The No Plans Weekend (Part 1)

After a hearty breakfast, it was the mind crunching time.  The state of Sabah is so big, yet offers little entertainment spots.  At this point I'm guessing there will be those who'll be challenging my sentence above.  I can't be blaming them.  One person's medicine is another person's poison.  If you are anything like me, debt-ridden and embracing family life, frankly, besides sight seeing, window shopping and cinemas, there really isn't much places to go.  Do not tell me about the mountain and the sea, the kinda adventurous type, I'm such a cynical parent that I avoid standing under this sweat generating weather and will only go for safe activities for my kids.  At their age, they are still young in my eyes.  Nevertheless, with brother Cheeky assuming primary schooling next year, I will loosen up my cynical-ness for him (I hope).

And hence:
Beary : So where r we going after this?
CC : Where do you suggest?
Beary : Y not you tell me?
CC : Y r u always not doing the thinking part?
Beary : 'Coz everytime I suggest, you do not like it.
CC : I dare you, just say it.
Beary : How about Kellybays, Tuaran?

 It's definitely not in my list of the most wanted place to visit.  The standing under the sweat generating weather was there, the no-know of the place was also there, and the mere thinking of adventuring on roads without tar was a total turn-off for me.  But heck, we need to kill time, so I accepted Beary's suggestion and embarked to the world of the unknown.

Travelled for almost an hour and finally, Borneo Kellybays was in sight....... sort of....

Can you feel the heat?

It wasn't a great sight to view.  Gravel road, bushes, trees, river, sampan etc etc...... in short, nature at rough.  I could feel myself almost crying meltdown as Dracula did when the sun was scorching high above me.  There was this plank walk leading to the unknown.... NO, it should be known except for myself as I've never been here before.

CC family's adventure to the unknown

See that plank walk?  What was at the end of this walk?  Just around the bend was the end of it and its......

Stairs to water?

Its a jetty..... made from wood too.  So there weren't any warm reception nor a soul to welcome us.  Hmm???...... is that all?  All the heat to be met with a dead end?  Apparently not.  Schedule boat rides will bring you to a near distance restaurant.

Boat ride schedule and my time was 1.30pm.  Drats!!

The Restaurant.  What else do they offer?

You know what?  I didn't realised it but there was a man sitting at the jetty relaxing.  Beary was even chit-chatting with him.  Either its my ignorance playing on me or......I blame in on the sun. Can't you feel the rays with all these pictures?  

The guy was saying that Koreans love to patronise this place and at the restaurant, they serve the freshest seafood.  There are no resort style rooms but you can do camping there.  Sounds reeeaaaall rugged.  Is that why there are many Korean tour buses at the gravel parking area?  Well, seems like we missed everything, nothing much to see and so we headed back to our car.  Air-cond in sight!!! Bliss was about to shower on me .

As we were approaching the end of our plank walk, something was moving on the wet muddy ground below our feet.

The cutest mini crabs

Red and black, so unique.  I've never seen one before.

The fact is we're surrounded by mangrove trees.  Very "virgin" I should say.  Nature at its most natural habitat.

Mangrove trees with their multiple roots growing above the ground

Click here to know more about the harsh survival condition of mangrove trees.

As we drove away from this place, I started mentioning about the nearer KK Wetland Centre, which is so uniquely in the city itself.  And guess what?  The next day, we were there.

TO BE CONTINUED......