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....