Kinabalu Park

Kinabalu Park which covers an area of 754 sq km was gazetted a park in 1964.The basis for the establishment of a protected area in Kinabalu were formed after a report from the Royal Society Kinabalu Scientific expedition in 1962-1964 led by Prof. Corner. It is the first Park in the Malaysian Borneo’s state of Sabah.

Its main feature is Mount Kinabalu (4,095.2 m), the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. Its slope is home to a rich assemblage of plants and animal species. It is a hot spot of particularly the plant biodiversity with affinities to flora from the Himalayas, China, Australia, Malay Peninsula, as well as pan-tropical region.

The main entry point for visitors is the Park Headquarters located about 92 km on the Kota Kinabalu – east coast highway lying at an elevation 1,520m above sea levels. Cooler climates attracted over 250,000 visitors in 2009 with about 47,000 made the attempt to conquer the peak.

The administrative center is located in the ‘Conservation Center’ building. Also in the same building is the Research and Education offices and facilities.

Bakakuk

Sabah’s traditional games vary from simple children’s pastimes to organized adult sports which function as entertainment at village gatherings. Equipment is skilfully made from materials found in the natural environment or discarded from the household. Games are a vibrant and essential component of the social and cultural life of the people of Sabah.

Unduk Ngadau Beauty Pageant

The highlight of the celebration is the Unduk Ngadau Beauty Pageant which selects the Harvest Festival Queen. Some 40 Kadazandusun Murut beauties from various districts will compete for the title. One of the requirements is that the contestants should possess, or are assumed to possess, beauty qualities resembling the legendary Huminodun.

Tadau Kaamatan

Most native Sabahans consider rice to be more important than just the main staple food. There is a certain sacredness attached to it, for it is a food given to them by Kinoingan, the Almighty Creator so that his people should never want for food. He sacrificed His only daughter- Huminodun and from her body parts, padi (rice) grew. This was Kinoingan's ultimate act of benevolence and to this day, His people repay the deed by conducting various ceremonies to honour Bambaazon, the spirit of Huminodun as embodied in rice.

The most well-known of these is Pesta Kaamatan or Harvest Festival which begins on the first of May and celebrated throughout Sabah. Of major importance to this thanksgiving ceremony is the Magavau - a ritual to invite Bambaazon to the Pesta and is conducted only by the Bobohizan or high priestess. Festivities cannot proceed without the presence of Bambaazon and it is through Magavau that the Rice Spirit is invoked.

In the past, Magavau was conducted in the padi fields on the first full moon night after the harvest. A party of Bobohizan led by the foremost senior, would weave a slow procession through the fields chanting prayers to Bambaazon. A male warrior would walk ahead of this group waving a sword in the air, to ward off any evil that might try to disrupt the ritual. The food offered must be of the best quality. When the spirits come, only the Bobohizan will be able to feel their presence. The spirits will find, neatly laid out for them on banana leaves, the choicest chicken meat, eggs, betel leaves and pinang (areca nut), tobacco and kirai ("rollie"). The finest tapai or rice wine is offered to the spirits.

A second offering arranged in a winnowing tray is placed on a specially built bamboo platform. This is for the spirits to bring back to the spirit world to feed those creatures that would otherwise feed off the padi. Pesta Kaamatan around the state culminates in the state level celebrations on May 30 and 31 every year with Magavau being enacted indoors before the celebrations begin.

Hinava

Hinava is most probably the most well known traditional dish in Sabah. Popularized by the Kadazandusun community, Hinava is made of fresh raw tenggiri (mackerel fish), which is filleted and thinly sliced; mixed with sliced chili, ginger, diced red onions, grated Bambangan seed, salt and set with a few squirts of lime juice.

Sometimes, slices of raw bittergourd are also added. If you don’t like fish, you can also substitute the mackerel with either prawn or squid. Hinava can be found in most traditional Kadazandusun restaurant, but of late, it has also been making its way to hotel buffet tables or served during special events and functions. Have it with white rice or on its own as a salad dish.

Pinasakan sada

Pinasakan sada, otherwise simply known as Pinasakan, is a traditional Kadazandusun dish of braised basung fish mixed with takob akob (a tangy wild fruit mainly harvested for its skin), fresh turmeric, salt and slices of Bambangan (optional). Pinasakan is another type of preserved food and is good to be eaten sans heating for days at a time. You can find Pinasakan at most traditional cuisine restaurants.
Pinasakan goes well with white rice or ambuyat and a dash of sambal.

Wor tip



Wor tip is a type of dumpling that is done in a special Sabahan style. The dumpling itself is chewy but the skin is not too thick, and when pan fried in shallow oil, gives a crunchy texture and is faintly burnt around the edges. The fillings are stir fried first, and they are made out of minced meat (pork or chicken), shallots and a blend of herbs and sauce. The fillings share the same texture as that of minced meat in Bolognese pasta sauce, albeit a little dryer but packed with exotic fragrance.

Injin Puput

Injin Puput is this year's Sabah Fest 2013 theme theater show which is held at the JKKN Complex in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. While the name of the show sounds odd, it is actually derived from the local term of the old steam Vulcan train that once ran from Kota Kinabalu to Tenom. This is also the 6th year that the themed Sabah Fest Celebrations have been running and as for me, this is my second show where I caught last years theme show titled Adventures of Ngarayang.

Sabah Fest 2013 is celebrated yearly from May 1st till 31st where the entire state celebrates the Kaamatan or Harvest Festival of the local people here. The theme Injin Puput showcases a story of two interesting folktales about the local Murut people and about the reminiscences of a grandfather and his experience with the railway.

Diving at Mantanani Island, Sabah

Diving at Mantanani Island, Sabah is one of the must-dive places here if you love muck diving or seeing macro life underwater. Pulau Mantanani is located just out of Kudat Town on the west coast and is about a three hour journey there from Kota Kinabalu.

Getting to Mantanani Island is quite simple and easy and if you book through a dive operator, they will pick you up from the Kota Kinabalu Airport and send you directly to the main jetty. At the Bembaran jetty, you will complete most of your diving gear like fins, BCDs and whatever else is needed for your dive trip. 

The boat which usually seats about 10 to 12 people will leave and pass beautiful mangrove swamp before heading out into the open sea where the overall journey will take about an hour. Once reaching Pulau Mantanani, the boat stops along Dugong Beach where you will have your lunch before heading to the resort which is another five minute boat ride.

Sabah, Tea Garden.

I was actually on the way up north and made a stop here to visit this unique tea plantation in Sabah. This award winning brand is also the top tea supplier and exporter in Borneo which carries a wide number of tea selections. As a destination on the way up north of Borneo, many travelers make a stop over here or even spend a night here to experience the unique teas and see how the tea process is done.



Once you get here, the first thing you will see is the main reception building which houses the reception, restaurant and also the souvenir shop which sells all the ranges of tea and many other products. Around the back, they have a cottage area which acts like a cozy little homestay with little gardens outside each unit. 

At the factory area, a full tour is offered from how the tea is collected, processed and final packaging process. Then a demonstration is done sin a room to show you the difference of low quality and high quality teas. This was quite interesting as I never knew that you could dye tea leaves as it was demonstrated in two cups before my eyes. Finally, in the last room, there was a range of all the products sold since the early days. When you exit the factory showroom, you can then go into the main tea plantation and see the actual tea trees there. For the record, Malaysia has a few tea plantations where Sabah Tea is the largest in Borneo while Bharat Tea in Cameron Highlands is the largest on the peninsular.