Sandakan (III) - Day 3 (Turtle Islands Park

It had been raining heavily throughout the night, and I woke up at 5.45am after a restless sleep. We checked out at 6.20am and had breakfast before leaving the island at 7am. The breakfast was average, and the noodles didn't taste very good. However, the watermelon was sweet and juicy. My partner, however, really enjoyed the sausages. Basically we stayed on Selingan Island for less than 24 hours, as the main purpose of our visit was to see turtles laying eggs. As we were leaving, the sky looked gloomy, and one of the staff warned us that the boat ride might be rough.

There were only three of us on the boat, including the boatman. The ride was very bumpy, and in certain areas the boat swayed from left to right, making it quite scary. The sky was dark, and it was raining, which made the journey feel even more intimidating. The waves were big, and at times, when I looked outside, the water appeared higher than the boat. We had never felt a boat ride last so long before, and both of us kept nervously checking our watches. Although it was rough, it still wasn't as bad as the boat ride from Mantanani Island to Mari Mari Mantanani Jetty.

The journey lasted almost an hour, and we reached the Crystal Quest jetty at 8am. It was raining heavily when we arrived. I thanked the boatman for his excellent navigating skills, and for the first time, he smiled. He usually looked very cool and composed throughout the ride. The boatman has over 20 years of experience. He started out as a housekeeper for two to three years before becoming a boatman. He comes from Ranau and is the company's most experienced boatman. I asked him if this was the worst weather he had faced, and he said not really, adding that he had encountered worse.

Since it was raining, we couldn't get a Grab, so we ended up taking a ride with Maxim. We waited until 8.30am for the driver to arrive (Maxim fare - RM 8.60).

Daily turtle information

Tea and orange cordial drink

Baked beans, fried egg and sausages

Fried noodles

Toasted bread served with butter and jam

Watermelon

Selingan Island

Our boatman

Rough sea

It was raining heavily when we arrived at the jetty

We reached Livingston Hotel around 8.45am, dropped our luggage, and took a Grab to Tien Kee Restaurant (Grab fare - RM 10). Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed, so we walked to Kedai Kopi Kim Fah instead. My partner ordered thin noodles with pork ribs and BBQ pork, while I had the thin noodles with roasted pork and duck breast. He also ordered a glass of teh c ping (iced milk tea).

The first bite of my noodles tasted salty and grainy, but after that, the flavour was mild. The pork ribs were tough and salty. Besides that, the roasted pork tasted like it had been sitting overnight. I'm glad the duck tasted okay, even though the skin wasn't crispy. My partner's drink was light and not strong enough, lacking the robust flavour I had expected. Overall, the meal was just so-so.

We then took a Grab back to the hotel, with a waiting time of about 15 minutes (Grab fare - RM 5). We reached the hotel at 10am, just in time for early check-in. Since we were feeling quite tired, we decided to take the early check-in option, which came with an additional charge of RM 25.

(Total bill - RM 28)

Kedai Kopi Kim Fah

Chili

Thin noodles with roasted pork and duck breast

Teh C ping (iced milk tea) - RM 4

Thin noodles with pork ribs and BBQ pork

Address:

Kedai Kopi Kim Fah

No 1-43, 3 Jalan Tyng,

Bandar Tyng, Mile 6 North Road,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

Opening hours: 7.30am to 2pm

We took a three-hour nap but somehow felt even more tired afterward. At 2.30pm, we went to Equator Coffee (Grab fare - RM 4). Since they only had cakes, we decided to walk to Aqua Coffee instead. The cafe had a nice ambience and a friendly owner. We ordered a melon mango drink, an orange juice, a tuna croissant, and waffles. The orange juice was freshly made from real oranges and tasted slightly sour. My melon mango drink was a bit too sweet for my liking, and I didn't really enjoy the taste. It reminded me of cough syrup. The tuna croissant was surprisingly good. It was crispy on the outside, flaky and buttery, with a soft, slightly chewy center.

However, the waffles were disappointing. We had to wait quite a while, and although they were crispy on the outside, they were dense on the inside and tasted more like a crumble cake. The blueberries and strawberries were frozen, and as they thawed, water seeped out and made the fruit mushy. Apart from that, the mangoes and strawberries were sour, and the vanilla ice cream was overly sweet. While the presentation was nice, the taste was not enjoyable.

(Total bill - RM 68.90)

Spotted a sleeping cat

Aqua Coffee

Cafe ambience

Orange juice - RM 13 and melon mango - RM 14.50

Tuna croissant - RM 12.50

Berries delight (waffle topped with fresh mangoes, strawberries and blueberries served with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream and a side of maple syrup) - RM 28.90

Address:

Aqua Coffee

Indah, Lot 1, Blok 10,

Tingkat Bawah, Batu 4,

Jalan Utara, Bandar Indah,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

After our tea break, we took a Grab back to the hotel (Grab fare - RM 5). We headed out again at 5.20pm to Sandakan "The Little Hong Kong". Grab showed a fare of RM 14, but no cars were available. We tried booking through Maxim as well, but without success. When we finally managed to secure a Grab, we had to wait about 17 minutes. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, The Little Hong Kong was already closed, as it only operates from 9am to 5pm.

Sandakan "The Little Hong Kong"

Address:
Sandakan "The Little Hong Kong"

35, Lebuh Lima,

Pusat Bandar Sandakan,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

The Sandakan Fishing Association is just a 6-minute walk (400m) from Sandakan "The Little Hong Kong." Located on the first floor, the restaurant had a homey, old-style feel, reminiscent of traditional home-cooked meals. The cook was an older uncle, assisted by two helpers. There were only three tables available, so we had to make a booking in advance before dining.

We ordered fish maw, steamed fish, prawns, fried mantou, and sweet and sour crab. The garlic flavour on the prawns was very strong, but the seafood was fresh. The steamed fish was excellent. Fresh with a tasty sauce. The crab, on the other hand, was just average and didn't stand out.

(Total bill - RM 196)

Sandakan Fishing Association

Restaurant ambience

Warm water

Fish maw soup - RM 12

Prawns - RM 100

Steamed fish - RM 40

Sweet & sour crab - RM 40

Fried mantou - RM 2 each

Rice - RM 2

Address:
Sandakan Fishing Association

Pusat Bandar Sandakan,

90000 Sandakan,

Sabah

After dinner, we walked to the Sandakan Waterfront, then to the Sandakan Wet Market and Harbour Mall. Feeling very thirsty, we bought a cup of mango smoothie from Bingsoo 21. The avocado smoothie was sold out, and the mango smoothie was slightly sour because we asked for less sugar.

We took a Grab back to the hotel for RM 7. My partner went down for a leg massage while I relaxed in the room, resting and getting things ready for our journey home the next day.