Day 4, Fri, 31 October 2014:
Did I mention that Labuan’s duty-free will be loved by alcohol and chocolate lovers in my previous post on ‘Duty-Free Labuan‘?
If I hadn’t, then yes, you should know now. I went in to one of those shophouses along Labuan, nearby ferry terminal and the alcohol, cigarettes and don’t forget chocolates, are all sold at a great price! I didn’t buy any though.
As mentioned in previous post, the speedboat from Labuan – Sipitang cost RM30 for a 45 to 60 mins ride. The boat is spacious and is very comfortable as well. I arrived about 45 minutes later from Labuan. That day, the tide and current was good. So the ride was smooth.
Along the journey, you’ll get to see big ships docking and lots of tanker ships around. I also learnt from the driver that there are a number of shipwrecks around Labuan which attracts a few divers to come every year.
Upon reaching Sipitang’s terminal, we are greeted by a low tide and lots of rubbish seen near to the shore. It was really a bad sight. I always feel sad and wonder why the villages do not bother to clean it up or rather ensures that the place is healthy. Sadly, it may be caused by too many ships docking near Labuan that may cause some of the waste to flow through here.
I wish in a few years to come, they will come up with a strategy to ensure that ships do not throw their waste into the oceans.
Anyway, the jetty is small enough to accommodate passengers getting in and out of Sipitang via speedboats. Sipitang is a town, district and also a parliamentary constituency in Interior Division, Sabah.
I was given a ride to the esplanade by one of the passengers family who came to fetch one of the passenger from the same boat I took. There will be taxis around to bring you to your destinations. So I decided to be hitched. It took us about 10 – 15 minutes, just a short ride. You’ll get to see beautiful local houses along the way.
The driver stopped me at Esplanad Sipitang as requested. Here’s how the Esplanad in Sipitang looks like.
10 minutes later, I continued my journey towards the taxi stand. It’s Friday and maybe that’s a reason why the place is pretty quiet. I walked past shop houses after shop houses and this old school looking Billiard place which is not air-conditioned caught my attention the most. It brought me back to the old era of the 70s or 80s which can be seen on TV during old dramas are played. In Singapore, most billiard/snooker/pool place are air conditioned and there are even sofas to chill. So this is pretty nostalgic to me.
Upon reaching Sipitang taxi stand,where you can find private cars which will bring you to your destinations in Sipitang or KK, I asked around for prices to a few destinations. So here’s what I get;
Via private taxi:
Sipitang – Long Pa Sia: RM50-60 where the driver will be going through rough roads.
Sipitang – KK: RM30 for a 2hr+ or less depending on traffic using their private taxi. There is a bus departing to KK at 4.30pm for a price less than RM20 for a 3hr+ journey depending on traffic.
Sipitang – Tenom: RM25
Sipitang – Beaufort: RM7
I thanked them and decided to get my lunch first as I make the decisions. I’ve been wanting to eat grilled fish and I was lucky enough that there was a mini shop here that has it just like that. So I ordered a red snapper with a plate of rice for just RM3. I kid you not. It is just RM3 and the fish is tasty. No fishy smell or anything like that. This is the kind of lunch I always eat at home too. Simple yet fulfilling. You peel the skin, get the meat and dip it in the sweet soya bean sauce with small red chillies and yummmm. I could eat this everyday for lunch here.
A happy tummy is a happy lady. So I’ve finally decided to go Tenom. The journey itself was amazing. But let’s talk about it in next post yeah? Till then…
Xoxo;
Lia Schmolphin
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