Pulau Papan, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan.

The opportunity of a lifetime came knocking on my door when Gay Leona Peter E. The Manager of Labuan Tourist Information Centre offered me to join her on a trip to Pulau Papan. Labuan Corporation which is Managing the island resort is promoting a recently refurbished resort on the island. After seeing the result of some of my photo shoot of Labuan, she was confident enough of me to assist her in taking some pictures of Pulau Papan. While she will be attending a meeting with the CEO of Labuan Corporation, their officers and some travel agents, I will be free to roam around the island to have a look and take photographs. Its heaven on earth.

Pulau Papan is one of the six other islands that make up Labuan Wilayah Persekutuan. It is an unhabited island and developed into a resort operated by Labuan Corporation. Some travel agents, homestay operators and an officer of Majlis Tindakan Pelancongan Labuan will be coming along for the promotions.

The island is being regularly visited by day trippers and campers from both Labuan and Brunei close by.

We were at the Labuan International Ferry Terminal by 7.30 AM and after a short wait for the rest of the entourage, we took a speed boat ride to the island. The ride took us about 15 minutes and we had a good view of Labuan from the sea.

Boarding the boat to Pulau Papan.

An officer of Labuan Corporation with his two children.

Ujana Kewangan as seen from the sea. My apology for a poor photo.

Most reports said the island was just a mere 5 minutes boat ride away from the main island and I found it possible when we took the 1000 HP boat belonging to Labuan Corporation on the return trip. That boat almost flew us back at 40 knots!

Return boat fares to the island from near the ferry terminal costs RM15.00. They will send you there and pick you up again at the appointed hour or at you request by phone.

This is the view of the island from the boat.

The island has a long jetty jutting out to sea so even if you come in a with a deep draft, anchoring at the jetty won't be a problem.

The office is where you register upon arrival.

The detached chalet has three bedrooms and a kitchen. A dormitory is attached at the back of each chalet.

Another view of the chalet.

The living area is quite comfortable. I have recconmended to Fauziah ismail to bring her books and read them here.

Comfortable sleeping bed.

Leona seems to like the kitchen so much.

There is no supply of fresh water on this island. Rain water is harvested for washing and bathing purposes. Drinking water must be brought from Labuan Island.

Though there are wells dug, the water is very salty.

Electricity is supplied by a generator. I presume they are for night use only.

A prayer hall is available for muslims to pray in group.

Many resting/cum shelter places are available.

It looks like an attempt at making a Japanese garden.

A peek at Labuan from the island.

The beach looks inviting.

Be warned that swimming is at your own risk. This is because they don't have any life guards stationed here.

The beach is large enough to accomodate 2 volleyball courts.

The ladies playing their volleyball too.

Those who are not playing make sure that the chicken are nicely grilled.

While waiting for the chicken BBQ to be done some ladies sit around chit chatting among themselves.

The CEO of Labuan Corporation showed his vocal prowess by belting out a song or two on the Karaoke. With more than 30 Karaoke outlets to practise in Labuan, almost everyone is a pro.

The people from Homestay Kg. Bukit Kuda look at the accomodation on the island.

This young boy is practicing how to row a kayak. To be safe he did it on dry ground.

The walkways are well paved and lead down to the other side of the island.

Keeping the place tidy is serious business here.

The beaches are cleaned up by a team of workers.

I found this pokok ulat bulu with a fully opened flower. The ripe fruit of this tree tastes exactly like the passion fruit.

With nothing much to shoot at, the flowering senduduk became the target.

This spot looks very scenic.

Moving around the island by the beach I found this rock formation.

The trees has an artistic charm to it.

The stairs lead up to the watchtower. At the top of the flight of steps I saw some poko kapalterbang. So worry not if you get minor cuts here as herbal cut medicine is close at hand.

Unfortunately the watchtower is too low and you can't see much from the top of it as the picture below shows. Labuan Corporation will be building a new tower to replace this one.

I heard from the workers the above lighthouse is not functioning anymore. When I did a Google search I found this notice here.

The return trip was done on this boat with 4 engines of 250 HP each. All the four engines were used and we did 40 knots out of the maximum 46 knots possible. It took us a mere 5 minutes to reach the jetty on Labuan.
If you are already in Labuan and need a much quieter place to visit, look no further as close by is the island of Papan where you can be the Robinson Crusoe for a few days.