Sandakan to Semporna, or the great oil palm route

The route was estimated by local travel agents to take 6 hours, so we were fully prepared for a long sitting. However, Phil managed to shave off whole 2 hours of the journey time to all of our amazement as the road surface started as shockingly as on the last leg. But after the first half an hour the road was clearly paid by the local palm oil plantations as it was more than passable! I know this endless count of road surfaces might be a bit boring for a casual reader but I've never before needed a co-driver not for maps but pothole spotting....

This route is a sorry sight - for pretty much the whole route is lined by the plantations as far as eye can see. By the road side you get random settlers that must be the locals working at the plantations. At least there is employment, hospitals, schools in the local area, all paid by palm oil money - but at what cost....

At the turn off to the Danum Valley you can breath of relief seeing primary jungle but it only lasts for couple kilometres. 

Semporna seems to exist only to serve the big dive resorts out on the South China sea - despite of its Malay name meaning "perfect". The jetty area has a cool looking water villa back packers lodge and several dive shops. I'm sure there will always be availability for walk-ins, such is the offer, but we had booked in advance with Scuba Junkies. They recommended a local eatery on the sea front and we had a real feast for no money (each main was 7RM). I would not recommend staying in Semporna for diving, however, it has got nothing much to offer apart from the ScubaJunkies hostel/bar. The Seafest hotel was not such a fest but adequate for our needs: a big - but a short?! - bed, a pool and a rather Chinese spread for breakfast. I was glad to have just some cereals instead of the weeklong fest of English breakfasts. But it defenitely won the worst coffee prize so far! 

Sofia had a trial in a big girl bed, as they couldn't provide a cot. That ended speedily her being confined to her own cot fetched from the car: as I checked on her after 15 mins from putting her to bed, little madam had turned on all the lights and was chilling on the bed watching TV.... I had to laugh!