A whale of a time

Okay.. so there weren't actual whales.. not even whale sharks.. or sharks or green turtles.

Damn.

Tajang & I gracefully stepped into the Land Below the Wind on the 29th of Dec 2008.

Painful goodbyes were said at Kuching International Airport as we boarded our fully occupied flight to Kota Kinabalu.

My passion for animals has always been fired by the National Geographic, Discovery Channel and my own self-exhuberating love for creatures preferably with less than 4 legs and who cannot take flight (i.e. insects).

Marine life on the other hand, is a whole other chapter. I am captivated by the kooshkin jelly-like organisms that are perhaps more complex than we'd like to think.

Fishes, jelly bugs and coral I saw in a whole new light.. amidst the stingings from little jellyfish that didn't really pose much of a threat.

These communities that were once confined to me by the telly or salt-water aquariums became within inches of me.. and between the bubbles from my exhaling breath, I was hooked.

Our lodge was a quaint B&B. As claustrophobic as it was, it was nice and pleasant. Tucked away in a red-light district, next to a clambering of seafood restaurants was were we called home those 6 days.

The KK Waterfront proved popular with tourists, like yours truly and we were treated to a New Year's celebration amongst expats and locals alike. Sunset..AWESOME.

BTW, One Borneo was utterly disappointing.

Don't go there.

Nuff sed.

The jetty at Sutera Harbour already sparked my enthusiasm when I saw a small reef inhabited by fishes and sea urchins caught my eye amidst the sparkle of the clear blue waters perched by the rocks.

The moment I stepped onto the island, I was in love.

Again. Nuff sed. This time on a good note =)

Our instructor: C.J.

The dive course was straight to the point. No beating round the bush.. and in 4 days..5 confined water sessions, 4 open water sessions including a boat dive(!) and a full day classroom session and written exam (of which I scored 94%!) we were PADI-Certified Open water divers!

The weekend was fueled by gynormous amounts of alcohol and great company courtesy of Ann and Claudine.

We were brought to their favourite waterholes featuring one of the best live bands I've seen in my life. Oh yea.. we also did the tourist thing where we went to this big open air seafood restaurant with cultural performances and ok ok la seafood with a tourist price twist!

The nightlife in KK is hoping at hotel pubs like Rumbar (Le Meridien) and Shenanigans (Hyatt)

Standing on its own, Razzmatazz in the middle of nowhere-atazz is a hoping establishment playing sounds alike to that at Supper Club Singapore with a local twist.

BTW, did you know slot machines are legal in Sabah?!!!!

My ultimate fav Cai Tsen Dao machine was in operation!!!

After winning, losing then breaking even, we decided to call it a day.

Winning ingredients for a mega-fun gambling session: Good Company, Tong-ing money together and continuous chanting for Cai Tsen Dao, Ingots and Gold Coin formations!

BTW, we won one of those lucky lucky draws where they take pictures of the screen and give you cash on the spot!! (not much la RM200 nia)

Sabah.. two thumbs up.

Bigger, blacker than ever, I was devastated to leave.. but duty calls..

Sipadan.. I'll see you soon.