Off the coast of Borneo lies a small Malaysian island called Labuan with a population of approx. 80,000. It is an hour and a half ferry ride from Brunei. We had heard about it from fellow
expats who described it as a bit of a party island because of its duty free
nature and close proximity to Brunei making it popular for the workers of Shell
and other expats to let their hair down. We weren’t there for the party scene,
but having access to cheap alcohol was a bonus.
We took the car on the ferry so that we could explore
without needing to rely on taxis and/or courtesy coaches. The ferry ride over was
smooth sailing with beautiful weather. When we arrived we drove to “The
Chimney” which is probably Labuan’s biggest tourist attraction. It stands
106feet tall and remains a mystery as to why it was built. Locals believe it
could have been to service the coal mines which were common in the 1800’s however
there are no mines or shafts around the chimney, hence the mystery of the
Chimney. 
We stayed at the Palm Beach Resort and Spa. It certainly was
an amazing location right on the beach with all the scenery you would expect of
a tropical resort with palm trees and beach chairs. It even had a swim up bar
to order CHEAP drinks from. Heinekens were around $2 NZ as was the coke and
soft drink. The food was inexpensive also we were averaging $45 for the 4 of us
to eat dinner each night. The boys lived in the pool and Jas and I spent time
in and around the pool drinking beer. I managed to find time for a manicure and pedicure at the spa of course.
Labuan has a rich war history, which would be most
interesting to WWII enthusiasts. There are 2 monuments built to commemorate the
atrocities of war. We first
visited the War Memorial Park which names Australian and English soldiers whose
lives were lost protecting/reclaiming Borneo. We found the plot of the 1 New
Zealand Soldier amongst the nearly 4000 plots at the park. We then visited the
Peace Park, built by the Japanese express sympathy to lives lost during war.
Next to Peace Park is Surrender Point which was built to mark where the
Japanese surrendered control of Labuan to the Australian Army, which lead to
the end of the war in the pacifc during WWII.
With Labuan’s 3 attractions visited, we had basically done
all there was to do on the island! There is a big mall, which we explored and
the boys went bowling to fill in our last day. We were planning to visit the
bird park but it was closed, much to my disappointment (sarcasm). Those who
know me well know I can not stand birds, the idea of being stuck in the 3 open
air aviaries with over sized birds flapping about is my idea of hell on earth,
such a shame it was closed.
The ride home on Friday after 3 nights in Labuan almost
didn’t happen. We arrived at the Ferry ticketing booth an hour before our booked
leaving time, however the ticket booth had no record of our booking having ever
been made and the ferry was full for the day. It is about this time is when
your blood begins to boil especially when you are holding the booking form and the
email confirmation of your booking in your hand. Grrr. Making a scene is deemed a big no no
in Malaysian and Bruneian culture so taking a breath and counting to 10 is the
best way to deal with situations such as these. We were told to come back when
boarding started and to wait and see if we could squeeze on. Thankfully we had
taken my tiny car and were able to shoehorn it in next to a big truck. As nice
as Labuan is, we were ready to come home and not really wanting to try and find
another 24 hours of things to do. The ride home was rocky and left Noah feeling
a little green but we got home safely, as did the car even with the tight
squeeze against the truck.
Hopefully we are all rested for our return to school on Monday.
The boys haven’t been to school since we left NZ so are a bit apprehensive
about going. Pictures to come of their handsome uniforms.
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