KK Trip - Kundasang - Desa Dairy Farm - Luanti ( Part I)

This is the best trip so far I think, since being bogged down with work throughout the year. I took the opportunity during my work trip, to spend a day outside and guess it was nice that we had our trip in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

It is better to go on holiday rather to spend time (business plus leisure) if you are the ORGANISER. Not many chances to be on your own since other participants may want to have you around to ensure the work part is settled.

Travel wise : Holiday is holiday. Work is work.

There were tips can be learn from this Kundasang outing. You need to spend at least a night in Kundasang to see the sunrise in the next day with no cloud formation for the best view of the mountain. Two hours journey is doable but going to one spot and another within one day is pretty rushing, I think. 

We took a van from a travel agency. Service is so and so, I would not really recommend this one since the person does not get back to me after I texted him some feedback.I would expect this person to at least explain why one of the items in the itinerary went missing. But of course to compare the inbound tourism industry dengan yang ada di luar sana, not fair lah kan. Tepuk dada tanya selera. I consider myself as a very fussy tourist when it comes to tour paid services.

To cut the story short, lets have a look at the pictures shall we?

Ahahahha, dah  termuncul nama syarikat. Layan jer lah. We departed early morning at 8.00 am from the hotel lobby.

The road is in good condition. Not many cars on the road that day but it can be pretty congested during festive season especially Christmas.

Throughout the journey, you will be able to see the mountain peak but at this hour around 9.30 a.m the cloud start coming to conceal the view.

A word of caution : You may not be able to stop for photos taking considering there is no facilities for observation deck along the road.  However, there are some wider spot available at your own risk.  All the pictures were taken in mobile mode.

We have passed the mountain area and now heading to Luanti. View of Kundasang.

Kundasang area. Houses on the hills with farming activities (vegetables, mostly). Definitely a breathtaking view. 

It takes about 21 km from Kundasang to Luanti. The fish spa at Tagal Sungai Moroli Luanti is good but the water is so murky due to raining, quite a let down if you want to have that clear crystal water for photos shoot. Food for fish is sold for RM1 per packet. entrance fee is RM15 per person for 15 minutes. You have to line up to have your turn to go down into the river, a little bit restrictive considering the river can be quite OK to what I have seen in Taman Negara Kuala Tahan. Kiddies pool level I can say, ehheheheh. Since we had been in Luanti, prior to arrive this spot, you can also have a stop in Poring Hot Spring. We could not have the place due to negligence of the tour operator who did not include the item in the itinerary. The reason I was a little bit upset but never mind, there will be always time to come again for another visit.

After we had our lunch in Kundasang, we went straight to Desa Dairy Farm which was really worth the journey during this entire trip Why? The weather is cool, though it was raining when we arrived. The view is really breathtaking (seriously, it prompts me to go similar place after this) and I do think this is the highlight of this tour. Nothing else. However due to mass tourism the place could not cater many visitors at one time. Too many visitors queuing up to purchase the milk and the food. Nevertheless,  the  new on going structure being built for a cafe/restaurant is something better for the future visitors.

For parents, kids would definitely love the idea of feeding the calves. Be prepared to spare cash purchasing grass for the animals. Without I realise, I have spent around RM10.00 just for the purpose, but it was definitely a good distraction for kids to be able to remember the moment in Kundasang. In good playful way.

After we left Desa Dairy Farm, the next spot will be Kinabalu Park. The weather became worse when the rain kept pouring and we even did not have the chance to be able to walk in the Botanical Garden. Nothing much we could do except to sit and get some rest on a comfortable sofa after almost 2 hour journey from Kundasang. Fortunately Kinabalu Park does come with an information centre where exhibits of flora and fauna preserve and sample of rock formation were displayed. Nothing much spectacular since we have missed the video time with daily show at 2 p.m.

For the mountain climbers, Kinabalu Park is the entrance to begin their journey of climbing.

The accommodation offered to climbers and natural lovers. The price can be a real steep. Book in advance necessarily.

We managed to sit down and enjoy the view. The big pakus pakis plant is a bonus. Feels like going back to Jurassic Era in most comfortable mode.

More view from the balcony.

The staff lighting up the fire's place. It can be so cold at night.

Overall, the places of interest covered are:

     Tagal Sungai Moroli Kampung Luanti (Fish Massage)  
Desa Dairy Farm
Kinabalu Park
Rumah terbalik
Jambatan Tamparuli

To be continued....

Tawau-Kunak-Semporna (Part II)

This is after the first post.

The second day in Tawau was far more interesting. We went to Semporna for some sightseeing, another 90 km drive from the hotel room, and surprisingly, I found Semporna is a charming place!

Pasar Tamu Semporna

I never been in Pasar Tamu before even in KK, so the chance to stop and look at what they sell in Semporna served my curiousity with a total satisfaction... Little did we know that this market was newly established in the business area. Wonder how it was before, but we understand why the market was in a such small scale in the first place… Rupanya Pasar Tamu ni macam pasar pagi kat rumah aku di Dengkil! ahahahhahaha.

Pasar Semporna

Nevertheless, we continue to venture to the market of Semporna for dried sea food.... What an adventure going through all the market section. From clothing, house items to wet market, it is like being in Marakesh, Asian version? I recommend you to come and venture. More to Rantau Panjang place but a little bit dust and litter….

Only when it comes to wet section, I feel like a million-worth tourist sesat, all the small children flocked us for some menial job on carrying our shopping bag! Heavenly! Some of the “potters” offered to carry them to our car…sedih juga, kerana buruh kanak-kanak ni gigih mencari uang di kala kanak-kanak lain masih di alam mereka…if I brought Dotter, dia mesti insaf punya!

Bukit Tengkorak
So after market, after the seafood lunch in one of the famous restaurant (a little bit pricier), we went sightseeing around the village and Taman Arkeologi Bukit Tengkorak. Drop Azah in the airport and went to the Hotel for some sleep. Drop the car to the owner for another takeoff…

My flight delayed again huhu!

So, what you are going to do in Tawau if island hopping is not your cup of tea?

Rent a car and start venturing out from Tawau town. I recommend you to visit the Ladang Koko and if you have ample time, please spend more time in Bukit Tengkorak and Kampung Air, just to get the sea people vibe! Superb!

The Almost Forgotten Air Plane Ticket

Oh my, I guess I am getting older now, hik hik...

I just remembered that one ticket purchased two months ago, to Tawau, return for RM55 including tax and fuel surcharge for September 2012. Hmm still giving it some consideration, if I have to burn it, then it is still OK. If NZ tour is set to be earlier, August or July, then something good for me lar, a mini short getaway! Another scuba trip perhaps? Lama sudah dive logku berhabuk!

My BCD!

the last shot of my underwater camera, before masuk air! Huhu

Me, descending to 20 metre deep, with instructor.......

Pivot Technique...sudah lupa dahhh...setahun sudah. My Open Water Test in KK last year.. .Saya sudah bah , anda bila lagi? :)

Ok, lets go back to the main topic, which is to find the best scuba operator in Mabul/Sipadan. There are many websites for reference but of course when it comes to moolah, yang berpatutan kot menjadi pilihan, selain faktor keselamatan dan kebersihan. Here are some recommended spot by friends for thought:-

1. http://scubajeffsipadan.com/

Aku dah lama usha pakej dia ni sebelum amik lesen lagi... tapi tader plak member yang pernah amik dengan diorang ni... agak agak ok tak?

2. http://www.ucsipadan.com/

Member aku ada recommend try dia ni, tapi diorang pegi snorkel jer la so far... agak-agak?

3.http://www.scuba-junkie.com/

Yang ni macam best, tapi so far taderla reference dari mana-mana kawan aku lagi... might be sending them some emel.....

Bukan apa, aku tak rasa dapat pegi dengan scuba operator lama. Memang diakui depa best, first rate lagi and sangat profesional, cuma bila aku tengok harga ke mabul/sipadan yang ditawarkan agak tergezut lar kan, hampir RM3K...menyamai bajetku nak pegi Australasia pulok....mana tak nya si pelakon Hollywood, Emma Thompson tu buat open water dengan depa lagi.. haruslah kelas kan? Kalau si Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt, lagi lar kan? Mahu dekat RM4K jer??? So mana-mana dive operator yang bertuah untuk duit ku ditabur lagi tu (bajet RM1.2K-1.4K) tu, doakanlah hati ku terbuka menerima pakej 5 hari 4 malam ni.....yerlah nak melancong negeri sendiri pun kenkadang lagi mahal dari cheap escape ke negara jiran.... Bagi yang baru nak berkecimpung dengan dunia scuba, kuucap selamat maju jaya, it is doable! kalau kak min yang overweight boleh, korang yang slim dan fit lagi la kan? Cuma kalau nak buat stail bidang terjun terus amik, better to have swimming practise...di pulau tiada confine pool water, lagi laut Sabah yang terkenal dengan choppy waternya...... All the best!

Tawau-Kunak-Semporna (Part I)

My housemate decided to invite me to Sabah for some meeting on her work. Knowing i need to have some weekend getaway far from the peninsular Malaysia, why not?

Booked the cheapest return air ticket, not really, cost me almost like RM400++ on last minute basis, oh my, i had to splurge a bit for this one. Only regret it later cause I can skip this one and plan later.

Never mind, the cost over the unexpected returns and intangible pleasure would might do some justice. We gonna have a blast exploring the most outer town from KL City Centre, with the expectation of boring, no night life whatsoever, but surprising, it was another shocking discovery. Tawau is as vibrant as any town in Peninsular Malaysia, even more livelier to some of them.

Took a cab from the airport, since I had arrive earlier, 9.00 a.m. Checked into hotel, RM98 for a night, had a shower and unpacking, the usual stuff I did, and some nap. Driving all the way from Penang to LCCT the night before, oh my, it was a bliss finding myself in some secluded territory and the new journey would be another story.

The first meal when we had this chicken rice stuff for dinner. Surprisingly, the meal and the drinks were cheap, as what you can imagine available in other city. The time was a setback, all shop mostly close around 8.30 p.m, so better to venture out as early as 7.00 p.m, or else the fast food outlets might help a bit...

The first thing to do was to rent a car for sight seeing (a saga cost about RM100/day). After Azah finished her meeting, turned out that she and another colleague of mine was in the town. The first destination was Kunak, some 99 kilometres from Tawau. Since housemate needed to see what Kunak like after her sister left it for good, 10 years back, some pictures for her behalf might help to refresh some memories kan?

Along the road, the land mostly are filled with massive oil palm plantations, privately owned by the local and you can see the lorries transporting the harvest to the nearest factory. The road however does not really look in good condition, with pot holes and bump, which favourable to pick up trucks and 4wds. Of course, to make it interesting, some potong-memotong (we are so efficient!) would help us to reach Kunak just in time (approximately one hour).

Around 3 pm, the first stop was Kunak Fishing Jetty, situated just next to the town centre. Clear sea water down the jetty, school of fish swimming lazily and the sea smell is what you can expect from a typical small fishing village.

After some late lunch and sight seeing, we decided to leave the small town back to Tawau, another 99 kilometres of journey. Time to get some rest for tomorrow outing - Semporna.

(to be continued).