SHAH’S RAMBLINGS

After three nights in KK on a really memorable trip, seeing KK’s numerous scenic attractions and getting to know some really awesome people in KK, it was time to return to KL.

The flight back was marred by an almost 1 hour delay because the group sitting behind us somehow checked in a passenger who wasn’t at the airport. So much for airport security - I wonder how the ground staff at the Air Asia counter allowed a passenger who was not physically present to be checked into the flight. Due to the discrepancy between total number of passengers checked in and actually on the flight, they had to manually check each person’s boarding pass to find who the missing passenger was. And just by chance the group that created the problem was seated right at the back of the plane and were the last people to get checked. After it was determined that there was no missing passenger and that the person was accidentally checked in by the group, the flight was finally allowed to depart, and we were finally allowed bird’s eye views of Kota Kinabalu and the islands just off the coast of KK.

Was hoping to catch a shot of Mount Kinabalu from the air but unfortunately the direction that plane was flying did not allow this.

As we gained altitude and the distant view out the window got monotonous and boring, a pleasant surprise presented itself before us right on the fuselage’s window.

Ice crystals had begun to form on the window. How come I’ve never noticed this happening on any of the previous flights I’ve been on.

The ice crystals slowly elongated over the course of several minutes while newer crystals formed in the periphery. This was too good a macro opportunity to miss out on so I got out the macro lens and tried my best to keep the crystals in manual focus despite the occasional turbulence.

After almost two hours of capturing every angle I could think of, the plane began it’s descent as it neared the LCCT. And as it dropped in altitude, the beautiful ice crystals melted away then evaporated into the air.

And with that, our Sabah vacation finally came to a close. A special thanks goes out to all the new and old friends, online and real life friends, KK and non-KK friends, blogger & non blogger friends as well as faced and faceless friends we met in KK recently - Gidong, Peter, Awang, Dunstan, Grey, Deric, GG, Is, I***m & Jo - thank you so much for the time you spent with us making the short trip there even more memorable than we could have ever imagined. Our special thanks to our dear friend Ham, nice to have finally met you after all these years. Thanks for showing us around while we were there & especially for all those back and forth trips to 1 Borneo. Let us know when you’re planning a trip to KL OK. Kena bawak ko pusing habis satu Lembah Klang ni nanti

On our last night in KK, our friend Ham invited us for dinner at this ikan bakar place near Tanjung Aru. According to him, they serve some really awesome ikan bakar at this kopitiam so we were really looking forward to trying it out. Plus, it’s not everyday that you come across a kopitiam which serves ikan bakar.

Harry & Arel joined us for dinner that night

Along with an old friend of Abg Bear who works in KK

To accompany the grilled fish, we ordered several vege dishes

And then, one after another, the assortment of grilled fish dishes arrived at our table.

It’s true what Ham said - the ikan bakar here is truly out of this world and unlike any ikan bakar you’ve tasted anywhere else. It was so good that even after finishing the rice and veges, we ordered some more ikan bakar…

Thank you so much Ham for the fabulous dinner treat.

Perut dah kenyang, apa lagi - sesi melalak lah at Cempaka Square, joined by two more professional karaoke buddies of Ham

A splendid way to spend the last night of our vacation in KK…

On returning from the daytrip to Mamutik, we stopped for lunch at this nasi padang restaurant at Jesselton Point.

Avocado Juice

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Ayam + Pucuk Ubi

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Bergedil Ayam

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Terung Goreng

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Dendeng Basah

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Sambal Sotong

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Daging Dendeng

The food tasted authentically Indonesian unlike some nasi padang spots we tried out in KL. But it sure didn’t come cheap - RM70+ for lunch shared between three people is a bit pricey by anyone’s standards. Nasib baik lah sodap…

On day 3 of the recent Sabah trip we headed to Jesselton Point jetty in KK for our daytrip to Mamutik which is reputed to have better corals than at the more popular & touristy Manukan island.

Believe if or not but it’s been almost two years since I got new shoes so I just had to put up the pic of these overpriced and overrated sandals I got at 1 Borneo the night before

Mamutik Island

View of Kinabalu from Mamutik that morning

Sadly at the spot where we went snorkelling that day, most of the corals were dead. There was only one small patch where the corals and marine life were thriving.

But even so, the chance to relax for a few hours while enjoying the peaceful surroundings was something well worth the trip here.

A jungle trek from the beach will take you on a loop pass the small hill behind the main beach to the rocky shores on the other side of the island before coming back to the main beach near the jetty. I went alone on this trek while Yazid and Harry stayed back at the beach.

If you’re at Mamutik, spend some time to explore the trek as the view at the other end will make it worth your effort. As you reach the other end of the small island, glimpses of the crystal clear waters greet you from clear patches amidst the deep foliage.

This seemed like a much better spot for snorkelling, but you’d have to climb down some rocks by the shore to reach the sea but being all alone there it didn’t seem like a smart thing to do that day…

Returning to the main beach, the area around the small jetty was the perfect spot for some fish feeding to finish the loaf of bread we brought from the mainland.

As peaceful and as idyllic as Mamutik may be, the snorkelling daytrip we went on with Chen at Pulau Payar is still the best snorkelling experience I’ve ever had so far. Well, that is until our next KK + East Sabah trip next year

On returning from the trip to Poring we stopped in the middle of KK to hunt for souvenirs at the Filipino market.

After which, a short walk away along the waterfront, traders were setting up the stalls at the KK night market.

I just kept on walking past all the stalls till I reached the spot where like-minded individuals had congregated with their cameras, all ready for that evening’s show.

It was drizzling and a bit too cloudy that evening but still the show went on as scheduled.

Lepas singgah merata-rata tempat ambik gambar Gunung Kinabalu hari tu, kitorang terus gi Poring Hotsprings kat Kundasang. Niat utama apa lagi - berkubang lah.

Sungai Mamut yang jernih membiru tapi ada notis tak bagi berenang atau minum air kat situ - ada kawan kata sebab pencemaran nikel dari lombong kat gunung. Patut la lain aje biru air sungai ni…

Sampai-sampai aje kat kolam-kolam Poring nih Abg Bear terus je melabuhkan punggungnya kat salah satu bathtub kat area public tu. Sementara tu aku, Harry dan guide kitorang pegi panjat bukit kat belakang tu nak naik canopy walk kat situ.

Ingatkan bukit kecik tak pancit la tapi belum pun sampai tempat mulanya canopy walk tu lagi aku dah tercungap-cungap dah. Sambil mencari balik nafas tu sempat la jugak menikmati keindahan alam hutan borneo kat situ.

Bila sambung balik memanjat bukit tu rupa-rupanya dah nak sampai dah pun tempat yang kami tuju. Ceh buat malu aku je bukit kecik camtu je pun dah pancit. Belum panjat Kinabalu lagi tu.

Pemandangan hutan belantara dari atas canopy walk tu memang betul-betul menakjubkan. Tak sia-sia la penat lelah mendaki bukit tu.

Tapi sapa-sapa yang gayat (cam Abg Bear tu ) tak payah la ke sini ye. Kang buat penat je mendaki bukit dah tu tak berani lak nak naik jambatan canopy yang bergoyang-goyang tu.

Lepas turun balik ke bawah, kitorang sewa bilik private lak untuk sesi berkubang air panas Poring. Segan lak nak join kat tempat public tu ramai bebenor orang dah masa tu. Kang aku bukak baju aje abih semua orang larik masuk hutan pulak kang…

Bilik-bilik private kat sini sewanya RM15 untuk sejam. Siap ada shower & tandas dan juga dua bathtub yang muat dua orang setiap satu. Air panas semulajadi dari takungan kat situ dan jugak air sejuk dari sungai disalurkan ke paip jadi terpulang la nak isi sampai panas macam mana sebelum berendam tu.

Bila dah lenguh-lenguh & sengal-sengal satu badan berjalan sepanjang hari memang best sangat dapat berendam air panas kat sini. Maka dengan ini terpapar lah kat internet gambar tiga ekor beruang tengah syok berkubang air panas kat Poring hari tu.

Kalau korang bukak entry ni kat opis cepat-cepat scroll ke gambar bawah ni ye sebelum bos korang ternampak

Yazid, Hamdi and I were greatly honoured to be given the responsibility of capturing the precious moments of Wafa & Mas’ wedding kenduri in Seremban on Saturday. Here are some of the behind the scene shots from that special day. The actual wedding shots will hopefully be up on our blogs and on ijabkabul.com a little later on.

It was a day long event which went by swiftly thanks to the great company we had there. The newly weds and their closest friends were the best people to spend the day with making the hours pass by with non stop fun and laughter. Thanks to Wafa, Mas, Ita, Emy and Sharul for making that day such a memorable day for us too.

And a special thanks to the happy couple Wafa and Mas for being such sporting models the whole day and especially during the outdoor photoshoot where you both would have been utterly exhausted from the day’s events. Yet the smiles you both radiated were so natural no doubt reflecting the deep love you have for one another.

Congratulations Wafa & Mas

on embarking on your journey of life together

At the far end of the small road taking you to the Poring Hotsprings was this notice board. After coming all the way to Sabah how could we resist the opportunity to view this strange flower.

After paying a small fee, one of the local kids guided us through the nearby jungle behind his village.

After a 20 minute walk (where I somehow injured my ankle towards the end and had to painfully limp back afterwards) we finally arrived at the site.

As these flowers only bloom for several days before decomposing, we were lucky enough that day to be able catch both a smaller Rafflesia bud waiting for its time to fully bloom……

…..as well as this beauty already in full bloom.

And this one is just to prove that those photos above weren’t copied from the internet

Those interested to view the Rafflesia around the area should head towards the Poring Hotsprings. Apart from this one near the entrance to the hotsprings, along the way to Poring are several other similar notices placed by the roadside - just stop at one and then get the locals to take you to them for a fee.

On day 2 of our KK trip, we hired a guide and transport to drive us across the Crocker Range to get a closer view of the icon of Sabah - Mount Kinabalu.

The long drive brought us pass the town of Tamparuli where the bridge that was immortalised in an old Kadazandusun folksong is located. However this current bridge is a recently constructed replacement of the original which was washed away in floods some time back.

Riang ria Beruang Madu di Jambatan Tamparuli

Harry who arrived on a much later flight the previous day, joined us on our outing

From here Mount Kinabalu was already visible in a distant rising majestically more than twice as high as its neigbouring peaks.

All along the long drive on the roads cutting across the hills and moutains of the region Mount Kinabalu kept peeking at us every now and again, growing more and more massive with each subsequent view. Unfortunately most of the shots that day ended up rather gloomy since the sky was rather cloudy in anticipation of the rain that came later that day. At the exact same time that we were marvelling at the beauty of the mountain, Arel and his brother just started making their grueling journey up to the top.

We stopped for breakfast at this little rest stop called Pekan Nabalu which boasts of unobstructed views of Kinabalu. The small motel there would be a good place to spend the night before rising early the following morning for sunrise shots of Kinabalu. Next time, next time…..

We later stopped at the highland Kundasang town where various fresh produce from the surrounding area were sold.

Some of the processed foods were quite unique so we couldn’t refrain ourselves from getting some.

Kundasang too has fabulous views of Mount Kinabalu in the morning. However later during the day you’d be lucky if you can catch a peek of Kinabalu no thanks to the heavy cloud blanket over most of the mountain.

Close to some stalls selling potted plants I noticed a Sabah flag gently blowing in the cool morning wind and managed to find the perfect angle to compose the next shot…

So it must have been here at Kundasang that the sillhoutte of Mount Kinabalu on Sabah’s flag was drawn up 20 years ago.

Due to lack of time, we didn’t stop at the Kinabalu Park HQ or get to explore the jungle treks at the base of Kinabalu. All the more reason to return to Sabah in the near future.