Jacqkie | Travel and Lifestyle

Ever since I posted the photos of me visiting Semporna , some friends have asked me about it. Mainly on where I stayed. I would usually stagger (read: delay) my posts for months but I felt the need to update this particular trip much faster than others.  Simply because it is becoming a very popular Malaysian destination. And I mean very. I also thought this would slowly help Sabah get its mojo back, if not in the near future, fellow Malaysians can plan for next year! 😊 Long story short: I stayed at Lato Lato Resort!  There's honestly no ingenious reason for this choice, I stayed here because it was the only thing I could find on Booking.com or Airbnb 😂 I was browsing through some houses in Airbnb and found this resort with multiple reviews and thought, wow looks good and not bad price!  It's a 360 degree sea view 😍 Plus, remember my first post about getting to know Semporna? I. Really. Didn't. Know. Anything. About. Semporna! Nothing. Not how many islands are there, ...

I can't believe I've never been to Semporna Islands 😱 For one, I am a Sabahan Bornean, born and raised here. Secondly, it's only 45 minutes flight + 2 hours drive away from home, where as I've been as farther as to Europe. How is that possible? There's a term for what's going on at the moment, post pandemic. It's called 'Harga Runtuh' . For Malaysians that understand this, this is basically the time when all prices are slashed down to 90% from its original prices. The time to make some cash flow and not necessarily revenue, because things will never be the same and the earlier we know this the better. But we can minimise damage or cushion the damage our businesses are facing, which most industry players are doing. Slashing prices, adding more value.  That means for the rest of us travellers, BETTER TRAVELS! And I mean it! With the perfect timing and dates, better discounts, and little to no tourists (again, timing) - this is truly the time that trav...

As the pandemic ravages through every little thing, a small community I am part of becomes no exception. For many years, we tried to sustain it with the objective of it being an educational platform. We started in 2013, and have created so many fond memories from. I became a president one term, and a public relations vice president another.  That was the only thing that kept me sane in my workplace. When we're meeting up, we don't talk about work at all . Not about business goals, but about our livelihoods, our friendships and many things that are far more important. It's a distraction, even without having to leave the workplace.  It's the Toastmasters Club 💓 What started as a platform to teach one another English, build confidence and essentially speaking in front of an audience grew much more than that. We became friends, and mentors, both in the club and in life. Everyone was humble and relatable. You drag the walls down of them as colleagues, you begin to see them ...

Last December, the trio decided to check out a place at Gayang, somewhere near Tuaran. I LOVE the stay because it is just a 45 minutes drive from my home and into a beautiful oasis of privacy and relaxation.  Gayang river stretches to the Mengkabong river, a river renown for all other activities including fireflies river cruise, kayak and more. It's a fairly accessible river especially for fishing.  It's a small complex of private rooms, restaurant and fishing place. The only activity we had in mind was to eat for dinner. By the time we woke up from our leisure afternoon nap (YES!) it was just to chow down.  The area starts off from a swamp and stretches down to the Tuaran sea, a vast and beautiful calm river-sea connection. There are plenty of small boats docked, for anyone who would like to fish or canoe. I thought about doing it, but my sister is absolutely terrified of kayaking or canoeing of that sort, lol.   When the three of us go anywhere, we try to sque...

Sometime in August, mum was invited to her friend's 70th birthday party at Kokol Haven Resort and as usual we took the opportunity, also out of convenience to stay there for the night. The drive down back to town at night would be a little intimidating, being on top of a hill.  It's a beautiful private area with newly redesigned chalets and homes. There were three of us, which always seemed like an awkward number when going anywhere cause there's always that question - double bed? queen bed? king bed?  I previously stayed twice at the Kasih Sayang Resort also overlooking the Kokol Hill, and was among the first few places I discovered during my coming home discovery after almost 8 years abroad.  Links to my previous stays:  My Stay at Kasih Sayang Resort  Kokol Haven Resort   My sister and I spent a ridiculous amount of time under this shade, because mum's party was just right under this area we totally stalked her from the top. We tried to guess where ...

Every year, Sabahans enjoy a long two day public holiday for the Harvest Festival on the 30th and 31st of May. I usually celebrate it with my friends, but this time around we decided to check out the fireflies + river cruise through Binsulok River with a local travel agent. Because, it was cheap!  It was my first time seeing THAT, MANY, FIREFLIES!  SO HAPPY!  The tour started around 2.30pm, they picked us up from home and the drive to Binsulok which is around the corner of Kuala Penyu's district took approximately 2.5 hours. By the time we reached there, we were given light snacks and refreshments.  What I really loved about going into the districts was that, most of the jobs (cook, guides, boat drivers) were being managed by the locals themselves. Turns out, the locals are not only hardworking but really, truly  multitalented. By the end of the night, they were also the entertainers and sang songs of all kinds including Korean and Chinese songs! (there were Chi...

The usual suspects decided to spend overnight in an island last August to celebrate Jessy's birthday. I bought the stay for RM 450nett (a slightly steep price than most of the places) but I think it was worth it. We stayed at Manukan Sutera Sanctuary Lodge, a recently renovated resort at Manukan Island. It is like a mini chalet, and the last time I stayed here was probably when I was only 7 years old with my dad. While old memories are slowly fading, the goal is to create new ones and I am happy we did. Each of the chalet has its own small balcony, which is very apt for rest and relax. Only thing is, every once a while a giant lizard as big as a crocodile (!!) comes out and peek at you. Like fk. Every time that happens, I am like HOLY SHIT!!! But everyone in the island is used to it by now, so they now become like a family and permanent resident instead of a scary friend. Lol. This island, post sunset becomes very peaceful and quiet. For many who are not used...