[Mount Cook, New Zealand] So it’s been a long time since we last posted and our longest break from the blog since we left. Oops. I have a good excuse. For the first 10 days of the New Year I was suffering from a nasty case of food poisoning and was almost clinically dead. It was not fun at all but I am finally feeling ‘normal’ again and will get on top of the backlog soon. At the moment V and I are hunkered down for the night in our tiny little van at the foot the Huddle-stone glacier (a short hike from Mount Cook).

We have uploaded photos to around 4 Jan but they have not been tagged (and won’t be until Feb). Keep an eye out for posts above and below. More adventure coming soon as long as we have credit on our Sim card 🙂

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G

[Lake Tekapo, New Zealand] Another freezing night but it was marginally better with the rear door closed. We had no idea it would be so cold here. It’s an odd climate that we are battling to acclimatize too. It has been very sunny, even hot, but as soon as the wind starts it is freezing. We seem to spend a lot of time putting our fleeces on and off. Guess we’ll get used to it sometime soon.

After breaking camp we headed into Peel forest for two short walks, the first to ‘the Big Tree’ – a 3m wide monster but still small compared to what we have seen in Borneo. The second trail was out to Acland falls. A very small waterfall at the end of a mossy and atmospheric gully. The walk was taxing for me as I’m still feeling weak and the cold wind on sweat did not feel at all comfortable. Out walking we have noticed that these Kiwis all walk in trainers or boots (even on 30minute long trails) – guess they are not as tough as advertised – we’re still in strops.

Back on the road we headed on south. Geraldine is a larger village with the chance for some shopping. We dropped the van off for a minor repair to the power socket (we thought it was a fuse, but with no manual it was impossible to tell) and went shopping across the street. The shop contained every wool, merino and possum product known to man (willy warmers included). V got herself a new beanie (remember she lost hers in Norway) and we picked up a decent road atlas. The road atlas provided some annoying insights – yesterday we were not at lake Clearwater, but rather at the recreational lake next to it. Also further down the same gravel road was the LOTR filming location for Edoras – we should have recognized those snow covered peaks behind rolling brown grasslands yesterday ! Oh well. V is now very happy with her new map and we’ll be sure to catch a lot more sights.

We passed through a bunch of mini villages including the cutely name ‘Fairlie’ on our way to lake Tekapo, our destination for the day. The viewpoint at the entrance to the village was inspiring. A huge cyan lake stretched out before us with cloud covered mountains to the right. The campsite was crowded (by our new standards) and expensive due to the coin operated showers. Some industrious campers had moved the site numbers around so that they could have a better campsite, the end result being that we ended up on someone else’s site. It was more than a little frustrating. We took a short walk along the lakeside but decided to call it a day and start fresh in the morning with a hike up to the Mount John Observatory.

[Pictures: A view of Lake Tekapo]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G

[Peel Forest, New Zealand] Last night was freezing! Both in our thermals and under a blanket and a duvet and we were still cold. Seems the add on tent extension was not so good for keeping in the heat. Will try without it tonight. After a very late start, we said goodbye to the excellent little campsite and drove off down the road (my turn to drive). It was beautiful sunny clear weather. About 200m away we parked and took off on our first walk in NZ, or tramp as the Kiwis call them. It was a pleasant stroll along the edge of the gorge to the viewpoint with a great view of the gorge and the mountains behind it.

Our next stop was to get some supplies. I of course thought I knew the way and without consulting the GPS set off down the road only to realize some 10kms later that my sense of direction can and does go wrong and we had to do some minor backtracking to get back on route.

We made it eventually to Methven the nearest town with shops. It seemed practically a ghost town, mostly filled with ski shops that were closed. Guess it doesn’t get a lot of business in the summer. The supermarkets were open though.

We set off next for Clearwater lake, for no other reason than the fact that it sounded nice. The snow covered mountains in the distance on the way to the lake looked promising, but the lake itself turned out to be a little dull for us. It was very clear just like the name suggests. It was also crawling with boats. Mostly pulling kids behind them on the modern equivalent of rubber tubes. Since we don’t own a boat and have no interest in water skiing, we had a very late lunch and decided to move on.

Scanning the map and checking the LP for somewhere not too far away to stop over, we found a reference to Peel Forest, a scenic park amidst the remnants of some old forest that managed to escape being chopped down. We headed there and are glad we did. It’s a large but nice campsite. A pre dinner stroll took us through some pleasant forest and we are looking forward to some walks in the woods tomorrow.

[Pictures: Rakaia Gorge and on the road out to Clearwater lake with snowy mountains in the background]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G

[Rakaia Gorge, New Zealand] It’s finally arrived – the start of our road trip. We are not used to being in one place for so long. John and Ingrid arranged a huge fry-up breakfast to send us on our way and thankfully I was feeling up to eating. We piled our gear into the van, waved our goodbyes and headed off north. Within a few minutes we were out of the Christchurch suburbs and on the open road.

We had no real plan but the general idea was to get onto the Inland Scenic route and then head South. After a couple hours we pulled into a campsite Oxford just to see what it was like. It was just about empty with immaculate facilities and manicured lawns. After a quick nibble we set off again. The scenery was beautiful and changeable. The flat (very flat) Canterbury plains are intersected by pristine rivers and to the North deep gorges carve their way to the Southern Alps. Farm fields are divided by huge ‘hedge rows’ – pine trees trimmed perfectly into large rectangular blocks to act as wind breaks (and you need those here). These guys even trim the tree tops to make them look square!

The roads were very good and pretty much deserted all day. For ‘main’ roads they do seem small and the ‘Single Lane’ bridges are unexpected on national highways. At one bridge we stopped to have a look. Clean milky water looked so foreign and stunning with a backdrop of grey stone. We spotted a couple of canoes and a jet-boat (that looks like fun). We passed a number of smaller villages (less than 30 seconds at 60km/h) and then headed onto a dirt road to see lake Coleridge. We drove around the empty picnic sites and past the hydro power station (some 70%+ of NZ’s power is hydro). The climb took us onto roads and through farm gates – not sure if it was allowed but here were no signs. The lake was unbelievable. A cobalt blue expanse, completely deserted (The cell phone photo doesn’t do it justice). Climbing down off the roof of the van (after taking some pics), I got hooked up by my shirt on the antennae – I no longer have a hole free shirt… V’s got some sewing to do 🙂

After 220km we decided to stop at a campsite in Rakaia gorge near Mount Hut (the nearest ski resort, in winter, to Christchurch). The campsite was brilliant. A friendly manager ushered us towards a 100m stretch of river front just for us. Not a single patch of hard, dusty soil – super soft manicured grass along the entire length. Ablutions were as good as home and our little van based facilities let us cook a basic meal.

We couldn’t have wished for a better start to the trip.

[Pictures: Milky waters, Lake Coleridge and the view from our campsite WOW]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G

[Christchurch, New Zealand] Time to stop lying in bed and get a move on with our New Zealand tour now. Still feeling very wonky so I wasn’t looking forward to going to fetch our mini camper-van but everything was booked so no choice there. We were both a little worried about what we had booked since the company ‘Rental Car Village’ is almost 50% cheaper than any other company out there – and we checked every single one! We were presented with a Nissan Vannette. A tiny (but big enough) converted minivan. Automatic gearbox, electric windows, central locking, air con (won’t be needing that) and 135 000 odd km on the clock. It has a few dents and scratches but is otherwise in excellent condition. The rear is kitted out with pull-out double bed, gas stove and a small storage unit/preparation table. We thought it was brilliant. All the accessories (pots, pans, plates, rear tent extension) looked brand new. What a win!

Leaving John behind we hooked up V’s phone running Tomtom (GPS) and gingerly headed out of the parking area to find a shop. It’s been 7 months since we drove in Norway and over a year since doing any real driving so we were both nervous. NZ has an odd ‘Right of Way’ rule at intersections that was stressing us even more but we managed okay. It did feel completely foreign.

The plan was simple. Get cash, a local Sim card and supplies for the first few days on the road. Well the first two went well. We even got a complimentary Sim card from the friendly lady at the Vodafone shop (usually they are NZ$30). Shopping for supplies turned out to be another story. I was starting to feel ill again and the immense ‘Pack and Save’ store in front of us was making me dizzy. There is too much choice here and not having done food shopping for 8 months wasn’t helping. What we would have given for our ‘Tesco online’ favorite items list! We gave up and left the store with very few supplies and hoping that the smaller shops outside town would be less daunting.

The GPS got us efficiently back to Ingrid and John’s place where we had a good chance to inspect the van. Rachel thought it was brilliant (She spent ages playing inside). We agree. Tomorrow morning we’ll throw our packs in, steal some linen and camp furniture and head off into the wild.

[Pictures: The little shell on our backs for the next 4 weeks]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G

[Christchurch, New Zealand] No, the title is not a LOTR reference, we’ve been guests now for 5 days with Ingrid and John in Christchurch. All the comforts of home plus real tea and normal (ie. excellent) food pretty much non-stop. I have unfortunately spent most of in bed with aches and fever so have not been able to enjoy the hospitality but am very thankful for being this ill here and not in the middle of some third world dump. A few evenings ago I could not bear it any longer and John kindly took me in to a 24 hour medical centre. The UK passport got me a 50% discount on the usual ‘foreigner’ consult rate but it was still expensive – I didn’t care. Nursing staff took my vitals and after a wait V and I got to see a Doctor. We were not too impressed. He didn’t really listen to us and was not interested in the possibility of malaria or dengue. Turns out he thought Borneo was in Spain and therefore I was not at risk! Oh well. I guess we got the guy who finished last in his class that year.

Eager to show off Christchurch, and get out a little during their vacation, Ingrid and John took us out around town. Up the Christchurch gondola for a picnic and huge 360deg views of the city and surrounding topography. From there we cruised around some of the sea-side villages and beaches as far as ‘Taylor’s Mistake’ (haha). At one point we noticed a road sign saying ‘No Cruising’. John explained it was for the ‘Boy Racers’. New Zealand is apparently plagued by kids with pimped out ‘race’ cars – sounds just like Pretoria/Chatsworth except in NZ they can start driving at 15! Our first overall impressions of the place: it’s colder and windier than expected, everything is spotlessly clean, everyone is friendly and the Canterbury beaches are rubbish 🙂

V went out with the crew on another outing while I stayed in bed. They visited Willowbank nature reserve (or zoo) where she got to see a Wallaby and a Kiwi. The kids (Rachel and Cloe) just love the place, being able to feed the tame eels and farm animals is far more fun than watching an endangered kiwi bolt along a fence.

I was able to drag myself out of bed for another excursion later in the week but was really not feeling great. We did a tour around the old French colonial area of Akaroa and the Banks peninsula. Very scenic. Very quaint. The French landed there just a few days after the British took control of NZ. Unusually for these two nations they were able to sort things out amicably and the French stayed on. On the way home we pulled over at a road-side farm-stall selling the most amazing cherries I have ever seen. V bought a huge punnet accompanied by a big grin 🙂

Other than that, V has been nursing me back to health and just enjoying being in a wonderful spot with good friends and catching up. She got a couple chances to go shopping with Ingrid for basics and she is impressed with the variety. Sizes seem ‘American’ and prices are very ‘British’. The Marmite does not taste quite right though. The parks and streets around the area seem very peaceful and feel empty – I guess compared to South East Asia it is !

We have to say a huge ‘THANK YOU’ to Ingrid, John and the girls for being so generous with everything. Internet connection, tea, roast lamb, biscuits, potjie, tea, pasta, cereal, tea, hot showers, home baked biscuits, and did I mention tea ? It has been an awesome place to be stuck in bed 🙂 Rachel also seemed to take delight in learning something new, that eating a hamburger can make you sick and was very concerned for me. I think I’m her favorite as I definitely got asked more times than V to go jumping on the trampoline with her. It will be hard to leave here in a couple of days.

BTW. Some time during the week (on the 5th actually), we passed the 8 Months on the Road mark. I was too sick to notice. V, too busy 🙂

[Pictures: Going up on the gondola and me getting yet another haircut. More pics in the linked gallery and even more when we next get a chance to upload]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G

Photos »

We wish everyone an amazing 2011.
Not sure how we’ll top 2010 but we’re going to give it our best shot 🙂

[Gold Coast, Australia] With me as a walking zombie our concern at getting into Australia shifted from the possibility of mud specs on our shoes to the thought of me being quarantined for carrying some bizarre disease. V propped me up and I put on the best possible face for immigration. Phew. No problems and they were incredibly pleasant and polite. The quarantine officials just asked us what we wanted to declare – some instant tea sachets, chopsticks (wood) and some marie biscuits – no problem, they waved us through without the hassle of emptying our packs. Another relief but after all that effort cleaning our shoes they could have checked 🙂

It was great to be back in the world of toasted ham and cheese sarmies, fresh milk and taps that dispense free water that you can drink, but I was still completely out of it. We (I tried) to have a little nibble for breakfast. R140 for two toasted sarmies – yikes ! That’s the first world we know. With 10 hours to wait for our next flight we found some empty benches and made ourselves at home. Immaculate ablutions (hot and cold running water) were yet another good sign. The soft toys we had got for Ingrid’s kids (V’s buddy in Christchurch) proved to be excellent pillows and we both had a chance to catch up on a little sleep.

I always pictured that the Auzzies were all slim and athletic but looks like ‘the good life’ is getting the better of them. With miserable weather outside and me now with aches and fever we decided against taking the 10 minute walk to the beach. We just sat it out as V took excellent care of me. Not the ideal way to spend New Year’s day. Don’t worry Oz. We’ll be back.

Our Air New Zealand flight in the evening was excellent. Wonderful staff. Tasty (apparently) Food. Snazzy and comfortable new plane with tonnes of entertainment. Pity I was still writhing in a ball. It was a short hop to Christchurch (3 hours) and getting in to New Zealand proved to be as easy as Australia, although we were asked if we had a tent in our packs -um… How on earth would that fit ?!

V’s friends had offered to collect us at the airport…at midnight on New Years Day! Now that’s hospitality. “Hellos”, a cup of tea and I was tucked into bed as V spent some time catching up with Ingrid and John. It was a VERY long and painful trip to get to Middle Earth. Good thing it’s over, now just to get well and get out on our quest to return that pesky Ring. Hang on. That’s not right. We’re just exploring 🙂

[Pictures: Mmm chocolate milk at Gold Coast Airport]

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[Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia] We can hardly believe it, more than 240 days on the road and tomorrow is a whole new year. Today started at 7:30 leaving Semporna by taxi. The airport transfer took around an hour and by the time we got to the boarding gates I was going downhill fast. 3 hours later we arrived in KL. The low cost airline terminal was packed but V was able to find us a spot to sit for the day. With 8 hours to kill and feeling like death warmed up I sat in agony as V made sure I was watered, fed and medicated to the gills. Typical now that we have to spend so much time traveling I go and munch a bad burger and get the worst food poisoning I have ever experienced. Scuba Junkie… You suck !

Our flight departed KL on time at 21h45. We were expecting the worst for a long-haul Air Asia flight but it was fine (not for me). You have to pay for food and drink and there is no in-flight entertainment. Not that it mattered – I swallowed pills to keep me comatose as much as possible. Spending New Years at 30 000ft is suppose to be a little more fun than this !

Nearing midnight (KL time) the chief steward announced “I have no idea where we are at the moment so we’ll count down to the New Year on KL time”. “Just as long as the pilot knows where we are !” I thought. The countdown was a little lame. V and I shared the moment, snapped a photo and then I dove back under my sleeping mask.

[Pictures: “Happy” New Year at 30 000ft. I just want a bed]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G

[Semporna, Malaysian Borneo] Our departure from the island was scheduled for 4pm so we were expecting a boring day on the deck but luckily there was a boat going when we got up. That led to a mad rush to get our gear together, copy photos from Jeroen and say our goodbyes to everyone before speeding off towards the mainland.

Uncle Chang’s was brilliant and high above our expectations (from what we had read online). We have a few notes/observations for anyone going there.
– Take snacks, fruit, cereal and long life milk. There is NOTHING to buy on the island and the food at UC’s, although good, does get boring if you are there for more than 3 days.
– The rooms were basic but good. We had no issues with the exception of the occasional sewerage smell.
– The staff, although not all English speaking, were always helpful and accommodating (reception staff in Semporna were brilliant) but you HAVE to ask for things – nothing just gets done automatically.
– The gear was old but worked fine and any issues were resolved quickly. Maybe take your own wet-suit – they were a bit manky.
– Things do seem a little disorganized (who is diving with who and where and when etc) The key is ask questions. Once on the boats everything was smooth sailing.
– Uncle Chang seems like a decent chap but is a little tough to warm up unless you are an experienced diver spending a lot of cash with them (He seems to have favorites).
– The view from the long-house is stunning and the new units under construction look like they will raise the bar substantially.
– We would recommend Uncle Chang’s but would not mind trying another operator next time we are there (just to compare).

Back in Semporna we checked into the Dragon Inn (AC and HOT showers – yes please !) and headed into town for food. I could not resist a burger at the Scuba Junkie restaurant after two solid weeks of chicken and rice. It tasted great but by evening I was regretting the decision. Tomorrow we start our 36 hour long mission to get to New Zealand !

[Pictures: V strolling down to the Dragon Inn – larney looking]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G

[Mabul, Malaysian Borneo] The morning started with a torrential downpour and wind so strong that opening our cabin door meant a free shower. By the time breakfast was being serves the clouds were easing off and it looked like we would get another good day (and our last) diving Sipadan. Sipadan was a little less sunny than the previous times and it felt cooler in the water but it was ultimately another brilliant day out.

Our first dive and a new record depth for us at 30.5m. Seems the DM was confident in our ‘Open Water’ abilities. It was a little unnerving being that far down, looking up and realizing our predicament. V was barely bothered – she was just having too much fun. Not to much in the way of big stuff to see but I did spot a Nudibranch patch with 9 individuals. By the end of the second dive we were getting a little cold with the overcast skies but were enjoying the different dive sites. Coral Garden was incredible.

Our final dive was once again back to Barracuda Point. The moment we got in the water A strong current started pulling us away from a huge school of jackfish and back in towards the shallows. We had to fight against the current to get to the drop off where a monstrous school of barracuda were just hovering (no doubt in the same current). We got into a protected position behind a huge boulder and sat watching – they are quite a sight. It was a tough dive with the current but still excellent with turtles and sharks. All to soon the dives for the day were over and we were chasing the flying fish back to Mabul. The tips we picked up from Jeroen and Angela were once again a great help – now the only question is when are we going to get back in the water !?

[Pictures: Check the gallery links. Not to worry. We have cell phone shots coming soon]

– Posted from my iPhone via WiFi

[Mabul, Malaysian Borneo] Back on the local reefs around Mabul today so we were not expecting much but at least we had some idea of what to look for when it comes to the small stuff. Our DM for the day, Coco, was joined by a larger than life local lady named Rebbecca. She was so full of excitement about everything – her mood was infectious. We dropped off onto the ‘Lobster Wall’ site. The visibility was excellent and V immediately set about spotting the little things – a really cool baby morey (bright yellow), an orange and black flatworm some pipe-fish and the odd Nudibranch. Rebbecca twanged on her tank for us to come check out a pinkish sea fan. It took some pointing but we eventually saw what had gotten her so excited. A tiny (10mm long) Pygmy Seahorse on the fan. Coco was ecstatic. Apparently these guys are very rare and delicate. Even Jeroen, who has seen everything, has these guys on his list to photograph. We must have been lugging some golden horseshoes instead of weights!

Our next dive was back out at Kapala. Rebbecca led us this time down to a set of ‘houses’ (artificial reef) where we came across the biggest morey we have seen so far and cute little polka-dot yellow box-fish. Odd creature. Honestly looks like it has swallowed a rubic’s cube. From the houses we descended down and came up on a large fishing boat wreck. It was awesome. Felt like the opening scene of ‘Titanic’ as we came up and over the bow. Our dive profile meant we couldn’t stay long around the wreck. Rebbecca was on top of her computer making sure we were okay. On the way to shallower water Rebbecca pointed out a tiny Orang Utan Crab. We got the first sign for ‘crab’ but when she started making monkey arm movements we were lost.

The third dive was also good but not as memorable. We did see a large cuttlefish and V got caught out trying to adjust from macro to micro – she was looking for something tiny while I was pointing at a massive Scorpion Fish right under her nose.

Back at UC’s we spent a good hour scrubbing the jungle mud off our shoes – I hope the Australian customs guys appreciate it. Not much else to do but chill out and relax on the deck again. In the evening we heard that two Sipadan permits had become available for tomorrow. It didn’t take much for us to throw our budget even further out of the window and take up the offer. Resistance is futile 🙂

[Pictures: Check out the shots linked in the gallery including the stuff that Jeroen took]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G

[Mabul, Malaysian Borneo] Three more dives at Sipadan today, and they were unbelievable! Perfect weather again as we skimmed out over the glassy sea to the island. This time we were joined by a pleasant Dutch guy and his Canadian girlfriend and a bunch of Chinese divers. Jeroen (the Dutch guy) had a very snazzy camera setup. A Canon SLR with a macro lens and a monster strobe – V almost had to wipe the drool off my lip 🙂 Since today was going to be our last day at Sipadan I tried to rent a camera. Real pity that none were available (or people were too disorganized) – it was an epic day.

We signed in and immediately descended to around 20m at ‘South Point’. It was a stunning dive. Tonnes of immaculate coral stretching up the reef wall. 30m+ visibility meant you could gaze up the wall and see white tip sharks and turtles circling above. We spotted countless creatures as our small group cruised along with the gentle current. The tea break had everyone itching to get back in the water – who needs tea when the conditions are that perfect?

Next we headed to ‘Mid Reef’ and our deepest dive to date, leveling off at 26.2m. Another perfect dive with more sharks, and a small school of Barracuda. Notable where a huge school of Batfish and a monster Giant Grouper at the end of the dive. The coral at Mid Reef is our favorite at the moment. Absolutely beyond stunning and loaded with critters. One of the Chinese divers in our group wasn’t watching the dive leader or his computer and ended up needing a 26 minute safety stop to avoid decompression sickness. Apparently Chinese and Korean divers are notorious for doing silly things and buying expensive gear they can’t use – he was reading his computer incorrectly! That stunt put an end to his diving for the day. Very silly and dangerous.

For lunch back on the island we had a cool visitor. A 2m long monitor lizard patrolling around the platform and devouring the chicken bones people were tossing his way. He eventually strolled up onto the platform giving everyone something to take photos of. A little entertainment to help pass the time between dives more quickly was welcome. We all just wanted to get back in.

The best, as it should do, came last. Another dive at ‘Barracuda Point’ with lots of turtles (one almost swam into V), and our good friends the white tip sharks. We also spotted a big (very big for us) Grey reef shark passing below us. They just look like a shark. Bullet sharped and ominous. Built to kill. The site isn’t called ‘Barracuda Point’ for nothing. Near the end of the dive we were swarmed by a enormous wall of huge (1m+) barracuda. They snaked their way around our group a few times. A solid mass of fish just meters away. You could feel the water moving with them. It was awesome! I’ll be happy if diving doesn’t get better than today, but apparently it can.

Back at Uncle Chang’s we had a chance to chat to Jeroen and look at his photos from the day. The guy has got serious skills with a camera and vast dive experience – sounds like he has been diving everywhere. We learnt tonnes about the beautiful small stuff that is his passion. While we were all looking for sharks and turtles Jeroen was up close and photographing amazing little creatures. Tomorrow we know what to look for so we have decided that V will try spot the small stuff and I’ll keep an eye on the big ones. Hehe. Seems she drew the short straw.

[Pictures: Military Aircraft and boats patrolling around Sipadan and another shot of paradise]

– Posted from my iPhone via WiFi

[Mabul, Malaysian Borneo] Another beautiful sunny day. Another day at the office for Coco, our Spanish dive master. Because we had changed the earlier dive day there was some confusion so we were not sure we would be diving until the last minute. Things seem a little disorganized here, but as long as you’re patient it all kinda works out. Today was two dives on the local reef around Mabul and another on Kapala island around 15 minutes away. Unfortunately the visibility was not very good and after the experience of Sipadan yesterday the sea felt barren.

The dives were more about little critters hiding under rocks and some odd shaped bottom dwellers – the kind of stuff that we are not used to looking at. Things like the wacky crocodile fish, frog fish and leaf fish had us staring confused at random lumps until Coco outlined them for us. Divers seem to cherish spotting these guys but being new to it all we are still just looking for the big or colourful. There was some more familiar sea-life – blue spotted ray, moreys, sand rays (name?) and even a really long banded sea snake cruising the sandy bottom.

A VERY different experience but we are looking forward to getting back out to Sipadan tomorrow to search for some big stuff.

Seems we’re just writing about the dives. That’s pretty much all we have been doing. The food here hasn’t been too bad but we are looking forward to a meal without rice sometime. There are a couple of manky looking kittens that live here. They are friendly and get very excited when you fuss them and feed them and one of them really seems to like my lap.

[Pictures: Nothing on the phone. Will have to upload]

– Posted from my iPhone via WiFi

[Mabul, Malaysian Borneo] or ‘Merry Christmas’ if you prefer. No better gift than to go diving at Sipadan.

Lucky the weather was great for our first dives here. We were up early for breakfast and to sort out our gear. Uncle Chang’s is a ‘budget’ operator and you can see it in the equipment – well I guess as long as it works. V had a bit of fun finding a wet-suit amongst the manky selection. She was adamant that she should be in a small sized one and after trying (and failing) to persuade a few to fit she was left with raw knuckles. Who knew that wet-suits could be so dangerous 🙂 We loaded up and proceeded to test our gear before setting off. The first tank I tried didn’t have an o’ring and was half empty but there were plenty of spares.

The ride out to the island was reasonably fast thanks to the mostly calm seas and we were both nervous about getting back in the water after a month off. The group consisted of a couple Asian guys and fun bunch of poms who decided to dive with their Santa hats. We pulled in to dock at the pier to register for the day (only 120 divers per day are permitted). It is a stunning spot. A tiny idyllic island surrounded by clear waters housing only a small army base. Years ago a group of Philipino terrorists took a bunch of tourists hostage on the island and since then the resorts have been removed and replaced with a military outpost. The upside is that the marine environment is thriving.

Our first dive site was ‘Mid Reef’. V was particularly nervous – having never done a back-roll entry before wasn’t helping. From the reef around 10m we cruised out over the edge of the wall – a 600m drop to the ocean floor below and a lot of big creatures with sharp teeth – scary as! The dive went along the reef wall at around 20m. It was beautiful with a slow current moving us along the teeming coral. To be honest we were just getting the hang of everything again so not much stuck in our memories (besides a mid sized school of barracuda in the distance) and all to soon the dive was over and we were heading back to the island for a tea break.

After tea we headed for ‘Barracuda Point’. As we were kitting up there was a loud pop and the hiss of air from V’s regs. One of the hoses had popped off. Yikes. That would have been fun underwater. Barracuda Point was excellent with some big (for us) white tip sharks and loads of oblivious turtles amongst the countless other fish.

Back to the island for lunch and then back in the water but this time just a few meters from the jetty and another 500m+ drop off. Undersea pinnacles and huge overhangs made it feel like something out of ‘The Abyss’. Our guide led us into the mouth of ‘Turtle Tomb’. A dramatic cave system where some poor turtles get lost and end up dying. It was eerie looking out from the dark. The rest of the dive was along the reef wall popping up onto the reef amongst a huge school of Jackfish.

Quite a day. An amazing location with great visibility and hardly any current to speak of. Sensory overload trying to take as much in as possible including the odd undersea Christmas carol thanks to the poms. Good thing there is more to come!

[Pictures: Around Sipadan. WOW]

– Posted from my iPhone via WiFi

[Mabul, Malaysian Borneo] Apparently (I had my earplugs in) there was a huge storm during the night that had V a little worried. At high tide and with a little choppy sea the water almost touches the deck so a storm or tsunami and we’re in some trouble. When we got up it was still drizzling incessantly so we decided to postpone our diving to another day (we have the time). I spoke to the staff and to Uncle Chang about it and was told it was not a problem but you do get the sense that nobody really knows what is going on. So our first dives here will now be at Sipadan – and the weather better be good because we can’t change the permit dates!

We spent the entire day relaxing around the ‘resort’, enjoying the cooler weather and watching the preparations for the evening festivities. The extra chairs and live band suggested it was going to be epic. As evening approached the weather cleared giving us a great sunset. We were joined by UC’s office staff and some others for what I guess was their company Xmas party. The kitchen staff pulled out all the stops for Xmas dinner. Instead of the usual (and by now extremely dull) three bowls with rice, chicken and fish we got an assortment including salad, turkey! even a choice of desert. It was a real feast.

From the sound of Uncle Chang’s speeches it seems that he is heavily involved in charities and does a lot of work for orphans. He’s genuinely proud of his ‘kids’ accomplishments boasting about their performance in football and basketball. It was heartwarming. The band cranked it up – ‘it’ being vaguely familiar and badly rendered covers – but it is their second language. The staff joined in as the guests looked on with grins and Uncle Chang went around distributing cool drinks to the kids and bottles of 80 proof rum to the staff and guests. Not sure what to do with ours we had a little rum and coke but it’s not really to our taste. No problem there – one of the boatmen emptied our bottle into his mug and with a big smile bid us ‘Merry Christmas’.

Sitting on our piece of porch we had more visitors in the neon lit water. A monster turtle cruised by. Beautiful creatures. Although our room is the closest to the common area the band did not play on too late. I think after a day of diving most people are just too tired for all-nighters. It was a pleasant evening but we are missing our friends and families, we’ll have to make friends with some fish tomorrow 🙂

[Pictures: Another shot from around the island. The fancy resort on the other side. Beautiful]

The staff and kids at Uncle Chang’s enjoying their xmas party

– Posted from my iPhone via WiFi