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Published: March 22nd 2015
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Journey to the Tip Of Borneo!
No bus from Tuaran to Kota Belud. A kind lady takes us to a share taxi going part way and we pay more for the rest of the journey. It is hot when we arrive. No onward journey until the next day to Kudat at the far north of Borneo. We stay at the Travel Lodge which has seen better days and more sweeping brushes. Not much in Kota Belud but we enjoy an iced coconut milk shake - very refreshing.
A posh bus from Kota Belud to Kudat with air con and toilets. Very comfortable.
The landscape opens up. Just a few paddy fields with flying fabric streamers to deter the birds - otherwise secondary forest and then miles of oil palm plantations. A big sign "Victory Estate Plantation". Bare ground beneath for access and a man with a back pack sprayer. A few roadside wooden houses on stilts, fruit and veg stalls, schools and many churches - Protestant, Catholic and 7 th day Adventist and several mosques.
We make a booking at Tommy's Resort at the far north tip of Borneo and arrange a 3 o clock pick up
at the Ria Hotel. Lunch of Laska, a local dish of noodles, chicken, prawns, bean sprouts and egg in a coconut sauce. For me very hot! I'm sure it cured my oncoming cold as my nose streamed so much the infection must have been washed away.
Tommy's Resort is a group of wooden buildings over looking the South China Sea with a small restaurant. We walk from Tommy's to the very tip of Borneo - famous for its beautiful sunsets. It is the home of the Rungus people, one of the 37 tribal groups who live in Sabah. Many still practise local traditions.
I slept well - about 10 hours - and felt refreshed. Two fried eggs and toast for breakfast. Malaysian savoury noodles don't do much for me in the morning
A lazy day sitting overlooking the South China Sea. We chat to an American girl involved in a local diving project to build artificial reefs to help re establish local marine life whose habitat has been blasted to pieces by fishermen. A wonderful lunch of swordfish steak and stir fry veg with fresh carrot/orange/mango/ginger juice- all delicious. I also treat myself to some mango cheese
cake.
I move on from Tommy's to spend a couple of nights in a traditional Rungus longhouse. It is part of an ecotourism venture developed by an English guy and his Rungus wife who bought a tract of rainforest. They now manage it in the interests of conservation of fauna and flora, retaining the knowledge of traditional medicinal plants, environmental education and providing training and employment for local people and the residents of a local children's home they support. There are walking trails and cycle tracks throughout the forest and a restaurant by the beach. There is a Rungus Museum containing items collected from local villagers and an education centre which sadly is not accessible because a hive of unfriendly bees have taken up residence inside. It is a good experience lying on my bunk under a mosquito net and listening to the sounds of the rainforest through the loosely woven walls and banana leaf thatch roof. There are also small chalets with en suite facilities for the less adventurous.
The longhouse traditionally was the home for the whole village. Built on stilts and with sloping sides to encourage air flow to keep the house cool, the communal
quarters were located at the centre and the living quarters to each side. Villagers originally cleared a tract of land, built a longhouse and grew fruit and vegetables. They collected fruits and seeds from the nearby jungle and killed birds and animals for meat. After a while when the land became less fertile they moved to another site leaving the rain forest to regenerate naturally.
I spend the day relaxing. Just wandering in the grounds looking at flowers and watching wonderful butterflies and birds. There are rice paddies nearby and a herd of spotty pigs in a sty next door. I meet people from Australia, Canada and Germany and we all go to the restaurant for dinner and then enjoy a bonfire on the beach. By now the sand flies have gone to sleep!
A quick look round Kudat before I leave. I need a coffee. I ask in the market for directions to a cafe and the gent points to a young lady on a stall next door. She has a large thermos. She makes black coffee in a clear plastic cup and then pours in condensed milk which sinks to the bottom in a white layer.
She then puts the plastic cup into a poly bag with handles and pops in a straw. A new take on take- away coffee. The best bit was sucking neat condensed milk from the bottom of the cup through the straw! Close by is a fishing village on stilts in the water and an unusual way to sell fish!
Now back on the luxury bus to Kota Kinabalu Sucking my coffee through a straw!
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Martin
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Very interesting
I have read all your blogs with great interest. You are obviously happy with the winter change and enjoying it. It has been a very mild winter in Angus with very little frost and snow. In Florida it has really warmed up in March and has been in the 20's at night and around 29C during the day. Marti