Tip of Borneo

I woke around 0600 to an overcast morning. The sun does rise early here being in the far east of the time zone but it wasn’t so apparent. I had breakfast after 0700 which was way before the official start time of 0800.

The tide seemed quite right for swimming but I didn’t want to go for a dip then walk to the Tip of Borneo wet. So I decided to walk to the Tip, 1 km away first. It was my way of getting a little exercise instead of driving.

The name Simpang Mengayau is derived from the native Rugus name Sampang Mangazao meaning Junction and Battle respectively. The area was apparently visited by Chinese traders and Magellan.

There were at least two hotels and some eateries closer to the Tip than my place. A bronze globe monument stand in the area that leads to the actual Tip, accessed by a footpath. The actual Tip could be subject to tide and crashing waves and is supposed to be in accessible but there isn’t any kind of barricade, only a sign.

The nearby area provided a good view of my beach. The sun was getting brighter by now and it illuminated the water nicely. I returned to my beach for a swim. The water temperature was perfect, the sand fine white and powdery.

After a brief rest, I drove to Kudat town about 40 minutes away for lunch. The town had a waterfront which was packed due to festivities. Parking was difficult and the skies were very dark, so I moved on. I grabbed some noodles in a local cafe and it started pouring.

I sat it out and drove back to the Tip with a short detour to Kudat Marina. It was small and a little pitiful. There were a few visiting catamarans, augmented by some fishing and patrol boats because there was so much spare space.

It wasn’t even 1700 when I felt hungry. I tried to stave off my hunger but couldn’t fight it and ordered dinner before 1800. I had the healthy stirfry veges last night. While it was very nice, i was tempted by the burger in-house. It was a bad choice; the meat was processed meat cut from a dog-roll but the chips were very good.

Overcome by guilt of that meal, I went for a walk to the far end of the beach and back which took a little less than an hour. I didn’t feel so full after that.