Day 6
Day 6 was pretty ordinary. We left the Sepilok Jungle Resort and drove to the Mesilau Nature Resort, which was located near Mount Kinabalu. It was actually situated up on the mountains, and so it was a little bit chilly (a nice change from the humid and hot conditions elsewhere).
Instead of being in separate rooms, this time the eight of us were in a 3-bedroom lodge. It was a little bit cramped, but still enjoyable.
For dinner that night, we had a steamboat at the resaurant, and played cards and talked for most of the night. Good times.
Day 7
In the morning, we had breakfast and went on a nature walk organised by the park rangers. This took us through some of the forest areas and up the mountains for a bit, where we saw much of the native vegetation. Emphasis was placed on the 6 (!) different kinds of "pitcher plants" that grew in the area. The largest of these is the 'Rajah', which is seen below:
The one shown in the photo is able to hold 1 Litre of fluid. We were told by our guide that there is one plant elsewhere that can hold 3 Litres!!!
We were also encouraged to smell the female plant of the 'Rajah'. Let's just say it possessed a pungent odour very much like that of a male bodily fluid.
In the afternoon, we started the drive to Kota Kinabalu (the capital of Sabah). We stayed at a nice hotel there, the Promenade, and spent the afternoon shopping. My cousin, Tiing, and her daughter, Lelani, arrived in the evening, and we enjoyed a sumptuous buffet in the hotel's restaurant, ensuring that our bellies were suitably distended.
That night, Katherine, Xian and I went out to see what the nightlife was like. Being a Thursday night, there wasn't much happening. However, we did have the displeasure of tasting "Borneo Iced Teas". They're supposed to be a lot like Long Island Iced Teas, but these were horrible. I don't know if it was the concotion of the different spirits and liquers, or whether it was the Tiger beer doused on top. Ergh.
the rice wrapped in attap leaves are called KUTUPAKT
Thanks, Mum.
Thanks.