OFF TO SEMPORNA, SABAH: A FUN ROAD TRIP AWAITS YOU!

I never thought that I will be coming to Semporna ever. The journey by land from the capital of Kota Kinabalu can take anywhere from 8 to 10 hours, while flying is the quickest option. Flights to Semporna are connected from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau, the closest town to Semporna. Semporna itself is situated within the Tawau division. When I first arrived, I was amazed by the beauty of this rural area and the friendly people here.

On this journey, we traveled by road from Kinabalu Rose Cabin, located more than 6 hours north of Semporna at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu. Along the way, we stopped at the renowned Pekan Kundasang and the historical Nunuk Ragang Monument in Tampias, where we were treated to a stunning view of the Kinabatangan River. I was uncertain about the historical significance of Nunuk Ragang, which Cindy had introduced as a "historical site". Despite not seeing any obvious historical value in the building, I noticed some words inscribed on the walls that read "Kounsikaan Kotombulusian Ko-15, Id Nunuk Ragang, Om Koulitan Ko-26 Toun Do Huguan Siou". I surmised that this could be a reference to a past celebration, and I wished I could understand the meaning of the words in the Kadazan Dusun dialect.

We all agreed not to make any more stops along the way to Semporna, as we realized the miles were quickly adding up. Ozie's Blackberry was giving us the wrong directions on Google Maps, but at least we could see the road map, which gave us some hope of reaching our destination. We decided to take a break for some refreshments at the Sandakan junction. The road surfaces were becoming increasingly worse, with more construction sites popping up.

As Cindy took the wheel for the journey to Sandakan, she drove faster than I. Fortunately, the road conditions were far better than they had been halfway through. The countryside was dominated by oil palm plantations, with rugged hills dotting the landscape.

We finally arrived in Semporna around 6:00pm, and the darkness of night had already begun to settle in this part of the world. In contrast to Kuching in the eastern part of Borneo, 6:00pm is still the prime time for joggers to take to the streets.

Semporna is home to a population of approximately 135,000 and is a popular gateway for diving and snorkeling to the nearby picturesque islands of Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai, and Mataking, among others. This is the primary purpose of our nine-hour journey today, and the main draw for visitors to this area.
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