Chapter 117 – The 3Ks in Sabah - Kota Kinabalu, Kudat and Kundasang..

Once in a blue moon, I will visit Sabah or in particular, Kota Kinabalu.

This is my third time visiting Sabah; for the past two visits, I was brought to sample the local and authentic dishes of Sabah and at the same time, visiting cultural village as well as native museums.

This time around, we went slightly more adventurous by going on to a road trip. It was good in a way as you get to witness something different from Kota Kinabalu however, the hours spent on the road was not something that I particularly enjoyed. Nevertheless, the beauty of the mountains, the beach as well as the clear blue skies left me in awe as always.

1. Kudat

Famously known for Kudat nuts, we drove all the way from Kota Kinabalu to Kudat which took us about 3 hours..for just one way. Upon reaching, we visited morning market and got the famously known Chun Jian – it is a local delicacy where the meat is wrapped with a layer of thin egg – best to be eaten by just steaming it or stir-fry it with vegetables.

Kudat is also popular with gong so you will notice people playing gongs, turning the market to be such a memorable place to walk around.

2. Tip of Borneo, Kudat

This certainly deserve a sub-topic on its own.

You can’t say that you have visited Kudat without paying a visit to the Tip of Borneo. The road leading to Tip of Borneo is quite quiet that we sometimes doubt if we use the right way.

A sigh of relief when reaching the Tip of Borneo.

Voila, we saw this amazing, unique earth-sculpture, greeting us! It was windy that day and we had marvelous time, taking tons of worthy-Instagram photo although we looked bad in most of the photos where hairs were covering our face like nobody business.

We took the challenge to also walk towards to the Tip of Borneo where the eyes were feasted with clear blue skies and the roaring ocean, flapping its 101% of its strength, wishing to throw us offshore. Thank God we have enough fats to withstand the strong wind.

3. Kundasang, Sabah

Similar like Cameron Highlands, Kundasang is a chilling place for one to relax. On the way to Kundasang, there is a mini market where you see rows of stalls selling the local biscuits like Biskut Cincin. There is also a pineapple sculpture in which my boyfriend inherits the pineapple hairstyle.

4. Desa Dairy Farm, Sabah

Known as New Zealand in Malaysia, definitely, I opted to visit this place when I was in Kundasang, Sabah.

Perhaps, the expectation had been heightened up and it brought me with slight disappointment. The idea where I could play and feed the cows on an open field while taking a beautiful photo amidst the greeneries vanished when they only allow us to feed the cows at the barn.

Oh ya, we also got to see on how the cows were milked but that was not something we expected. We pitied the cows somehow…but our pity-ness were immediately paid off when our noses were put to cows’ poop throughout our visit.

5. Sabah Tea Garden, Poring, Sabah

Putting our blue caps to find out more about Sabah Tea, we were greeted with a group of friendly staff. The dedicated tour guide brought us around in the factory and explained to us patiently on the process of how the black tea is made. From selecting process all the way to withering, drying, fermenting and packaging.

Like how we used to behave in class when the class teacher started his teaching, we listened to them attentively. However, the minute we stepped out from Sabah Tea Garden, that’s where we returned the knowledge to the teachers.. I hope I can still remember some nonetheless.

6. Memorial War Museum, Kundasang, Sabah

Can you believe that there is a memorial war museum at Kundasang? Thanks to my curiosity, we visited this place and found ourselves surrounded by the history of the Death War happened in Sandakan and Ranau. As we immersed into the history, our eyes were so entertained with the rich history of this and we started to browse more and more.

Voila, we met the founder of the Memorial War Museum, Kundasang – Mr. Sevee Charuruks. He was a bit shy I guess hence, I did not offer to take a photo with him otherwise, I would have one.

He shared the story of how the Memorial War Museum is started and I was kind of amazed with his passion to rebuild this place. Bear in mind that he is not even a Malaysian but a Thai who sees the importance to preserve the history of the nation.

7. Local delicacies…

Some say apple is the best medicine but I would say food is the best medicine among all.

Having to indulge the local authentic Sabah dishes is something that I should applaud for. I believe my tummy would certainly agree to it. Tuaran Mee, Tenom Mee and Beaufort Mee are just some of the names that I stated which I had during my recent visit nevertheless, the list of the local noodles is never-ending.

Seafood; where Sabah is also known for! Fresh seafood plus reasonable pricing which gives one to indulge as many as they could from fresh fish to live prawns, abalones, sea urchins, scallops and etc.

Kuih-muih is not something to miss for and Lido Square is where you can get all sort of assortment that could easily satisfy your cravings. I had mine there as always and this time, I managed to buy the nasi lemak which always have a queue. Delicious.

It was a good retreat after all to Sabah especially it has been ages since my last visit. Definitely, the trip would not turn out well if and only if my boyfriend was not with me and be my sole tour guide, planning, driving and bringing me to immerse to the local Sabah culture. Thanks, boyfie!

Regards,

Foodiestravel

Chapter 64 – Mari-Mari Cultural Village, Sabah

Mari-mari… Come Come! Located deep in the countryside about 25 minutes from Kota Kinabalu city, Mari-Mari Cultural Village is one of the MUST VISIT tourist attractions when you step into Sabah. Unlike Monsopiad Village which I visited in the last 2 years, this village operates as a museum that highlights different ethnic culture and lifestyle who used to live there in the olden days.

Featuring 5 ethnic tribes which are the farmer Kadazan-Dusun, the longhouse resident Rungus, the hunters and fisherman Lundayeh, the cowboy Bajau and the famously headhunting Murut tribe, my curiosity sparked instantly as I joined the 2 – 3 hours tour.

Bought this for the fear of mosquite bites! Haha

1.    Kadazan – Dusun

*Kadazan – Dusun used to say in a bamboo house. In each house, there are 3 rooms which comfortably fit 3 generations. Since they make their own alcohol beverage, they are renowned as a good drinker. I was privilege to sample their alcohol drink as well as their signature dish which consists of chicken, potato, onion, chilli, salt and “daun saram”.

2.    Rungus

*Rungus community is good in producing honey and making glue using bee wax. The Rungus community lives in a longhouse where the maximum record hits up to 75 rooms, which meant 75 families had lived in one longhouse. If any of their tribe members gets married, a new room will be added. In this long house, they share the kitchen whereas the toilet is located at the outside of the house. While beauty is something they value, the girls mainly will put on “something” (which I do not know how to describe it) to slim their body parts.

3.    Lundayeh

*Lundayeh is also known as Lun Bawang. They believe that crocodile is the guard hence, a crocodile-shaped grass is seen outside the Lundayeh house. In fact, Lundayeh community is known as headhunter but they are not that aggressive compared to Murut tribe. Additionally, they are a bunch of creative people and could make clothes using tree bark.

Their house structure is rather unique too where it adapts to a “removable roof” – it acts as our modern CCTV where they ensure their area is safe by peeping from the roof. The house also features lots of “Daun Silat” as they believe that the leaves serve to prevent any evil or bad luck. For the deaths especially the high-ranking people like a warrior, their body are put inside a jar and hang on a tree.

4.    Bajau

*Bajau’s house is always colourful as they are the richest community among all tribes. In fact, there are 2 types of Bajau where one is known as Bajau Darat (The Cowboys of The East) and another one is known as Bajau Laut (The Sea Gypsey). Bajau Darat stays in the house while Bajau Laut lives on their temporary house boats. In each home on the land, there is a special room for praying since majority of them is Muslim. Two of their dishes which I got the chance to try are the Pandan drink and Kuih Jala – it is the crispy Kuih Jala that is fried in a triangle shape symbolizes unity.

5.    Murut

*They are the most aggressive tribe among all. For survival, it is necessary for the tribes to display ferocious hence, skeleton heads are usually placed at the entrance of the village to avoid the sign of weakness by other tribes. What impresses me the most is the game that they play in the longhouse; it is like a modern trampoline where the players need to jump as high as they could to get something that is hanged from the roof – it could be anything depending on what the chief village puts. The winner will be rewarded. I gave a try by jumping on it but unfortunately, I couldn’t even jump that high – haha!

After about 1.5 hour of tour, we were entertained with some ethnic performances and followed by a so-called grand dinner. Delicious food I must say.

Overall, there are three sessions in a day starting from 10am, 2pm and 6pm. We joined the 6pm tour and that’s why the photos taken are rather dark.

To know more about the tribes, kindly visit http://marimariculturalvillage.com/

Admission fee for adult is RM 80.00 if you walk in. If you require a transport to bring you there, the charges will be slightly higher.

Mari-Mari Cultural Village is located at Inanam, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Ps: More photos below:

I got myself a tattoo :)

Happy touring!

Regards,

Foodiestravel

Chapter 63 – Top 14 MUST-TRY food in Sabah!

Glad to end my 2014 with a fabulous trip to Sabah for 5 days and 4 nights followed by a Sarawak trip for 3 days and 2 nights. While I hope that I could just live in that stress-free, relax life, I know that it is just be a dream only unless I am on the verge of retirement.

Sabah trip was indeed an awesome one. I flushed my stomach with plenty of food; when I meant plenty, it means a lot! I weighed myself on a daily basis when I was in Sabah and to my surprise, I gained 0.2kg everyday – yes, you see it right! Haha! Nevertheless, I still did not stop eatingJ.

Anyway, here are my recommendations for 14 must-try food when you are in Sabah.

1.    Beaufort Noodle @ Restaurant Man Tai

RM 7.00 each

In Sabah, each area will have the respective well-known noodles such as Tamparuli Noodle, Beaufort Noodle, Tuaran Noodle, Tenom noodle and many more. Thus, it is a must to try them all – the noodles are usually home-made as well as the broth itself.

Address: Restaurant Man Tai (Beaufort) – a corner shop located inside the housing area of Taman Dah Yeh.

2.    Buah Talap @ Foh Sang Morning Market

RM 6.00 each (In Gaya Street, it is sold at RM 10.00 each)

The fruit is awesome but unfortunately, I couldn’t bring it back to Kuala Lumpur. To me, it is like the mini version of Cempedak – slimy yet sweet!

Address: Luyang, 88300 Kota Kinabalu

3.    Yau Char Kuay + Kaya @ Foh Sang Morning Market

RM 1.40 each

This is more of a Sabah thing. In Peninsula, I hardly come across people eating Yau Char Kuay with Kaya. In Kuala Lumpur, people usually eat it as the way it is or have it with Kopi O. Nevertheless, Yau Char Kuay with Kaya tastes good too! Worth trying.

Address: Luyang, 88300 Kota Kinabalu

4.    Red Bean Glutinuous Kuih @ Foh Sang Morning Market

RM 1.00 each

I can’t believe that I will fall in love with this kuih! It’s really, really nice – chewy and has a fair hint of sweetness due to the red bean.

Address: Luyang, 88300 Kota Kinabalu

5.    Ham Xin Piang @ Lido Square Market

RM 1.00 each

Enveloped with five spices powder, the kuih comes out in crisp to perfection. Bear in mind that quality differs according to the places. I bought one in Foh Sang Morning Market but unfortunately, it was rather soft and it looked un-fresh.

Address: Lido Square Market

6.    BBQ Chicken Wings with Honey @ Damai

RM 1.80 each

I had my first chicken wings on the second day upon my arrival at Sabah – though the size is rather small, the chicken wings taste really good, enveloping with honey. When I returned on the forth night to get these before I left to KL, I found the chicken wings were quite sweet. That said, the quality can sometime differs though – I wish they could maintain their quality at least because I tasted the “very good” chicken wing before at their stall once.

There are about 7 stalls all around Kota Kinabalu food courts nonetheless, my vote always go to Damai food court. Otherwise, you can visit Lido food court, Taman Dah Yeh, Bundusan-Jin Shi Lou restaurant and etc.

7.    Stir Fried Dumplings @ Hilltop

RM 0.70 each

Always my favourite! J The famous homemade dumplings in Hilltop that allures the locals and tourists alike to make a visit whenever time allows; I have been to this place during the weekdays and weekends and I must say the place is always packed with people – that shows how good the food is!

Address: Kedai Kopi New Mui Vui, Lot 2, Ground Floor, Kolam Plaza

8.    Steamed Dumplings @ Hilltop

RM 0.70 each

If you do not fancy stir-fry dumplings, you can opt for steamed dumplings then. It was rather dry when we packed it home hence, we put a little oil, giving a “wet” look that easily satisfy our appetite.

Address: Kedai Kopi New Mui Vui, Lot 2, Ground Floor, Kolam Plaza

9.    Egg tarts @ Dotts Damai

RM 1.50 each

Crispy and thick in fillings; soft and not too sweet – Initially, I bought 2 egg tarts only. After satisfying my tummy with one, I came down from the car and bought half a dozen.

Address: Dott’s Egg Tarts, Lorong Damai Point, Damai Plazza, 88300 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

10.  Fruit ABC @ Bukit Padang

RM 5.00 for a bowl

At times when the stomach has been contaminated, it is good and refreshing to keep stomach “awake” with something healthy like fruits!

Address: Bukit Padang’s parking lot

11.  Kon Lou Mee @ Kah Heang, Likas

RM 15.00 for Shen Rou Mian and Zhu Jing Yuan

In one of the days, bestie and I sneaked out to have Kon Lou Mee at Kah Heang, Likas despite that we just had a hearty meal. Compared to other places, the dry noodles served in Kah Heang are covered in thick, black sauce. Yet, the soup itself is flavourful with generous portion of pork from various parts such as lean meat, intestine and etc. By the way, it was a long wait for our food to arrive.

12.  Sarawak Laksa @ Lido

RM 7.00 each

Headed to this place on the first day but it was closed. So, we purposely woke up early to make sure that we had this Sarawak Laksa. Thank God, my efforts did not come to a waste because my taste buds were well-entertained with the creamy Laksa broth.

Address: Very close to Lido Market – the stall is located at the corner shop, sharing the area with a Chicken Rice stall.

13.  Pork soup @ Kah Heong Zhu Chap

RM 11.20 (for the above dish with a cup of Barley drink)

The day before I bid farewell to Sabah, I ensured that I had another good bowl of pork soup – this time, I had it at Kah Heong Zhu Chap (somewhere near Inanam). A nutritious bowl of soup that kick-start my day before I explore Mari-Mari Cultural Village which I will share it in my next post.

14.  Butter bread @ Inanam

RM 1 – 2.00 per bun

I went to the shop itself and requested for Custard bread as many website claimed that. However, no Custard bread was sold in that shop; the boss also acknowledged that their BUTTER bread is the signature bread and that was the one the websites are referring to instead of Custard bread – wrong facts given pulak by the websites. Haha!

Address: Kedai Kopi Jeong Hin, Lot 8, Ground Floor, Block E, Lorong Inanam, Inanam New Township Phase 2, Kota Kinabalu.

Now, I guess you know how I gained so much of kilos despite that it was just a few days only...All in all, Kota Kinabalu is not only a tourist attraction but it is also a food paradise which certainly excites the food lovers. A MUST to visit place whenever time allows and it is best to stay in there for at least 4 days 3 nights; otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to try the good food J.

Happy Sunday peeps!

Regards,

Foodiestravel