I had been planning to return to Sabah since my first visit in November 2004. My plan for this trip started in August 2005, shortly before emails circulated of the potential long Chinese New Year-Maal Hijrah-FT Day break. And it paid to be prepared for even back in September, resorts were already filling up!
Lin and I joined the mass exodus of KLites from the city on CNY eve. Our flight was at noon and 2.5 hours later, we landed in Kota Kinabalu. Our friend from boarding school days was already waiting for us, watching us with an amused expression as we walked out trying to spot her, and whisked us away to our hotel, Berjaya Palace Hotel. Sited on a hill, the hotel overlooks the hustle and bustle of the city. After checking in and freshening up, we set off to the Handicraft Centre in the heart of the city, or more popularly known to the locals as 'Philippines Market', where we managed to pick some handicraft items and accessories before going to the Centrepoint Mall. We walked around in Centrepoint but most shops were already closing seeing it was the eve of CNY. We then walked to Plaza Wawasan and Anjung Senja, which were a mere few blocks away. Anjung Senja, where we had dinner, is a stretch of open-air food stalls by the sea, offering a stunning view of the sunset. We then returned to the hotel where we learnt of the terrible jam at all exit roads out of KL.
A brief history lesson here on KK: it started as a tiny British settlement on Pulau Gaya [the biggest of five islands across the bay] before being relocated to the mainland. The new settlement was renamed Jesselton after Sir Charles Jessel, who was then the Vice-Chairman of the British North Borneo Chartered Company. Jesselton was selected as the capital of North Borneo to replace Sandakan which was destroyed during the World War II. It was later renamed Kota Kinabalu after the Mount Kinabalu, which, peaking at 4,095.2 m, is the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. [Info courtesy of Sabah Tourism Board].
Sunday/Chinese New Year: we went to Pasar Gaya at Gaya Street. Gaya Street apparently has the largest number of law firms and financial institutions of any street in Sabah. The street is closed to trafiic on every Sunday morning for the Gaya Street Fair. Almost everything is sold here - the ubiquitous pearl accessories, food, rabbits, puppies, clothes, souvenirs and handicrafts, antiques, the aromatic Tenom coffee... even kuih lapis Sarawak! We got the chance to polish up our bargaining skills here again. Hunger set in after all the bargaining and surveying. After lunch and a brief stop at a friend's place, we set off for Kundasang, which is very close to the entrance to the Kinabalu Park where Mount Kinabalu is ['Aki Nabalu' as the Kadazans/Dusuns named it means 'home of the spirits of the dead'. 'Aki' literally means 'ancestor' and 'nabalu' means 'mountain', hence the sacred resting place of ancestral spirits. Good thing this fact escaped me then]. Now, Kinabalu Park is Malaysia's First World Heritage designated by UNESCO in December 2000. The 2-hour trip to Kundasang wound through lush countryside dotted with traditional village houses. We were soon greeted with cool, invigorating air and magnificent views of the Crocker mountain range which at some points were shrouded in mists and clouds. Simply breathtaking! Heaven on earth!
We settled into Rose Cabin before venturing out again to Mesilau. We passed the town of Kundasang [if you can call it that] with stalls selling fruits and vegetables - in other words, fresh, local produce - lining up the road. The majority of the people at Kundasang town are Muslims and they are either into farming, thanks to the fertile soil, or rearing animals. The village of Kundasang is surrounded by rolling farm fields dotted with tiny shapes of grazing cows with the magnificent range that forms Mount Kinabalu as its backdrop. Mesilau is higher up than Kundasang - now I understand what SK meant - and the road was steeper too [thank God for Len's 4WD!]. We stayed there until it was dark, drinking in the view and taking in gulpfuls of pure mountain air to clear our KL-polluted lungs.
All those nature appreciation and numerous Kodak moments did wonders for our appetite. After a barely-concealed impatient wait for dinner, it was finally served and it was worth the wait! There were a few dishes of vegetables that tasted as fresh as they looked and so crispy and crunchy too, besides fish and beef. After dinner, we retired to our respective rooms. We played Pictionary and despite being complete novices, Lin & I won. Maybe it was just pure luck, heh [SK, we can have a rematch. No problem]. Now, it's in my nature to be involved and get all excited in games like this [and even when watching emotional movies] so a lot of shrieking was heard - good thing there wasn't another room neighbouring ours! The excitement of having won was not enough to grant me a good night's sleep though and I was tossing and turning in bed for the better part of the night.
After breakfast on Monday, we drove to Poring Hot Springs, about 45 minutes' drive away through the plains of Ranau. The scenery just as we left the cabin was such that it could pass as the Lake District in the North West of England or somewhere in the heart of Wales/New Zealand! We reached there at almost 11 in the morning and evidently it was the local tourist attraction for it was already packed! We then learnt that some people come as early as 7 am! How's that for bright and early? Anyway, there is more to see and do than just dipping oneself in the hot springs: there is the butterfly farm, orchid farm, the canopy walk... Being part of the Kinabalu Park, a minimal entrance fee is imposed. Separate fees are applicable for different attractions within the area. As we entered the area, we saw poring, the gigantic bamboo plants which give the place its name.
The enclosed rooms for more private bathing experience all had problems with their cold water facility so we decided to hang around and wait for one of the open-air 'tubs' to be free. A bit of a wait since it was public holiday and Poring is to Sabah folks what PD or Genting is to KL folks. Lin and I decided to go up the canopy walk while waiting. After paying the fee and a separate one for cameras, we set off. In the tropical heat, going up the hill to get to the canopy walk/hanging bridge proved to be a challenge and I was reminded time and again of the time when I scaled the Great Wall in Beijing. After much panting and gasping for air, we finally reached the bridge.
A notice assured us of the bridge's strength and I hadn't heard of anyone falling off the canopy walk so I suppose all we had to do was put our best foot forward and Just Do It. All the same, I had this weird sensation in my feet as I contemplated the wisdom, or the foolishness as it seemed then, of continuing on. Because sometimes, I have this fear of heights and while walking in treetops sounds great, it also sounds a bit crazy. Honestly, I am also actually not a brave person but I'm not me if I'm not stubborn so most of the time, it was actually stubbornness and craziness that make me do certain things I wouldn't normally have the guts to [like taking the cable car in Langkawi, all alone in the gondola. Whatever was I thinking? Maybe I wasn't. Thinking]. So I decided to conquer my fear anyway and plastered on a brave face. After all, I had trekked my way all the exhausting way up, hadn't I? And oh, those kids in front of me actually made it, right?
Yikes, the bridge seemed to be swaying even as I tried to balance myself and hang on for dear life. Somewhere in the distant, we could hear the sound of a waterfall, or was it a river? It was dark down there in the seemingly bottomless ravine as the sunlight struggled to penetrate through the thick foliage of the treetops. To set your adrenaline faster, the canopy walk is not just one straight hanging bridge, but is instead split up in three parts of platforms zigzagging through the treetops. A few huge trees act as support for the hanging bridge and have a little 'platform' attached to them, where you can pause to catch a deep breath before continuing to walk on the next part of the hanging bridge. And don't worry about the crowd as only six people are allowed at any one time. We were there for perhaps under 10 minutes and pretty soon, we were making our way down already.
Our friends who left Kundasang separately had by now reached Poring and had managed to secure two tubs to share. Lin decided to join them while sleep-deprived me decided to return to the car to catch some quality forty winks. Visited the info centre before heading to the car and as I was just about to get myself settled, the others arrived. And off we drove, stopping at Ranau for a late lunch and then at Kinabalu Pine Resort and Perkasa Hotel Mt Kinabalu at Kundasang for more Kodak moments and our own version of A Walk In The Clouds sans Keanu Reeves before buying some plants and produce at the Kundasang roadside market. We finally reached KK just after dusk, which marked the beginning of the new Muslim year.
Tuesday morning, the first day of the new 1427 Hijrah year, we set off to Pulau Manukan, one of the five islands [besides Pulau Gaya, Pulau Sapi, Pulau Mamutik and Pulau Sulug] that form the marine park of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. We spent the whole morning and part of afternoon at Manukan. It proved to be a popular tourist spot and the beach was quite crowded. I was surprised and a bit disappointed to see that the sand was brown, not white. The morning heat which was partially shielded by the swaying pine branches above coupled with the sound of lapping waves and the coll breeze pretty soon had me feeling drowsy...
We left after 3 pm and stopped at Yoyo's, a local eatery that specialises in iced milk tea. Pretty soon, the nine of us shiny, happy people were in deep discussion of life in general. Oh did I mention earlier that we are all young, single, carefree, single, fun-loving girls? We finally parted at almost 5 - I didn't say goodbyes cause I hate goodbyes! Back to the hotel to pack and rest. Dinner at nearby Plaza Karamunsing. Spent the night reading 'Letting Go and Loving Life' by Carmel Greenwood as I had to return it the very next day.
Wednesday started off a brilliant sunshiny day. We caught the hotel shuttle to the city centre and helped spurred the local economy with our last-minute purchases of souvenirs and sea products, just like any responsible tourists would do. Btw, if you want to buy prawns - king prawns, flower prawns, even abalones - you can get them at SAFMA, that's short for Sabah Fish Marketing Agency. SAFMA can even pack it for you. Iced prawns can last up to 15 hours. We then rushed back to the hotel and stuffed more items into our bags. After prayers, we checked out just before 1 pm.
SK came to pick us up and drove us to the airport after a brief stop at Plaza Wawasan because yours truly spotted something on the first night of arrival and decided she must have it even if it caused some serious, major damage to her wallet. Upon reaching the airport, we immediately checked in our bags, had a light meal and browsed over the dutyfree shops. The flight was delayed from 3.45 pm to 5.30 pm, raising concerns for potential further damage to my wallet. We were finally allowed to board the plane at 4.40 pm and been made to roast in there while they continued with some fire inspection/tests. And that was my third consecutive flight delays in as many months!!!
Finally touched down at KLIA at 8 pm. The runway looked wet, it probably just stopped raining a short while before we landed. Baggage claim process was swift and we were almost out of there when I was stopped by an officer from the Agriculture Department. You see, I was carrying my precious pine tree for all the world to see, not knowing it was actually subject to plant quarantine. He explained that anyone bringing over plants need to show some certificate of approval or sth from the country/state of origin's agriculture department. Now, I seriously, honestly didn't know that as I never made importing or transporting plants from anywhere a habit. Anyway, he was nice enough to let me off [thank you officer!]. We took the cab back and pretty soon were joining the mass return of KLites. Reached home at 9.25 pm.
Many thanks to SK and Alice who went out of their way to ensure our stay was comfortable. We truly appreciate your hospitality!
KK/Sabah/SK, I'll be back. InsyaAllah.
