Mabul is a beautiful island with crystal clear waters and sea bungalows that resemble the Maldives. It’s a tiny fishing island that you can walk around in 25 minutes. Despite it being so small there are around 2000 people living there, with an overwhelming number of children.

It’s an ideal location for snorkelling and scuba diving. We went to Kapalai island to snorkel and saw lots of beautiful fish 🐟 🐠 . Thankfully, the reef looked quite healthy unlike much of the coral in the ocean. Wander Man nearly got bitten by a fish with sharp teeth 😫. Besides that, I felt proud that I didn’t freak out. Although the same can’t be said for when we found cockroaches in our room – oh, the joys of travelling! I frantically emptied out my backpack to find more in there 😫.

Mabul’s idyllic setting is in contrast to the poverty in the village. Most of the local people live in shanty towns within plain sight of the luxury 5-star resorts. Some of the children were begging while tourists had professional photoshoots on the beach. I’m certain that the resorts could invest some money from tourism to support the local people. Although, despite their circumstances, the locals seemed happy and the children content to play with coins and stones. Some were pulling along old shampoo bottles with string as if they were walking a dog. I suppose this will be one of many reminders while travelling of how blessed and fortunate I am.

Another uncomfortable reality was the rubbish that is carelessly discarded on the ground, in the sea and also burnt. We picked up litter but it isn’t enough to conserve the island and marine life. I was told that one resort exclusively offers their guests a Sunday beach clean up but wouldn’t allow other volunteers. This should be something that is promoted within the community- not just reserved for 5 star guests.

We stayed in a backpackers hostel which was suspended over the water on wooden stilts. I would have welcomed something more concrete when I was kept awake from the strong winds and crashing waves. It was a terrifying experience and Wander Man stayed awake to calm me down for which I am very grateful. I was convinced that a tsunami was approaching so tormented myself by staying awake to watch the waves. On reflection it wasn’t an extreme weather event and I might have been a tiny bit dramatic. I even moved our bags on to the bed as I had visions that we would be flooded. WM has told me that I need to better prepare myself (basically get a grip?) as we are going to be living on islands in Indonesia and the Philippines.

A random note – we are bored of eating rice for the 18th consecutive day.

Next stop – Tioman island 🌴

Lots of love,

Wander Woman 👣 🌍