Kampung Kuala Nyalau

Few years ago, I organized a motivation camp for school children at a village called Kampung Kuala Nyalau in Bintulu. The drive there took us more than 2 hours, partly through a oil palm estate and jungle. Despite the long drive, nothing beat the scenery that awaited us there.

To get there, take the Bintulu-Miri road. Take a left turn after you had passed the Bakun Dam junction. You'll then pass thru the confusing roads in the oil palm estate. Can't really remember the route but after the estate, it's the jungle. You'll also be seeing the winding Likau river. A recommended form of vehicle to get there is a 4WD due to the condition of the road. It's really offroad!

It's a small idyllic village by the sea. The kampung folks told us that before there was a road, it used to take them many hours to get to Bintulu by boat. I could hardly say that there was a proper road but at least it's better than taking the boat, especially during the rough monsoon season.

Durian by the river (Selangau, Sibu)

Selangau is a small town along the Bintulu - Sibu road.

The Balingian river flows thru the town. Picture was taken in December 2004, on my way back from a visit to the army camp in Oya. We made a stop at the local market, bought some durians & ate all those durians by the river.

KK - Last day (Pasar Filipin)

Feeling a bit impulsive in the morning when I took my mum to Pasar Filipin. We were there for about one hour before heading back to the hotel, in time to get ready for our flight back in the afternoon.

Some notes :
Taxi from Pacific Sutera to Pasar is RM10 (vice versa). To get back to the hotel, taxis are available across the Pasar, near the junction of the newly opened Le Meridien Hotel.

If you intend to buy pearls, it's better to have a look first. Then, settle for at least 1 stall so that you can bargain. A good bracelet would be around RM20. A pearl necklace is around RM40 or more depending on the style, length & types of pearls. Pearl studs is RM10. Brooch is more or less the same. I managed to get a rice pearl, white color necklace, slightly longer than the ones I had for only RM40. The last time I bought a necklace, it was pinkish, corn pearls that cost me RM80.

Anyway, do try your bargaining skill. You could land yourself a better deal.

KK - Day 3

Mum & I got ready early today. We had planned to go with Bro. Paul to Kota Belud, a small town about 1 hour drive from the city of KK. We had to go early so that we could make it to the Tamu i.e. the market.

We left the hotel around 8.40am & took the Sulaman road. We arrived at the Tamu almost 10am. There were still lots of local people selling stuffs. I bought a colorful box made from palm leaves by the Bajau people. I was told by the lady that it was also meant to keep the wedding hantaran or gift. Found other interesting stuffs too. Bought the kuih gelang and colorful fish cracker (in various shapes).

Link on the tamu : http://www.sabahtravelguide.com/travelogue/details.asp?articleid=35

After Tamu & brunch at a coffee shop in Kota Belud, we proceeded to Bro Paul's village. It was about half hour drive along a winding & steep road. We were actually driving along the hills. The village, Kampung Bundu Paka is located at the valley of the Mount Kinabalu. It's not really that cold there despite the location. The backyard of Bro Paul's house is the Sungai Kedamaian, that flows from the mount. The water was definitely cold. It's so refreshing to listen to the water through the creek.

We left the village about 6pm, taking the Ranau road to KK. It was a winding road but with superb view of the mountain.

Tonite, we had dinner at the Garden Seafood, not far from the traffic light towards Tg. Aru.

The mountain river (Kota Belud, Sabah)

Kampung Bundu Paka, Kota Belud, Sabah. Here, the kids, Yan & Adik are having a good time at the Sungai Kedamaian that flows from the Mount Kinabalu.

Notice the suspension bridge or "jambatan gantung" in the background?

KK - Day 2 (The wedding)

The highlight of the day was the wedding.

The service at the Sacred Heart Cathedral started at about 10.30am. A beautiful wedding, conducted in Kadazan language with songs in English & Malay. The bride's sisters wore the kadazan attire too. The whole do at the church ended till about 2pm.

The family later hung out at Tg Aru beach. Quite a significant change from the my last KK trip, 2 years back. It even had San Francisco coffee now!

The wedding reception was held at the Pacific Sutera. Also in attendance was the city mayor. A low key reception, basically just the dinner, cake cutting, toast and singing. Frankly, it was a sample of the muhibbah spirit...there were people of different ethnic background. In our table alone were Ibans, Dusuns, Kadazans and even a matsalleh (a mixed canadian & native american) who's now married to a Dusun girl. We even had a muslim Kadazan, wearing tudung who sang a Kadazan song on the stage while some relatives danced the sumazau on the dance floor.

I was sporty enough to sing a song specially dedicated to the couple..."Will you still love me tomorrow?" hehe

KK - Day 1

Arrived in KK past noon. The flight took slightly more than 1 hour from Bintulu. After settling in at the hotel, we went out for a drive along the Sulaman road. Later we stopped at Salut, for a taste of Kelapa Bakar (burned coconut), grilled oyster and another molusc, locally known as Lokan. Great stuffs!

For dinner, we went to the restaurant called Kampung Nelayan, located in Bukit Padang. Nice ambience, great seafood coupled with cultural show that started at 7.45pm which lasted for an hour. Recommended for people who want to sample Sabah.

We're staying at the Pacific Sutera, with the view of the marina & golf course.

Link on KK : http://worldfacts.us/Malaysia-Kota-Kinabalu.htm

Kuala Lumpur-Bintulu-Kota Kinabalu

I still haven't recovered from my Bali trip. Just barely managed a day of rest, doing my laundry, unpacking & packing for the Kota Kinabalu (KK) trip. Still very tired. Flew from Kuala Lumpur (KL) to Bintulu on the early morning flight yesterday. And tomorrow, I'll be flying to KK for the wedding.