March 1st
Our flight to Malaysia went smoothly, and the views of the beaches and endless palm fields were stunning—definitely making us excited for our upcoming diving plans!
After landing in Kuala Lumpur, we met up with Noreen, a very close family friend. For those who’ve read the “Austin, USA” blog, you might notice a family resemblance as Noreen is Sarah and Adam’s sister! We’re so lucky to have seen all three of them on this trip.
That evening, Noreen took us to see her polo club and then “Fuego at Troika Sky Dining”, a very tasty restaurant with an amazing view of the Petronas Twin Towers.
A fantastic first day in KL and a lovely way to celebrate my dad’s birthday!
March 2nd
For lunch, Noreen showed us around Chinatown and its surroundings. We enjoyed the lively atmosphere.
In the evening, we tried a delicious Yemeni restaurant—something completely new for our family! It was so so tasty.
March 3rd
We visited the Batu Caves, an absolutely stunning sight. We got lucky with the timing, as there weren’t too many people, possibly because it was Ramadan.
Later, Noreen showed us around the school she works at, which made me a little jealous—my school was never that nice. It has such a nice view of the city’s skyline.
In the evening, we had the pleasure of enjoying some delicious home-cooked Burmese food made by Hanifa(Noreen’s sweet helper).
March 4th
Our diving adventure started when we flew into the small airport of Tawau followed by a scenic drive to Semporna, where we spent our first night on the huge island of Borneo.
March 5th
Early in the morning, we left our hotel and set off for Mabul, the island where we will be staying and diving for the next three days. After getting settled, we were off for our first dives!
Just when we thought the day couldn’t get any better, as we were about to go to sleep, we heard a knock on the door—the turtles in the hatchery were hatching! We were incredibly lucky to witness the tiny turtles making their way out to the ocean.
March 6th
We don’t have our advanced diving certification, so we couldn’t go diving at Sipadan, one of the most famous dive sites in the world. Instead, we went snorkelling!
Despite the rain during our second session, we still saw so many fascinating things underwater!
Since we went snorkelling rather than diving we managed to take a phone with us to try and take a couple of pictures. These obviously do not do justice to what we saw, the visibility (althought not amazing because of the rain) was much better than this. haha
March 7th
We had our last three dives around Kapalai and Mabul before heading back to Semporna.
Some extra bits of our diving adventure:
For our final meal there, we had a delicious hotpot, marking the end of our little island escape.
March 8th–10th
We spent our last two days in Malaysia fully relaxing—eating at incredible restaurants Noreen introduced us to, getting foot massages, and pampering ourselves with manicures.
The perfect way to wrap up our time here!
A huge thank you to Noreen and Ruth (in absentia). We were made to feel so at home and it was a real pleasure to experience living in Kuala Lumpur for a few short days! See you all in Switzerland in a few months!
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