We travelled in style to this island from the mainland on a twin engined 400 hp speedboat that travelled across the South China sea at speeds of to 60 kmh (And I wondered at the beginning why we were issued with life jackets!!). We reached the distant island in less than 1 hour and were greeted by crystal clear waters, a white sandy beach and a warm welcome from the staff.
Leaving Kota Belud with Mount Kinabalu (4,095m) in the distance.
Life jackets on dashing across the waves. And yes we did get wet!
A video of the speedboat trip.
Guesthouse we stayed in on the beach at Mantanani Besar.
We pretty much did nothing on the island other than lay around and swim every now and then. We bought a snorkeling mask before we set of and made good use of this viewing the coral and the spectacular marine fish that lived around them. Despite my hunt for Nemo though, I never found him (and I tried 3 days in a row). Spending so much time in the water face down did have its downside though. My nose and lips hurt from the mask and my back got sun burnt and now I resemble a snake shedding its skin. My natural white beauty is returning :-(
Spectacular beach. Spectacular body??
Taking time to cool down in the water.
The view towards the nearby island of Mantanani Kecil. (The small dot in the water is me).
The beginning of a wonderful sunset.
A lovely couple in a lovely setting ;-)
We decided there and then to extend our stay by a further 2 nights and then made the decision to stop at the accommodation on the nearby island of Mantanani Kecil for the day and night of my birthday. This place differed in that we stayed on a wooden platform above the water right in the middle of a coral reef. The food there was gorgeous (and plentiful. Too much in fact) and we were the only guests there. During our 1st day there Eri and I were sitting talking when I spotted a giant turtle out of the corner of my eye close by. I quickly ran for my mask and headed into the sea. By this time the turtle had moved, but the staff were looking out from above and spotted it and pointed me in the right direction. I was then able to spend a brief 20 (but magical) seconds swimming with a giant loggerhead turtle. I also completed my task of finding Nemo. I managed to find to families of Clownfish in two locations of coral and Eri came to visit them with me. We both though they were really great....
Our accommodation for my birthday.
A blue starfish that we photographed at low tide.
The view from the back window.
Swimming with a loggerhead turtle. (The shadow underneath the arrow is the turtle escaping.)
What I saw underneath the water.
Were you taking my picture??? I didn't notice!!!!
Later that afternoon the tide retreated low enough for us to walk to the island of Mantanani Kecil where we did a little exploring and we were later able to sit above the sea and watch a wonderful sunset containing colours that we have never seen in a sunset before.
Some weird trees on the island of Mantanani kecil.
Glorious technicolour sunset.
The clouds were stunning.
Later after our meal, the staff surprised me by bringing out a birthday cake (complete with candle and a rendition of "Happy birthday to you").
Last years birthday was really memorable and this years was too thanks to a being in a wonderful setting with a wonderful girlfriend.
Thanks Eri...Your the best XxX
Cutting my surprise birthday cake after our meal.
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