Sipadan Dive Trip 08 - 3 Jan Day 2 - Part I

Day 2 - 3 Jan

All of us woke up bright and early (did I mention that divers are a seriously discipline breed), had breakfast, checked out and proceeded to the jetty for a 40 min speedboat ride to Sipadan-Kapalai Dive Resort.

To conserve the eco-system of Sipadan and its surroundings, dive and resort operators can no longer operate on Sipadan Island itself. Most divers opt to stay either on Kapalai or Mabul, and travel via speedboat to Sipadan. But I think there is a daily restriction on the number of dives/divers allowed at Sipadan.


In the distant is the landmark of Mabul Island, a former oil-rig now known as Seaventures Resort. This meant that we were near to our destination, Sipadan-Kapalai Resort!

I was all excited upon sighting the resort that is nestled over a large submerged reef. The waters was fairly shallow, in an enchanting emerald and turquoise colour. Already, sea stars and corals could be seen clearly on the sand beds.

The speedboat pulled up at the main building housing the reception and restaurant. As we couldn't check in yet, we left our luggage and dive gears at one of the activity rooms and went for some light refreshment. As it was still early, we had some free time to explore the resort before check in and dive time. I spared no time in taking out my camera and started snapping photos after photos of the picturesque resort. Ah, what a paradise. If Sipadan is already so beautiful, can't imagine how Maldives is like.

Main building where the reception and restaurant are.

All meals are at the restaurant, 5 meals are served a day (I think, can't remember how much I ate!), buffet-style. Divers are definitely well fed here. One thing to marvel, the whole place was really well-maintained and illustriously clean. All guests are encouraged to go bare-footed and people automatically took off their shoes at the restaurant.

Sundeck and helipad. We spent most of our time underwater, no time to sunbath at all!
The entire resort is connected by wooden walkways, ideal for strolling by the clear blue waters.

The luxury chalets, all with breathtaking sea views (of course, we are in the open sea!)

Our chalet is actually triple-sharing. The room was really spacious with all amenities provided. No air-con available but who needs air-con when we have cool breeze all day long.

The attached bathroom was really big with a long bath next to a full length timber window. Idea was to let guests soak in the tub while admiring the fishes below. Hubby and I were joking about whether anyone had ever fallen into the water, butt naked, being over-zealous to catch a glimpse of the fishes :p

I love the balcony. This was where we rested after each dive, admired the vastness of the sea, listened to sounds of the wind and waves over some peanuts and ice cold coke. Sheer bliss.

At night, spotlight would shine from each chalet into the waters. Many different kinds of marine creatures were attracted by the lights and we spotted stingrays and even turtle.

The dive centre.

The dive centre was well equipped and organized with ample space for divers to gear up as well as wash up. Each diver was given a basket to deposit their belongings and baskets could be placed on racks provided. BCDs and regulators were tagged with room numbers for easy identification. Divers were really pampered here as the dive centre staff would prepare dive gears with full tanks and placed them into the boats in advance such that divers only needed to don the wet suits with weight belts, masks and fins.

This jetty is located right in front of the dive centre. Dive site is called Mandarin Valley. Divers can do as many dives as we want here so long as we observed the minimum 1 hours surface interval time, had a dive buddy and indicate their names on a large whiteboard.

Dive sites of Sipadan-Kapalai. The dive site near the jetty is known as Mandarin Valley, famous for its resident but elusive Mandarin fishes.
Dive sites of Sipadan. Of the 3 boat dives we had daily, 2 would be at Sipadan dive sites.
Mabul Island is famous for its muck diving. Divers could expect to discovers lots of critters, provided we are sharp enough. Most of the time, we replied on the local dive masters to guide and point out the creatures to us.

All raring to go for our check-out orientation dive!

To be continued.

Resources:

• Sipadan-Kapalai Resort http://www.sipadan-kapalai.com/index.html
• Trip diary, Alex Kang of Redang Island Rendezvous http://www.redang.org/diary_sipadan06.htm
• Seaventures Dive Resort Sipadan http://www.seaventuresdive.com/index.html
• Sipadan Water Village Resort http://www.sipadanwatervillage.com/
• Sipadan-Mabul Resort http://www.sipadan-mabul.com.my/

Sipadan Dive Trip 08 - 2 Jan Day 1

Remember the Sipadan Dive Trip I mentioned back in January? Gosh, almost 8 months passed and I have yet to blog about it in detail. Reckon I should do so NOW or I'll never start and get stuck for my other travel entries to Macau and Tokyo!

Browsing the photos brought back fond memories; saw species of marine creatures and critters that I have never seen before, got up close and personal with turtles that were here there everywhere, fascinated by the famous swirling tornado of barracudas, experienced the intimidating yet intriguing wall dives...; . Sipadan is really a divers' paradise and a diver should go there at least once in a lifetime.

This dive trip was actually mooted by hubby's company's SRC and undertaken by Mako Sub-aquatics. We had 9 divers including Patrick Leong, big boss of Mako. It was great fun travelling and diving with this gang, especially Patrick who always tickled me with his teases and jokes.

Day 1 - 2 Jan 08

Day 1 was spent basically travelling as Sipadan is not exactly very accessible.

All of us gathered early in the morning at Mako's office at Ayer Rajah, settled some logistics and headed to Senai Airport, Johor Bahru via Woodlands Customs in 2 vans.

From Senai Airport, we took AirAsia to Tawau Airport in Sabah, East Malaysia. Flight took nearly 3hrs. Surprisingly, AirAsia was not bad for a budget carrier, at least the seats were quite new and comfortable. (Perhaps coz we took the seats at the Emergency exits which had more leg room).
After clearing the customs, we took a coach transfer to Semporna located at the east coast of Sabah, a base for diving trips to islands of Sipadan and Mataking.

The transfer took an hour and by the time we reached Semporna, it was already evening. Due to travel restrictions imposed by authorities, no boat transfers are allowed from Semporna to Sipadan after 4 or 5pm. So we had to settle for 1 night here. Lodging for the night was Dragon Inn Floating Resort and as the name already suggests, the entire resort and facility was built on the sea.
Restaurant where we had dinner and breakfast.
Rustic looking single/double rooms
The room was furnished with simple modern amenities, quite clean, except that there were a couple of rats running along the roof at night.
After settling down, the whole group gathered at the restaurant for a seafood dinner. After dinner, we walked to the local night fish market to take a look before heading back to the resort for a good night's rest, in anticipation of the dives in the next few days.

Resources:

• Mako Sub-Aquatics http://www.makosubaquatics.com/index.asp
• Dragon Inn Floating Resort http://www.dragoninnfloating.com.my/db2/
• Tawau http://www.etawau.com/
• Sabah Tourism http://www.sabahtourism.com/en/

First attempt of Banana caramel Swiss roll

This was my first attempt of the Banana caramel swiss roll after attending Chef Keiko's Jap-French Pastries Workshop II.

Alas, I think it was quite a failure as the sponge cake turned out airy and rough, unlike the soft and refine texture of Chef Keiko's swiss roll :(

Not sure what went wrong; perhaps I didn't mix the batter long enough. Was trying to figure out how to achieve a flowing and silky consistency for the batter but at the same time worried of over-mixing.

Didn't whip the fresh cream long enough as well, resulting in soft peak consistency rather than the hard peak as required. So the cream was a little liquid and sort of messy when I was trying to roll the sponge cake.

I guess I'm too impatient both instances.

Nevertheless, the swiss roll was still edible and not half bad.

Well, shall try again till I succeed.

Amara Sanctuary Resort, Sentosa

In celebration of our 11th year together and 6th year ROM Anniversary (on 6 Aug), Hubby and I decided to check into the Amara Sanctuary Resort at Sentosa over the National Day weekend.

Had wanted to hop over to Bangkok but our work commitments on Friday and Monday did not allow us the luxury of a 3D2N holiday. We were left with options of a Bintan getaway or just a simple Singapore getaway either at hotels near Marina Bay or Sentosa. Finally decided on Sentosa as prime hotels at Marina Bay were either fully booked or too expensive (in view of National Day).

Had stayed at The Sentosa Resort & Spa (formerly known as The Beaufort) a few years back, so we thought of checking out the Amara Sanctuary Resort, which is a relatively new establishment in Sentosa; and they happened to be offering a National Day package. For $388++, a one-night stay at The Sanctuary Deluxe Room, 2 BBQ Buffet Dinner and 2 Buffet Breakfast; sounded quite a good deal. Would have prefered a Villa, but well, it is a little pricey for our budget.

We reached the resort in the evening and was rather disappointed and upset that our request for king-size bedded room (even though we requested for it during reservation) couldn't be acceded as the resort was running full house. There was nothing the front desk could offer, except complimentary late check-out till 3pm. Well, we just had to blame ourselves checking in late...

Architecture of the premise is quite airy and spacious. But somehow, we couldn't find ourselves relaxing as we were supposed to. Perhaps it's the notion of still being in Singapore.

The furnishings of the Sanctuary Deluxe Room is befitting for a slated 5 star resort; but the bathroom amenities offered is somewhat of a 'lesser class' e.g 2 plastic-wrapped toothbrush and toothpaste, a plastic container of things like sewing kit, shower cap. Maybe I'm just nitpicking.

Dinner was BBQ Buffet at Shutters Restaurant. Ambience is cosy with rather chic interiors. Food selection was just a tad limited but taste-wise definitely commendable. I love the special National Day mocktail concoction. After a slow and relaxing dinner, we walked around the resort a bit before retiring to the comforts of our room.

Breakfast was once again at Shutters Restaurant, we managed to get an alfresco table as the restaurant was running maximum capacity indoors. Luckily we made it 'early' enough (although it was already 9.30am) coz shortly after we got our seat, a long queue formed. Seemed like the restaurant capacity would not be able to cope if the resort is running full house.

Selection for breakfast was quite disappointing and food ran out faster than the kitchen could cope. Other than the usual breakfast items, cooked-to-order prata and egg stations were also offered. The restaurant had an open-kitchen concept which did not work well here as confused and hungry patrons were trying to get attention from flustered kitchen staff who seemed lost with mounting orders.
Since food selection was limited and we didn't want to queue for the pratas and eggs, we quickly ate our breakfast to make way for more queuing people.


After breakfast, we walked around the resort but nothing much interesting. There was sometime to go before check-out, so we decided go for a hike from the resort to Palawan Beach to Siloso Beach then back. It was a good one-hour hike, then back to the resort for quick shower and check-out.

Well, I guess we wouldn't be back in the near future. Perhaps a true getaway from Singapore suits us better.

Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa
1 Larkhill Road, Sentosa Island
Singapore 099394
Tel: +65 6825 3888
http://www.amarasanctuary.com/home.html

Cupcake Baby Wristlet

I bought this sweet sweet Cupcake Baby Wristlet from the online shop killerheels some 2 months ago, meant to blog about it earlier but was delayed.

Back in April, Hubby already bought me the Cupcake Recipe Necklace. Since then, been eyeing the other cupcake-theme items like the bracelet and wristlet. The baby wristlet is sold out for a while and when it comes back on, I spared no time to place an online order and received it in less than a week :D

I adore the pretty match of colours, from the pouch to the ribbon strap to the inner lining and not forgetting the cupcake charm! Above all, the quality worksmanship.
The killerheels label is even embroidered! I love how the frames snap open and close :) The ribbon strap is even detachable.
Even though it is petite, the uses are quite versatile, enough to hold mobile, cash, cards or keys. I've been using it to hold items like lip balm, lip gloss and eye drop, which I bring along for shopping or work.

Now, I'm considering whether to get the Cupcake Recipe Bracelet, or the Cupcake Party Bracelet, or the Donut Break Bracelet (coz the grograin ribbon is so pretty!)... decisions decisions.

First attempt of Almond Vanilla Financiers

I can't wait to bake the Almond Vanilla Financier after learning it from Chef Keiko's Jap-French Pastries II class yesterday!

The recipe itself is relatively easy but the difficulty lies in getting the brown butter correct. I learnt that brown butter is also known as 'Beurre Noisette', referring to butter cooked till it becomes a pretty golden brown hue of the fat with very fine sediment of browned butter solids, and developing a very rich, nutty aroma and flavour.

It was not easy watching the butter as it would start foaming after heating and I couldn't see whether the sediments have turned brown. It would seem like foam and nothing, then all of a sudden the sediments turned brown very quickly and likely to burnt if not removed from heat immediately.

I kept a close watch at the butter so as not to burnt and waste it and it turned out ok! The nutty aroma was highly addictive and I couldn't help inhaling more of it... short of drinking brown butter on the rocks.

The financiers were not bad but some were more brown whereas some rose a little too much causing cracks to the surface of the cake. Perhaps I should watch the oven temperature and baking time more carefully next time.

Texture-wise, some of them were a tad hard and dry on the surface (due to overbaking). Taste-wise, not bad for a first trial. Yummy, I love almond financiers :D As almond financiers are on the sweet side, they go very well with tea or coffee.
A basket of individually packed almond vanilla financiers.

As Almond Financiers are very rich, they tend to stick together, so packing them separately would be better. Sounds like a nice gifting idea!

Japanese-French Pastries Class II

Attended Chef Keiko Ishida's Japanese-French Pastries Class at Shermay's Cooking School. The last time I attended her class was back in Oct last year, also on Jap-French Pastries. She is really meticulous in preparation and offers many useful and interesting tips. In fact, Chef Joycelyn too! Something that I must learn to pick up as I tend to be a little clumsy and messy.

For this class, she taught 5 recipes.

• Matcha (Green Tea) Mousse
• Almond Vanilla Financier
• Almond Snow Ball
• Green Tea Souffle Swiss Roll
• Banana Caramel Swiss Roll

Almond Vanilla Financiers

Been looking forward to this class because I love Almond Financiers very much. Not sure where to get good ones in Singapore; so far only tasted Jap-made ones during my travels to Japan. So I hope I can learn this traditional french butter cake and bake it as and when I have a craving.

Almond Snow Balls

These are basically cookies shaped in balls made with ground almonds and covered with icing sugar. With such a romantic name (I always think that snow and winter is very romantic), this cookie is supposedly popular in Japan as wedding favours. I'm not a cookie person and found it a tad too sweet for my liking. Perhaps I can try to adjust the sugar content.

Matcha (Green Tea) Mousse

This cold dessert flavoured with Japanese green tea would be a good way to cleanse the palate after a meal. Complement the mellow bitter macha mousse with some sweetened red bean paste and sprinkle some edible gold leaves - what a luxe way of presenting the dessert.

Green Tea Souffle Swiss Roll

This green tea souffle sponge with whipped cream and home-made red bean paste looks and tastes perfect. Texture of the sponge is light. The combination of green tea, whipped cream and red bean is match-made in heaven!

Banana Caramel Swiss Roll

This simple swiss roll sponge is even lighter than the green tea souffle sponge! Really yummy with whipped cream, bananas and caramel cream. I'm tempted to try this recipe but rolling the sponge successfully would be a challenge. Had previously tried the Dark Sugar Swiss Roll but failed. Nevertheless, I will try.

At the end of the class, all participants brought home a box of all the pastries that were taught during class. What a treat!