Opposites: Oman and Sabah - not so opposite!

This is the second blog about our trip out of Sabah last year to other countries and other climes!  At the end of our holiday we visited friends in Oman, many of whom have already come to stay with us here in Sabah.  Although we are familiar with the scenery in Oman, our friends there made sure that we went to places we hadn't been before and this meant spending a night in the desert.

The desert in Oman

What could be more different from the green of Sabah?  And yet, in terms of beauty - the desert was lovely.  We sat on a dune and watched the sun go down and the tiny arc of the moon come up - and then in the morning, we sat on another dune and watched the sun come up.  Peaceful experiences made more special by being with good friends.

(Clockwise from top) Images of Oman - a door, goats,
pigeons, a camel, a fishing boat, and two kids

Camels and goats are animals I associate with the Middle East and we saw plenty of them in Oman.  There is no doubt that camels' eyelashes are the lushest in the world!  One of our friends had goats and pigeons where we stayed and his children were so familiar with them that they could just grab them up as if they were picking up a ball!  A little bit of chasing, a lot of giggling and suddenly the kid was secure in the boy's arms. 
Another dramatic aspect of the scenery in Oman is the mountains.  They are like the bones of the earth, showing their folds and wrinkles and presenting themselves in purples, browns, oranges, greens.  They rise up from the land without any introduction or excuse - mystical from the distance and awe-inspiring up close.

There are villages hidden in these mountains where the people have orchards of pomegranate trees and fields of vegetables.  It all seems so amazingly difficult and relies on the sometimes centuries-old irrigation channels to water everything.
In Sabah, we have almost daily rain and the rivers are always flowing.  My eyes never tire of the greenery.  And yet both Oman and Sabah have their own beauty and their own solutions to life's problems.  And they both have wonderfully hospitable people - who will bring joy to any experience you have with them!
It has been a unique pleasure for us to share Oman with Sabahan friends and to share Sabah with Omani friends!  Like bringing opposites together and finding that they enjoy each other so much.


(Clockwise from top) In Oman, in Sabah, the flowers,
the desert,examining a sheet of rubber, in Oman

If you have any comments or questions, I'd love to hear from you.  Please write to me:  jude@astsabah.com

Linangkit Cultural Village - by Cherry and Mac

One of the highlights of our visit to Sabah was the afternoon we spent at Linangkit Cultural Village. This collection of traditional buildings has been set up by a small group of individuals keen to preserve their cultural heritage in a rapidly modernising society.

The visit starts with the removal of shoes and ceremonial washing of feet before entering the small museum by our guide and curator, an erstwhile engineering student, now full-time front man of the enterprise.

Cherry in the museum

The museum's most memorable exhibits were some shrunken heads, some huge Chinese storage jars, adopted as ritual objects by the tribespeople and a full tribal costume, complete with embroidered jacket and hooped belt which the tourist can try on.

Julita working on 'linangkit'

The distinctive tribal textile tradition is kept alive by Julita  who keeps her brightly coloured threads in a clear plastic tool box for easy identification.  

Young & old play drums & gongs

Our visit culminated in a traditional meal served in the large and airy function room, built over the river, to provide a natural cooling system. Some younger members of the group appeared in costume and played the traditional gongs, whilst we ate ‘hinata’ (raw fish) and drank the local brew or freshly prepared tea. The village also boasts a small fish farm and is planning some small-scale purpose-built tourist accommodation with additional restaurant facilities. 



View of Linangkit Cultural Village

This was written by Cherry Taylor and the photos were taken by Mac Campeanu.  You can see more of his photos on:  http://gallery.me.com/campeanu#100099&view=grid&bgcolor=black&sel=59

If you have any comments or questions, please just write to me at:  jude@astsabah.com.  I'd love to hear from you. 

The rest of the world - in October

During the 6 weeks spanning the end of September to the end of the first week of November, I was out of Sabah and into a whole lot of different worlds. 

It was amazing being in autumn - and it was a particularly colourful season this year in the UK, apparently.  Oh, I just love the colours and seeing a glowing red tree or a sparkling yellow tree just appear among all the green.  What a wonderful season it is!



Casa Mila Barcelona or La Pedrera and Parc Guell

And then Griffin and I went to some places in Spain for the first time. They all lived up to and beyond our expectations. Barcelona: what a stylish, vibrant city. And the gorgeous Gaudi places - fantastic! 

Granada holds the beautiful Alhambra.  It is simply marvellous and made reading the Tales of Alhambra (1831) by Washington Irving a real treat because he lived in the fort itself and wrote about the people who inhabited it, the way they lived and the stories they told.


The Alhambra

From Granada, we took a day-trip to Cordoba to see the Mezquita Mosque or Mosque-Cathedral there.  It started life as a church in 600CE and then became a mosque which was completed in 987CE with its 856 pillars!  2 centuries later, it again became a church with the central nave being added in the 16th century.  The incredible symmetry of the pillars was destroyed and the oddest congruence of religions and styles was put in place.

Mezquita Mosque or Mosque-Cathedral, Cordoba

Our trip didn't end there - but more later! If you have any comments or questions, please get in touch with me at:  jude@astsabah.com.  I'd love to hear from you!

Sandakan in July: Part 2 - Kylie Crawley

Continues Kylie's story, adapting her travelogue:


On our third day in Sandakan, we got up at 7:30am, had breakfast and were collected at 9am for our 9:30am boat ride to Turtle Island, Selingan. The ride out was pretty rough indeed but thankfully we didn't need any sea sickness bags. Upon arrival we had a bit of a rest and then went for the buffet lunch.


Turtle laying eggs

 In the evening we visited the aging display upstairs before patiently waiting for the turtles to 'land' and lay their eggs. It was quite difficult to see the turtles coming in and you weren't allowed to shine torches at them (quite rightly) so by the end of the night I didn't know if I was looking at moving turtles or trees that weren't actually going anywhere. Later in the night we were taken on a tour where we saw a green turtle who had just laid her eggs; we then saw those eggs reburied in the nursery to hatch about six weeks later and finally we saw some hatchlings released into the water. Apparently only 2% of them make it to adulthood. Those aren't great odds.


Kylie & Dave

As we had an early departure from the island we had to get up at 5:30am for a 6am breakfast. Jude collected us from the pier and drove us to Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary. We saw about 50 proboscis monkeys who came in for feeding time at Platform A. The monkeys were very entertaining and also a little scary if one monkey started to do the wrong thing to another monkey in their group.



Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary



Before we entered Platform B of the sanctuary, we watched a DVD detailing how two brothers had brought up a lot of land to grow oil palm but once they saw they were inadvertently killing off the monkeys in the process they decided to set up the sanctuary. Not only are there proboscis monkeys but silver leaf langurs also walk around inside and outside. There is an otter and a number of hornbills who fly in to feed each other pieces of banana. Jonathon, one of the handlers, has obviously trained them well. The place has become something of a reserve for injured and orphaned wildlife and the tourists love it.



Buffalo working on an oil palm plantation

On the way out of the monkey sanctuary we saw a water buffalo being used in the traditional way of pulling a sledge to carry out the palm oil nuts that were growing all around us. It was a gentle reminder that even though modern farming methds are instituted, the old way of doing things still works pretty well.

We also visited the home of the American author Agnes Keith who wrote books such as Three Came Home which detailed life in the prisoner of war and civilian camps and living under the years of Japanese occupation in Borneo. The house was beautiful but I can only imagine how hot it got in the middle of summer.



At the English Tea House

 We had a drink at the English Tea House and Restaurant where we watched a couple play a game of croquet (it even looked like they knew the rules) and then Jude drove us to the airport in time for our 18:50 flight to Kuala Lumpur. It had certainly been a very informative tour as Jude has learnt a lot about the history of the area and she knew all the places to visit.

Photos in these two blogs about Kylie's trip were taken by Dave and Jude.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.  I'd love to hear from you at:  jude@astsabah.com

Sandakan in July: Part 1 - Kylie Crawley

The following is adapted from Kylie's travelogue: 

Sandakan War Memorial

The flight to Sandakan from KL was about three hours in length. We were quickly able to meet Jude Day who was to be our guide for the next three days on our brief tour of Sabah. Following a beer in the lobby bar of the Sabah Hotel, she drove us to Sandakan Memorial Park. The reason for this stop over was to visit the prisoner of war camp where my great-uncle Keith Hubert Henley was interned by the Japanese from 29th March 1943 until his death from malaria on the 24th April 1945 in Sandakan. He was just 26 years old. In this camp 2,248 prisoners of war were incarcerated, of those who survived about 1200 were marched 260km to Ranau or to their deaths. If they stumbled or fell, the Japanese shot them where they lay. Only 6 men survived these Death Marches, they were all Australians and they survived only because they escaped. 

Window by Philip Handle

In the grounds of the memorial park the remains of the excavator used by the PoW's to build the airport runway can still be seen. It seems that despite the horrendous conditions, the Australians and other prisoners were larrikins until the last; for instance they went to great lengths to bog the excavator in order that the run way would not be completed.
On a more uplifting note, the commemorative pavilion contains magnificent stained glass windows designed by Australian Philip Handle incorporating the flowers of the states of Australia, Borneo and England.



Leaflet about Keith Henley

 After leaving a paper leaflet on the memorial to commemorate my Uncle Pat and remember his ultimate sacrifice we visited St Michael's and All Angels Church where the prisoners spent the night on route to the camp from Singapore. The church had lovely stained glass windows once again designed and constructed by Philip Handle commemorating those who died and praying for everlasting peace.
                     



Canopy Walkway

 We were able to have a sleep on the second morning as Jude did not pick us up until 10:30am to take us to the Rainforest Discovery Centre. Here we saw macaques swinging wildly through the trees, hornbills flying through the skies, huge trees, beautiful flowers and other assorted wildlife. The canopy walk provided great views of the rainforest below although it was so hot I thought we might pass out.

 Our next stop was the Sepilok Orang-Utan Sanctuary. We watched the introductory DVD and then followed the board walk to where the orang-utans are fed. Despite the fact that the rain fell for the entire time we were there we were lucky enough to see 5 orang-utans including a mother and her very new born baby. They were all so cute and oh so human like. There was a very cheeky one that hung above us for ages, occasionally poking his tongue out at us.


Orangutans at Sepilok

Kylie came to Sabah in July 2010, specifically to visit Sandakan.  Part 2 of her story will be up on the blog soon.
If you have any comments or questions, please let me know.  I'd love to hear from you at:  jude@astsabah.com

Hoya - ole!

Hoya - an odd name, isn't it? But for some reason I find it a particularly attractive name for a species of flower. And at the Sabah Agriculture Park in Tenom there is a hoya garden which generally has a few varieties of hoya in flower. If you look carefully, you'll find them in the native orchid garden as well.

Imagine my delight, then, to actually see the flowers! They are simply wonderful. Tiny massed spreads of star-like beauties in lots of different colours! Sometimes you are fortunate enough to see the really big (this is a relative comment!) purple one which is stunningly strong but generally the flowers are very small, often in unusual mixes of colours.

And when I found out that another name for these flowers is 'waxflower', it made complete sense, as the flowers are just as Wikipedia describes them: Each flower is about 1 cm diameter, with five thick, waxy, triangular petals; colours range from white to pink or yellow. They are sweetly scented and produce abundant nectar. I haven't noticed the sweet scent before - but will be sniffing for it next time. (Usually I'm too busy trying to get a decent picture as they are not easy to capture.)

Intriguingly, there is a whole list of odd words that goes along with this rather special plant that includes: umbellate and peduncles and glabrous! These are words that are worth eating, aren't they?

So, in Wikipedia, I learnt that the grouping of flowers is called an 'axillary umbellate cluster'. And where do they grow? Well, at the end of the peduncle, of course! And then what happens. according to Wikipedia: The flowering peduncles get 2-3 mm longer with each flowering, and can eventually reach 7 cm or more long... Gosh, I'm keeping my eyes open for a 7 cm peduncle!

It's true that the flowers are shaped like 5-pointed stars and it's interesting to know that each group of flowers is called an umbel. Well, umbel - umbellate - umbrella? And an umbel can contain from 1 to 55 or more flowers!

But it's the description of the hoya flowers in Wikipedia that is a real hoot. Here it is: Hoya flowers vary in textures as well as size, some being glabrous and shiny and some being quite hairy... I had to check a dictionary for 'glabrous' and it means bald or hairless! I guess I have mostly seen glabrous hoya then. (You'll be able to talk like this when you're next looking at a hoya!)
And you can let people know that the hoya is native to southern Asia, Australia and Polynesia!

Helen Morgan, Brenda Morgan and Jude Day took these photos.
If you have any comments or questions, please write to us. We'd love to hear from you on: ron@astsabah.com or jude@astsabah.com.

Chinese New Year Lion Dances in KK

Chinese New Year in Kota Kinabalu! It seemed to be even noisier this year - wonderful fireworks and lots of trucks driving around town full of lion and dragon troupes.
Before the start of New Year itself - which is a two week event! - there is a Lion, Unicorn and Dragon festival in KK. It's a wonderful opportunity to see the skill of these young men as they prance and jump and rear up and seem to nearly fall off the poles they leap over. It's quite an amazing display of talent and strength. You can see the poles in some of the pictures in the collage above. They're quite high and are tested carefully by the lion dancers before they begin to make sure they are stable. Some groups even have members sitting around the bottom of the poles to keep the whole structure steady.

The heads of the lions are beautiful to see and the dancer inside can give a lot of character to his lion by the way he moves the ears and eyelids, as well as the tilt of the head and the position of the leg.

Amazing how the lions can be both cute and powerful - the dances are so gymnastic!

Truckloads of lions and sometimes dragons drive around KK during the two weeks of Chinese New Year, visiting temples, homes and business places. They bless the altars, produce scrolls from their mouths that contain best wishes for the year to come, and amaze and delight with their antics on the poles! You can really hear people ooh! and aah! as they watch the amazing techniques that the skilled pair of lion dancers has.

When a new lion's head has been made and is ready to be worn in a dance, someone with status is invited to draw in the centre of each eye - giving life to the head. Quite an inspiring idea. Perhaps one that would make you think twice if you were invited to do this!

These pictures were taken by Helen Morgan and Yap Cheen Boon at the Lion, Unicorn and Dragon Dance Exhibition in KK earlier in February. There are also a couple that I took at other places.

If you have any questions or comments, we would love to hear from you. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us at: ron@astsabah.com or jude@astsabah.com