What I liked about Labuan town is :

1. people walk on its streets
2. its safe, (and nobody is forever warning you about snatch theft)

Labuan is so sunny though. It’s twice as hot as KL. You feel the sweat drippping into your clothes as you walk down the roads. And you think “ugh” This isn’t a holiday destination at all. Until you see the beach. After that life is bliss.

Labuan Town is bustling. People are crossing the roads. There are night market stalls being set up. The town is cosily small. And everyone seems to know or at least recognise everyone else.

These are some of the pictures that made Labuan unique in my eyes.

I saw two such pool rooms while we were walking in Labuan. And I took photos. Even in mid-day, people were playing. But what was very strange was that this place had no doors. It was nestled among a street of shops and restaurants. But it was open for tourists like me to gawk.

These three ladies at the Labuan Financial Park

Malls these days seem to be the domain of the uber cool and the ultra chic. I loved the sight of these three old women, chatting, laughing and watching the world go by, seated inside the Financial Park. My favourite “nikon” moment of the trip.

these men were fishing in what i thought was a very unlikely place. This was a stone’s throw away from the “feri terminal” and boats kept coming in to and fro. there were ships yonder. and these men were oblivious to the hustle of the world, and squatted and fished.

after travelling only on flights and trains all my life, its such an unusual sight to see a ferry put up its electronic signboard. The ferry is as professional as any airport — it has a flurry of travellers and backpackers, it has international duty-free shops, and plush-looking arrivals lounge. I am thinking “flight”, but really i took this photo to help me think “ship”

how quaint to see a giant mushroom on the road. it made me smile. an island that has a serious title like “federal territory”, an island that is a home to money-laden banks, and suddenly you spot this polka-dotted mushroom bang in the middle of the road. A town with a sense of humour, definitely.

KL has many “tamil” areas. Many shops have signboards in Tamil. But in Labuan, we found just this one. I was so glad, that i took a photo.

A neat nook nestled on a tree to hang up one’s basket. I took this photo near the Layang Layangan beach

I told you it is hot in Labuan and one of the ways to quench your thirst is this…