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Archive for February, 2009

Lumberjack Country
Keningau, the timber town & district, is the oldest & largest district in the interior division of Sabah. Dusun and Murut form the largest population in the area. Timber was at one time one of the mainstays of the local economy, although the industry has recently seen a decline in terms of economic revenue. [...]

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Land of Padi Fields & Countryside
The town of Papar & its surroundings are best seen in the light of its scenic countryside settings. The name Papar, after all, refers to open flat land and well suited to agro-farming. The population of Papar comprises the Kasazan, Dusun and Malay with sprinklings of Chinese mainly concentrated in [...]

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The People of the Hill & the Headhunters of the Past
Ahhhhhh…… the trampoline & bamboo-pole dancers from the East. The Muruts, like the Rungus, live in a longhouse with a communal lifestyle. One unique lifestyle of the tribe is the wooden trampoline (known locally as the lansaran) built within the longhouse. Come the big days, [...]

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The Valley of Bamboo and the Orchard People
Tambunan, a valley at an altitude of 750m, has an all year round temperate tropical weather. The people that live around this valley are known as the Dusun- closely related to the Kadazan tribe. The name “Dusun” is the Malay word for Orchard and hence it came to [...]

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The Little People From the Ground Who Live In The Turtle River Bank
Dusun Tatana is yet another sub-group of the Kadazandusun tribe. As such, the name Tatana refers to the Dusuns that live in a place called Kuala Penyu (Turtle River Bank).

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Lotuds In A Land of Paradise
Lotud, a name immediately conjures up the mystical image of Buddha meditating on the lotus pond. Then reality comes down to earth. The Lotud of  Tuaran are in fact a sub-tribe of the indigenous Kadazandusun people who reside in the district of Tuaran. It is estimated there are now less than [...]

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Longhouses of Borneo- Communal Living
The Rungus, a sub-group of the Kadazan Dusun, are an indigenous people residing in the northern part of Sabah (North Borneo). They are often associated with their communal longhouse dwellings, and distinguished by their unique beadwork designs. The longhouse is divided into separate quarters (compartments) housing individual families. The word “Valai” thus [...]

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Temple of Dragon Mountain
Quite honestly, the temple’s name should have been Lung San Temple but somehow it has been written as Ling San. I believe it’s probably because the sound, dragon, is pronounced as “Leng” in the Hokkien dialect. Translated into English, it is known as the Dragon Mountain Temple. The reason for its [...]

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Taman Ujana Rimba Tropika
A taman (park) mostly utilised by local health freaks and joggers. This park comes alive around 4 in the afternoon. From the name of the park I am sure the initial intention was meant for another tourist attraction but perhaps the City Council lost its way somewhere along the way. Anyhow, it’s a relatively youug [...]

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Midget Twin Towers And One
The Trinity Towers situated by the Karamunsing junction do look uncannily like Midgets when contrasted with other high-rises around the world. Nonetheless, they do possess aesthetic beauty and look magnificent and stunning,  aside from the flyover monstrosity that is obscuring their elegant charms & beauty.
This is an under-promoted landmark of Kota Kinabalu and [...]

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Remembering June the Sixth
On June the sixth, 1976, a plane dropped from the sky, carried with it the then newly elected Chief  Minister of Sabah & six other state cabinet ministers. All on board perished in that fatal plane crash tragedy on that fateful day. Conspiracy theories were abound at the time but no conclusive evidence was [...]

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Once Upon A Time In Jessel’s Town
An image that was once quite a common sight around the Port of Sabah in Kota Kinabalu. Now with the new port located away from the city at Sebangar Bay, this picturesque spectacle is no longer a familiar sight. And the port has been renamed Jesselton Point to bring a [...]

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An Idyllic Romance @ Tanjung 
Lovebirds will flock here during the weekends and public holidays holding hands and strolling along the long white sandy beach watching the sun going down. This has been the local tradition for generations. I am sure most locals have a nostalgic memory of romantic liaison at this strecth of the beach.  Casuarina [...]

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The Changing Face of Kota Kinabalu

The Ever Changing Kota  Kinabalu
Take a good look of the photo below, taken in Aug., 2007. The skyline now is no longer the same. In a few months’ time, a new skyline will  be shooting up- to be replaced by another new shopping mall. See the crane at the distance?  Get the idea? Next will be the [...]

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Madam Butterflies And The Waterfall
When time is on your hands, make a stopover at this little known mini Waterfall up the Mount Kinabalu Road. Take a dip in the water cascading down from the mountain. It’s cool, refreshing and soothing after a long drive up the mountain.
 And you never know what you will find. There, right [...]

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River Kadamaian

Middle Earth- the Shire County
If you happen to be on the way to Mt. Kinabalu, why not take a detour and get on the Route A1 (Ranau-Kota Belud Bypass) instead. You will enter the Middle Earth country once you are on this route. Serene dramatic landscapes, Shakespearian Hamlets, stunning Riverine Villages are words that I could [...]

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The Town With A Bridge In Its Name
Tamparuli is better known for its famous suspension bridge than anything else. The town is also synonymous with the title of  a local folk song- “Sumazau Jambatan Tamparuli”- jambatan meaning the “bridge” in local lingo and Sumazau the local Kadazandusun dance. Whenever the name Tamparuli is mentioned, the [...]

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Finally, the curtain is down and back to reality. Quiet Chap Goh Mei came and gone. Dieting Time!
Updated(10/02/09):  More Happenings Around Kota Kinabalu Here

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Chap Goh Mei

Lantern Festival, or  Yuan Xiao Jie, or Lovers’ Day. Which is which?
Confused? So am I.
However, it more or less signifies the end of New Year celebrations and  happens to fall on the fifteenth day of the New Year. Chap Goh Mei is actually derived from the term used by the Hokkiens in Malaysia to mean the fifteeth [...]

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No Show Business Like Peak Nam Tong
Peak Nam Tong(PNT) sure knows how to put on a show! Not contented with the great Dragon-Lion-Unicorn showmanship performances usually put on every year, this year it went one better and had a gala night with singings and other stage shows. And what’s more,  Hong Bao (Ang Pows) were given out [...]

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Lions & Unicorns

The Vanishing Acts
Abracadabra!
Yep! The lions & unicorns were doing a hide & seek this year. Hardly seen any out and about and they seemed to have passed over the residential areas altogether. The excuses given were: not enough Ang Pow (Hong bao) collected to be worth paying the visits. Oh well, bang goes another [...]

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Wow!  Kara, You Floored Me!
(CNY Roundup 3)
This year Kara decided to stay the same but with different lanterns & minor adjustments. The effects still look spectacular & fresh with a classy look & spring atmospheres to it. Well done again, Kara! Definitely catching up with 1Borneo. Come next year, hopefully Kara will overtake 1Borneo in festive presentations.
 And, [...]

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Acrobats & Musicians, Ooh La La! (CNY Roundup 2)
1Borneo beats everyone else hands down again. The hypermall was dressed up in crimson red (did I hear scarlet? Tough!) and ready to woo the New Year big spenders or perhaps window shoppers, rather. Mind you, the car parks were absolutely filled to the brims and spilled over to [...]

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On The Night When Everybody Is Watching Everybody Watching Everybody (Spring Festival Roundup 1)
That is what the Chinese New Year Night Market Fair is all about. Let’s join in and rub shoulders with whoever and whomever and end up buying whatever you don’t need. Fell for it every time.

 

Rainfall was still with us in the [...]

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