Sunday 3 January 2010

sabah

ok, so i didn't take as many photos as i thought i would, i was too busy enjoying and playing that at times i forgot my camera. it was such a fun trip. we were most certainly awed by the majestic mount kinabalu, gene and i just couldn't get enough taking photos of it that we vowed to come back and climb that mountain mama.

we headed straight to kundasang upon arrival at kota kinabalu airport. cool fresh air and stunning view of mount kinabalu, what a way to start our holiday. the mountain is certainly shy, hiding behind the clouds, this were my only best shots of the mountain as the next day it was cloudy and she didn't appear for us to capture her beauty. read on the different tales in wikipedia on how the name "kinabalu" came to be. (aki nabalu = resting place of the dead) according to our guide who is a kadazan dusun, it is believed that the spirits of the dead rise up to the mountain, and the mountain offers protection to these spirits.


this village has the best view of the mountain.


gene and i quickly took our shots as the last rays of sun shines over the mountain, the sky soon darken and it was pretty dark by 6:00pm.


here's the family walking back to our hotel rooms.

gene, sri, priya, pohpoh(grandma), jo and grandpa (pohpoh and grandpa to priya)

we were very lucky that we got a chance to see the biggest flower on earth, the rafflesia. no, it wasn't stinky, it only smells when it rots and dies. it takes more than a year to grow from the bud and once it blooms, the flower only last 7 days! this one is on it's third day already and measures over 2 feet.


on the way to mesilau nature park (within the kinabalu national park, a world heritage site) we stopped by a dairy farm, those cows were really big!


day 3 was spent in mari mari cultural village.


and a city tour, this is the night market next to the sea, the market is endless. i have never seen such a big night market before.



next to the night market is the handicraft market (a.k.a. filipino market), another sea of stalls selling handicraft items and souvenirs. there is also a crystal night market on another street which i was too busy looking at all the beautiful crystal and pearl necklaces and blings and didn't take any photos of.

handicraft market

day 4, sapi island tour, coral island of the tunku abdul rahman park. below is the only few photos i took during our boat ride to the island, the rest of the time i was snorkeling under water visiting our fish friends ("nemo" the clown fish included). it was the most fun and amazing under water experience i've ever had in my life! and i've got a bad sun burn to prove.


after island fun was klias wetlands river cruise along mangrove forest and sago palms, visiting the proboscis monkeys (found only in borneo) and also firefly watching. it was magic! the fireflies lit up the trees like christmas trees, twinkling away to its song and rhythm, a stary disco party going on. it's far better than the ones i've seen in kuala selangor.


sri and gene looking out, trying to get a glimpse of the monkeys that come out only in the evenings to feed near the river. there were crocodiles too but we didn't get to see any.


we had our dinner on the boat to this view of the evening sky. *dreamy sighh*


gene has more photos, i will try to post some of his much better and beautiful shots :)

10 comments:

  1. These still look wonderful despite your constant complaints of not taking pictures! Sabah is another heaven! Glad you're refreshed and all rejuvenated after the holiday..Any inspiration for new creation after the Filipino market?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh wow! Brings back memories of our travels last year! A beautiful part of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. wat more can i say but "wow!"? i lurv de pix. thanx for sharing dear. i hope one day i can hv such a relaxing holiday too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow - some amazing shots! I love that huge flower! And the swirling clouds in your last photo are delightful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Alison, your photos are always intensely beautiful! I loved these ones which chronicle your holiday and I can't believe Gene's are any better!! Thanks so much for allowing me to believe I was there with you...perhaps one day I will see the same places with my own eyes!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Alison: Happy New Year! Glad you had a good break in KK. It's always nice to wrap up the year with a lovely break. Wishing you lots of abundance and love this year and many years ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful pictures! Thank you for sharing :)

    ~Kylie

    ReplyDelete
  9. hliza: terima kasih, hehe! no complaints, just statements. oohh... i got some borneo pearl, will make something out of them soon.

    lee: yes, it sure is beautiful!

    zanas: i hope you'll be able to too.

    lady fi: thanks lady fi. the flower was a lucky find.

    marion: thanks marion, you wish to see what i see, i wish to see what you see there, lets swap places :)

    mayakirana: happy new year to you too krista! how did you know my word for 2010 is abundance? :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. nice and and wonderful shots of kinabalu mountain.. keep it up

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment.