62
SABAH, BORNEO
Bandar – Muara, Brunei – ferry to Pulau Labuan – Kuala Penyu, Sabah -
75km
A short cycle led to Muara, where ferries were expected to run to Lawas. Once there,
I learned ferries only ran to a single destination, Pulau Labuan, but understood that
from Pulau Labuan ferries and motorboats operated to various other locations.
As the ferry departed at 13h00, the wait was a short one. Once inside the ferry, it
reminded me of a submarine. As soon as we were underway, I hoped it could provide
the same functions, as the seas were rough, and the boat rolled violently from side
to side. In addition, the ferry was a tad claustrophobic in being a tubular, fully
enclosed, cigar-shaped contraption. Nevertheless, it must’ve been a fast ferry, as we
docked at Pulau Labuan an hour later.
From Labuan, one could see the mainland, and I decided to take a motorboat to the
tiny village of Menumbok. With the bike strapped to the roof, the boat sped across
the open seas at breakneck speed. Clawing on for dear life, I hoped I wouldn't see
the bicycle float in the ocean.
Surprisingly, the boat made it to Menumbok with me and my bike still intact. From
Menumbok, Kuala Penyu was barely forty kilometres away and reached via a remote
part of the country. Few ever ventured there as the road was a dead-end. So remote
was it that I stumbled upon where the first Survivor series was made.