Sapi Island, Kota Kinabalu: Solo Boat Struggles
I must have perfectly adapted to letting time pass by slowly. I lounged around the guesthouse, woke up at 10 AM, ate, spaced out, and lazily finally left at 11:30 AM. I worried a bit about blowing my entire morning like this, but then I realized there's no better vacation than just slacking off by yourself.
Today, I decided to actually go on an island tour, having previously only visited Jesselton Point (the main ferry terminal) to get a feel for it. I took a Grab to Jesselton Point, but the usually traffic-free roads of Kota Kinabalu were completely jammed. My Grab driver told me that there was a military parade going on for the upcoming National Day in a few days. I thought for a second, 'Should I be watching that parade right now instead of going to Sapi Island?' but then figured, 'It's just a bunch of soldiers walking around, how fun could that be?' and just sat quietly in the car.
I got off at Jesselton Point and tried to buy a ticket, but they told me I couldn't get on a boat alone. Unlike Korea, where passenger ferries go back and forth at scheduled times, their system only dispatches a boat once enough people are gathered. Not knowing this, I blindly went to every stall asking for the price to Sapi Island. The price wasn't the issue; they just wouldn't send a boat out for me. The only answer I got from everyone was, "Go sit over there and wait," without handing me a ticket.
'Guess I can't go today either...'
I gave up, slumped into a chair, and organized my thoughts for a moment. I came to the conclusion: 'Then I just need to gather all the solo people like me and make a team.' So I turned on my radar—beep, beep, beep—and the person I found was her.
Naturally, I chose her because she was the prettiest one in the room right now. At this point, it didn't really matter if the destination was Sapi Island or Manukan Island. I wouldn't even mind if they were going to China. I casually sidled up next to her and focused entirely on 'how can I get on a boat with them,' listening to what the woman was saying. Eavesdropping on her short English conversation with the ticket seller, I heard her say her group had five people and they were going to Sapi Island. The seller replied that they were still short on people, so they had to wait a bit. Not missing the opportunity, I floated like a butterfly, stung like a bee, and jumped in: "I want to go to Sapi Island too!! I'll go with them!" The seller gave me an 'Ah! You were here too' look and gave the OK sign. I can finally go to Sapi Island!!
The Chinese team I was sharing the boat with was a slightly unique combination consisting of a married couple, their son, and two of the wife's friends. I wasn't exactly sure if they were friends or younger sisters, but they looked completely different, so I just decided they were friends. Having lived my whole life in Korea—where tagging along like extra baggage on a young couple's family trip abroad would earn you an earful for being clueless—it was fascinating to see this travel dynamic existing right in front of my eyes. While I was marveling at this and hovering around the family, the husband of the group went completely silent. He was probably overwhelmed dealing with a situation where he had to take care of his family, his wife's friends, and now some skinny Korean guy who had tagged along like extra luggage and was just standing there blankly. I figured I should just shut up and quietly ride the boat.
Tip
If you go at 10 AM, there are plenty of people, so you can go anywhere. The price difference between stalls for Sapi Island and Manukan Island isn't that big, so just go wherever the pretty girl is buying tickets.
Expenses (Calculated conservatively, multiply by 300 to get the KRW equivalent)
- Grab to Jesselton Point RM 13
- Water RM 3.4
- Sapi Island boat fare RM 30
- Sapi Island entrance fee RM 10
- Coconut RM 15
- Grab to accommodation RM 14
- Dinner at Mamak RM 19.1
- Fruit salad RM 17.5
Daily expenses : RM 122
Total trip expenses : 2,875,000 KRW + RM 720.41