Essence of Borneo

Kundasang Guesthouse Most travellers are getting more experience oriented and want to savour the sites and sights of their destinations more. They want to sample local cuisines including street food and beverages, as well as the traditional fares of their hosts. They want to have memorable experiences plus photographs and mementoes to remind them of their trips. Most will post their photos in facebook or other social media outlet to show their friends and families back home their experiences. Of course with all these experiences, they also want to have good accommodation to rest and relax after a day of adventuring. They want to have comfortable spacious rooms with good amenities. In fact some will opt to get a whole apartment so they can cook their own food to chase down what they ate outside. Japiril Suhaimin In Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, travellers will not be disappointed. As soon as they land, they will be greeted warmly by the locals and they can hope to e...

Travellers  want good rooms to crash in when they reach their destination. They need comfortable beds and clean functioning bathrooms in a room that is spacious and airy. Some the chalets Most want terraces, verandas  or balconies with good and if possible breathtaking views. They want to sit and relax with pleasant scents of nature, with their feet up. Afterwards they want to have an enjoyable meal in a spacious restaurant with good prompt service and lots of elbow room. In short they want someone else to make lunch, clean up everything and sit back and enjoy their holiday and the magnificent views. The Kinabalu Pines Resort Kundasang is just the place for holiday makers who want to have all the features mentioned. They have well-appointed rooms, spacious and airy with good toilets equipped with hot water for showers. They have a good spacious balcony furnished with chairs to lounge on to enable guests to look out towards the mountains and Mt Kinabalu before t...

Mt Kinabalu The 30th Mount Kinabalu  International Climbathon held on Oct 15, 2017 will be the last, it seems as it has since been officially scrapped by the relevant authorities. If it had continued, the climbathon would be held again this year. The previous event saw 116 participants from 18 countries including locals pitting their strength and stamina against one another to emerge the best. At that time Sabahan Safrey Sumping finished first. Sadly he will not be able to repeat his feat. Albert Shim The residents of Kundasang are not happy about the cancellation, which to them is a major event. This is the time when domestic and international participants, their family and friends and those who are avid spectators throng to this area. This is a time when residents can sell their wares be it food and beverages or souvenir items to their guests, this is a time when transportation, restaurants, homestays, resorts and hotels and all matters of accommodation are fully ut...

Mt Kinabalu The 30th Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon held on Oct 15, 2017 was it's swan song as it has since been officially scrapped by the relevant authorities. If it had continued, the climbathon would be held again this year. The previous event saw 116 participants from 18 countries including locals pitting their strength and stamina against one another to emerge the best. At that time Sabahan Safrey Sumping finished first. Kg Sinisian, Kundasang under Walai Tokou Homestay Kundasang residents are not very happy about the scrapping of the event. They had always looked forward to the event as this is the time when they welcome a lot of visitors into the area. They get a lot of business in accommodation, food and beverage, tour and services as well as transportation.  Kohadie Watiman, the Kundasang's Walai Tokou Homestay coordinator and also the Vice President of Malaysia Homestay Association said scrapping the climbathon impact the tourism industry in K...

General Manager Chloe Loo (2nd right) with Chef Marcel Lumangkok(3rd right), Director of Sales and Marketing Stella Moluntang (right) andhuman resource manager Daisy Mak (left) with staff  showing off their pretty kolam Deepavali will be celebrated in October 26 this year in Sabah and Malaysia. This is a celebration that will see people from all walks of life enjoying the event and the holiday that will fall on Monday, Oct 28. In Sabah its a celebrated by Hindus, with other races joining in the celebration, which is an identity of cultural, racial and religious tolerance in the state. In conjunction with this celebration, the Palace Hotel Kinabalu is offering a set menu of special sumptuous  food which include Poppadom, Tomato Chutney, Chapati and Briyani Rice, Green Bean Curry and Indian Potato Patties. The sumptuous offering These are chased with Alo Ghobi and Kheer. This meal comes with mango lassi or teh tarik. The delectable food is available for lunch an...

The group at the peak of Mt Kinabalu Visiting a new place and experiencing fresh territory can be exhilarating. This is one of the reasons why people travel to other parts of the world; to be enchanted and be captivated by the sites and sights of other places other than one’s own. Blown away was the expression from a tour leader to a group of Serbians who visited Sabah, recently. Bojan Maric, the tour leader who brought group of 18 tourists from his country said they enjoyed every minute of their visit. His group comprised of mountaineers while others were avid sightseers. They had travelled the distance to sightsee in this part of the world with as he had visited the State before and was wowed. Getting ready for the hike He had visited this part of the world five years before and liked what he saw and experienced. “I especially loved visiting Mount Kinabalu and the National Parks, the Kinabatangan River to look at the Proboscis Monkey and of course Sepilok to look a...

KOTA KINABALU :Keputusan kerajaan Negeri untuk mengharamkan perniagaan mesin slot di seluruh negeri menjelang hujung tahun ini telah mengundang bantahan beramai-ramai daripada pemegang taruh di kalangan operator dan pekerja-pekerja premis yang bakal kehilangan pekerja. Dalam satu kenyataan akhbar Ketua Pemuda UMNO Sabah IR. Abdul Aziz Julkarnain berkata walaupun Pemuda UMNO Sabah bersetuju dengan keputusan pengharaman tersebut, kerajaan negeri perlulah memberi pertimbangan yang sewajarnya terhadap warga Sabah yang terkesan dengan pengharaman tersebut dengan memberikan peluang masa untuk mereka mencari pekerjaan yang baru. Beliau berkata, dengan keadaan ekonomi yang tidak menentu apatah lagi dengan KDNK negeri (1.5%) yang merosot teruk ditambah lagi dengan kadar pengangguran (5.8%) yang tertinggi di negara ini, bukanlah satu perkara yang mudah untuk mencari peluang pekerjaan yang baru. “Justeru, kerajaan negeri perlu mencari pendekatan yang lebih baik untuk menyelesaikan isu-is...

Some of the demonstrators KOTA KINABALU: Thousands of recreation club employees held a peaceful demonstration  at Venition Club, Penampang to appeal to Sabah Chief Minister to allow the continuation of slot machine license. According to a statement released by the organisers, with the discontinuance of the license some 10,000 people would be affected. The peaceful demonstration lead by the President of the Persatuan Kebajikan Pekerja Pekerja Kelab Rekreasi Sabah (PKPKRS) Yap How Nam saw participation by employees of the sports and recreation clubs in Kota Kinabalu. According to the PKPPKRS President they wanted to send a message to the Sabah Chief Minister and they want to be heard. "We have sent letter to arrange for an appointment and memorandum of staff petition to the Chief Minister but there was no written response. It is quite disappointing that the voices of “rakyat” are being ignored and neglected," he said adding that this was not the  This is not the “...

Mt Kinabalu seen from Kota Belud Walking or driving around in Sabah, the Land of the Sacred Mountain brings many pleasant surprises and constant discovery for visitors. I like the driving part. A friend and I once drove from Kota Belud to Ranau and then to Sandakan, and I loved every moment of it. I especially like the gigantic trees along meandering roads, intermittently dotted with villages surrounded by small patches of tapioca, yams and sweet potato gardens under shades of various types of fruit trees and flowers. Such quaint sights. They never fail to enchant me. I always gush 'its like going home!' My village, Kampung Bambangan Inanam in the 1950's and 60's was like that, I recall...sadly. Now its just rose-tinted memories. Anyway, a drive towards Kiulu in Tuaran is such a place where you will be able to see sights of local villages in its quaint settings. These settlements seem to be part of the greeneries and forests. Of course there are big ultra m...

Lapu Shrine in Cebu - By Rjruiziii/ commons.wikimedia.org A walk in Cebu City, Philippines  is just like home; we see people that are just like us in Sabah; and the dialects spoken are very familiar, being that there are people who come from this island, residing in Sabah. In fact, I can walk the street although I don't talk the talk. Jokes, aside, it is a beautiful place to visit and my two weeks there a few years ago was very enjoyable. I hope to go back there again one day and enjoy the mango. Tons of them there, I can assure you..YUM!! To share with you: Cebu is the main centre of commerce, trade, education, and industry in the central and southern islands of the Visayas. It has five-star hotels, casinos, white sand beaches, world-class golf courses, convention centres, and various shopping malls. For sightseers who wish to know the historical aspect of Cebu, the Casa Gorordo Museum is probably one of the best sites to visit, besides the famous Basilica Minore del ...

Bangkok City In Bangkok, sightseeing and shopping goes together. It was with such eagerness and excitement that a travel companion and I decided to beat the sidewalk to Patpong Night Market on the second evening of my stay there, recently. We   wanted to walk, just to breath in the ambiance of a thriving city. This walk was from Sukhumvit Road, a mistake as it took us almost an hour to reach the Silom area. We rested on seats along the walkway, though. On the way we saw a couple sleeping on a mat on the ground. They looked so peaceful there laying on the grass under a shady tree. The dusk lent them an otherworldly look, as if they were floating on a space of 'then and now'...the contrast that is, between a huge bustling city and sleeping on the rough under the stars. Near them slept two dogs, oblivious to their surroundings as if they were just as exhausted as their masters. We wondered about who they were, what they were doing for a living...indeed, what was their lif...

A traditional house in Kiulu We are always welcoming tourists into the State and some of us, into our homes. However, being the warm, welcoming and considerate people we are, we sometimes do not tell our guests the little things that make up our traditional tapestry. This is especially true about our habits, most of which have been practiced since time immemorial. To go into a Kadazandusun house, taking off the shoes or slippers before entering is a must. I believe most South East Asians practices this. This is a sign of respect to the hosts. But where practicability is concerned, this ensures that the hosts do not have to sweep and scour the floor after the guests have left. You never know what a person has stepped on before entering the house. When visiting, guests should not shout, but should cough once or twice. This is to warn the hosts that someone is outside. After that you may knock on the door, but you may have a bit of a problem if the house is on stilts as all...