This is of course a continuation of my trip to Labuan.. so if you really should read the previous 2 blog post here first..
https://livelifelah.com/2018/05/09/labuan-kampung-layang-layangan-and-palm-beach-resort-spa/
Day 5 was a little slow as we took things easy .. checked out of the hotel close to noon and headed to lunch at a pretty little ramshackle kinda restaurant built on stilts over the sea…
This is the Nagalang Seafood Restaurant.. and the beach is pretty with a couple of abandoned boats there.. giving it or perhaps I was getting that “Descendants of the Sun” kinda feel, you know.. the part where the Song Song couple would date at the abandon ship on the beach.. and the beach is also pretty… except for it is super dangerous going into the water…
There are jelly fishes everywhere!!!! Seeing those creatures bob merrily in the water gave me goose bumps…
The food was pretty yummy though and really you ought to check this place put too, for the view and the food…
When we finished our food, we headed to the Patau-Patau Water Village.. Labuan is famous for these water villages, some however which are not quite so traditional and more modern now equipped with modern comforts of cable TV and air conditioning.. the houses are of course accessible via a walkway pavement and accessible by water or land and mainly inhabited by Brunei Malays.
The houses here, which are built right at the water’s edge, are made of wood or even bricks and sit on high stilts, joined together with a maze of concrete walkways.
We were free to roam around the vicinity of the water villages and check out the perhaps no longer so humble lifestyle of a predominantly fishing community.
The houses can be quite large and they all have cool decorated verandahs.
We got to see a few kids swimming and trying to make a raft out of bamboo…
Then we checked into our last hotel in Labuan, the Lazenda Hotel, a city hotel located in the middle of the city, which was a relief for us as we could finally “run” around town and do our laundry, etc… but we mourned the lack of beach view and swimming pool… huhuhu
The rest of the day was a bit dull considering we rested and got ready to go for dinner at Mawilla Restaurant…
The Mawilla Seafood Restaurant is a pretty nice restaurant in Labuan which serves seafood delicacies likes fresh fish, prawn, lobster and squids. You shouldn’t miss out the Butter Milk Prawn and Nestum Prawn. It is rumoured to be among the best in Borneo…
After dinner, we trudged along the pavement towards the Labuan Sea Sports Complex, which was just right next door for the closing ceremony of the Labuan International Sea Challenge Official Closing and Prize Giving Ceremony….
The next day after breakfast.. we headed out to the mysterious and famous Chimney at Tanjung Kubong… The Chimney was built during the British Empire more than 100 yeara ago but remains a mystery up until now as to why it was built..
From the Chimney, we headed into the forest on a mini hiking trail half groaning when we had to climb hills.. but it was just so worth it when we came to a field of golden weeds… which was just so picturesque.. as well as the best place to see the sunrise and possibly catch a view of Mount Kinabalu..
We then headed down to the Raffles Anchorage there which was once upon a time the most popular port during the British Era…
We were told the forest we were trudging or hiking along was actually once upon a time a village or town which was probably flattened by some bombs or so as there are remnants of glasses, stones etc.. and of course of natural fossilized coal…
We manage to arrive back at the Chimney Museum where we refreshed ourself with the “Piasau” or coconut…before heading to our next stop…
Our next stop was at the Gropoint Fisheries where we learned how Tuna Satay was made… and of course, best of all get to try fresh Tuna Satay and Tuna Steak.. which is just so healthy and yummy…
Our day continued with a trip to the Labuan International Golf Club which boasts of the country’s finest nine-hole courses… We had a simple lunch before getting into some golf buggies for a ride around the magnificent course/driving range…
I was lucky to get Instagram star Nizam aka Ramona as my driver/partner and we drove around the driving range taking photos etc…
Once we got back to the club house, we took pictures of our time there and said. our farewells…
Our last stop for the day was at the Desa Tunas Hijau where we went on an ATV adventure.. first on the track then into the forest and on the beach…
It sure was pretty challenging, muddy and tiring but just so much fun… I loved the ride on the beach best as we went wild revved our engines there without a care in the world while admiring the setting sun……
Once everyone got back, we headed back to our hotel for a little rest and freshening up before heading to the Mortar Cafe for dinner…
Mortar Cafe which is adjoined to the hotel decided to spoil us a little with a taste of their best sellers and made us sit through an 8 course fine dining session with all their signature dishes…
Once it was over, I headed back to my room, had a shower and collapsed into bed gratefully, just like a python.. hahaha..
Now, being a duty-free shopping heaven, Labuan has plenty in store for visitors, either local or imported goods.
So on our last day there in Labuan right after checking out, we headed to the Duty Free shops to stock up on chocolates, ciggies and alcohol (for the non Muslims)…
Then we headed to the Labuan Central Market or UTC Labuan for some more shopping – souvenirs before having some tea with the Tourism Malaysia Labuan, Labuan Corporation members and MOTAC…
Once that was done, we all said our farewells and left for the airport to catch our flight back to KL and reality.. feeling somewhat depressed our time in Labuan had come to an end …
Seriously… I have not have my fill of Labuan even after one week of being there…
Some of Labuan’s main attractions are wreck diving, sport fishing and duty-free shopping. Its crystal clear waters, ideal diving conditions throughout the year and a wealth of World War II and post-war shipwrecks have made it the region’s centre for wreck -diving.
There are four fascinating wrecks in the seas surrounding Labuan which belongs to Malaysian waters, which are the American, Australian, Blue Water and Cement wrecks. Expeditions can be arranged to these island’s popular wrecks. Among these wrecks, the Cement Wreck is the easiest to dive and is normally used for wreck-dive training. The American and Blue Water Wreck are normally for experienced divers only… and this is seemingly tempting me to go get my diving license… huhuhu
Thank you to Labuan Corporation, Tourism Malaysian Labuan and Gaya Travel for the opportunity….
Live Life Lah....... 