“We’ve been here all day and my phone’s battery is still 90 percent!,” exclaimed Alia in amazement.
A wonderful feat for a PR practitioner where her trade demands constant usage of a smartphone to the point of charging the gadget three times a day and lugging it along with a bulky power bank.
On that day, there was no need for any of those items because there were no electricity, no telephone coverage and definitely no apps to scroll over.
For the three of us, it was only the sun, sea and sand at Mañana Borneo.
Tamu
Our journey began at the town of Kota Belud where we visited the bustling Sunday market, or Tamu.
I was looking for tarap, a cousin of the jackfruit and when we finally found one, we devoured it right away.
The inside is filled with smooth and creamy arils like an overripe mango and it was so addictive we had another one a few days later in Kota Kinabalu!
The drive from Kota Belud to the nearest village to Mañana took a solid 20 minutes as Faisal, our driver, expertly navigated through the tight roads over farms and hills.
We meandered up to a sweeping bay and made our way down to Kampung Pituru Laut, where a boat was slowly chugging across the choppy waters to take us to our intended destination.
What took 10 minutes felt like an eternity when we had to persevere through the crashing waves, purportedly caused by the tail-end of a typhoon from the Pacific Ocean.
Once we hit the shore we were greeted by Ali G, the chief caretaker, who quickly helped unload our bags from the boat and brought us on a quick tour of this place.
Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Mañana Borneo, Kota Belud – Going Incommunicado At The Beach
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