A "Day Off"

With an extra day to kill in Kota Kinabalu, Jeff and I decided to spend our time on one of the nearby islands snorkeling and getting a little R&R - despite what many of you may think, there is a difference between traveling and being on vacation. Jeff and I are traveling, which can get really tiring. Though we keep trying to work them into our schedule, we very rarely take quiet days because there is just too much we want to experience. (I know I'm not going to get any sympathy here, but what we're doing isn't exactly a picnic.) - Though the brochures I perused touted the island of Mamutik as being great for snorkeling, both Jeff and I made sure not to get our hopes up since the island is situated only twenty minutes by boat from the city, whose harbor reeks from pollution.

Following the short boat ride over (another one not intended for those who get easily seasick), we found ourselves on a small island that probably could be circumnavigated in less than half an hour if not for all the trees. We were pleased to find that despite its small size it was far from overcrowded, with a couple of tour groups and a few other DIYers. As we disembarked, we saw that there were two roped-off swimming areas that were posted as being suitable for snorkeling. After being spoiled in Tahiti, neither of us held out much hope that we were going to see anything interesting as we surveyed the area. Oh well, at least there was a nice, small shady beach on which to stretch out and take a nap.

We almost had the beach to ourselves

Despite our reservations, we got into the water as soon as we were able to find a spot to put our belongings, and we were immediately greeted by a menagerie of sea life. Clearly many of these fish had grown accustomed to being fed by visitors, as Jeff and I found ourselves often followed by an entourage. Armed with my camera, I was in heaven as I clicked shot after shot of fish.

 These were some cheeky little guys: they loved charging at our faces 

and then turning at the last minute.

There were tons of sea cucumbers and sea urchins

There's no hiding from my camera!

Smile!

Far and away my favorite shots were of a group of clownfish I found. I spent forever trying to get good shots of these guys as I dove down over and over to get close-ups. I'm fairly happy with the results, which is why there are more pictures of clownfish in this post than any one person probably needs to see in their lifetime.

How do you like these clownfish, Liam?!

We were able to get two good swims in before breaking for lunch at the island restaurant. Worried that prices would be inflated because of the captive audience, we were happy to dine on tasty Malaysian food with huge glasses of fresh juice for under seven dollars (for the both of us).

After lunch we explored the island a bit. As I said before, the island is pretty small, so it did not take us very long. On our way back to the beach, I heard Jeff shriek as he came across three monitor lizards dining on garbage. Unfortunately, his screams scared them away and I was unable to get a good shot.

From the other side of the island 

When we got back to the beach, I was disappointed to find that it was low tide and they were not allowing anyone in the water in order to protect the coral. Bad for me, but probably good for the coral, which both Jeff and I noted had clearly been taking a beating. One of the more frustrating parts of the day for me was to watch a group of tourists (I will not note their county of origin) clad in life vests and snorkel gear, who were thrashing around in the water as they attempted to view the sea life. Clearly unable to swim, they were propelling themselves forward basically by walking all over the coral.

Since the water was closed to us, we spent the remainder of our time reading at a picnic table until our boat arrived. Not a bad way to end a great day at the beach.