Trip to Sandakan

Good day readers,

 

Last few weeks, I take a day off from work and having a road trip to Sandakan. This vacation was a last minute plan vacation and Alhamdulillah, all went well. So, my family was already there as they left on Tuesday while I cannot apply last minute leave from my office. Hence, I left on Thur sday night as my leave was approved for Friday only. Here is my short vacation tentative: ~

 

Thursday

- Left work at 6pm, go have dinner around office area

- Book ehailing car, head to Terminal Bas Inanam.

**I choose to go Sandakan by bus as don't have night flight from KK to Sandakan (limited flight as MCO are still on going). My bus ticket was already purchased earlier by my family before they heading to Sandakan. For anyone planning to go Sandakan by bus, things you should know there is only two companies running the bus services to there (Sida and Tung Ma). They operated by turns (today Sida, tomorrow Tung Ma) and last bus is at 8pm. Mind you, once you reached the terminal, you will be surrounded with the bus ticketing agent or shall I said attacked? I'm freaked out and panic at that time because it is still MCO but there is no social distancing practiced by the ticketing person. It's maniac! Once I told them I already have ticket, they back off. Wait at the terminal until almost 8pm, the bus conductor open the door and we queue for health screening (MCO procedure) and depart on the dot. Once the bus moved, the co-pilot will ask each and everyone of us where we want to be dropped. I just stop at the terminal as mum's don't informed me where should I stop. They said there will be a bus inspection by police at Sandakan border (normal procedure, we need to show our identification document) but as I'm aware, there are none at that night. Lucky me, so I slept peacefully during the bus trip. I woke up juga la several time. 

- Arrived at Sandakan at 2am. My parent fetch me up and I continue my sleep at the hotel.

 

Friday

- Breakfast with family at Sri Mersing Restaurant

- Head to Sepilok, watch Orang Utan. Ticket price RM5/pax

**If you want your visit to Sepilok enjoyable, you should visit during the feeding time at 10am or 3pm. You can capture photograph in there using your mobile phone f.o.c but if you bring SLR camera, you need to pay for RM10. Mind you again, bag are not allowed inside the orang utan area. You can stored in the provided locker or at your own car. You can watch Sun Bear also there but you need to purchase different ticket for entrance. We don't go watch Sun Bear as it is scorching hot!

- Visit our uncle and cousins at Sg Manila

- Head to Agnes Keith house. RM2/pax

**Some people said the house is creepy but for me, the house is cool! I love old, traditional house. Spend almost an hour at the house. During our visit, just me and my sister in the house. There is no other visitor and the rest of family members don't want to enter there so they wait at car. Next to Agnes Keith house, got English Tea house where you can have your meal there. But none of my family wanted to go there. Nevermind, I'll visit it in my next trip to Sandakan. 

- Go to Sim-Sim, makan ikan bakar for our lunch! 

**Most people will suggest to go here to eat smoked fish. Cheap they said. I don't know la cheap or not cause I'm not the one who's paying. But what I know, I enjoyed my meal.

- Strolling around Sandakan town and hunting for Sandakan UFO tart.

**If you are a sweet-tooth person, you should go looking for the tart! It is delish! Sadly, most of the café at the town area are running out of stock. So we head to Batu 8 shop, Kedai Roti Mee Ngar. At that bakery shop, only two pieces left! Thank God!

- Back at our hotel, taking nap and performing prayer.

- At night, we heading to our cousin house at Taman Rimba, cook at their house and having dinner there.

- After dinner, I ask my niece and nephew to bring me to Mydin Sandakan, we go buy Boba drinks. Yummehh!

- My brother go for durian hunting and the rest of us just resting at hotel.

 

'

 

  

 

 

 

Saturday

- My cousin go for jogging nearby IJM area (I forgot the place name)

- Having our breakie together

- Go buying the UFO tart again at Mee Ngar

- Dad want to have the sup payau, so we stopped at one restaurant nearby the bakery shop and having our early lunch before we heading back to KK.

- Stop by at Mydin Sandakan, buying few things and visiting my cousin food stall there. 

- Heading back to KK and surprise surprise! There is a police inspection at the border.

**We need to wait for almost half hour I think. They only allowed one side of the road to go through at a time. 

- Stopped at Telupid for prayer and they bought buah Salak sold at the roadside. 

- Reach Ranau around 6pm, we stopped at Pekan Kundasang.

- Having our early dinner at Kelisa café. I suggest my family to try their signature dish 'Sinalau'. 

**Usually people will think sinalau is pork. That's a big no! Sinalau means salai (smoked) in Dusun language. Bakas means boar. But at Kelisa's they only served chicken or meat (cow meat) and it is Halal! The owner is muslim ya!

- Continue our journey to KK after dinner and we reach around 8pm.

 

That's all about my short notice journey to Sandakan. I'm surely gonna revisit Sandakan as there's many places I wanted to go. #dayangbucketlist

 

Yours,

dayangbedt