1 Tawau is the third largest city of Sabah (300k) After Sandakan and largest KK (600k)
And it is a Very Very small town! No shopping malls at all. π
2 Semporna which is 70min away from Tawau airport is really a smaller town mainly the stepping town for all the divers and snorklers.
3 Sipadan Island - one of the most renowned diving islands - now highly conserve with strictly only for deep advanced divers. So that novice won’t step and kill those corals! So now they close for one mth each year to allow it to “rest”. Restricted to only 120 pax divers per day too
4 Semporna also known for their sea gypsies. Really those pp living on boats. We did see some kids on the jetty area playing. They are stateless pp. No passports.
5 Semporna has lots of Chinese investments. Many of their chalets were catered to Chinese tourist since 2015. Even their newer water chalets sewerage system is based on Chinese recycling technology. Perhaps why the water remain more clear.
6. Unlike Tioman, Semporna does not face any monsoon closure months. It is in Sulu seas. So open almost all year round!
7.Timba Timba island is famous for turtles. Yes I saw a few while snorkeling. The morning swim was good as can really spot diverse colourful fishes and corals. The afternoon snorkeling at the other 2 islands. was a little let down cos lesser fish spotted. Though corals were seen. One of the local guides compared Semporna sea life more to Rendang island. But yes compared to Tioman, the waters here definitely more crystal clear.
I would perhaps love to go to Simpadan. But now only for advanced divers. So guess this is off limits now. Could hv joined the others for the scuba dive appreciation - but din take up this package. Well the snorkeling watching was still pretty good. Spend almost an hour in the waters gawking at the underwater life. π
So here is the summary of this trip. Not so bad an experience of the domestic senai flight.
Perhaps can consider KK for the star gaze in near future. Heard can see the Milky Way!
And further joy on 14/2/25 Spotting the valentine of love ❤️ the rainbow!!!π
And life is interesting
We won’t know what is joy until we also understand grief.
So what was the mourning?
After the new fish came, old ones got infected!
Red Dot Died quite fast.
We
Decided to buy the green medicine to try to keep the rest afloat. Many were already flipping over!
It was a last resort.
Then came 19/2/25 back in JB.
With much fear and trepidation.
Fearing and anticipating the worst!
Hooray! Only 2 more died! The rest were swimming!
What a relief!
It was quite an agony over the weekend.
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Video of new fish! The Joy!
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And the Grief! & Relief! Video!
Reflection:
Matt 13:47 -51
“Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind. Which when it was full， they drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world , the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked among the just. And shall cast them into the furnace of fire ; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Jesus says unto them, Have you understood all these things ? They say unto him Yea Lord”
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It has been an amazing experience over this fish purchase.
I was sad to net the dead fish out of the pond.
Not quite a nice experience.
It was like a 1-1 exchange. 3 old for 3 new little ones.
On hindsight , I wished I had not bought the new ones.
Nevertheless, it was done. Past. And then came the HOPE.
Was it an omen that my Red Dot fish was the first to go?
I love Red Dot as it was so easy to identify - hence the name given some 7 years when it first arrived.
John tried to encouraged me by saying” Renewal process”
Hmm. When the end days come for us, is it going to be like this where our Lord will use his dragnet to separate us? And like my dead fish, the bad will be cast away?
The green medicine I bought was like a second chance for the remaining infected fish which were all literally flipping. The Vendor admitted that it could be the new ones that had infected the old. But no liability. We bought the green solution at our own cost. Not even any compensation for the death of the old big ones. That is life.
And as I waited anxiously after the pouring in of the green medicine, it is like a gamble for the lives of the remaining fish. Will they live or will they die?
So like this parable of the dragnet , the clock is ticking. There will come a day where we will need to stand before the Great Judge.
How to escape the furnace of fire and the gnashing of the teeth? It is no fun to witness the recent Palasades fire in LA. Even the beautiful big expensive mansions were brought to ashes. What does it teach us about the mortality of life?
The fish story. The fire scare.
I am just grateful that my life is in His good hands.
My fish may go. My dwellings on earth may perish.
My eyes be set on the eternity beyond.
Yes. Joy and grief. We cannot understand joy without grief and vice versa.
Like the verse, He can turning our mourning into
Dancing!
I hate to say Good Bye to Red Dot and the 2 other fish. But this is part of life journey.
