AUSTRALIAN JOURNALIST FINDS PARADISE IN MABUL

By Neville D'Cruz

MELBOURNE, June 24 (Bernama) -- There are few places worth travelling across
the world for, but Mabul Sipadan Resort, on the east coast of Sabah is one of
them, says Australian journalist Annie Hall, who recently holidayed in the east
Malaysian state of Sabah with her family.

She said tourists from Europe, America, Japan, China and Australia visited
Mabul to enjoy the peaceful tropical paradise there.

"They have another reason to come to Mabul. It's a short boat ride from
Sipadan Island, renowned throughout the world as a diving site and described by
the late Jacques Cousteau as an untouched work of art," said Hall.

Hall is the deputy chief sub-editor of the Leader Group of Newspapers, which
has a readership of 1.8 million people here.

"We weren't diving at Sipadan, but snorkeling for the day at three sites,"
she said.

"The brilliant blue waters of the Celebes Sea give no clue to the
remarkable treasures that lie beneath. But pull on the flippers, put on a
goggle, then fall out of the speedboat, and you're in for a shock".

SIPADAN

Hall said the reefs around Sipadan were a landscape of extraordinary form
and colour, the result of coral growing on an extinct volcano.

"Swimming in it is the most incredible profusion of marine life. Hawksbill
turtles had an effortless grace underwater, they swam close by and were so
numerous, some small as a hand, others the size of a table.

"Darting among them was the most amazing array of tropical fish that could
be imagined, suffice to say that more than 3,000 species have been classified
around Sipadan.

"Mixed in with this was a big, dense school of barracuda while mooching
along the bottom were mantra rays and a few sharks.

"Time went as fast as the fishes before our eyes," Hall said. "Before we
knew it we were being asked to swim back to the boat."

The snorkelers and divers headed to Sipadan for their breaks. The island
made international news in 2000 when 21 people were kidnapped by a group of
Filipino outlaws.

They were eventually safely released. Since then Malaysia has stationed
army troops on the island while the navy patrol the waters.

MABUL

There are also police on the island of Mabul and the resort employs its own
security guards. They form a significant but unobtrusive security presence.

According to Ben loyola who is the manager of Mabul Resort, security
problems have 'never happened again'.

"Our delicious morning tea and lunch were prepared by Mabul Sipadan
Resort," Hall said.

Morning tea was a choice of tea or coffee with biscuits while lunch was a
spread of dishes including noodles, main dishes, pasta, fruit and sweets.

Late in the afternoon the speedboats return to the resort and another day in
paradise ends in luxury. The resort offers two types of accommodation either
bungalows sheltering in the beautiful gardens with water views or on the
opposite side of the island is the water village which is built over the sea".

ACTIVITIES

"There are a number of places at the resort that are ideal for relaxing. We
enjoyed a refreshing drink at the jetty, a fine place to watch the sunset," Hall
said.

"Other activities include a range of massages and beauty treatments, or if
you're feeling more active then you can grab one of the kayaks on the beach.
The resort is very relaxed, with meals offering a great variety of Malaysian
and western food.

"It's definitely worth flying a great distance to visit," Hall
said.

Details of the resort is available on www.sipadan-mabul.com.my. Annie Hall
stayed at Mabul Resort courtesy of East Asia Tours.
-- BERNAMA