SHAH’S RAMBLINGS

A mere 20 minute boat ride from KK is Pulau Sapi, one of five coral islands which make up the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park. A group of five of us took a daytrip there last weekend for a few hours of snorkelling and lazing around on the beach.

Compared to Mamutik which me, BM and Hairie visited last year during our brief holiday in KK, the snorkelling experience at Sapi was a slight disappointment. The corals seemed a lot more damaged here than at Mamutik, no doubt from the throngs of tourists stepping all over them on a daily basis. And it didn’t help that the waters seemed shallower here than at Mamutik. But even so the sea was still teaming with fishes, even more so when you bring along a few slices of bread to feed them as you snorkel.

The Lonely Planet guide mentioned that you could explore the jungle trails in the middle of this tiny island, but when a group of these creatures suddenly apppeared from the jungle to feed on the scraps some of the tourists were throwing at them, exploring the jungle would be the last thing I’d do.

A day trip to one island costs RM23 not including a RM3 National Park admission fee paid on the island (which covers all the islands). You could cut costs and make more of the daytrip by getting the 2 or 3 island ticket, departing earlier in the day and spending several hours on one island before the boat picks you up to drop you onto the next island.

Two islands down and three more to go, but those are just the ones near KK. There’s still Pulau Tiga, Mantanani, Balambangan, Layang-layang, Mabul, Lankayan, Mataking, Maiga, Sibuan, Kapalai and last but not least the gem of them all, Sipadan. But all that will have to wait till I get my open water diving license in a few month’s time

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