid morning dive we’re joined by some new comers who are westerners; German, Polish and Dutch. We have a couple of nice easy dives to ease them in. Our 2nd dive is back at Mandarin Valley and our third and my final dive is at Lobster Wall but due to the amount of current we end up at Eel Garden. Really lovely dives here but now I have to hang up the gear as I’m flying tomorrow. I get back and do some yoga, whilst studying my yoga book, and listening to music, I get changed and head out with Lin to buy some fish from the local Banja (boat people), we buy three small grouper for 15 rmt (less than £3). We decide to take it to the Reggae Bar (I carry the live fish in a carrier bag filled with water) where we ask them to prepare the fish for us whilst we have drinks, watch the sun go down and I grab some photo’s that Lin has taken on her Go Pro.

Meantime our man has been reporting in regularly from Malacca....

22/4/18 - Day 85

I’ve managed to sort out a visit to Seaventures Dive Rig which is where I originally wanted to stay but couldn’t because the dates they had available didn’t work. I’d asked the Rig if I could visit anyway and they agree to send a boat to collect me, seeing as how I can’t dive today due to flying tonight it feels like a good use of time. I mention it to Lin and she comes with me. We take all our luggage and checkout of my brown prison (no seriously it was fine in the end) and the boat picks us up and takes us to the Rig. It’s very impressive, a lift is lowered to sea level and we step off the boat and are transported by lift to the platform where we are met by all the team. We get treated like royalty and have a super visit, complete by lunch which was very unexpected. We reluctantly leave and head back by boat to Semporna, it takes about 40mins by boat and then we arrive in Semporna all hell is breaking loose, the boat people have come into Semporna for their annual festival, it’s like a mini carnival going on. I carry my backpack, which now feels much heavier and we manage to meet our driver who is taking us back to Tawau airport. We speed off back to Tawau and then have a bit of time at the airport before boarding the flight to KL. Arrive into KL at around 10pm.

Meantime our man is still in Malacca....