Such a poser! Somewhere in Bukit Sari lies this quiet monkey sanctuary, the Sangeh Monkey Forest, which is home to grey long-tailed macaques. This 6-acre sanctuary is a fertile forestland with giant nutmeg trees and is also home to the 17th century Pura Bukit Sari (some locals know it as call Pura Pucak Sari). It is said that this monkey forest, among the many in Bali, is one of the first to open as an attraction.
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Rows of beautiful old colonial houses lined the street. Nothing seemed to look out of the ordinary…that is until I came to this one particular house. It had a little bell on the outside, with a stencilled that read ‘Barlai Pudu’. It seemed rather ordinary from the outside with trees poking out from over the walls. Seemed like someone’s home but some how it looked different. Curious, I walked around the corner and behold a beautiful courtyard with a few mixed matched chairs and beautiful lounge music playing in the background.
Before I could investigate any further I see someone running down from the top floor. Alarm goes off at 0530h… A God forsaken hour on holiday. *In my books at least. I’m on a holiday and I’m up this early to go diving. By 0600h I was shoving down a piece for peanut butter toast down my throat, washing it down with coffee and making my way down to the pier, all in a half-asleep-mode. It’s clearly stated on the white board that the boat leaves to Sipadan Island at 0630h and it’s a day trip! *Packed my gear the night before, as I did do the zombie walk to the pier. Double check; got everything! And we’re off! 40 minutes later we’re on Sipadan Island and it certainly is a beautiful day to be diving out here. The water looks perfect: calm and clear. First things first, we have to sign up with the marine police on the island before we start diving. It’s mandatory. *I desperately needed the toilet too! Smiley Whitetip Reef shark!
Right there, on the board, was my name, as requested, added to the list of tomorrow’s divers to Si Amil Island and it’s a day trip! *After Sipadan, this is the next best place to dive according to all the dive guides I’ve spoken to. My first underwater love, a Flamboyant Cuttlefish. Si Amil Island lies an hour away from Mabul Island. The only habitants on the island consist of the marine base, which is situated there as a guard post. Next to it is another island that is fairly dense in population known as Danawan Island.
*Before any diving activity can commence, a list of names of divers and their credentials are passed on to the marine’s for documentation purpose. Perfect afternoon sunshine, the smell of the sea and the warm afternoon breeze... I've been looking forward to this trip for weeks. Whisked away on a speedboat from Semporna, Mabul Island was just a 40 minutes boat ride away. Colour play at sunset on Mabul Island. It was like clock work, from the time I landed in Tawau airport, to the dive centre in Semporna. Soon I was off to Mabul Island for a week long of sun, sea and sand. Scuba Junkie is one of the most organised dive centres I've ever come across and I have to admit, I had one of the best weeks of my life here. Nothing but dive, eat, sleep and repeat.
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