My Sabah Journey: Day (03) To the Tip of Borneo. Kudat.

Day 3 was for Kudat.

Before leaving Kundasang, we took to driving into a village uphill where the vegetable plantatations were. It happened that during our visit that Sabah is having a Cabbage Festival so loads of cabbage were being brought down from Kundasang. So anyway we made it to some remote area somewhere up there and discovered the signboard to the cow farm. Not that we're eager for milk and dairy, just the curiosity so we drove on through wonderful sights of green meadow, rocky peak of Kinabalu and black-and-white cows grazing. To reach a guardhouse where we're informed that the place was currently closed to visitors for renovation.

The Desa milk cows, Kundasang '08

View of the Kinabalu peaks along the cow farm road, Kundasang '08

And so we made our way down to town and onwards, passing Nabalu town again and took a junction to Kota Belud that we saw the day before when we drived up. It turned out to be a shorter route compared to driving down towards Tuaran and rather straightforward. Furthermore, this route directed us straight into the main town of Kota Belud

Again, eating and praying in Kota Belud town is no problem as majority of people here are Muslim. There is a mosque and many Malay shops, and even a KFC here. On Sunday, a tamu will be held and among the specialties are the various kinds of local rice sold.

It started raining as we continued the journey to Kudat. As we passed through Matunggong on the way, we made mental notes to visit the Rungus long house, bee farm, gong factory and Rungus bead centre the next day on our way back. It was still raining when we passed by the junction to Simpang Mengayau @ the Tip of Borneo and Pantai Bak Bak (Bak Bak beach) so we headed straight to our next accomodation, Marina Golf and Country Resort.

Hmm... My expectations were probably too high for this 4 star resort as I did not find it living up to the stories and reviews by friends and Internet. The room was OK, but the bedspread shabby and even was frayed, there were no bathroom mat and shampoo, no room slippers, the sugar clumped, the room a tad stuffy and musty when we first entered. Thank goodness it was facing the sea.

The bay view from my room, Kudat '08

After a brief drive around town, a dinner at KFC and a snack at Sidek Esplanade, we returned to rest. Only to be woken up at 3 am by the storm. The wind was making a harsh sound outside as the storm raged and splattered against our window. But it was pretty mesmerizing to watch the waves curled and splashed, until one by one we drifted back to sleep.

My Sabah Journey: Day (02) Valleys of Heaven. Kundasang.

Day 2, we check out early and went looking for breakfast at Api Api Centre. Nothing special to report on food.

To start with, we took the road to Tuaran before reaching a round - a - bout there and took a turn to the direction of Ranau (there's a signboard, and the road is pretty straightforward). On the way we pass through on a rustic bridge, still sturdy from the olden days of steel bridges. Then we began another uphill drive along the same Crocker range, but less steep than the road to Tambunan. It was still quite early in the morning, around 9 am so the mist were still nestled and snaking among the green mountains and valleys.

Pit stop; Nabalu town of Kota Belud outskirt. Here there were tons of handicraft stalls but selling almost identical stuffs, apparently at 3 different prices (local Sabahan; local tourist; foreigner) since upon approaching, they slashed the prices down to 1/3 - 1/2 before we even start bargaining. But since we're likely to pass this place again on the way back, we only bought some fruits and climbed atop the viewing tower for a picture of the Kinabalu peak and the surrounding valleys. It was around 11.30 am but the mist was still thick around the peak that we'd to wait at the interludes of 5 - 10 minutes to view the peak.

Majestic peaks, Pekan Nabalu, Kota Belud '08

Of course, when we reached the small town of Kundasang, we just had to stop and look around. Flowers of brilliant colours, fresh and shiny fruits and vegetables... who could resist those? There were certain fruits not or difficult to be found in the city here such as tarap, buah lemak manis and tampoi that you can find here. There's also pickled strawberry. Salak was abundant too. Ah... I love tarap... It has the appearance of a small jackfruit at first glance, and smells like one with a tinge of durian. Not recommended to bring onboard a ripe one as its sweet smell is quite overwhelming, almost rivalling the king of fruit itself. The texture is also a bit like jackfruit but softer, and peeling a ripe one is as easy as indenting its skin and voila, it is open.

Anyway, there is a mosque here in Kundasang. Eating is not a problem as majority are Muslim and there are many Muslim shops here. There are also mini markets for you to get your Maggi for the cold night. Anyone interested with the garden within the War Memorial Park can find the park here behind some shophouses, and there's an entrance fee. By the way, we ate at Nabalu cafe-lounge-bakery where it served one of the best tom yum that I'd ever had. The home - made bread, beef burger and ginger chicken were good too.

Village and plantation, Kundasang '08

Next was Poring hot spring! It was already 3 pm but what the heck for our group. So off we drived another 40+ km towards Poring where most of us abandoned the RM3-per-entrance hot spring, after taking in its smell of egg (it's a sulphur - based hot spring...). For those interested in soaking, there are open and close areas where you draw up individual baths. We decided to have a go at the canopy walk on the hanging bridge instead. After slapping down the local rate of RM3, we clamoured up the first 500 metres UPWARDS of the trail. Reaching up ain't pretty, messed hair, sweaty... Height - phobia people, GO HOME. Looking down, one can feel dizzy as you scanned for the ground amidst the thick foliage. After 200 metres of swaying in the air, we made it down through a milder ~300 metres. Last entry hour is at 5.30 pm since the whole place closes down around 6.30 pm. Others; there is a bat cave, butterfly park and chalets. Arrange a proper transport as the local cabbies may charge you exorbitantly.

A waterfall near the entrance, Poring '08

Don't look down... Canopy walkway, Poring '08

We passed Ranau again on our way back and decided not to stop by as it was getting late. Additional info; those looking for transport to return to KK can look for the minivans and Unser here. For some fee, the cabbies or minivans from Kundasang will drive you to Ranau in the morning.

We were staying at Celyn hotel, a fairly new hotel in the area, about 1 km from the town, and literally isolated at some uphill area within a village. We almost thought we're lost as we climbed the 3 km uphill small road of gravels amidst the village and even passed by 2 ponies grazing peacefully by. The hotel itself was atop another steep hill.

Well, we took 2 Valley view rooms, which were cheaper than the Mountain view rooms. Turned out the two were just a mere distance away from each other and you can just climb up to the Mountain view area to view the Kinabalu, which, was hidden behind the thick fog and fluffy clouds most of the time. Even the valleys were only visible at around 9 am.

Valley view, Celyn. Kundasang '08

For a 3 star hotel, Celyn is comfortable. Though the appearance and food were only decent, I'd say that the facilities are pretty good enough. Towels, hot water, drinks facilities, TV with additional Astro channels (Cinemax, ESPN, Disney), batik bathrobes and extra pillows. So if you like to be uphill in some remote village where all is dark by 7, Celyn is an option. Booking is available via the Internet.

Well, we couldn't resist having a look at Pine Resort since the landscape of pine trees and flowers were so eye - catching. This place is one of the popular choices in Kundasang where you've to book early during peak seasons.

And so, the night passed on peacefully, albeit some snoring.