Day 2
The next day our first stop was the Tenom Agricultural Centre, which had a large number of flower gardens. There were lots and lots of extremely pretty flowers, many of which I don't know the names, and I took many, many pictures.
One of the weirdest things we saw there were some giant water-lilies (Nymphea), which are apparently strong enough to support small children!
We also were able to have some fresh coconuts that were chopped on the spot. I'd say they're a bit of an acquired taste, though.
Following the gardens, we went to the Fatt Choi coffee factory, where we were given a tour around the facility. Being coffee addicts (at least on the trip), we all bought a whole lot of coffee. This is just my immediate family's batch:
After lunch, we packed up and left the hotel, and headed towards the Murut Cultural Centre. The Murut are one of the indigenous tribes that live in the area (around Tenom, Sabah).
We saw some of the traditional house designs, carvings and decorations of the tribe. One of the more interesting things there was the "dancefloor" in one of the houses. The particular house we were in was designed for parties, I think, and had small area slightly below the floor level. The area was supported by 4 wooden beams below the house, which were able to bend. The result of this? The area bounced up and down when people jumped on it! A little bit like a trampoline. Still a weird feeling, though.
Afterwards, we visited a small fish farm on our way to Kundasang, where they were keeping some "dragon fish", imported from the Amazon. One of the particular ones was 7 feet in length and weighted 150Kg, at only 8 years old. Apparently, if it lived for another 30 years, it would grow to a maximum of 18 feet! In other words: absolutely friggin' HUGE.
We then headed off to Kundasang, where we stayed at the Hotel Perkasa Kundasang for the night.
Day 3
I was awoken at about 6 in the morning by Allan (my step-cousin), alerting us to the fact that we could see Mount Kinabalu from our windows… and indeed we could:
Another shot, from near the viewing platform:
After breakfast, we left the hotel and began our journey to the Kinabatangan region. On the way, we stopped at some markets in Telupid. I've been to a couple of markets in Sydney and Brisbane, and they are nothing like the markets at Telupid. Instead of stalls and tables, there were many people just sitting on the ground, with the products laid out on pieces of cardboard. It also had a distinct smell, which I can't quite describe…
Later on, we continued the drive to Kinabatangan, where we met the organisers of the Miso Walai homestay program, who had organised for us to stay with 2 families in the area that night. We were introduced to our host families, and spent an hour or two getting to know them… In the afternoon we went on a trip up the Kinabatangan river with some local guides, which allowed us to have a look at much of the wildlife living by the river, including Makak and Proboscis monkeys.
In the evening, we spent time with our host families, who were locals to the area, or "orang-sungai" ("river people"). We ate a dinner of beans, prawns and fish in the traditional manner (using only your right hand), which was a very interesting experience. Not having eaten with only my hand before, I was a little bit messy. It was made more difficult by the fact that you couldn't use your left hand to eat, as traditionally, that's the hand you wipe your backside with and it's considered "dirty".
The house we were staying in was a bit of a mish-mash of cultures. It was raised on stilts and made out of wood, with a corrugated iron roof. There was no ceiling, however, which meant that the heat on the roof radiated into the house itself, which is probably why the temperature was so high. The floors were covered largely in linoleum, and the house was pretty bare compared to the average one in Australia. However, what stood out was that they had a TV, sound system, washing machine, lights and freezer (but no fridge). There was no running water, however, and only a squat toilet.
Coming from Australia (where I would say the average living conditions and income are much higher), you'd be inclined to turn up your nose and wonder how on earth the people live in such conditions. I must admit, initially, I thought that too. But after talking to the family, I got a better sense about their lives… and in the end, it doesn't really matter.
Ray (the father) was an extremely generous and friendly person. He works hard to make money for his family, so they can afford to eat and so his two eldest children (the third is 6) can go to high school, which costs money. Despite living in severe conditions (by Australian standards), they seem happy. The kids were always smiling and laughing, and Ray and his wife were very hospitible and kind. Contrast this to Australia, where many people will not be "happy" unless they have a flash car, the latest LV bag, a big TV or a large home. I think it shows you don't necessarily need material possessions to be happy and have a fulfilling life…
Anyway, it was an absolute stinker of a night and the mosquitoes were out in force, so we decided to go to bed early.
the rice wrapped in attap leaves are called KUTUPAKT
Thanks, Mum.
Thanks.