Semporna – Water Village or the dark side of paradise

December 29, 2015

After our last day of diving, we decided to go to a water village. I think "slums on the water" would be a more appropriate name for what we saw.

A long, old bridge with no railing leads to the village. Crowds of people were seen entering and leaving. We caused quite a stir. This is not a place for tourists, as we were soon to discover. For some, we were the first white people they had ever seen.

We hadn't even entered before we were struck by the sheer poverty of the place. Along the narrow footbridge stood residential barracks. Most had no doors or windows, so you could see what was inside, which wasn't much. The wealthier ones had electricity, an old TV, and a sofa. In some of the barracks, people sat on the floor. Most of them were selling something on the narrow footbridge: freshly caught fish and seafood. There were stalls selling sweets and drinks. I even noticed a bar with a TV. I bought fried bananas. I'm not a health inspector, but I believe you should try everything (as long as there are no animals in it!). For the equivalent of a złoty, I got almost a whole bag. I'd already been a fan of fried bananas, but these tasted exceptionally good.

I was surprised by the people. The children followed us the entire time, but they weren't asking for money or candy. They followed us because they'd never seen anyone else like them before. They wanted their photos taken. The same with the adults; everyone smiled at us kindly, allowed us to take photos, and even encouraged us to do so.

The Water Village, despite its poverty, made a huge impression on me, and it was probably one of the most interesting points of sightseeing in Malaysia.