After Uncle Tan's we headed for Semporna for a spot of diving-well Isa that is. This is the port for Sipadan island, one of the top dive destinations in the world. Getting there was a bit of an ordeal. First we had to walk up a steep and slippery embankment to a dual carriage, in the sort of heat that causes sandals and flip flops to stick to tarmac and turns the soles of your feet into the most tractionless substance known to mankind. Then, it was hail the local bus and sit in an oven-van time. Funny, I'd never heard of them before I came to Malaysia. A pretty primitive device. Just put about forty locals and two whities into the back of a converted hi ace. At midday, 40 degrees celcius, 100 percent humidity, no aircon or windows that open. And the combined mixture of body heat and odour will bake you a nice, pleasantly mannered, sweet smelling tourist.

Then, to add to the fun, we were left outside a mosque for a half an hour, whilst the driver got a few prayers in. Of course, this was all in the interest of road safety. The best method they have here. This wasn't the only stop that we made. There was a trip to the gas station thrown in for free. This is a typical Asian thing that we've experienced on more than one occassion. Fill the bus and then look for the petrol money off the passengers. Feck the tip just ask for the petrol money. You never know, it might catch on with the Dublin taxi drivers!

Semporna itself was no great shakes. A bit of a concrete, non descript town. We wanted to treat ourselves after the jungle so we opted for the deluxe room at the Dragon Inn, a cool chinese styled floating hotel. But even here we had more fun than we bargained for. The tv had a mind of its own! No kidding, it changed the channels itself. And always when you were just getting into some crappy American rubbish that you'd swear that you'd never watch. The menu would pop up, flip down through the more tantalizing programs and then stop on some retarted stuff. Just so you could take your time getting into that before the cunning f***ers in reception messed with your head again. No wonder I couldnt find the remote control. It was called Mohammed and it could be found crumpled into a heap, dying from laughter, on the floor in reception. Dial 0 for the reception. Ha bloody ha ha!!!!

But the dive itself was amazing. I'm paraphrasing Isabelle here. On the two dives that she made, she saw an unbelieveable amount of coral, tropical fish, turtles and sharks! Not the dangerous ones. Though, if I had seen even a tiny one, it would be free bum burgers for the fish. Even just snorkling, you could see a lot of marine life. On the second excursion, I saw a green turtle. It was really huge and graceful. I tried to follow it for a while. But when I realised that I was off the reef, and in 600m of open water, I remembered that I'm a bit uncomfortable out of my depth. Though the experience has definitely renewed my interest in trying diving again. Ther's just too much to see here just to stay at the surface.

After Sipadan island we headed back to KK for the last four days. We had planned on doing some cheaper excursions aroung the greater KK area but were frustated to find that everything was regulated by the goverment, meaning that it was ridiculously expensive and time consuming to do. The amount of hidden costs was crazy. You pay at least twice the price that you expect to pay. And that's for everything. Kota Kinabalu is also the centre for misinformation. Nobody will give you the facts just their own interpretation of them! Felt like we were back in India again. For the last 2 days we headed to the Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park to get a bit of sun. This is the 5 island National Marine Park that sits just off the coast outside KK. However, instead of landing into a tropical paradise, we landed onto the tattered and overcrowded remains of one. A real shame. The dirt and pollution of the city makes its way across the bay to these shores. If only people would put their rubbish into bins!!! On the second day it was even worse. After a stormy night, there was so much rubbish in the water that it made snorkling a real hazard. Though we did brave it and saw some wonderful tropical fish amongest the empty coke bottles.

On the whole, Sabah, is truly an amazing place with much to see and do. Though it's not really a backpacker destination. Despite the so called backpacker accomodation, everything is so expensive here. To do it justice you need to reach a bit deeper into the pocket and splash out on the hotels and the excursions. If you're watching the euros, or should I say the ringets, you'll feel a bit ripped off here. Though, I will come back for Uncle Tan's and to dive in Sipadan. Nothing, including greed-yes that's the word, could spoil these experiences.