Pulau Banggi and Pulau Maliangin Kechil here we come

So much of cycling in Sabah from now, it was after two days of strenuous ride we went to visit islands of Sabah namely Banggi and Maliangin Kechil. From Tumpat Do Aman we left in the morning for Kudat town where most of our bicycles were then kept in WWF office. Only 3 bicycles were brought to Pualau Banggi and here we were at the Ferry Terminal in Kudat.

We hired 3 van taxis to ferry us to Kudat and the drive took about half an hour from the tip of Borneo. Our brommies had to placed on top of the boat as this boat is relatively smaller than others.

After a satisfying tomyam noodle at Rainbow Herbs I was in top form and looking forward seeing the largest island in Malaysia, Pulau Banggi. It has a population of 20,000 people.

All embarked and we will be in Banggi within the next one hour meanwhile enjoy "The Three Stooges" on the screen.

The ferry terminal of Banggi was crowded with people commuting, some traders at the corridor and some in the eatery stalls. By the way Banggi Island is under the municipality of Kudat.

We will be stopping at WWF community hall at Karakit (a small commercial centre of Banggi Island) to sort out of our plan for the day. Some of us will be diving while most of us will be snorkeling.

The building of WWF where we meet, eat and rest in Karakit, Banggi.

At the WWF community hall there were some local women weaving bangles Kim & Ju Li tried their hands on it

Some of the completed bangles by the locals.

Not too far from the community hall there is a colony of settlers with their houses on silts, the water is clear and clean.

The silt houses are unique there are chalets found on this silt settlement but unfortunately all were fully booked and we could not have the chance to stay here.

A long corridor leading towards to the sea where we will be taking a small boat out to the sea.

Another lovely views of the settlement on silts.

The commercial centre at Karakit where you can buy your consumer items.

Our lunch was prepared by the local and ready for us to eat before we set out to the sea for some fun.

We were taken care by a group of youngsters from Banggi Youth Club who are taking a lead to educate, encourage and train the local to lead a green lifestyle. They are also actively training the local to preserve the ocean and discourage some from employing any illegal fishing method like fishing boom which is badly affecting the fishes in the sea.

Let's get out to the sea and have fun.

The dive centre where we were supplied with our equipment for diving and snorkeling. We did a bit snorkeling here but there wasn't anything interesting to see here.

Banggi Youth Club later brought us to Pulau Maliangin Kechil to snorkel and it was a haven to snorkel here the water is crystal clear and so many corals to see.

It is amazing spending time seeing the live corals and fishes in the water.

I just wonder how this big tree trunk ended up here.

The coral is so close to us and one has to be careful not to touch them, it will kill them.

We spent some time on the beach with an intention to wait for the sun to come down.

It was worth the while waiting for the sun set before we leave Maliangin Kechil Island. Til then we hope to return to this part of the world in future.