Labuan by road and ferry- Part 1

                 Labuan comes from a Malay word 'labohan' (meaning port) has recorded various historical events since centuries ago.

              We drove our car, Betsy to Labuan via a car ferry from Menumbok and stayed 2 nights at Siang Guest House. It only took one and half hour on the car ferry to reach Labuan from Menumbok. Labuan, also known as Pearl of Borneo is a paradise, with the cheapest booze in the world and cigarettes are cheap too compared to Kota Kinabalu. 

This is our shopping spree in Labuan.

The Smirnoff vodkha of 3 litres only cost us Rm 75! The red smirnoff  vodkha of 750ml  is Rm 28.

A cartoon of Dunhill cigarettes cost Rm 62 & Carlsberg beer Rm 48.

M&M of 430g is Rm 27.50 ;

Cadbury chocolate 220g, Rm 8.50 and Kit Kat chocolates Rm38

It was around 8 am in the morning, Tuesday, 18th June, 2013. We set off our road adventure. The weather was fine and sunny. We took our sweet time driving while enjoying the scenery and weather. It only took us about three hours to reach Meumbok Ferry Terminal. We arrived early around 11 am and the ferry was scheduled to leave only at 1 pm. While waiting, we ordered something to eat and something cool to quench our thirst at the coffee shop as its a hot day. Meumbok town is a very simple town with only one or 2 shops next to the ferry terminal. It was easy to drive to Menumbok from Kota Kinabalu. There were ample signboards every way for directions.

A brief route from Kota Kinabalu to Menumbok and from Menumbok  crossing the South China Sea  by car ferry to Labuan.

Junction from main road: Turn right from here will lead you to the road for Menumbok. Look for road signboard written Kuala Penyu and Menumbok with arrow pointing right.

Road to Menumbok

Menumbok town next to car ferry terminal. It is a small fishing village with only 2-3 coffee shops. I would advised you to have your breakfast in the city before arrival or rather wait till you reached Labuan.

Car ferry tickets are sold inside the blue building after booking has been made via phone.

Our car, Betsy fare was only Rm 40 with driver included and extra passenger of Rm 2.50 each. Contact Marianah +6088-257199 or +60168347542

This is Marianah at Kimanis 1 ferry service. She is very helpful with any information about Car ferry from and to Labuan.

There are 2 companies operating this services, Wawasan Perdana and Kimanis1 but are always full so its advisable to book early before going.

Kimanis1 leaves Menumbok every 8 am and 1 pm.

and returns from Labuan at 10.30am and 3.30pm. We took the 1 pm ferry. We need to be at the terminal 1 hour before departure.

Arrived at Labuan Ferry Terminal @2.30pm

                                                                             

 

      Siang Home-stay in Labuan runs by Mr&Mrs Kok

Family room for 5 people with bathroom en suit@Rm 150 a room per night.

Double room Rm 60 for a couple.

Dorm type room for 5 people @Rm 30 per person.

Our Twin Bedroom @Rm 60 per night. Very clean and comfortable beds that guarantee a good night sleep.

Comfortable spacious sitting hall.

Spacious dinning hall with a sink and refrigerator.

Labuan is a very clean and peaceful state in Malaysia. We drove round the island which is approximately only 48 km. One thing I like about Labuan is its lifestyle being so simple and in slow pace. Even driving is a pleasure. A great change compare to our busy buzzing city lifestyle in Kota Kinabalu.

                 People here are very friendly and always smiles at you even at the coffee shops. Here,the air is so fresh and unpolluted though its very hot. An ideal place for retired couple like us strolling down the beach in our own pace. We looked like roasted lobster by the time we returned home to Kota Kinabalu.
                  We stayed at Siang Home-Stay for 2 nights which only cost us Rm 60 per night and the place is spotless clean. The bed is comfortable with clean fresh bed sheets. The shared bathroom  is also very clean. Anyone who stayed here must try the shower, it's heaven! They also have a family room that can accommodate 5 person and it's the only room that's bathroom en suit. The room rate is Rm 150 per night. Single room is Rm 50 per night while in the dormitory type is Rm 30 per person. We really enjoyed our stay at Siang Home-stay and would like to come back again for a longer stay, at least for 5-7 nights.

Best "Soto Coffee shop in town........

One of the colonial old shops which still remains as it was.

Tourism information center. Get your free post cards here. Post office is next door. Only 50 sen to international countries and 30 sens within Malaysia. 

In front of the Tourism information center is the Museum which opens daily from 8.30 am to 5 pm except on Eid or Haj holidays. Admission : free

According to history, Labuan was owned by England in 1890 and governed by Singapore. (information from the Museum) 

Botanic garden, as once the residence of the Island's Governor built in 1852 before it was destroyed in World War II . Admission : Free

The Chimney is the place where story of Coal Mine begun. Opens daily from 8.30 am to 5 pm except on Eid and Haj holidays. Admission : Free

       

Bird Park is just a few steps from the Chimney Museum. Opens daily from 10 am-4.30 pm but closes on Friday, Eid or the month of Ramadan.

Admission Fee: Adult: Rm 3.50; Student/retiree/senior citizen: Rm 2 ; Disabled/children 6 + yrs : Rm 1 ;
Children below 5 yrs: free; Foreigner: Rm 5

University and college students lining up to buy tickets at the counter.

One of the United Nation Beaches. Clean and unspoiled beach of 'Pohon Batu'.

Palm Beach Resort, sometimes the hotel offers BBQ dinner from 6.30pm -10.30pm at Rm 48.80+ per person. Call 087-418700 for details.

There are esplanades in all United Nation Beaches-

Batu Manikar, Pohon Batu, Pancur Hitam, Layang2 ,Sg Labu, Sg Pagar and Sg Miri. You can walk right to the end of the esplanade and feel the breeze blowing on your face, the smell of sea and the sound of sea splashing against the rocks can make you feel   so good and relax. Picture taken here was about 6pm at Pohon Batu beach.

Peace Park adjacent to Surrender Point , both at Layang2 beach.

An'Nur Jamek Mosque- a unique shaped Mosque. 

Airport

Had a good meal at Mc Donald in the airport before we drove back to Siang Homestay which is only 5 minutes drive away!

Then out again to unwind at Blue Wave Pub. It was a good and enjoyable night. We had a good table outdoor, listening to the band music going on inside the pub while having our cold beer and watching the moon shinning brightly with the stars twinkling away in the dark sky.Lovely!

                  

               

Boarding the ferry at 3.30pm. Bye Labuan but we will be back!

Our car, Betsy snuggled comfortably in the ferry.

Road heading for A2 highway

Arriving at Kota Kinabalu at 7.30 pm 

Home at last and looking at our goodies!

Part 2  was the update of the 2nd trip to Labuan

Borneo by road- Brunei ,Kudat and Sandakan

On the 21st April,2013, our teacher from the creative writing class in  AMC, talked about writing a travel story. She said "Think of a place that you really really want to go." When I chose to travel in Borneo by Road, the teacher didn't seem to look impressed. She thought there isn't much to see in Kudat, Sandakan, Kuching as they are all the same in Malaysia. I felt she was wrong.

In the past I have been to many countries abroad. Then, I started to go somewhere nearer to home such as  Johore, Melaka, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Butterworth, Ipoh, Alor Setar in West Malaysia. 

Later I began to get tired of travelling by plane so I start exploring places by car around my hometown and that's Borneo. I was born and raised in Kota Kinabalu (formerly known as Jesselton), the capital of Sabah formerly known as North Borneo before 1963. Sabah also known as the Land below the wind, together with Sarawak, Land of the Hornbills formed the East Malaysia. East and West Malaysia are separated by the South China Sea but still under one country, Malaysia. 

I was glad I made that decision and didn't regret it. In fact I was surprised there were many beautiful places that I was not aware of in my own country. 

Initially, I have never thought of Borneo as a holiday destination in my list. I guess it's just part of my "taking for granted" attitude. Borneo is the 3rd largest island in the world. I believe it has so much to offer and there are so many advantages and adventures I could think of. Most of all, driving in our own car to see places, gave us a lot more freedom to move about. I didn't need to exchange currency for holidays except in Brunei. There is no language barrier since its my own country and even in Brunei, we speak the same language.

In 2009, my daughter flew to Brunei for a week's posting. 

So I decided to drive to Brunei on my own with my 5 years old grandson. It only took us 6 hours to reach Brunei from my hometown Kota Kinabalu.

 My daughter booked a twin - bedded room for a 3 nights stay for us at Rizquan Hotel in Brunei. It was a five star hotel with clean good size swimming pool and my grandson spent lots of hours in it.

Below the hotel, there was a shopping mall and food court. 

During our spare time, we drove to Jerudong Park which looked so run down but it did not stop us from having fun. We had a go with the Bumper Car and Merry Go Round. 

While we were in Brunei, we also drove to Miri, Sarawak as a day trip😅. 

We had a great time together and everyone was happy. My daughter was able to see her son after work. It was an inspirational and enjoyable travel experience.

View at the end of Sabah trip and going into Sarawak border, passing through jungles routes to connect to the Brunei route

My grandson on the ferry. It was the shortest 2-3minutes ferry trip in the world!😅🤭 There was a deep river and the ferry just need to swing 180 degrees to reach the other end. 😂 Looking at the distance how the ferry reached the other end of the river, looked hilarious 🤭🤣 and I had been wondering why couldn't they just built a short bridge across? Whatever it was, they may have their own reason. 🙄

Our car, Betsy was only a few months old, when we set off for this trip

Jerudong Park Merry Go Round, Brunei

Child's pool at Riqzuan Hotel, Brunei

Playing in the pool too long, so by the time he finished playing in the pool, he was stiff cold and shivering!😂😁

Sleeping like a log after the long 6hrs ride from Kota Kinabalu to Brunei and the visit to Jerudong Park.

Travelling in Borneo is different from travelling in other countries.

 Unlike the road from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur which are all good with good sign directions, some roads in Borneo were unsealed or gravel, some routes you needed to pass through jungle areas in order  to cross  over to another country like Brunei.

You have to experience it to understand what I am trying to say. I must admit that holidays like this can be very tiring and exhausting unless you have a lot of time to spare. By taking your time, you will be able to feel and appreciate the beauty of mother nature in our country. Some travelers said a holiday in Borneo by road is like wine tasting, you look, smell, and 'taste' slowly to feel the best of it. It would take months to complete the whole Borneo Road Adventure but we had nothing to lose because we have all the time we want.

In 2010, my husband and I started our first trip to Kudat and went to the tip of Borneo. It took us about 3 hours to reach Kudat from Kota Kinabalu. The view was magnificent. The sky and sea were so blue and we took some  photographs. Our photos turned out beautifully. One month later we drove to Sandakan on the eastern side of Borneo and visited the Orang Utan rehabilitation center. I must not forget to add my road trip to Sandakan on the blog too😜

Hopefully my future road trip will inspire me to continue writing about my travel stories in Borneo. I had plans to drive from Kota Kinabalu to Kuching. But due to certain circumstances, I was not able to do so. With the Pan Borneo Highway, it is now possible to reach Kuching by road.

A few kilometers before Kudat town, there is a junction with a signboard showing "Tanjung Simpang Mengayau" which will lead you to the tip of Borneo.

 It took us about 30 minutes drive from this junction..

Beautiful beach in Kudat. 

This photo was taken on our 1st visit to kudat, year 2010. The tip of Borneo is on the right side of this photo.

A short walking path from the parking area to the tip of Borneo.

Breathtaking view at the tip of Borneo with clear blue sky and sea.

 The tip of Borneo

Stepping onto the tip of Borneo!

 

Golf and Marina Resort Hotel in Kudat- Year 2013

    My grandson going for a dip in the pool.

Photo taken from our hotel room, year 2013

We stayed overnight. Room rate was about Rm120 per night.

Sea view from hotel lobby.

Swimming pool next to the sea

Photo taken from our room

Update on the tip of Borneo beach, May2020

This photo was taken by a friend, Jennifer as contribution to this topic in my blog.😊

Beautiful clean beach in Kudat 

Photo contributed by my daughter in April, 2022

If you notice the photo earlier which was taken by me in 2010, this view still remains the same. This time, this photo was taken by my daughter in April year 2022! 😂

Crystal clear sea water😊

Snorkeling is a good idea😂 

Magnificent Sunset at Kudat beach. 

Witnessing the changing of the lights in the sky within seconds was amazing 

 A great way to end the day after sunset and welcoming the night at Kudat beach 😂

Then on the 29th May 2010, we drove to the east side of Sabah, that's Sandakan.

Took us 6 - 7 hours to reach Sandakan from Kota Kinabalu on the road at 60-80 Km per hr.

We stayed at Sabah Hotel for 2 nights. During our stay we took the opportunity to visit the Orang Utan at the Sepilok Rehab Center and also enjoyed the fresh lavish seafood at the popular restaurants of Sandakan.

Orang utan loves visitors😂but we had been warned not to touch them.

Orang Utan at feeding time

 Next I will write about the trip to Labuan, known as Pearl of Borneo so do look out for the updates of my travel story in this blog!