I felt a stinging
burning sensation to my bum as I woke up to the bright and shinning day on my
Day Two in Sabah. Sure, the
condo/apartment was most comfortable and cooling but the rays of the sun does
its work effectively sneaking through the drapes of the 5th floor
unit. SLing and I were given the honor to sleep in the only room of the condo
while Apang & Rusni slept on the sofa and nice wooden flooring
respectively. I was moved to tears when Apang asked us to use the only bedroom
in the condo to retire for the night. It was such a grand gesture while I would
have been contented with sleeping on the couch or the flooring as I was used to
it already. I really like the one room condo/apartment. What I despised what
the 5 storey flight of RC staircases that suck the winds out of my system and I
felt like hanging on to the rails! Hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa…..I love it….love
the experience!
Anyway, we got
ourselves all ready and hit the streets with me driving to a place called The
Kantin, Bakut, where we had breakfast to fill our growling stomachs. I had
Sabah noodles while SLing had a bowl of beehoon soup with fish cuts. Shanty
looking row of shops selling drinks and food including mee kosong ( I called it
mee mayat ) with other accompanying goodies but no “sasau” ( pork ) which was
demoralising for me! I need my “sasau” or “sasau essential oils “ in the
morning or hands would shiver tremendously. Anyway, the Tuaran mee fare was
just okay for me and I would have loved more “oomph” to the noodles. Stomach
filled and happy hearts, off we go to Ranau. Our destination was Desa Dairy
Farm in Kundasang.
Along the way,
SLing and I asked enthusiastically about the developments along the way and we
were like children enjoying the progress as we inched along the mountainous
route. The scenery and the air was fabulous. Clean, cool and refreshing – what
a start for the day! Along the way, I could see signboards after signboards of
Catholic churches as one eased along the Crocker Range. The lush greenery view
and lovely sights made us all alive and excited.
With Rusni as my co-pilot, it
was easy for me to navigate through the slopes and wet conditions at times due
to the mist. Other than that, it was a glorious morning as the backdrop and
outline of Mount Kinabalu was such a sight to behold. We stopped at several
turns to catch a glimpse of that glorious and majestic mountain amidst the deep
kampong backdrop and terrain. Make no mistakes as if you do, the gorge and side
drop can be quite a fall unless you wanna make a date with your Maker that day.
I was also careful not to be overly eager in overtaking the slower vehicles on
the slope climb and when ascending down too.
Soon, we reached
Pekan Nabalu and the lively small township was a real delight. There was an
array of fresh fruits with pineapples at the forefront, fresh produce such as
vegetables and lots of handicrafts for sale. We stopped by to support the local
handicraft industry and also the tourism industry. We bought some t-shirts,
local bags and were very happy with our purchases. After some nice photography
sessions against the backdrop of Mount Kinabalu, we were off to Kundasang to
visit Desa Dairy Farm.
The journey was
horrendously steep and sometimes, I pity our car as the terrain was really
challenging and bad. Potholes, deep cuts on the road and undulating terrain did
not help at all as we journeyed through to reach Desa Dairy Farm. Like they say
in Sabah, there ain’t nothing free in Sabah except air and sunshine, baby!
Entrance fee was RM 5.00 but I must say, it was the best RM 5.00 I’ve spent as
the view was good, the air was refreshingly cool but smell of cow and that’s
acceptable as we are in a cow farm, mind you!
The Frisian cows looked healthy
enough and the facilities were clean indeed. Everyone of us made our way to the
café where one could get fresh gelato or yogurt or even fresh milk drinks. I
had the blueberry yogurt and chocolate milk drink. It was good and fresh
indeed. The gelato was also very good, I must admit. So, if you are down here,
get that gelato, yogurt and milk – 3 best combo ever! Die Die must try lar !
The only complaint I have is that they have got to be serious in repairing the
roads leading to the farm as the potholes and sink holes can be damaging to the
cars. Overall, a great place to relax and chilled out plus do your trick jump
photography shots!
Our next
destination was the Kundasang War Memorial. Like I said, another entrance fees
and a flight of RC staircase to the memorial. I guess, the park was to
commemorate the sacrifices of the Australian and British soldiers who had put
their lives on life to fight for this land. Names of the fallen were engraved
and adorned the walls of the memorial. It was interesting to note that there
were flowers attached or pinned against some of the names. I can imagine the
nostalgic feeling for the kins of these fallen heroes.
Somehow, I do get
sentimental over such things or maybe, it was just the dust hitting my eyes
causing the tears to well up for a while. After some photographs, we were off
for some lunch which wasn’t a great fare but acceptable as it was the
highlands. What do you expect them to cook up, right? Yeah, Tom Yum Goong,
Sabah style up in Kundasang wasn’t good, people! Trust me, there ain’t no fresh
fish up here either! So, get the beef or chicken meal the next time! The
scenery at the café was superb, actually, to be honest.
Like I said, chilly,
cool ad refreshingly relaxing. It’s a shame that the same compliment could not
be said of the food. I could see fresh vegetables and fruits along the Kundasang
trail, now, why can’t they produce a new good concoction of vegetables salad
dish which would definitely make a lot of people happy especially in this
health conscious society we have today, right?
Kinabalu Park
which was just down the road from our restaurant was our next destination. The
front façade looked the same and it was nice to be back. With clouds covering
the majestic mountain face, it was hard to see the defaced mountain resultant
of earthquake that had struck there not too long ago. The place wasn’t abuzz
with tourist as it used to be. Everything was quiet and on slow mo mode. I
could feel the sense of sadness as my mind wandered off to the fallen guides
and the fallen children. Rusni & Apang shared the same feelings with me. It
was at that time that the four of us gathered together and held a prayer for
the lost souls and may God protect us all from further harm. There was a
sentimental feeling and tears within the four of us. There was no need for
words, just empathy, sympathy and pure sadness over what had happened. I guess, people around the affected areas are
still picking up the pieces of their lives.
Who could blame them for wanting to move along in their lives……afterall,
there is already enough tragedy while the devastation of rivers, nature
surroundings and livelihood are affecting them each day. Let’s us hope and
prayer for a better tomorrow for the people of the mountain. Yeah, that is my
hope and wish………..
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