Silent Tawau

Day 1 – Tawau, Sabah (4 August 2011 / 1 Night)

On the morning of 4th August 2011, the boys were very much looking forward for the Sabah trip and were naturally excited. Our flight was at 6.30pm. I had just enough time to finish packing our things in the AM. We went out for breakfast and planned to leave by 1pm but left only at about 1.30pm.

Rishi and Harish just before we left the house

N drove to the LRT station and parked our car, then we boarded the LRT. We each had one bag to carry.

 

Harish, Rishi and N in the LRT

 

We reached KL Sentral at 2pm and bought some pre-packed food for lunch. From KL Sentral we took the SkyBus to LCCT at 2.30pm. I had earlier web checked in our tickets and printed our boarding pass. After what seemed like an eternity, we boarded the plane at 6pm.

We arrived at Tawau International Airport at 9.25pm. The airport was quite empty and quiet.

Tawau International Airport

Luckily, I had the foresight to arrange shuttle service to our hotel when we booked our accommodation. The hotel staff stood at the entrance holding a paper with my name flashed on it. We followed him to the van. The road was well lighted and maintained and the ride was smooth but so eerily quiet.

The driver told us he is a Suluk Malay, Philippines origin. Took us 30mins to reach Tawau Old Town. The airport road was well lighted and looked new. Although I was told during booking that the charge is RM15 per adult (no charge for kids below 12), we paid RM45 for the 30mins ride to the hotel. This is the rate charged by airport cabs too.

The last bus, for your info, leaves the airport at 6.30pm, the bus fare is RM10 per seat. It’s an air-conditioned bus. But if your flight arrives after 6.30pm, you have no choice but to take the cab. Otherwise, try enquiring at 'car for rent' office in the airport.

Checked in at almost 10pm. No greeting and no opening of door by hotel staff. We carried our own luggage in. The promotion rate of the hotel was RM88 with breakfast for 2. You can also opt for lunch at their restaurant or via room service for RM15 for 1 person.

The hotel reception area - cocoa merchandise on display and sale

There was one Chinese Towkay (meaning the Boss) who looked at us as if we were ‘aliens’ from behind his glasses. He never got up to say hi or smile. We could see that the staff feared the boss. The staff were local Sabahans.

We dumped our bags in the room and headed to the nearby KFC for a late dinner. Surprisingly, it opens 24 hours. The town looked and felt dead quiet.

Harish lost in thought ...view from our room, you can see the sea and port

The room came with one Queen Bed and one Single Bed. The bath had a tub, a cocoa soap and cocoa body wash. It was okay.

Real cocoas nicely arranged as display

The boys dashed for a long hot bath, somehow they can’t resist bathtubs and hot showers. We could see Tawau town and the Celebes Sea from our hotel.

I liked the town as there seemed to be some planning here, roads were clean and wide, and everything is just about a walk away.

Some tips :-

1. Be prepared for late arrivals and make prior arrangements for airport transfer

2. Better to book accommodation for the first night in advance

3. Have a list of hotels and their rates ready; in fact do loads of research on the place

4. The town is rather laid-back and slow moving; and is not very happening, so if you are from big cities, you will get bored easily

5. Be assured that there will be food outlets operating into the night; you just need to find them


All pictures are copyrighted. I can be reached at sivakay2009@gmail.com.