Mabul has always been in my bucketlist for as long as I can remember. The first time I initiated a plan to go there was 10 years ago, when I was still based in Sandakan. Sandakan and Semporna – which is the nearest town from Mabul are both located on the East coast of Sabah so I actually had the logistic advantage of visiting Mabul during that time, but as fate might have had it, it never got materialized. But…
The ferry did one or two stops before it arrived at Air Batang Chalet or ABC as it is fondly called by the locals. Now the reason I chose to come to ABC instead of other beaches is that – I wanted something that was laid back and not so crowded but not too silent either. ABC was a perfect choice because it is a real village and people are so kind and friendly and it is not heavily riddled…
So I went to Tioman island last week. I’ve heard a lot about this island, even when I was still a kid, and I remember reading from somewhere that it was in the Top 10 of the most beautiful islands in the world. Of course all these lists keep changing from time to time, and it depends on who make them (beauty is in the eye of the beholder?) so I had long ignored them. But then my wanting to…