The Land Below The Wind: Island-Hopping - Day 3

Originally the plan was to do the hike up Mount KK first before doing all the water rafting and island-hopping, since it's probably better to do the hike when we were still fresh.

Unfortunately, it was hard getting a booking for an accommodation at Laban Rata - and we had to modify our plans by moving all the other activities in the early part of our Sabah trip. We didn't really have much choice since we had already bought our plane tickets ;p

Anyway, as planned, the third day was all about island-hopping - namely Pulau Sapi, Pulau Manukan and Pulau Mamutik. These three islands are part of the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, which was established in 1974. There are two other islands that is part of the park, which are the Pulau Gaya and Pulau Sulug.

Early on the third day - I got my mobile phone clock set wrongly by the way and ended up waking an hour earlier than I wanted too ;p - we followed our guide, Mesius, to the boat terminal at Jesselton Point. The day was sunny and so we decided to walk there, while Mesius gave a bit of history of the city along the way.

This is Jesselton Point - it was refurbished (if I recall correctly) in 2006

A picture of the old Jesselton Wharf in the 1930s. There is Pang queuing up to help us buy the boat and park tickets. The tour package was about Rm43. We had to separately rent the life jacket and snorkel though, which was about RM15 for the two items - for the whole trip.

I guess she was fascinated with the old phone booth...we don't see them around anymore...do we?

Our way to the boat. With lots of development going on in the background. A hotel maybe? Or maybe that is part of the Jesselton Waterfront project.

We arrived at Pulau Sapi first.

I tried to snorkel a bit, but the water was frankly not too clean...I think at one point I came in contact of some seaweed and I ended up with itches all over my body - had to quickly shower to get myself cleaned up.

Well, what else to do then (if I can't snorkel) but to take more pics...

OK, despite what I just said...there was still plenty of people on the beach...well, perhaps I was unlucky...

The rocky parts on the beach...the water certainly looks clear from here...

The gals took the opportunity to have a group photo...

How can the guys not have one?? ;p

A photo op as we headed to the next island, Pulau Manukan :)

I was a bit disappointed with Pulau Sapi really and the whole island-hopping activity wasn't cheap either - if all we did were to stay on the beach and take pictures. And I wasn't about to go into the water again since the my experience at Pulau Sapi.

So we decided to go...

Jet Skiing! :)

OK, it was certainly NOT cheap - RM150 for two, for 30 minutes...Though, I guess it was worth it cause we really had loads of fun ;p

The first time I went jet skiing was during a company event at Batu Ferringhi. And that was free. This was my second time on a jet ski...RM75 per person...saved the day I would say. If not I'll probably have been bored on the whole island-hopping trip - and the RM43 I paid for the package would have been wasted ;p

So pour more money in to make interesting, eh? Doesn't sound smart, right? Well, I was on a holiday and wanted to enjoy it...so... ;p

Of course...we couldn't resist taking another group pic :)

And then it was off to the last island, Pulau Mamutik

We found a nice place to just float in the water under a shade...while we watched some plastic bags and other "alien" items float by...No, I'm not kidding...

And here I was trying to be funny...while WM posed very seriously for the camera ;p
We were waiting for the boat to come pick us up to head back to Jesselton Point.

One last pic with YL before we headed back to the hostel for a shower and then for dinner. I was already sun burnt by then. Dang...getting dark makes me looks thinner...Or maybe I just lost weight? ;p

We had chicken rice that night for dinner - supposed to be pretty famous. No pics unfortunately as all of us were too hungry and only concentrated on filling our stomach ;p Anyway, it was the end of the our main activity for the day. At night - since it was our last night in KK city - we went out for some drinks at the water front and just chat the night away.

More to come in The Land Below The Wind: Poring Hot Spring - Day 4

The Land Below The Wind: Padas River - Day 2

I think I need to make some time to finish blogging my whole trip ;p Hehe...maybe I'll just lump the remaining ones into one entry...nah...would like to recount the experience and keep them just record's sake. This time, I'm keeping what I write so that I can read them again in the future ;p

Anyway, the second day was more 'exciting' if you like. And the anticipation was due to the plans to go white water rafting at the Padas river - which took up the entire day; though only about 1 hour of actual rafting.

We woke up early, with the bus coming to pick up around 7:30am. By the time we got ready, the sun was already bright and shining.

I think I was reading the new online while waiting for the others...

The journey started off uneventful, with the bus making stops along the way to pick up some other groups going for the water rafting. The trip was organized by BUSAT, which stands for "Borneo Ultimate Sports Adventure Tours".

Along the way, the guide from BUSAT explained to us our journey plans and we were told that we had to take the longer route across some mountains because the train that we were supposed to take at Beufort has broken down.

Basically, the journey was supposed to take about 2 hours from KK to Beaufort. And then from Beaufort, we would take a train a ride for about 2.5 hours to Pangi Station - which is the starting point of the water rafting.

So since we had to take the longer route, via a "mountain highway" - that was what the guide called it - the whole journey took an extra hour or so to arrive. Or so we thought. There were good mountain scenery to view if one is interested along the highway - though I slept most of the first few hours.

Mountain scene...from the bus

And Pang thought it would be cool to check how high we actually were with his new Tissot watch. 1300m - pretty high up I would say, though considering that we would be climbing Mount. KK at 4K metres...it didn't feel that high ;p

Did I say we thought we it would take only an extra hour? Well, we thought wrong...when this happened...

He must be thinking, "Man...where to start?"

Fortunately (or not), I think they have done this before and after 30-45minutes, they managed to get the spare on and we were back on the bus.

Not before I got a bit of sun...which only help the "burning" process later on when were rafting under the hot sun.

OK...so instead of heading to Beaufort to take a train, we arrived at the Tenom train station instead to get on a train to Pangi.

Tenom Station

When I said train...I meant this...

While we waited for the train to move out from it's depot area, we took the opportunity to take some pics...not too much cam-whoring ;p

And finally, after about an hour's ride, we reached the starting point of Pangi Station.

By then, we thought, "About time!" - we were excited despite some of us getting a bit hungry already since it was past noon. Fortunately, the whole package included some snacks like cakes and fruits before we actually started getting wet.

Since we could take any picture while we were water rafting, we took some pictures of the rapids instead.

And because I'm a bit too lazy to re-write what others has written on "What is Padas River", allow me to quote from this website:

Padas River is situated in the interior of southwestern part of Kota Kinabalu that is only accessible by train (used since the late 19th century in Borneo). Basically, this trip will give you two experiences advantages - 1) Excursion of Class III-IV river, 2) and suitable for aged from 12 to 55 years old

The adrenaline rush excursion covers a distance of 9km of this rather muddy 200 km river that holds 7 exciting and tough rapids!

These rapids carries amusing names such as Merry-Go-Round Rapid, Break Point Rapid, Scooby Doo Rapid, Cobra Rapid, Curve Rapid, Lambada Rapid and Head Hunter Rapid. Each rapid will give you the feel of the motion as what the name means.

The names that the guide gave us was a bit different. I think there was one called the "Washing Machine" because the rapids spins the raft around and a high possibility that your raft might overturn! Haha...and two of the rafts did overturn - though we (8 of us) managed to maintain ours. We also managed to "save" some of those who fell into the river before bringing them to shore.

All in all, it was a lot of fun! Only thing is that it was a bit too short, with the rapids trail only lasting something around 9km.

Still, thumbs up for the adventure!

A buffet lunch was in the package, we filled our stomach with BBQ chicken wings, lamb and sausages, before heading back again - via the old train back to Tenom for the bus ride to KK.

Up we went!

By the time we reached KK, it was closer to 10pm and everyone was super tired from the bus ride. Man...if only the train to Beaufort was working...

I certainly enjoyed the water rafting, since it was my first and there probably be less of a chance to raft on such rapids in the near future! :D

More to come in: The Land Below The Wind: Island-Hopping - Day 3

The Land Below The Wind: Kota Kinabalu - Day 1

It's been slightly more than a week now since I hiked up the tallest mountain in South East Asia (OK, I had to say that ;p), but it feels as if it's been weeks, even months already.

Perhaps the long hours of trekking up and down the mount has made it feel as if a lot time has gone by.

My friends who made the trip with me to Kota Kinabalu (KK) has already blogged about our journey, but I have only now found the time - or rather made the time - to pen down some of the wonderful experiences of this adventure. And to add some pictures to it - cause like they say, a picture paints a thousand words.

Our journey started off with flight from the Penang airport via Airasia to KK. Fortunately Airasia flies direct to KK because if not, then we would have to take a transit flight at Kuala Lumpur's LCCT. I don't think you guys would want the flight details, but from Penang, Airasia only flies out twice a day to KK - so we took the morning flight.

Here are some pics we took in the plane...and also a chance for me to introduce the gang in this week long trip...

That is of course, moi. And the sweet gal next to moi wants to be known only as Kitty ;p

From the back sit, Pang (guy) and FL; and YL at the front (missed his gf on this pic, but will intro her in the pics ahead)

The flight was uneventful, but we did arrive earlier than was scheduled - this is a surprise since my experience with Airasia has been, let's say... less than puntual.

Anyway, we met up with our guide for the trip, Mesius, and he directed us to the taxis that would take us to KK city, where we stayed for the next three nights. FL booked the Velvet Lodge for us (thanks FL for organizing!) and it was a really nice backpackers hostel, with well-kept rooms, clean sheets, free tea/coffee and toast, as well as free Internet access and you can borrow available DVDs to watch on the PC :)

Haha...people used to think that going on a vacation would mean loosing touch with family, friends and the rest of the world. But on our trip, we were making phone calls, reading news on the net, and blogging too (see previous entry ;p). Unfortunately, I also had to make several calls back to work to follow up with some assignments, which I trust did not endear me to my colleagues at work ;p Hehe...must make it up to them somehow...

Anyway here is shot we took from Velvet Lodge...

KK in the morning...pretty quiet (we took this shot the next morning though)

The first day was all about wandering around KK, checking out what it has to offer. We headed for lunch cause we were all famish after the few hours of flight. We didn't take anything special, just the local wanton noodles and fried rice, but it was filling enough.

Anyway, from the local maps showing places of interests, we arrived at the crafts market. By that time, there was a slight drizzle, but it didn't stop our enthusiasm to explore the city. Disappointingly, there wasn't much to see at the crafts market - it was dark and loads of stores selling similar crafts. They have lightings, but didn't switch them on, and coupled with the rainy clouds, it was hard to see, much less appreciate what they had to offer. Plus a lot of the stuff were overpriced.

We didn't buy anything, but managed to snap some photos before wondering off...

A shot at the market...

It was also a fisherman's wharf there. And a 'pasar malam' of sorts at night.

Lots of local stuff. Since it was our first day there, no one thought of buying any to bring back to Penang ;p

We wondered off towards the shopping area which was just further down the street, on the opposite of the water front. Nothing special there either and so we decided to chill at a Coffee Bean and enjoy the sea view on the water front.

It was wet from the rain, but was hot at the same time because the sun was by then shining brightly. Hehe...we stayed in the air-conditioned coffee shop till the sun started to set...pathetic huh? Wait till you see my sunburn...I count myself fortunate not to be out in the sun too much on the first day ;p

Well, the sun was still high...but it was ripe for photo taking ;p Thanks YL for the nice pic!

And a more artistic pic by FL - very nice!

After taking all the picutres that we wanted by the water front, we thought it was time for dinner. We were told that there was going to be some sort of a cultural dance/show at an open food court and so it was there that we headed to for some food.

The food court was actually surrounded by seafood restaurants and since we were already there, we thought we should try and see if we were lucky enough to get some nice seafood - without being charge exorbitant prices just for being tourists ;p

YL's gf from left - the missing gal on the plane + the rest of the gang. Oh...missing Pang since he is holding the camera ;p

And this was taken when I was busy introducing a dish of prawns - it was the best dish that night. The fish was a bit too big and so the meat was bit overcooked when they served it.

And then the show were waiting for...and wait we did since we kind of finished our dinner ahead of time. This is the Sumazau dance - a dance that I have always wanted to watch live sicne I studied about it in school.

Oh...and I didn't miss the opportunity to take a picture of this pretty lass ;p

Anyway, after watching a few dances, we thought it was time to head back for shower and then to bed - it was going to be early morning the next day since the plan was to go white water rafting at the Padas river!

More to come in my next entry: The Land Below The Wind: Kota Kinabalu - Day 2

Blogging From KK

Finally made the trip to Kota Kinabalu - with the main purpose of hiking up South East Asia tallest mountain. And the place I'm staying has internet access too, so I took the opportunity to make a quick entry ;p

It's been a long day with us spending the day just wondering around the town area. Well, the adventure begins tomorrow starting with white water rafting on the Padas river. The journey to and fro will take most of the day with only two hours reserved for the water rafting.

Anyway, no pictures for the moment, but will update once I'm back to Penang ;p

Certainly not the right week to go off for a week's leave, with deadlines looming over the coming weeks - yes, it's work I'm talking about. Oh well, I couldn't have known about the workload since
I made my vacation plans like last year. Cross my fingers and hope that all things goes well back at work? Haha...I think I rather not leave it to fate...probably will need to call back to work and see if I can get a progress update on some of the work I left behind. It's probably not going to endear me to my colleagues...but oh well, things needs to be done and deadlines needs to met.

Right...time to join my friends...they are talking about languages...hehe...let's see if it interests me...or maybe it can help put me to sleep ;p

A New Hope - That's What I Like To See

Congratulations to the Opposition! And in a few states, you guys are no longer the "opposition" - simply brilliant!

I have thought about what to write regarding the recent General Elections (and its results) and I have surfed the web, reading countless comments from bloggers and netizens'. In the end, despite the huge implications the results of this General Election have on Malaysia's political landscape, we will have no choice, but to wait and see. To see if both the Barisan Nasional (BN) government and the Opposition will/can deliver on their promises.

Those in BN will have to come down to reality and acknowledge that the people want to be served - not the other way round. The people wants development, but at the same time their rights needs to be protected. Development should be felt by every segment of society and not only the rich and well-connected. The economy might seem rosy and healthy, but the people's buying power has been on the decline for years - their pockets are thin and the economy paints a contradictory picture for them. Raising the earning and buying power is a more viable solution than controlling prices and subsidies.

For those in the Opposition and in states where they will be running the government - they will also need to take note that there isn't a moment's rest for them either. In view that they did not foresee such a big win in the elections, they need to formulate their policies - not only quickly, but these policies must realistic, achievable and seen to be implemented for the good of the people. Those promises made during their election campaigns must be kept and delivered without bias nor given excuses to keep them from being a reality. Let's bring back municipal council elections, and do away with the Official Secrets Act like what the Selangor-designate Menteri Besar is proposing to do. If the Opposition cannot prove to the people that they can be an alternative, then they will surely be consigned to dustbins in the next election.

The Opposition has always said that the people never gave them a chance. Well, now they have it. Let's see how well they can manage and govern the states, which they have been given a mandate.

We have rocked the boat and threw out a few clowns (think Zam and Samy) in the process. However, the helmsman is still the same, but his relevance is now in question. Should the alternative prove viable, I see no qualms in throwing him and his lots out in the next election.