Wednesday 13^th February

Yesterday morning 150 NM from shore we are surrounded by what sounded like lawnmowers! A group of fishermen arrived out of nowhere in their ‘shoe boats’, as we call them as they are turned up at the end like a pixie shoe, offering us fish. Their mother boat was tied up to a FAD (fish attracting device) anchored to the 4000-5000 metre bottom! See http://www.flickr.com/photos/levosafloat for photos. Calm seas and beautiful skies were our sailing buddies as we did actually sail (for some of the time) for the first time in ages.

We arrived at Semporna in Borneo this morning at first light and were amazed at the bustle we were greeted by. Stilt houses built out on the reef of the adjoining island of Larapan looked like they were floating while masses of buoys marked a local fish farm. The boat traffic in the harbour is amazing with every craft from the small ‘shoe’ boats, boats loaded with fuel drums or fishing nets and long boats loaded with passengers, to huge Police vessels and barges loaded with logs. Buzzing motors will lull us to sleep.

Town is equally busy with every convenience we might need, a lovely fresh market and a delicious choice of restaurants. Unfortunately there was some cheek pinching for the girls but no mob tactics and less interest as they see more foreigners here. Ice creams, cold milo (actually hot milo with ice cubes in it) and fresh bread were a nice treat while roti and noodles for dinner made a welcome change from cooking. We checked into the country here and have been given a three month visa to explore the delights and wildlife of the world’s third largest island.

Gaya Island (04:35.524N 118:46.332E)

Tuesday 19^th February

Gaya Island is a spectacular, steep sided mountain with sheer cliffs washed with red, white and black from the elements. Lush green forest runs right to the lovely clear blue water. Very peaceful after the buzz of Semporna except for the whir of our new washing machine which can actually fit a sheet and two pillowcases in, unlike the old one I blew up trying to cram too full.

Snorkelling is always interesting with new creatures to discover. Small Pipefish hovered over the coral, black, spiky sea urchins nestled on the reef consuming algae and a segmented Peanut worm we hadn’t seen before, wriggled in the nutrient rich water. Jeremy, who always swims the furthest looking for fish to spear, saw a Turtle, Puffer fish, Grouper and a Hump headed Wrasse while a small, yellow juvenile Golden Trevally swam in front of his mask the whole way around the coral head. Razor fish hung vertically in coolish water while purple sponge tubes grew high above the other corals. Although much of the coral was damaged, new soft corals showed us their lovely patterns and fish hugged the edge of the drop off. This area has been a marine park for six years but the area was heavily dynamited by the locals who used this technique to stun fish.

 Locals who live on the islands now include the Sea Gypsies, who live by the sea sometimes in stick houses over the reef. Some came to the boats asking for food and looked very needy so there is obviously still some very poor although Malaysia is a reasonably prosperous country. They are allowed to fish with enough to take for themselves but commercial fishermen have been banned from the area. In ten years when the coral has had time to recover and the fish time to grow, this will be a magnificent area of great diversity.

Pizza night on Muscat with Sea Glass was delicious and we all drank too much red wine we’d had to buy from the Secret Police Chief, who wanted to make a bit of coin from us, in Tahuna. It seemed to be a pre-requisite to leave the country, particularly on a Saturday when he wanted a day off.

The girls have enjoyed playing their ‘Reef Teach’ game they made up, with the boys from Sea Glass and Bev and Gary on Muscat. It’s not going to take long to know all the answers so we were pleased that the boys contributed new questions for the game!! For school we are onto investigating the wildlife we hope we will see here, in art projects and discussion writing. Our take of Alison Lester’s book ‘Are we there yet?’ about our time in Borneo has begun with maps, flags and pictures being drawn. Scrabble, Bananagrams and 21 are good games for when parents don’t feel like doing school and the girls enjoyed playing these with the boys. Good team work exercise!

A hike up the steep mountain on Palau Bohaydulong, covered with thick vines curling around the tall, glossy leaved trees in the early morning was a good way to get our blood pumping. Slippery mud didn’t seem to hinder the children’s’ assent and they reached the top first. Beautiful views of Nalukai nestled amongst the rugged mountains and the turquoise blue patterns of the reef below were a sight to behold. Grass, rocks and sticks were tools for a good game at the top with the Sea Glass boys while we enjoyed the views. Noises of monkeys, birds and cicadas rung in the air but we couldn’t see any of them.

An afternoon at the small, palm lined sand cay nearby, Sibuan was beautiful. The snorkelling was fabulous and had obviously been a protected zone for much longer as the marine life was very relaxed in our presence. A Leatherback Turtle being cleaned by two remoras glided by while a Moray Eel gaped at us from its hole in the coral. A Spotted Grouper hid behind a rock and a Giant Flathead camouflaged itself in the sand. A mass of colourful fish darted around the shallow coral on which Brittle Stars and Starfish had curled themselves. A sandy beach was a good place for a soccer game with the Sea Glass boys before a passage back to the mainland tomorrow.