(^92) Uncle Tan's – Sandakan - 35km
The busy main road took me towards Sandakan and past the water village of
Kampung Buli Sim-Sim. Buli Sim-Sim is the water village around which Sandakan
expanded in the nineteenth century. The village was a fascinating world where
villagers found me as curious as I found them. "Farang, farang!" the little ones
called and ran for their lives. (Farang being the Thai word for someone of European
ancestry, no matter where they come from.)
Once in Sandakan, I inquired about the ferry to Zamboanga City on Mindanao
Island, the southernmost island in the Philippines. Still, no one could tell when and
from where it sailed.
I suspected the lack of knowledge stemmed from rumours that Mindanao was one
of the Philippines' most dangerous islands and, therefore, seldom visited. The
island had a reputation for kidnappings, as several foreigners had been captured in
Zamboanga City. This was one part of the world where you didn't want to be
mistaken for a journalist. The reason being, through the years the island’s Muslims
(Moros) have launched repeated attempts to establish autonomy on the island.
Since the Maguindanao massacre in 2009, when fifty-seven civilians were killed,
among them four journalists, Mindanao ranked only second to Iraq as the deadliest
country for journalists. In fact, an attack took place during my visit, leaving many
dead and resulting in a tense hostage crisis—more about that in the next post.
In the end, I cycled to the ferry port and, once there, learned the ferry only sailed
on Tuesdays. I wished it would be the next day, but there was nothing one could do
but wait the five days. I uncovered a bed at Sandakan Backpackers and had no
idea how one would pass the time.
leana
(Leana)
#1