Semporna

Clear blue water. That's what I remember best of Semporna. It's the last stop before divers head to the more famous Sipadan. The ethnic groups in Sabah are diverse....Bajau Laut, Bajau Darat, Kadazans, Dusuns, Bugis, Sungai, etc. I attended a Bajau wedding during my stay in Tawau. A whole group of us ....stuffed like sardines in a mini-van made our journey from Tawau to Semporna. We arrived in the evening as the sun was setting. Made a stop beside the sea and that's when I first set eyes on the clear blue sea. Amazing. The bride and bridegroom were childhood sweethearts, neighbours in the same village. The houses were perched precariously on stilts. And we walked deeper and deeper into the realm of another world,a water village. I sneaked a peak in between the planks of wood and caught sight of more water underfoot. Daunting. We finally arrived at the bride's house and then started the bersanding ceremoney Bajau style. She was stressed in black with gold timmings as was he. And they were both in pants. We ate and talked and ate some more. WIth full stomachs we bidded farewell to the newly weds and squished back in the mini-van for the journey home. As we approached Tawau....we were stopped by the local authorities for stuffing more people than deemed safe into the one mini van. Good naturedly, we were let off with a reprimand. A good visit to semporna. I've been back twice since.