Just off the shore of Kota Kinabalu we visited a village build on water. This was on the way to Pulau Sapi, our guide/motorboat driver needed to deliver some gas and collect tools what gave us an opportunity to see a glimpse of life over the water.
The homes in the water village are made of wood and bamboo. There is a labyrinth of wooden pathways/bridges called jambatan connecting each household with others. What stroke me the most is that even in conditions which seem very provisional for us Europeans people make effort to decorate their surroundings. Let it be drapery in windows, a bit of color on walls or proper plaster. We recognized some of the houses as shops or workshops. There also seemed to be a lot more children there than in the city. They were playing in the water, running around and waving at us. It’s funny how people can use any material available to build shelter which then becomes home. To survive we really don’t need all that much. How has it happened that life became not about survival but about collecting stuff.
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