7 July 2022
After spending 3 days in Kota Kinabalu(KK), we took a 2D/1N trip to Kundasang with Amazing Borneo, a local agency.
Kundasang is a small town located on the foot of Mount Kinabalu offering panoramic view of the mountain. At an elevation of about 1900m above sea level, it has a much cooler weather. Kundasang is also marketed as the “New Zealand of Borneo” for its unique mountainous geographical terrain. I think a trip to KK would not be complete without a side trip to Kundasang.
Kundasang is about 2 hours by car from KK city. Many tour agencies offer day trips to explore the sights around Kundasang but we decided that the best way to experience Kundasang is to do an overnight stay.
We checked out from the Le Meridien Hotel and brought only what we need for an overnight stay to Kundasang. The hotel was happy to store our main luggage for us until we returned the next day. I guess many visitors who come to KK to climb Mount Kinabalu or visit Kundasang had requested for the same service.
Right on schedule at 8.30 AM, our driver cum guide from Amazing Borneo came to meet us at the hotel lobby. Although we had booked a shared tour, we were the only ones going on this 2D/1N trip. So, our “shared tour” had became a “private tour”. I was invited to sit in front, next to Gabin our driver, so it was easier to chat with him while my wife and son took the rest of the seats at the back.
Shortly after leaving the hotel, our van followed the coastline, passing Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal, the newly built Exposition Centre before turning inland at the Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu (Kota Kinabalu City Mosque). This mosque is the largest and second main mosque in Kota Kinabalu. Surrounded by a man-made lagoon, it is popularly known as the "Floating Mosque" because it appears to be floating on the water. Gabin made a quick stop by the roadside to allow me to snap a photo of the mosque, but the photo did not turn out too well.
The “floating mosque” Masjid Bandaraya Kota Kinabalu.
We continued our journey northwards towards through the Sabah countryside. We soon caught our first glimpse of Mount Kinabalu from the van. Gabin told us we would be able to get much better views of the mountain later in the town of Nabalu.
First sight of Mount Kinabalu from our van.
Our first official stop for the day was at the “Jambatan Tamparuli” suspension bridge in the small town of Tamparuli.
We witnessed a short traditional dance performance by a community of volunteers at the starting point of the suspension bridge. There are no charges to cross the bridge but we left a tip for the group of dancers after the performance.
There were one or two broken planks on the bridge but is still safe for visitors.
The suspension bridge is quite sturdy, although one can feel a little swaying. The bridge spans across the raging muddy Kiulu River. From the suspension bridge, we can see a low one-way vehicular bridge running in parallel across the muddy river. This low bridge had been in used for more than 5 decades. During the raining seasons, especially after a heavy down pour, water level occasionally rose above the bridge and could sweep away cars or even trucks who are caught in the raging waters.
Our van crossing the river at Tamparuli using the low bridge as we made our crossing using the pedestrian suspension bridge.
There are stalls selling fruits and vegetables at the local village market across the bridge. Gabin was waiting for us there.
We continued your journey through the mountainous roads winding along the Crocker range for another hour, till the next brief stop at Nabalu Handicraft market. During this hour, we passed by signage of at least 8 different Catholic Churches. It seem that there is at least one Catholic church in every village along the route.
Nabalu is a rustic place, perched on the hillside, where the local natives gather to sell local produce, fruits, home grown vegetables and handicraft souvenirs. This is a popular rest point for people driving to and from Kundasang or Kinabalu Park.
Gabon told us to try the local pineapples which we did. We picked a pineapple and got the stall owner to cut it up for us on the spot. Juicy and sweet!
Browsing through the Nabalu Handicraft market.
There is also a popular lookout point at Nabalu where Mount Kinabalu could be viewed.
View of Mount Kinabalu at Nabalu lookout point.
After Nabalu, we would continued on our journey to Kundasang. The highway up to Kundasang is not very good, with treacherous potholes and slow lumbering trucks struggling uphill that our van had to overtake. I was slightly glad that we did not do a self-drive tour to Kundasang. Instead, we could rely on Gabin, who is an experienced and careful driver. I had read about the possibilities of seeing the rare Rafflesia flower while visiting Kinabalu Park, especially near Poring Hot Spring that was in our itinerary for the day. The Rafflesia is a genus of parasitic flowers that bloom off vines in lowland rainforest regions of Borneo and Southeast Asia. The largest flower in the world that could be over 100 cm in diameter, the Rafflesia flower takes nine months to mature and the flowering only last between five and seven days. Normally, a trek deep into the rainforest is needed to even get a chance to see one.
However, here in Kinabalu Park, there are wild Rafflesia which could be found near villages. It provides the farmer whose land the flower blooms on a small windfall during the week the flower is in bloom. If the Rafflesia bloom is in the private land of a farmer, the farmer could charge 30 MYR per visitor to see it. If the bloom is in a public area, the cost is typically half.
Earlier, Gabin had made a call to his contacts and informed me that we are in luck. There is a fresh Rafflesia bloom at a local farmer’s land near Poring Hot Spring.
It took almost another hour to drive from Nabalu to Poring, passing by the towns of Kundasang and Ranau. There were a few roundabouts on the way and there are interesting decorations in the middle. There is one with cows near Kundasang, one with cabbages and one with a hanging tea pot at Ranau.
This cabbage statue landmark in a Kundasang roundabout serves to remind visitors that Kundasang is the main producer of highland vegetable.
Just before arriving at Poring Hot Spring, our van stopped by the side of the main road. A small wooden hut has been set up on the roadside with a sign advertising the recent blooming of the Rafflesia.
A local woman manned the booth to collect payments from visitors wishing to view the flower. After paying 90 MYR for our group of 3 and recording our details in a log book, Gabin led us to a small forested area next to a few wooden huts and vegetable plots. Dogs barked at our presence, and chickens scattered away as we walked. The bloodsuckers came to welcome us. We were the first visitors so they (the mosquitoes) were pretty hungry.
The irritating insects were soon forgotten once the farmer showed his prized possessions. First up, a 6-days-old bloom that was of a darker reddish brown colour. He then led us to a different part of the forest to view a fresh day-old bloom that was much brighter in colour.
A 6 day old Rafflesia bloom that is past its prime.
This brighter coloured Rafflesia bloom is just one day old.
It is interesting to note that besides the flower, there is not much of the plant to be seen. As a parasitic plant, the Rafflesia depended on the host plant for nutrients. The host plant is a thick liana or vine that could be seen near the flower.
This thick long vine growing above the Rafflesia is the host plant.
The parasitic Rafflesia has no visible roots, shoots, stems, or leaves. It is visually undetectable until it prepares to bloom. Buds erupt on the ground near the infected host vine and swell slowly over a few months to the size of cabbages.
This large cabbage size bud should be blooming soon, bringing a continued stream of income for the lucky farmer.
The smaller buds are about the size of hamburger while the larger ones looked like a big cabbage.
Gabin told us there are a few varieties of Rafflesia. In Sabah, the largest species is Rafflesia keithii, which is the second largest in the world. Rafflesia is also called by local people as a "corpse flower" because during the blooming period its smell is similar to the one of decomposing meat. In fact, this is necessary to attract flies who assist pollination. However, we could not detect this smell which is strongest around noon on the third or fourth day of the bloom.
Overall, we were lucky to be able to view the rare Rafflesia flower while visiting Sabah. There is no exact blooming season of Rafflesia, but it is believed that rainy season is more favourable. So the best chance to view a Rafflesia in Sabah would be during the monsoon period (April-May or September-October).
