Thursday, January 13, 2022

Pearl Of The South China Sea: Part II

On Boxing Day Sunday, I woke up for morning prayers. I left after 07:40 and walked to the bus terminal. I had planned to catch bus number 6 to the Chimney Museum but when bus number 4 came, I boarded it for Peace Park. This park was built with the collaboration of the Malaysian Government, Sabah state, Labuan Corporation and the Japanese Government to commemorate the fallen soldiers who fought the WW II in Borneo. I didn’t stay long here and hurried to catch the bus back to the bus terminal. The journey took 20 minutes one way. Back at the terminal, I asked the driver when bus number 6 would next depart and as I had about thirty minutes until then, I decided to check out the central market while waiting.






 

I boarded bus number 6 and after about 20 minutes, we reached Chimney Museum. The museum details the history of Tanjung Kubong and the animal it was named after and the coal mining activity in the area during the British rule. After touring the museum and taking photos of the chimney tower, I set out to hike the Chimney/Tanjung Kubong Trail. This trail will lead you to one of the six geopark sites in Labuan which is at least 15 million years old. I had to write my name at the museum’s guardhouse before starting my trek.

 



I was not amused to find some motorbike wheel tread at the start of the trail and it led through a muddy patch. I gingerly tried to avoid the muddy ground and what do you know, I ended up landing in the mud. It was a good thing I was wearing my FitFlops and not my Skechers sneakers! I was so not amused. After 15 minutes, I reached Ammunition Store (Gedung Ubat), believed to be a Japanese storage area for artillery and explosives. I stopped to take pictures before continuing on. The trail descended to a beach and I quickly went to wash my feet. I spent some time there exploring the area.



 





 


I climbed back up to the trail and continued, following some signs for a past running competition. However, the trail led me to another section of the beach. I didn’t want to go down only to climb up again and decided to continue but before long, I found myself deeper in the woods and no trail seemed discernible. I decided to turn back and after a while decided to just go back the way I came. This time, I managed to avoid the muddy patch which I landed in when I set off. Alhamdulillah.

 

I waited for a bus back to town but after a long while, decided to take Maxim car with the help of the young guard and his friend. No joy. Finally I arranged for Grab. I guess if one is keen to visit the area, one needs to take the first bus out to have better chances of catching a bus back to town. I don’t know if the bus never came because it was Sunday or if the service was reduced after mid-morning. Back in town, I walked to Mama’s Kitchen for a late lunch. While Labuan is a duty free island, dining out is not cheap but at least the portion served at the restaurant was huge. I then went back to my room and rested.

 

I ventured out after 17:30 and walked to the nearby ferry terminal. I then went for a walk and turned back when I reached Labuan Museum.





To be continued