Sizzling Batteries and Bubbling Mud

Visa expiry time was fast approaching - it was almost 90 days since arriving back in Malaysia from Laos in late July. Not a problem: we would sail down to Brunei, check in there and then check out and sail back to Kota Kinabalu via Labuan. It would be less than 100 nautical miles and we would break the leg by stopping off at Pulau Tiga. However, by the time we were near Tiga, we discovered that an electrical problem was actually a battery problem. Two of our six 6-volt batteries were overheating and in fact one was sizzling!! We decided to press on and go straight to Labuan despite our expired visas. We arrived in Labuan just on sunset on Friday night and tied up at the new and breaking down marina off the Waterfront Hotel. The marina is a disgrace to Malaysian know-how or not-know-how. A lot of money has been spent on a well-built perimeter wall but the entrance allows too much swell inside and the floating docks are breaking up making up for a very nerve-wracking stay.

This 'island' dock at the entrance to the marina seems to serve no purpose and is already broken

The next day, Saturday, we decided the easiest option for renewing our visas was to catch the one-hour fast ferry to Brunei, about 20 nautical miles away. That was easy and we were soon in Brunei and through immigration and off to the ticket counter to get a return ticket to Labuan. It was a Saturday afternoon, Halloween, and apparently there was to be a beach party on Labuan to celebrate (Brunei is strictly Muslim and no alcohol at all is sold, while Labuan is a duty free territory and has lots of alcohol for sale). Would we get a ticket? We came with virtually nothing for an overnight stay but after a stressful hour we were finally given the nod and a ticket to board. In the end everyone was given a ticket but not all were lucky enough to have a seat!! At least it was not too overcrowded and it was only an hour.

That was sorted, the batteries were sorted - we would have some sent up from Kuching and pick them up in KK in a couple of weeks. We left following a very windy night and a very high tide with the floating docks flapping on the surge. Never so glad to leave a 'marina'. We sailed 38 nautical miles to Pulau Tiga where we dropped the anchor in lovely clear water in a small, wide bay. Absolute bliss!! Next morning we put the dinghy in and went ashore to seek out one of the mud volcanoes that Tiga is renowned for. It was a short walk through the jungle and we arrived at the mud hole. The sign said it was four feet deep so Jon decided to brave it and had a bath in the mud. Pam had to hold the camera and as there were monkeys nearby it was not safe to put anything on the ground!!

Going To Extremes!

The weekend of the 24 and 25 October saw the annual Tamu Besar, or open-air market, at Kota Belud about 80km north of Kota Kinabalu. We hired a car with Chris and Daun and off we went but decided to take in the Tip of Borneo on the way - or should that be out of the way? Whatever, we arrived at Kudat in time for lunch but not a lot to see or report about Kudat. We continued on to the Tip, the most northern point on the island of Borneo, where the wind was fairly blowing and the waves were crashing on the rocks below, before backtracking to Kota Belud and the Tamu Besar. Before long it was raining heavily and by the time we arrived it was dark! All the accommodation was taken, and it would seem, we were lost. No sign of any festival taking place so we strolled through the evening market, had something to eat and drove back to the marina and bed.

Next day we tried again and set off at 7.00 for Kota Belud once more. This time we asked questions and were directed over the hill to the open-air market. It was actually a lot like any other market but we bought a few bits and pieces to commemorate our visit to Kota Belud and walked back into town. We noticed quite a few of the local ponies tethered around the padang and discovered that there would be demonstration by the 'cowboys of the east' at 1.30. With some nice shade to sit in, we watched as the ponies were dressed in their colourful clothes and their riders donned their traditional costumes in preparation for a demonstration of the riding skills of the Bajau horsemen.

Delayed by the arrival of the Sabah Chief Minister the event finally got underway and the horsemen did their stuff - chiefly riding in formation in lines, circles and more lines. It was very colourful, although not really exciting but worth the time and effort with plenty of photo oppotunities.

Day three of our hire car experience took us over the Crocker Range and into the Tambunan Rafflesia Reserve named for the world's largest flower. We didn't really hold out any hope of seeing one but upon arrival at the NP centre we were excited to find that there was indeed one in flower, about an hour's walk away. We weren't so excited about the RM50 ranger fee to be escorted along a well marked track. We were even more excited when we arrived as there were actually two in flower - one had opened since the day before. This particular flower, Rafflesia pricei, only reaches a size of about 30cm circumference and was about half the size of one we saw in 2007 in Sarawak. However, it was great to see and good to know that the National Parks of Malaysia are doing what they can to preserve such unique flora. The Rafflesia is actually a parasite with no leaves, stem or roots, and grows within a jungle vine. Buds, which look like brown cabbages, take 9 months to burst into flower and then last about 4-6 days before dying. Flowers are either male or female and are pollinated by flies which they attract by a rotten meat smell once they start to die.




Coming back through the Crocker Range we stopped off at a greenhouse, curious to find out what was growing in it. We had seen quite a few of them and suspected they were growing shiitake mushrooms. Sure enough, they were and after having a bit of a look around we came away with a nice bagful of fresh mushrooms!!