Down Memory Lane - Kinabalu National Park

I have lost count the number of times we have visited the Kinabalu National Park. In the 1980's, Kinabalu National Park was practically the only place visitors could book for overnight stay in their accommodation. The other popular place for overnight stay was at Perkasa Hotel Mt. Kinabalu which was opened in 1981. While the Park is under the jurisdiction of Sabah Parks, all the accomondation and mountain climbing guides are now processed by a private company, Sutera Sanctuary Lodges.

Kinabalu Park, Malaysia's first World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO in December 2000. 

Paul looked at the lodges we once stayed and spent our
holidays in those bygone years!

The third generation!

Almost in every trip to the Park, we never failed to walk the trail and stop at this huge "Rafflesia". Compared to our last trip in December 2017 with Serene's family (Read here), the crowd was bigger this time. Unfortunately in this recent trip, our walk had to be cut short because of the drizzling rain!

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Our short tour of the Park ended with lunch at the cafeteria.

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In the 1980's, the wishing pool was a favourite for the three kids. Unfortunately, the pool was not accessible in our recent trip.

Photo probably taken in 1987, some 35 years ago!

The Family Portrait

The last time we had a complete family photo was in December 2017. That was just a couple of months shy of five years ago (Read here). Livvie who was barely one year old is now five. A new addition, Maddie who was born during the Covid 19 pandemic is now two years old. 

Louis Pang who took our family photo back in 2017 had since permanently closed his studio and he has switched to become a coach for cycling. I had initially asked my brother to take a casual family photo for us after our trip to Kundasang. By mere coincidence when we visited the Sabah Tea Plantation on 12 July 2022, a bystander (who is a tour guide) helped us to capture some fantastic family shots.

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Before we moved on to our next destinations, we spent quite a bit of time enjoying the facilities provided there. Some chose to take a walk through the guided track in the plantation.

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The grandchildren also had a photo shoots after donning the Kadazan traditional costumes. Clearly, they were not very happy after some time because of the heat under the hot weather.

They preferred to be in their simple casual wear!

Canopy Walk at Poring Hot Spring

At the Poring Hot Spring where we spent an afternoon on 12 July 22, four from three generations among the families decided to have a go at the Canopy Walk.

I did the Canopy Walk many many years ago, which unfortunately I hardly have any recollection of that attempt. For this latest attempt, I was a bit apprehensive when I was told that I needed to climb for 30 minutes from the base to the starting point of the actual canopy walk. I was worried whether my legs were able to carry me up the steep slope for 30 minutes. Nevertheless, I decided to give it a go. Shortly after the climb, we met a senior couple (appeared to be in their 60's) who had decided to discontinue the climb and were on the way walking back. They were not confident of walking all the way to the starting point. Then a short while later, we met a middle-aged lady with a younger companion who also decided to turn back. They said that they were probably not even half way of the climb and were doubtful of their ability to complete the steep climb. Fortunately, these incidences did not deter my determination to go on!

I was very glad to have my two grandkids to encourage me along the climb. My grandson, Nathan who regularly turned back and checked on his granddad. His "Gung gung, are you OK?" was indeed a motivating factor! We finally reached the starting point, 10 minutes shorter than the normal 30-minute duration. Still an achievement, I reckon!

Walking a narrow strip of timber board suspended more than 200ft above ground did raise the heart beats. My last walk along a suspension bridge was in Vancouver at the Capilano Suspension Bridge five years ago (Read here). That walk was more relaxed because of its width, shorter length and less sway.

The downhill walk was comparatively easier. In the end, it was the youngsters who led the way!

A typical tall tree used to support the suspension bridge. This one named "Octomeles Sumatrana Miq" is 58m (190ft) tall with a diameter of 1.5m (5ft) and a circumference of 4.8m (16ft).

Fish Spa at Bombon, Kg. Merakau, Ranau

Ranau has numerous natural fish spas to offer to visitors. Some prefer to have their feet soaked in water and just be nibbled by the hundreds of tiny fishes.  We tried this some years ago in Chiang Rai (Read here). They called it fish massage but in fact it is more liked having the dead skin on the feet chipped off by these fishes. The fish however were kept in fish tank and not in natural streams or natural body of water.

Fish in Bombon Fish Spa however are "trapped" in a section of a river. Fish kept there are not minute fish but huge koi and carps. This was our second visit to this Spa. We last visited the same spot during Boxing day in 2017 (Read here). This time, we were joined by the families of Sam, Paul and Junshi.

The thrill in the Spa was not so much of being nibbled by these large fish. It is the suction sensation one feels on the palm when these huge fish suck the pellets out from the hand! On top of that, one can literally touch and cuddle a fish, which the kids found it fascinating!

Family Outing - The Hill Kinabalu

Prior to the holidays, our family spent significant time in searching for an "ideal" place for the whole family to spend time together and away from home. Finally, we zeroed in to The Hill Kinabalu. Our key consideration is that the facility must have area for family barbeque!

The Hill Kinabalu is a small family-owned homestay built on a cut-and-fill platform. Based on chats with the operator, this was built during the pandemic period. We booked five rooms. All systems in the rooms were in working order except mine. Upon check-in, I found the water heater in my room in non-working condition. The workman tried his best to fix it but failed. In the end I was offered a new family room in the third block which was opened for occupation less than a month ago. The next day, after returning from an outing, I found the bathroom's floor littered with broken pieces of glass. The mirror had fallen from the wall. Upon reporting the situation, I was told that that was the fourth time the mirror had detached and fallen. A close examination revealed that the fastening method was defective and it is unlikely to hold on long. I suggested a more secured fastening method for the operator to consider.  I was offered to move to another room! Incredibly, I had three rooms over a two-night stay. Thankfully, no report of bad fixture or incident in the rest of the four rooms!

Hall for barbeque, dining and even for erecting tents
for guests who come to camp!

First two block where our family were allocated five rooms.

The third block where my wife and I were moved to after the
water heater failed to work in the first room
where we first checked into.

The site has a spectacular view of Mt. Kinabalu.

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Whenever opportunity arose, the kids would venture out to the hill side to enjoy the swing and the rope hammock.

To enjoy the best panoramic view from this property, a bit of climbing is required to reach the upper platform of the hill. This area is ideal for photography - with Mt. Kinabalu as the backdrop! Kids too love this area because of the swings provided.

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The operator has given much thought to set up facilities for outdoor activities and for guests to enjoy the surrounding ambience.

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Our barbeque was preceded by a fairly substantial effort in getting the fire started. We learnt a thing or two about starting barbecue charcoal to reaching ember heat. It takes significant time and effort to get factory-made briquette charcoal to reach ember hot condition compared to using traditional charcoal made from mangrove tree trunks. Fortunately, we had help from a camper who spared his kitchen blow torch to accelerate the burning process.

Once the heat was sufficient, barbequing was in top gear with Sam, Meng How and Paul in control. As expected, it was barbequing the marshmallows that the kids found most enjoyable and unforgettable!

Barbequing marshmallows!