MANANA We have now been at `Manana ` beach

MANANA

We have now been at `Manana ` beach chalets for 24 hours .I have only the vaguest idea where we are i.e somewhere north of Kota Kinabalu. At this very moment I am sitting in a hammock outside our tiny chalet on the beach , the sea is about 10 metres away and ….............it is raining !

So , a quick backtrack of 24 hours . We said our goodbyes to the really nice Dutch couple we met called Anna and Rainier and got driven to the airport by Reynold our 27 year-old Malay taxi driver with highlights and four kids + one on the way ! ( no link between highlights and number of children I THINK) He was really nice and went via the cemetery for British and Australian military who dies in the Japanese POW camp in Sandakan .

The fight to KK was uneventful ,a little bumpy but looking around I realized that I was the only nervous fly-er because everyone appeared to be asleep. I kept one eye nervously on the hostesses ( very pretty) in case they looked anxious ,but no!

We were met by our driver who stopped off en route to buy fish .at a market..we got some mangoes and snake fruit from two market sellers who looked hardly older than Emmy ( our 9-month old granddaughter) they were good at bargaining- possibly better than her!

The road was really lovely , lots of palm trees ( which alas replace the rainforest trees) and paddy fields. Finally ,after about 100 km we came to a dead end – a tiny village with stilt houses , sleepy puppies who expected us to drive around them ( which we did !) and goats and chickens of all ages ! The driver got out his walkie -talkie ( out of wi fi ,blue tooth etc range) to tell someone to send out the boat to pick us up . I got a a wee bit nervous ( fertile imagination) that maybe this was a set up and that we were about to be kidnapped for a huge ransom ... and also knowing that no-one in the family would pay it and indeed may have masterminded the whole kidnapping !! Suddenly a small motor boat arrived and two men , who looked a bit dodgy BUT this could be because they were a bit dentally challenged , clambered out and waded up to us . I forgot to mention that the tide was out and women were catching crabs ( the sideways walking kind not the OTHER sort) Anyway , the men ( who I was still convinced were UP TO NO GOOD) then started off loading the supplies in the back of the Land rover ( a posher version of the one of my childhood) and indicated to Pat and I to lug our rucksacks to the motorboat which was unable to reach the shore . What a bloody nerve , if I`m going to be kidnapped why should I carry my own bag? Anyway , I was reassured when the chap started pointing out different types of starfish and crabs etc surely a kidnapper would not embark on a nature tour !

Anyway , the beach was only a ten minute boat ride away and we were met by a Scots chap called Mat who indicated out beach chalet. I admit it is probably much less luxurious than the one on Meon shore , you can see daylight between the wood for starters BUT it has a loo , a roof and a mosquito net . Of course Patrick ( who was not a scout) was like a nervous wreck convinced the place was a snake, spider and mosquito magnet so set about `proofing` the place ! We now have so many nets up getting to bed is like going through an obstacle course made of fishing nets ( or a veil at a gypsy wedding) We have a couple of hammocks and nails in the woodwork for hanging things on. There are some fishermen`s huts behind us ( cunning `cos they`re higher up if there`s a tsunami!)

The loo is half inside and half outside ( see photo) This has its compensations `cos you can look at the moon whilst having a pee.

After a fitful sleep ( jungle noises and mysterious voices) we finally dragged ourselves over to the `restaurant` ( no shoes and seating on the floor) for breakfast where we met a nice Danish family who warned us about the jelly fish ...JELLY FISH !!! I saw a few this morning and ended up swimming in a my UV buster T shirt and pyjama bottoms! that`ll teach `em to mess with me. We also discovered that the voices belonged to the fishermen who went out in the full moon to catch our meals. The food is good and they aren't stingy on the portions.

There are some illegal Philippians refugees on the next beach who we see fishing from afar .It is now raining warm rain so I think I'll go swimming one more time before it gets dark ...oh yes , there are no shops so Pat's initial reluctance about the place has transformed itself into big time enthusiasm – men are SO fickle!

Day 2 at Manana 2 families including us

Well it is now the end of the second day and I am lying in the hammock overlooking the beach. The beach isn`t big and behind us there is jungle but we`re getting used to the sounds -kind of! I`ve seen so far are a lot of crabs and jelly fish which I have to admit are stressing me out a bit. So far two kids have been stung and have nasty lash like marks on their legs . I have only seen small ones but a fishman caught a couple of biggies this afternoon. There is a dog called Tommy who belongs to the owner( whoever he may be) He`s very friendly and very proud of his bark – everytime he sees someone unknown he barks like crazy … this includes monkeys. The view from our beach chalet is amazing and the people really kind and friendly BUT the jellyfish are a problem so we won`t be staying extra time as planned . I love their boats which are in fact whole logs that have been carved out and stabilizers added ...tonight we have asked for a fish meal and I`ve been told it`s red snapper night!

The boatsman/chef gave me some Jack Fruit earlier on ...I have no idea what it is except that it may be better on the tree than in the mouth .It`s a delicacy but I prefer mangoes which also grow wild.

Oh yes ,it rained heavily during the night but nothing today,There are always clouds of some shape or form ,never blue cloudless skies.They have learned that this beach has been designated as one of the best in Sabah by Lonely Planet travel book...they aren`t sure if this is a good thing or a bad because they`ll have to cope with more people ….and in my opinion get rid of those pesky sea critters!

So we are now back in KK – I was sad to leave the beach and the people but not the blinkin` jelly fish . We really liked the people working there especially the cook / boatsman. I can`t say he had the most varied menu but he always managed to add a little bit of honey, a little bit of ginger a little bit of pineapple and a little bit of onion ,to every meal !The fish was delicious and wrapped in banana leaves. Our beach chalet was an experience and Pat was becoming a stickler for not walking inside with sand on feet ! This is the chap that doesn`t usually give a toss about snowy /muddy / dusty shoes but here he is developing his home management skills !

Yesterday I saw my first snake ...no , I FELT my first snake slithering up my arm .It mistook my arm for the rope of a swing and wound its way down from the tree. I had a small hissy fit ( no pun intended – but not bad eh?) Anyway , I ma becoming a little paranoid about these creatures coming for me from land ,sea and air .Even the New Zealanders are freaked out and they`re used to it !I have reread this and apologise for going on about JELLY FISH!