Brenda's overnight trip to Tenom

I recently spent two wonderful weeks in Sabah. During the first week, I took the Food Tour offered by Adventure Study Tours and in the second week, I did several of their day trips. These included an overnight trip to Tenom, a two and a half hour drive south-east of Kota Kinabalu. This was an opportunity to see a different part of Sabah. To get to Tenom, we needed to cross the Crocker Range, the mountains that lie north-south in the country and include Mt Kinabalu. We went over an amazing road with wonderful views back towards the sea and with hair-raising road elevation inclines of up to 19 degrees. Fortunately Jude has driven this road a number of times and can do it without overheating the car!

Once we entered the valley on the other side of the mountains, we passed lots of padi fields that were at various stages of growth, some seeming to have just been planted, while others were ready to harvest. The journey took us through villages in which we could see traditional wooden houses on stilts.

In Tenom, the hotel we stayed at was perched precariously on the side of the mountains and has outstanding views back along the valley. From my hotel room window, I was able to watch a rainstorm come along the valley to Tenom. The storm clouds were beautiful!

Besides making the trip to Tenom itself, we wanted to visit the Sabah Agriculture Park with its huge array of fruit trees and many different plants, including an amazing collection of hybrid and native orchids. We spent a number of hours on two days, with a knowledgeable local guide, walking through the park, tasting fruit, learning about almost everything we looked at and taking innumerable pictures of plants and flowers. One of the highlights of the park is the restaurant. It is so beautifully situated, it's hard to describe! Just look at the picture of the scene we were looking at as we had lunch.

We went back to Kota Kinabalu on another new road for me, going through Tambunan and passing the Rafflesia Centre but there weren't any rafflesia in bloom - unfortunately. (Rafflesia is the world's largest flower.) The road went through rainforest as we crossed back over the Crocker Range and, as could perhaps be expected, it rained all the way! As far as I was concerned, this only enhanced my 'rainforest' experience.
This was the last day of the very active two weeks I had in Sabah. There is still so much to see that a return visit is definitely needed. Next time, perhaps the rafflesia will be in bloom, maybe I'll get to the islands, and to Sandakan and ...

Brenda Morgan, Calgary, Canada

If you have any questions about Brenda's trip or Sabah, please don't hesitate to write to us at: ron@astsabah.com and jude@astsabah.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Going to a Lotud Wedding - by Brenda Morgan

How fortunate I was to be here in Sabah for a real Lotud wedding! The nephew of the Manager of the Linangkit Cultural Centre (see the blog below Preserving traditions - a family venture) was getting married and I was invited through my connection with Ron and Jude. I had chosen to do the Food Tour with Adventure Study Tours and was lucky enough to be included in the wedding as well.

When we arrived at the Cultural Centre, we were warmly welcomed and taken straight into the area where the bride and groom were sitting on a dais. We were asked to sit on the floor - Ron went onto the stage with guests and local dignitaries and my friend and I sat down with the women in their beautiful traditional costumes. We were immediately surrounded by plates of traditional food which we ate with our fingers.

Meanwhile, the bride and groom were having photos taken with different groups of wedding guests. We were introduced and they asked us to have a photo taken with them as well.

My overwhelming impression was of the hospitality of these people who were going to entertain and feed over 800 guests during the course of a long day! Everyone wanted to know our names and where we were from and there was always someone with us to make sure we had something to eat and to fill our bowls with local brew. This is called 'bahar' and is a type of toddy or palm wine, made from coconut sap, fermented with special bark. We drank it from bowls, rather than glasses, and it was rather bitter with a strong alcohol taste. (The photo of Brenda drinking 'bahar' was taken by Consuelo Cardenas M. The others were taken by Brenda.)

The afternoon included a mixture of traditional and western-type entertainment. Firstly, there were young girls showing off their traditional dance skills to the accompaniment of gongs and drums and then the guests had a lot of fun with karaoke and line dancing. And everybody was involved: the bride and groom, the managers of the cultural centre, young and old - and even us!

The bride and grooom changed into western clothes during the course of the afternoon and then the dancing and karaoke carried on!

The food, the drink and the hospitality continued into the evening in the wonderful setting of the village.

As I think back to this day, my memory is of wonderfully hospitable people who seem to know so well how to have fun in a relaxed and comfortable way - in a really beautiful environment.

Brenda Morgan, Calgary, Canada

If you have any comments or questions about Sabah, please write to us at: ron@astsabah.com and jude@astsabah.com. We'd love to hear from you.