Glorious Sipadan - cont. (27 June 07)
I'll start today's update with an extract from our guide book on Borneo that says it all "the venerable French marine biologist, Jacques Cousteau, 'discovered' Sipadan in 1989 and after spending 3 months diving around the island from his research vessel Calypso had this to say: "I have seen other places like Sipadan... 45 years ago... but now, no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art". Since then, Sipadan has become a sub-aqua shangri-la for serious divers. It is regularly voted one of the top dive destinations in the world by leading scuba magazines. The reef is without parallel in Malaysia. But Sipadan is not just for scuba divers, it is a magnificient, tiny tropical island with pristine beaches and crystal clear waters and its coral can be enjoyed by even the most amateur of snorkellers".
Yep, that is an accurate description alright, I'll vouch for that. This morning the sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, not a ripple on the lagoon, it was just picture perfect. I set off on my bike and headed for the furthest point on the peer and took some award winning photos (even if I have to say so myself (!) but they are truly my best beach shots ever, even better than the ones I took in India in 2005). I mean, I had corals in the foreground, the fisherman's boat (typical shape for here) floating over crystal clear waters and the lovely island in the background, with white sand beach and palm trees. I mean, how much more 'post card' like would you like it to be? I was in awe. I haven't seen ONE post card that looks as good (be it of the resort or of the island) than the shots I have taken myself. I just pray to God that my memory card doesn't get faulty over the next 2 weeks otherwise I'll weep buckets.
I think next time I'll get 2 x 1GB instead of 1 x 2GB because the thought of potentially losing 700 photos in one go sounds incredibly painful. And the main reason this comes to mind is because it's exactly what happened to Roberto this morning. He'd gone on the 5:30am dive (even more spectacular at sun-rise as all the big predators are out trying to eat the smaller fish) and his camera case (supposedly water-proof) had cracked and it totally drowned his camera. There was water even in the battery compartment and even on the contact bits of the memory card adaptor. So we can only *hope* that all the beautiful pix that I took yesterday of the reef and fishes (and the video of the turtle swimming) will still be intact. So now we are relying solely on my camera to capture all the best memories of the trip...
I skipped the 5:30am boat trip myself (you need a lot more light to appreciate the corals) and even the 7:45am. I tried to have a lie-in but the chambermaid woke me up at 8:00am... I'd forgotten to put the 'Do not disturb' sign on the door. BIG mistake. So, at 9:00am I just hopped on my bike and cycled across the resort (such a fab feeling, cycling over a lagoon... I mean, where else in the world can you DO that I wonder ???). The colour of the water was just mesmerising... and I don't use the word lightly.... but I cannot think of a better adjective. That stunning soft green that totally enthralls me, whilst another side of the lagoon looked turquoise. I enjoyed taking more beautiful shots....
Lunch-time was as relaxing as ever, simple but great food, beautiful setting, overlooking the lagoon... then I went to take a few more pix whilst Roberto had a nap to catch up on his lack of sleep... and by 4pm the winds rose up again, the sea became choppy and the whole ambience changed completely. It still looked gorgeous in a strange kind of way... but this is why I'm now back on line, since I'm not one for watching TV or reading books.
Tomorrow we'll leave this place behind... our boat transfer is at 7am... the next few days will be packed with all sorts of adventures... jungle treks, Sepilok orang utang sanctuary (the first and largest sanctuary in the world), capony walks, water tubing, river cruises, nocturnal walks, train ride among spectacular gorges, white water raftling, hot springs, mountain gardens with over 1,000 species of orchids, mountain climbing (the highest peak in South East Asia, no less), and more snorkelling... what more could you want out of a holiday? :) And to think that we are only exploring just a fraction of Borneo (the 3rd largest island in the world), it's like: surreal...
Righteeo, I'd better sign off, my internet time is up, and if I go above my 15mns, I'll be charged another 15mns, even for 30 seconds... I wish you were all here ! I know that a lot of you badly need a holiday and I feel guilty enjoying it all so much myself when I have so few problems compared to most of you... But I have taken you with me in spirits, honest ! :)
I'll start today's update with an extract from our guide book on Borneo that says it all "the venerable French marine biologist, Jacques Cousteau, 'discovered' Sipadan in 1989 and after spending 3 months diving around the island from his research vessel Calypso had this to say: "I have seen other places like Sipadan... 45 years ago... but now, no more. Now we have found an untouched piece of art". Since then, Sipadan has become a sub-aqua shangri-la for serious divers. It is regularly voted one of the top dive destinations in the world by leading scuba magazines. The reef is without parallel in Malaysia. But Sipadan is not just for scuba divers, it is a magnificient, tiny tropical island with pristine beaches and crystal clear waters and its coral can be enjoyed by even the most amateur of snorkellers".
Yep, that is an accurate description alright, I'll vouch for that. This morning the sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, not a ripple on the lagoon, it was just picture perfect. I set off on my bike and headed for the furthest point on the peer and took some award winning photos (even if I have to say so myself (!) but they are truly my best beach shots ever, even better than the ones I took in India in 2005). I mean, I had corals in the foreground, the fisherman's boat (typical shape for here) floating over crystal clear waters and the lovely island in the background, with white sand beach and palm trees. I mean, how much more 'post card' like would you like it to be? I was in awe. I haven't seen ONE post card that looks as good (be it of the resort or of the island) than the shots I have taken myself. I just pray to God that my memory card doesn't get faulty over the next 2 weeks otherwise I'll weep buckets.
I think next time I'll get 2 x 1GB instead of 1 x 2GB because the thought of potentially losing 700 photos in one go sounds incredibly painful. And the main reason this comes to mind is because it's exactly what happened to Roberto this morning. He'd gone on the 5:30am dive (even more spectacular at sun-rise as all the big predators are out trying to eat the smaller fish) and his camera case (supposedly water-proof) had cracked and it totally drowned his camera. There was water even in the battery compartment and even on the contact bits of the memory card adaptor. So we can only *hope* that all the beautiful pix that I took yesterday of the reef and fishes (and the video of the turtle swimming) will still be intact. So now we are relying solely on my camera to capture all the best memories of the trip...
I skipped the 5:30am boat trip myself (you need a lot more light to appreciate the corals) and even the 7:45am. I tried to have a lie-in but the chambermaid woke me up at 8:00am... I'd forgotten to put the 'Do not disturb' sign on the door. BIG mistake. So, at 9:00am I just hopped on my bike and cycled across the resort (such a fab feeling, cycling over a lagoon... I mean, where else in the world can you DO that I wonder ???). The colour of the water was just mesmerising... and I don't use the word lightly.... but I cannot think of a better adjective. That stunning soft green that totally enthralls me, whilst another side of the lagoon looked turquoise. I enjoyed taking more beautiful shots....
Lunch-time was as relaxing as ever, simple but great food, beautiful setting, overlooking the lagoon... then I went to take a few more pix whilst Roberto had a nap to catch up on his lack of sleep... and by 4pm the winds rose up again, the sea became choppy and the whole ambience changed completely. It still looked gorgeous in a strange kind of way... but this is why I'm now back on line, since I'm not one for watching TV or reading books.
Tomorrow we'll leave this place behind... our boat transfer is at 7am... the next few days will be packed with all sorts of adventures... jungle treks, Sepilok orang utang sanctuary (the first and largest sanctuary in the world), capony walks, water tubing, river cruises, nocturnal walks, train ride among spectacular gorges, white water raftling, hot springs, mountain gardens with over 1,000 species of orchids, mountain climbing (the highest peak in South East Asia, no less), and more snorkelling... what more could you want out of a holiday? :) And to think that we are only exploring just a fraction of Borneo (the 3rd largest island in the world), it's like: surreal...
Righteeo, I'd better sign off, my internet time is up, and if I go above my 15mns, I'll be charged another 15mns, even for 30 seconds... I wish you were all here ! I know that a lot of you badly need a holiday and I feel guilty enjoying it all so much myself when I have so few problems compared to most of you... But I have taken you with me in spirits, honest ! :)
posted by Sylvie at 9:39 AM
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