The last few days of our Borneo holiday we wanted to spend on Pulau Mantanani, an island 45 minutes off the west coast of Borneo. Our guides dropped us off at Rampayam Jetty north of the town of Kota Belud, and from there we caught a boat to the island. It was only a trip, but it was a hell of a ride. There were a lot of waves, and our captain was keen on racing the boat through them, so more often than not the boat would jump off one wave and hit the bottom of a wave valley hard. I tried to sit as upright as possible in order to prevent my discs from any damage. Luckily neither Mizzi nor I got seasick. But the staff passed plastic bags to several passengers who obviously could not take the journey too well. Our captain and the two other staff members seemed to find this rather funny, they kept looking g around the boat and laughing. I was glad once we got to the island.
Before being allowed to leave the jetty, our temperature was measured. Then, however, we were allowed to go to the reception, check in, and
take a drink. The island is like a small paradise, with flat, white beaches surrounded by turquoise water, and palm trees and some kind of pine trees in its centre. The hotel consists of small bungalows with small verandas in front of them, some of which contain the rooms, others the restaurant, bar, and reception. There are jetties on both sides of the island. And there are plenty of activities one can engage in: swimming, of course, but also snorkelling, canoeing, playing beach volleyball or beach soccer, or riding quad bikes. I took a dip in the sea first, which was super nice and refreshing. Then we had lunch on the veranda of the restaurant, with a beautiful view of the beach and the ocean. Mount Kinabalu is just within sight from the island, but sometimes looks almost unreal, like a fata morgana or a huge cloud. Sometimes it is hidden behind a cloud.
The name Mantanani means woman underneath a blanket because the shape of the island is like a woman who is covered by a blanket, with her head on one side. Very poetic. The island has several resorts on it, some of them being only
day resorts; in others, people can stay overnight. Apparently, it is mainly Chinese to the island, and due to the Corona virus, the island was almost deserted. Most other resorts were closed, and there were very few guests in ours. There is also a village in which fishermen live. Next to the island, there is Small Mantanani Island, uninhabited. There is a tower on it, built by the military in times when there were pirates in the area. The issue seems to be resolved nowadays, and the military left the island.
We did not do much while being on the island. Our first afternoon we spent walking along the beach, swimming, reading, and watching the sunset from the beach. For dinner, we had steam pot. For this, you have a large pot filled with broth on your table, and you are given various kinds of noodles and veggies. For there is also meat and seafood. You put all this into the steam pot and cook it for a bit, then eat it. This was tasty and fun. In the evening, we enjoyed the night sky and the sounds of the sea and the crickets before going
The next day was similar, we spent it reading and swimming, and in the late morning, I went snorkelling to nearby Small Mantanani Island. We were taken there by boat and could enjoy the corals and colourful fish for quite some time before returning to the hotel. In the evening, we walked to the nearby village to see the sunset from the jetty there. This was a bit of a disheartening experience. At the hotel, the beaches are nice and clean. But as soon as leaving the hotel premises, the beach is full of litter. When sitting on the jetty at the village, we could even see several children wheeling a wheelbarrow full of litter to the beach and emptying it there close to the surf. Behind us, there was a woman scraping together some of the litter, but my assumption was that she only did it because we were there.
