Tawau/Semporna - Day 1 (Semporna Town)
The last time we went to Semporna was two years ago. How time really flies! Back then, we went to Kapalai Dive Resort and Mabul Water Bungalow Resort. So this time, we wanted to explore two more islands in Semporna - Pom Pom Island and Mataking Island. One way to get to Semporna from Kota Kinabalu is to take a direct flight from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) to Tawau Airport and another 1 hour 20 minutes drive from Tawau Airport to Semporna.
My partner bought two MAS return tickets from KKIA to Tawau Airport but just few days before we depart, our flight got cancelled. We're not able to reschedule our flight to a later date because we have already booked and paid our hotel (Semporna Seaview Hotel) in Semporna. Hence, we have no other option but to buy a last minute one way ticket from Air Asia, RM 358 for 2 person (excluding RM 102.86 for two Hot seats). In total, we have to pay a one way ticket of RM 230.43 per person from KKIA to Tawau Airport!
On the day itself we took a Grab ride and reached KKIA around 1.20pm. We were supposed to depart to Tawau at 3.15pm but our flight got delayed due to bad weather. So we were stranded in KKIA for almost 9 hours! No exact departure time was given and they kept on delaying our departure time. By 5pm, we were feeling a bit hungry and decided to grab some food from Marrybrown. My partner had chicken burger (classic chicken burger topped with lettuce and mayo) while I had Hotouch burger (boneless chicken thigh topped with lettuce and mayo, served on a toasted sesame seeds bun).
Still feeling hungry, around 7.30pm I decided to grab a croissant from Apronbites. The only food that left was egg mayo croissant. Airport was full of people and it looks like a refugee camp. Not to mention, the water dispenser in the airport is not working and long toilet queue! Finally, the airport resumed normal operations and slowly clearing the backlog of flights around 9pm. Our boarding gate changed from A5 to A11 but it was not updated on the departure boards. Apart from that, the sound system was unclear at the boarding gate. We were wondering if anyone missed their flight due to the poor sound system and unclear information.
At last, we boarded the flight at 9.45pm! The air stewardess just gave us a complimentary bread and a bottle of mineral water. Finally our flight depart at 10.10pm and 55 minutes later we reached Tawau Airport. We couldn't find any Grab car and airport taxi is unavailable. We got panicked because it's late at night and ended up we took a random private car service at a fixed price of RM 90. Initially we thought he's only sending the two of us to Semporna. While waiting for the driver inside his private car, he went and look for another random customer. The driver did not inform us that we are sharing the ride with another stranger. In fact, that random customer was slightly taken aback when he saw us inside the car. Just like us, I guess he's desperate to find a ride to Semporna too.
We left Tawau Airport around 11.20pm and along the way, our driver started tailgating the van in front. I turned behind and saw a car following us as well. We stayed alert throughout the whole journey as we have no idea what's happening. After our driver dropped the random customer, he started a conversation with us. Seems that they're travelling in convoy for mutual support and protection since the road from Tawau to Semporna is very dark at night. All of them worked for a private car company and majority of them are from Semporna. We felt so relieved after hearing that. Finally we reached Semporna Seaview Hotel around 12.30am. Upon arrival, my partner gave the driver a RM 10 tips to thank him for his service. It was indeed a long and tiring day...
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