The plane lands in Sandakan. Here I am in Borneo! The airport is tiny. I quickly get my bag, buy a coupon at the taxi counter at the exit and go directly to Sepilok, a few kilometers away, where is the Orangutan rehabilitation center.
Diving to Sipadan and the bottoms of nearby islands (Mabul, Kapalai, Sibuan), you have to travel to Semporna, the southeastern port of Malaysian territory in Borneo.
To kill time while waiting for the big departure, I test the posting of a blog. Takeoff Friday, June 23, 2006: J-89 ... It's not so far!
I had a very nice dive expedition to Redang, about an hour and a half from the Perhentian boat. There, the visibility is exceptional and the three dives that we chained in real decors of postcards are a treat.
Last day of diving in Tioman, peninsular Malaysia side. A day dedicated to the dreaded acanthaster, coral starfish ...
Here I am at Perhentian Kecil, in the south of Peninsular Malaysia. I explore the island, rather touristy, but very friendly ...
Malaysia : Peninsula and Borneo - July 2006 Here I am, disembarking in Chumphon (pronounced "tcheumpone") by the Lomprayah, the...
At the approach of Tioman Island, I feel that the place will please me. It's big, huge! In the maritime haze of the early morning, a steep profile, covered with a dense and humid vegetation, arises, still clinging with shreds of clouds.
Info found on Plongeur.com. Read the full description here on Wetpixel. To summarize, a barge loaded with materials...
The big day is here. Today, finally, I plunge to Sipadan. The site does not usurp its reputation. It's spectacular. Sharks and turtles galore. Fish everywhere. All along a vertiginous "wall" where the corals abound, which sinks into the blue.
I revised my Malaysia itinerary for July 2006. It is necessary to make choices... Here is a new map of the route that I will take...
I was wrong when I arrived in Perhentian Kecil (Malaysia) to underestimate the attraction and seductive power of this tiny island ...
Nudibranchs are the sea cousins of land slugs. Their gills are exposed, naked, hence their name ...
The islands around Sipadan are unknown and yet they are worth seeing. I dive there almost every day until the end of the week, waiting for my turn to go to Sipadan.
Malaysia: peninsula and Borneo - July 2006 The famous night train has finally arrived in Songai ...
I have time to make plans, at D-87... It will be mostly a "diving and relaxing" trip. Hence my choice...
The coral-eating acanthaster starfish is called "crown of thorns" in English ... or COT. This Sunday, it's COT's party!
Maz and Alex are a couple of English eco-lovers and diving enthusiasts, whom I had the pleasure to meet again in Tioman. They are on a humanitarian trip (18 months, 65,000 km and 26 countries) for the Care organization.
The way to Tekek, on the island of Tioman, is punctuated by small houses, which range from the rickety hut to the dapper chalet. Cafés-restaurants-grocery stores sell bags of instant noodles, fishing line and laundry packs, serve plates of fried rice and coffee ...
I take you under the surface, discover the underwater world of the Perhentian Islands, Peninsular Malaysia ...
The Tioman jungle in southeastern Peninsular Malaysia is a protected nature park. Dense, almost impenetrable, it covers most of the island.
I am finally arrived at Semporna, the gateway to Sipadan in Borneo, with my companions Helena and Paul, a couple from Guernsey.
Johor Bahru is a borderless city without any charm. Its asset: to be the gateway to Malaysia, just in front of Singapore.
In Borneo, Malaysia, the Sepilok Orangutan Centre is trying to reintroduce these endangered great apes into the jungle. A short visit...
Malaysia : Peninsula and Borneo - July 2006 I went back to Jansom Bay, in the...
Everyone is scared of sharks. It's silly. There is more danger for divers: the olive ballista, also called titan ballista.
The train that never arrives has finally arrived, the taxi drivers rushed to the handful of farangs who came down with their backpacks.
Night bus ride to Mersing without history, even if my neighbor has a tendency to overflow from his seat and spread over mine ...
Despite my not very favorable first impression of Kota Bahru (Malaysia), it's starting to please me. The city is ugly but the people are cool like anything.
I leave Kota Bahru, his stuffed women and his concrete for the Perhentian Islands. Perhentian Besar the Great, and Perhentian Kecil the Small, renowned for their crystal clear waters and coral reefs ...
Should we say Malay or Malaysian? Both ! In fact, everything depends on the context, because the two terms do not have exactly the same meaning.