Tea Destination

RANAU is one district in the State that has a lot to offer tourists. It has the Poring Hot Spring, the Kg Luanti Fish Spa, the Memorial Park, and the Kinabalu Parks as well as Mount Kinabalu, among many others. Guests will actually be spoiled for choice but they should not pass up the opportunity to visit the Sabah Tea Resort.This resort sited in a picturesque area within the tea plantation is well worth several visits actually. They have very good accommodation, comfortable and clean.

There are 16 rooms in the four cottages. The cottages, with their quaint picket fence, are named after some British and Australian personalities including Sir Alfred Dent, a founder of the British North Borneo Company; Sergeant Lofty Hodges who was part of a special forces unit that parachuted into North Borneo to rescue the prisoners during the Japanese occupation; Martin and Osa Johnson who flew from Singapore to North Borneo; and Sir William Goode, the last Governor of North Borneo.

These little gems in history can be very interesting to guests especially those who came from the countries concerned.

Besides the cottages, there are 25 rooms at the longhouse to cater to guests who wished to stay over for a couple of nights. This place is worth staying a few days in actually, to enjoy the ambiance and rest from the hassle of city life and running the rat race.

From the cottage, one can wake up to the glorious sight of Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Malaysia and one of the more famous tourist destinations in the State.  The brooding mountain in the distance never fails to amaze and is a favourite of photography buffs.

Those who have never seen a tea plantation before can walk around to their hearts’ content. In the morning one can actually watch the people picking tea leaves. It is an interesting sight, and merits more photos.

Plants and flowers abound around the resort, so more subjects for photographers. The main area of interest seemed to be the pretty teapot effigy at the restaurant ground and a sign where more people take photos for remembrance’s sake.

The ambiance with little touches for their guests allows them to enjoy the cool morning air and the walk, they can also take memorable photographs. One of these touches is the ‘Go Sabah Frame’ erected in collaboration with the Sabah Tourism Board. When one stands there, Mount Kinabalu is the ‘framed’.

Walk around and guests will come to a memorial to a fallen Australian Prisoner of War (PoW) memorial. This was one of the young man who died during the infamous death march during the Second World War.

This site is where Allan Quailey fell and died on Feb 16 1945. His photo is there with a brief history of the event. An Australian and a Malaysian flag fly there, flapping in the wind, forever saluting the fallen hero.

As for tea, Sabah Tea is very famous among tea drinkers. They have now augmented the tea flavours, where people can taste tea with a hint of lavender, Calamansi and lemon, mango and strawberry as well as Passion fruit, among others. They have a website where customers could order from.

Personally, I believe that guests should stay longer at the Sabah Tea Resort due to its comfortable accommodation, and go around the touristic sites around the area, such as the Poring Hot Spring, the Fish Spa at Kg Luanti and Ranau township among many others.-PW

Dining at Venition Club

 

Having food at Venition Club sited at Off Jalan Lintas, Lido is a leisurely adventure through their extensive menu. The ambiance is cosy and the staff is friendly and welcoming. There are booth seats that give you a sense of closeness to your dining companion and are indeed suitable for couples who wish to dine together in their own ‘secluded’ space.

This place is famous for its dim sums but the menu offers extensive choices for diners. The Deep-Fried Chicken with Belacan is interesting and should be sampled as well as the all-time favourite cold Thai Style Glass Noodles.  The Sweet and Sour Eggplant and Dry Butter Mock Prawns as well as the Curry Vegetables are must-sample items that shouldn’t be missed.

The Fish and Chip is a classic. The Grilled Lamb Chop is worth ordering so is the Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken. The Double Boiled Soup is absolutely delicious as is the Imitation Sharkfin Soup with Fish Maw. The Wet Butter Chicken and the 3 Flavours Chicken are delicious and should really be sampled.

For something a little different, get the Honey Roasted Char Siu as well as the Tomato Beef and Braised Lamb Belly. Those are a veritable feast.  The Beancurd with Minced Chicken with Salted Fish and Kimsha Beancurd with the Szechuan French Bean  are good accompaniments for lunch.  Top that with Thai Sweet Chili Fish and Special Crispy Chicken Skin and it’s perfect.

Don’t forget the Korean Chicken Wings, they are delicious. But get the real experience, visit the Venition Tasty Wok’s today-PW

 

5th Avenue's Offering for 2023

 

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THE  best thing about dining at the 5^th Avenue Café sited at Taman Foo Long, Luyang, Kota Kinabalu,  is the food’s great flavour. There is always something titillating the palate with every dish.

Mostly because they have great quality ingredients for their dishes and of course, the expertise of the chef takes them a level higher. So, each dish gain impressive flavours that allow you to taste sweet, sour, salt oi,l and spice among others, distinctively. The taste of the food does not bleed together, lending each dish similar taste.
Mouth-watering is a popular saying when it comes to food, and the new 2023 Chinese dishes at the 5^th Avenue are made of those. It requires returns. The presentations are also commendable. Visual presentation makes the dishes appetising
For 2023, diners at 5^th Avenue will be able to enjoy these new dishes. They include Kiu Nyuk Mantao, Steamed Pork Slice with Salted Fish and Crispy Pork Belly with Homemade Thai Sauce.

For those who simply loves prawns, order the Kim Hiong Prawns followed by the Longan Prawn Salad and the get the Teo Chew Style Steamed Beancurd for taste.

 

The Homemade Crispy Beancurd with Squid and Chicken Ham is delicious as is the  Crispy Apple Chicken and Black Sesame Crispy Chicken.

The Laici Honey Lamb is worth coming back for seconds, just as the Spicy Garlic Lamb. Eat those with a serving of the all-time favourite Salt and Pepper Shimeji Mushrooms.

The Nam Yee Mixed Vegetable is recommended followed by the Steamed Mushroom Chicken Roll with Egg Gravy and of course the Mock Sharkfin Omelette. 

 

Try the Stir Fried Black Bean Fish Fillet and the Stir Fried Fish fillet with Salted Vegetable and Pineapple as well as the Fish Maw Seaweed Crabmeat Soup. All these and more are available at the outlet. Make sure to check it out and enjoy the sumptuous food.-PW

 

At Karanahan View

Visiting Karanahan View, in Kg Tempasuk 1, Kota Belud, one can see the colourful field of photo booths, beautifully landscaped lawn and the swimming Pool. By the side, there is a pond with plenty of fish and several kayak and boats nearby in a hut, just ready for guests to push into the water and go for a good paddle.

There are flowers growing in abundance along the paths to the huts and chalets there. At one side, umbrellas hang on strings overhead, creating a pretty sight to the shade, and of course paused for visitors to capture photographs.
There are several buildings there, one of which is a one-storey restaurant, where they serve filling food, and traditional fare upon request. The ambiance is cosy, with comfortable seats and breeze blowing in from the open space outside. The view is of the paddy fields and the villages far in the distance.

In the morning one can see Mount Kinabalu in the distance from Karanahan View. There are beautiful photographs of the majestic mountain captured from this site.

The proprietor Michael Asik shares that area used to be just paddy fields, tended to by he and his mother. It was just like any other fields where they would toil and sweat under the hot sun, ploughing the fields and making it conducive for planting. The mother and child would plant paddy seedlings in a row as fast as they could so the paddy would grow uniformly.

“I planted paddy very fast and had been commended for it,” Michael shares, reminiscing about the past.
He was very close to his mother, he shares, as his father had passed a while back. He went with his mother everywhere to tend the field and generally working the land with her. He went to school though and got gainfully employed as a civil servant. Sadly, his mother had since passed.
“The land was lying idle, so I got the idea of making a fish pond there. Initially I had no intention of making it accessible to the public, but it created a lot of interest, with people passing by, coming in and watching me feed fish,” he shares.

“Friends encouraged me to develop the place more, as it can be turned into an attraction, so they said. So, I began to look into developing the land into something more appealing than it originally was. We began to put up the meandering path, construct huts and the chalets. We have gazeboes and shades for picnics and the children who come to use the pool.”
Bicycles ready for guests

“We have chalets for those who wished to stay over. The people that come here are usually those who want to rest for a while away from their home or workplace environment. We have welcomed international visitors in the past, before the pandemic, and hope to, again.”
Visitors to Karanahan View, which is opened from 6am to 10pm daily, will usually be welcomed by a group of youngsters in traditional Dusun costumes, and beating of the gongs. They will be ushered in for welcome drinks and rest before embarking on any of the activities.

“Those who wish to just play around in the swimming pool can do so, while others go on the paddle boat. They can choose the inflatable boat to if they are so inclined. The remote-controlled boat is also quite popular as well as the remote-controlled car. Bicycles are also available for those who wish to go cycling. One of the best times to cycle is in the morning, when Mount Kinabalu can be clearly seen. Learning to fly a kite is also quite interesting, and one can crush up on one’s skills here.”

“For those who wish to commemorate the occasion of their visits, they can borrow the traditional costume there for a mere RM25 and pose for as many photographs as they want. There are many more activities here that can be of tremendous interest to guests such as paddy fields activities and fishing,” he enthuses.

The 1.5 acre of land where Karanahan View stands is only part of a piece of land that Michael owns, and he will continue to expand his tourism site. He also runs a six-room homestay nearby. The rooms are clean and comfortable.

The houses are surrounded by a village’s natural environment, so guests can experience a real stay in the homes of a local. Karanahan View is an example of the ingenuity of an innovative landowner who wishes to participate in the tourism industry, even when there’s no particular significant landmark nearby. He carves beauty off a paddy field, and maintains the fields around the site, to enhance its attraction. The fields will serve as a reminder to the people about their heritage and past livelihood, while the tourism spot present man-made wonders.-PW

 

Turtle Tales in 2022

KOTA KINABALU: A book on Walai Penyu Conservation Park hit the market on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 to coincide with the World Ocean Month.
The book is an elaboration  of the aspirations and struggles of its founder and managing director Alexander Yee, co-authored with Dr. James Alin, an environmentalist.
James, in a brief interview said that he believed the book was important to ensure that the generations to come would appreciate and understand the importance of turtle conservation as well as the struggles of their conservators.
The book entitled “A Tale of 30 Thousand Turtles” is about the journey of the sea turtle conservation works on Libaran island, starting from the beginning when the people from the village there still harvested turtle eggs for food and commerce.
Through the years, with patience and tenacity, as well as education, Alexander had convinced the people that conservation was necessary to ensure the perpetuation of the species.
In the beginning objections from the villagers was rife and it disheartened the founder tremendously, almost leading to him giving up the praiseworthy project.
“His story was interesting and I believed that it should be compiled in a book. All the happy and inspiring tales should be written and shared with others. At that time, he was ready to give up due to villagers who were against his conservation efforts,” James shared.
During a long heartfelt conversation between James and Alexander, about whether or not the conservation efforts should be continued, a turtle came ashore, right to their place where they were seated and started to lay its eggs.
“It was like a sign for me not to give up; that conservations should be continued to ensure against their eventual extinction,” Alexander said.
A photograph immortalised the sights of the two happy men with the turtle and now grace the back cover of the book.“30,000 baby sea turtles that had been released during the 10 years since in 2010, thus the book title. 
The proceeds from the sales of the book will go to conservation programmes. 
At the moment, the turtle conservation activities are carried out by the Friends of Sea Turtles Education and Research (FOSTER).”
“We are planning to set up the FOSTER environment award to give recognition to the media and the marine works carry out by Sabahan non-governmental organisations (NGOs), individuals and groups. We will also set up a platform for marine based NGOs in Sabah to exchange ideas so that we can have the synergy flowing. We will work together with Tanjung Aru Marine Ecosystem Centre (TAME) to conduct workshops and study sessions,” Alexander shared.
The sea turtle conservation efforts won the Asean Sustainable Tourism Standard Award 2022-2023 for the rural category on March 2022 and the Best Tourism Product 2019 awarded by Sabah Tourism Board.-PW