The North Borneo Beauty

Facts about Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world located north of Australia, and south of Philippines. Politically, the island is divided among three countries: Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, the only island in the world that is a recognized part of 3 countries:

1) The Indonesian provinces of East, South, West and Central Kalimantan
2) The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak (the Federal Territory of Labuan is located on nearshore islands of Borneo, but not on the island of Borneo itself)
3) The independent country of Brunei (main part and eastern exclave of Temburong)

Sabah, Malaysia

So let’s focus on Sabah (Land below the wind).. which is also quite a big state itself.. so places to go if you visit here? Hmmm… there are so many places you can visit if you have enough time to spend..
But..if someone ask me to choose between Sabah travel packages and Disney World Packages, I will absolutely, definitely take the Disney packages.. (Duh! I’m a Sabahan, so i can visit my own place anytime I want right..)

Ok, forget about the Disney thing.. I will list down some places that you should visit when you are in Sabah:

Filipino Market
The Filipino Market is a good place to buy cultured pearls (about RM5 each) and has everything from fake gemstones to camagong-wood salad bowls, fibre shirts and traditional Indonesian medicines. A variety of Filipino and local handicrafts are sold in the hundreds of cramped stalls, along winding alleyways which are strung by low-slung curtains of shells, baskets and bags.

Manukan Island
The island has very clear waters and an excellent venue for water-skiing and sea-sports. The beach however is somewhat rocky and swimmers should exercise some caution. There are coral beds on the eastern and the western reefs and multicolored coral fishes abound here. The best stretch is on the eastern tip of the island. There is a trail system around the island. Ideal for snorkeling, diving and swimming.

Labuan Island
Labuan is a tiny island town off Sabah’s coast that was formerly known as Victoria Town. Today, it is a hub for duty-free goods and boasts some nice cultural touches and landmarks. Because of its proximity to Brunei, Labuan attracts many visitors from there frequently as well as avid scuba divers for its rich marine life.

Mount Kinabalu, Kundasang, Ranau
The mountain and its surroundings are among the most important biological sites in the world, with over 600 species of ferns, 326 species of birds, and 100 mammalian species identified. Among them are the gigantic Rafflesia plants and the orangutan. Mount Kinabalu has been accorded UNESCO World Heritage status.

Poring Hot Spring, Ranau
Other than the natural hot spring main attraction at Poring Hot Springs, there are also other interesting areas in the park to be visited such as the butterfly farm, the Poring Orchid Conservation Centre, the tropical garden, the Poring canopy walkway, and the Rafflesia flower site.

Sabah Tea, Ranau
Sabah Tea Plantation, nestled into the lush tropical wilderness of Malaysia’s first ever World Heritage Site, Mount Kinabalu, sits on a 6,200-acre land at 2,272 feet above sea level.
It is surrounded by the world’s oldest rainforest of about 130 million years. Sabah Tea Plantation is the largest single commercial tea plantation in Borneo with approximated area of 1,000 acres endowed with an interesting plant and agriculture resources, Camellia Sinensis. It is also one of the very few tea plantations in the world that certified to produce organic tea.

Mesilau, Kundasang, Ranau
Mesilau is practically the highest point accessible to automobiles; it is surrounded by hills and is very close to the foot of Mount Kinabalu. The chilly climate engulfing Mesilau results in sparse population of trees, verdant ferns, as well as other medium-height vegetations. It is situated about 100 kilometers (2 hours 30 minutes – 3 hours away) from Kota Kinabalu.

Enjoy your visit! 

Do you believe in supernatural or black magic? This story is about a creature that we called Balan-Balan. This creature is actually half human and half ghost. During daytime, they can live like a normal people, but then at night they will go out hunting for food. When I said ‘out’, their head will ‘detach’ from their body and only the head will fly out for food. We are not really sure where they coming from (origin), but they are still famous until now in certain areas in Sabah.

So how can you know whether they are a normal human or not? Well, I’m not really sure how, but from what I heard from the elders, this half-human race, they usually wear something around their neck (like small towel or scarf) to hide the scar around their neck. Well, I was thinking that what if we print a special ID card for them, using the ID card printer, and give them a special badge holder, so that just by looking at their badge holder or ID card, we know they are categorized as half-human race..

Then the diet.. it’s quite disgusting because they like to eat blood.. well, not like vampire, but they are more into period blood, placenta or sometimes they will look for a dead newborn baby. I also heard that when they transformed into Balan-balan, they will make this sound (like a female chicken) and they also said that if the sound is not so loud (like it’s far from you) actually it’s just near you and watching you. But if the sound is loud (like it’s near you) it means that the head is far away from you. So, be careful.. But don’t worry, they still have their weakness.. they don’t like lime (any kind of lime) and they also don’t like thorn. So if someday you visit a place and hear the eerie female chicken sound, just prepare with your lime..

This great East Malaysian state on Borneo Island is naturally endowed with endless beaches and bays, ancient rainforests and amazing plants and animals, and the sacred Mt Kinabalu.

If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses,
what might not the heart of man
become in its long journey toward the stars?~
~G.K. Chesterton~

Checking my friend’s Edith, facebook just now, i cant help but admire the photos she just upload. Its just amazing to see all the beauty inside the forest she went in.

Rafflesia
Rafflesia arnoldii is the largest, solitary, fleshy flower in the world. It is a parasitic plant that grows on the lower slopes of mountain ranges, in certain areas of South-east Asia. (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo)

The first Europeans to discover the Rafflesia were Sir Stamford Raffles,(founder of Singapore) and Dr Joseph Arnold in 1816, near the town of Bencoolen (Bengkulu) in Sumatra and this particular species was named Rafflesia arnoldii in their honour.

Besides being the world’s largest bloom, it is a very strange and baffling plant. The Rafflesia has no specific flowering season. It has no roots, stem or leaves. In addition, each flower produces just one seed and this seed can only germinate if it succeeds in lodging itself in the tissue of the Tetrastigma vine, which crawls along the rainforest floors.

This is why the Rafflesia is usually floor bound. The flower extracts food from the vine by extending threadlike filaments into its tissue. Its penchant for attaching exclusively to the Tetrastigma partly explains why the flower is very rare.

After taking about 9 months to mature into a cabbage-sized bud, the plant opens. The petals, usually 5, sometimes 6, are red in colour and covered with lighter coloured spots. It only flowers for 5 to 6 days, before the petals blacken and the flower withers.

Although the Rafflesia can grow up to one metre in diameter, the flowers are usually half that size with the occasional monster-sized bloom appearing from time to time. The record bloom of Rafflesia arnoldii, stretched 91cms (3 ft) in diameter, 1.9 cms (3/4 ins) thick and weighed 7 kgs (15 lbs).

Interesting ain’t they?

Thinking to go Sabah? Check out the Reflesia Blooming time before you go, because its really worth to see this world biggest flower!

Sumazau Dance

The Sumazau dance can be considered the state dance of Sabah. The arm gestures are likened to that of a bird and it floats gracefully at approximately shoulder level with gentle bending of the elbow and wrist or alternatively is swung gently like a pendulum, parallel at the sides of the body.

The costumes are authentically Kadazan and are usually black in colour and made of a velvet type material adorned with the appropriate accessories.

The music is provided by gongs of different size.

The dance can be slow and can be fast..Depends on the music..

Lets do the sumazau!