18 months in Mataking: mabul 3 days 2 nite

14- 16th dec

Pygmy seahorse workshop at mabul island. I represent mataking island for the workshop. The workshop only at nite time coz it involves all the dive operator around semporna, so day time, boring... nothing to do...like now...

Worshop time, serious serious..

The place we (Nina, gav and me) stay for the pass 2 days are at Lai's Homestay. As the name implies homestay, means the place is really simple, just bed. GOod thing is that 2 person in one room, so more privacy. It's cheap (RM50 per nite include 3 meals and room). The bad thing is that no electricity other than 6pm to 6am (nite time only lor). Damn hot in day time.

This is my second time visit to mabul and first time overnite here. In terms of environment, i would say that i prefer mataking island compare to mabul. Why? There're less ppl in mataking, coz no local community, the most numbers of ppl in mataking maybe about few hundreds only. But in mabul, there're so many locals which includes of those with and without documents (maybe about thousand ppl) and dive operators. Everywhere u turn are ppl, ppl and more ppl, and rubbish rubbish and rubbish. But have to admit that the underwater view is really quite nice here, haha...

Most of the locals here work generation after generation as fisherman = poverty. Again, due to no legal documents, they have no 'right' to do anything, not even going to school. So what the kids do if not at school? have fun swimming, playing kites, basketball, blah blah..

kids jumping off the jetty without any worries or fear

jump jump!

kids showing off the fish they caught! interesting~

Basketball! modification of net, haha

the fisherman came back with their harvest, the fisherman boat in front of our homestay actually fish for shark! and they cover it with coconut leave to avoid attention from public