The Beauty and Fun Sibu Island's Resort

Vacation To Malaysia
By SHARON OVINIS on Thestar.com


MAGINE your tanned skin glistening under the scorching sun, beads of sweat trickling down your forehead; but you welcome the perspiration as it cools down your body.

You’ve worked hard to reach the pinnacle of success and you’re not going to let a little humidity dampen your spirit. You know only too well that you’ve got to do it all on this three-day, two-night vacation. So you soak in the sun as you take long walks on the sandy white beaches, ride the banana boat and swim in the deep blue sea.

This is no imaginary trip. Sibu Island Resort, Johor, will be whisking 10 lucky winners from The Star-Pizza Hut’s Newspaper-in-Education contest, to this privately-owned island off the east coast of Malaysia.

Teams clinching the top spot in the Mag Inc 2009 contest from the upper secondary and primary categories are in for an idyllic getaway after toiling hard on their three-page mini magazine entries on the theme of teenage angst.

Sibu Island Resort has opened its doors to the world with a fresh look, heralding a new dawn to island adventurers. The resort has had a masterful make-over — 121 timber chalets refurbished and upgraded to luxurious accommodation and land reclamation to provide three stretches of pristine beaches.



With the construction of its own water desalination plant, the resort now boasts a constant supply of clean, fresh water — the first project of its kind on any island in Malaysia.

The island is easily accessible from Johor Baru by road at only one-and-a-half hours’ drive. From the Tanjung Leman jetty, the trip to Sibu Island is but 20 minutes on a comfortable air-conditioned, 50-seater twin-hulled catamaran.

At the resort, students and teachers are promised an island-spiced holiday with an integrated experience. Their days will, no doubt, be filled to the brim with both active fun and laid-back indulgence, from dawn till dusk.

The resort’s 27 hectares (67 acres) of natural surroundings feature a myriad of activities that are designed to challenge the mind, strengthen the body and build cohesive bonds. Not only is the island a perfect safe haven from the hustle and bustle of the city, its environment is rife with team-building pursuits such as telematches, adventure games and obstacle course programmes.

If students cannot get enough of the sea and salt water in their hair, then there is scuba diving, wind surfing, jet skiing, boat cruising, canoeing, snorkelling, fishing and island hopping.



Plan to unwind from the sand and surf? Then, explore the island at your own pace and discover charming surprises in store. The grounds and gardens offer a tranquil backdrop for jungle-trekking, deer-feeding and spice gardening.

If it’s a more rigorous workout that you’re up for, then pump those arms and flex those muscles at The Gym, dance to aerobics or jog around the resort.

And nothing can sound a whole lot better than a soak at the sauna to soothe those sore muscles afterwards. Or else there is the wide range of therapies and massages to be checked out at The Tropical Holistic Spa.

The resort isn’t without its culinary versatility. Students and teachers will be treated to island fare that is designed to excite the discriminating Malaysian palate.

Options are aplenty as there are barbecues by the beach, diverse Malaysian specialities, theme night parties and more. The Selayar Restaurant and the open-terrace Lumba-Lumba Coffee House serve up specialised buffet selections all day long.

Rather sit by the beach for a picnic and strum your guitar? Then let them pack you a take-away picnic basket as you tuck in by the beach.

And if you want to tune in to some hip-swaying music, head to The Suji Lounge where entertainment thrives while the sun sets in the horizon.

So write away and pen your thoughts on issues surrounding teenage angst. Sibu Island Resort promises to be an amazing location for celebrating a win with teammates!

Jacob Dalager pay for a one-year mission trip to Malaysia

As he raises money to pay for a one-year mission trip to Malaysia, 21-year-old Jacob Dalager of Austin is turning to music to help him cover travel expenses.

Dalager, who recently graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., with degrees in trumpet performance and music theory and composition, will hold a fund-raising recital at 2 p.m. July 12 at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Austin.

"I could have just sent out a letter, but I hate stuffing envelopes," he said. "This way I can get a bit more of a personal connection with the donors."

Dalager already has some experience living abroad. When he was in third grade, his father, then a Lutheran pastor, spent a year leading a church in Bogota, Colombia. When he was in sixth grade, he spent half a year in India after his mother accepted a job as a woodwind teacher at an international school.

Dalager, who is going to Malaysia through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Young Adults in Global Mission program, said he will teach English and music at the Jireh Home for Children in Kota Kinabalu, a city with around 579,000 residents.

"I don't feel called to proselytize, necessarily," he said. "I have a little more modern view that I think there is more than one way to salvation, or what have you. If they put me in a situation where I'd have to do that, I think I would have declined."

He's going on the trip partly because he's interested in travel, which he got a taste of while living abroad with his family.

"I really enjoyed living abroad because you learn so much more about other cultures and about yourself by getting outside of your comfort zone," he said.

Dalager starts his mission trip orientation on Aug. 19 and flies to Malaysia on Aug. 26.