Serenading Sabah

(i) Bohey Dulang – The Cerulean Paradise

Despite having been living in Sabah for almost 3 years now, I have never heard of Bohey Dulang, until recently.  I googled the name and immediately went “What? No way this place is that beautiful! They must have photoshopped this!”

So to prove my own theory wrong, I booked return flights from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau. Me and my other three friends then hopped on a cab that brought us to the town of Semporna, around 1-hour drive away from Tawau International Airport. It was already 10pm when we arrived, therefore we settled on spending one night here.

Dragon’s Inn. No..unfortunately we didn’t see any dragons hanging out at the balcony :P

For more info on this inn, you can visit their website : http://www.dragoninnfloating.com.my/

The next day, our boat was waiting for us at Semporna Jetty. For this trip, we booked transportation to Bohey Dulang and accommodation in Mabul in advance. After some research, we decided to pick Seahorse Sipadan Scuba. More info here: http://www.seahorse-sipadanscuba.com/

After only 30 minutes boat ride, here we are at our first destination!

Bohey Dulang. Just like that, I knew that Google did not lie. This place is really, genuinely beautiful :D

Owh I forgot to mention teeny tiny bit info..to really enjoy the view of Bohey Dulang, you need to hike. The distance was only 600metres but man..was that hill steep! I’ve warned you well enough so do not wear high heels ya.. :P

Luckily we got loyal friends to keep us company until the 600m mark!

Tadah! Worth all the blood,sweat and tears...! :’D

We spent about 40 minutes here posing like supermodels having photoshoot in Alps, then we had to leave for Mabul.

Journey to Mabul took another one and half hours. I slept almost half of the time. Don’t ask me how I managed to sleep in high speed boat, guess I’m just that tired haha.

(ii) How I Survived Discovery Scuba Diving

Ok here’s a quick fact about me. When I was a child, I almost drowned and it was (safe to say) not an enjoyable experience.. Therefore, I avoided any water sports as much as possible. 

But on this occasion, I made an exception. I figured that while I’m still in Mabul, why not just go ahead and try scuba diving and conquer my fear? Besides,every Discovery Scuba Dive (DSD) is being closely monitored by experienced divemasters. But still, I did not sleep well the night before DSD :P

One of the divemasters gave us safety briefing the next day. To those who want to try DSD, listen, listen and LISTEN to your divemaster! Ask question, however silly, when you have any doubt because well, we can’t ask them underwater, right?

Another useful information to know, whatever you do down there, do not panic!

I however, did just that. Haha. You see, it is totally different kind of world down there. You even breathe differently, using your mouth instead of your nose therefore I struggled a bit. Can’t believe I sucked at breathing :P Luckily my divemaster was kind and patient enough with me fussing and he was willing to teach me again. 15 metres down under, we saw a gigantic turtle! woot woot!

Owh yes..another information, do not try to touch the underwater creatures, because they might attack you.. (In my defense, I did not know this information when I touched that turtle..)  

Picture time! This is the only part where I didn’t get nervous because I was too busy posing!

30 minutes later, it was over! Whew..I must say it was one of the most exciting experiences ever!

..would I try that again though? Absolutely not! Let’s move on to another adventure ahead! :P

(iii) Mabul-lous People

A friend once said that a beach is like a person. They’re different from one another. I couldn’t agree more. This is why I love beaches. No matter how many I’ve been to, there would be something that distinguishes them.

Phuket is a sexy girl in a bikini.

Langkawi is an old man with so many stories to tell.

Mabul is a young boy, with bright eyes and warm smile and nothing to worry.

I will always be reminded of how carefree their life is. Sometimes we’re too worked up with paying bills that we forget to enjoy the scenery that is life.

If you need a reminder, pack your bag and head to Mabul :)