Homeward bound

11 days and 10 nights later we come to the end of our stay in Sabah. Fond memories brought back with hundreds of miles of tire tracks and footprints left behind. It was a tiring journey but it is rated high among all the destinations we've been to together. Josh and the Zisster are great traveling companions but sometimes the finer art of bladder management elude them. Growing up with a strict dad about going to the loo before a long journey, unscheduled pee stops are uncommon to me. But we managed just fine during the 11 days. I learnt how to use toilets along the road, or in some cases made do with makeshift toilets. Yes, even this is uncommon to me. All in all, Josh proved to be quite a traveller for a 4 yr old. This will only mean he will be ready for more adventures later on. Keep reading this blog for our next adventure but that won't be in the near future. I need to heal my sore neck and shoulders first...

Lazing about in a 5-star hotel

After so many days on the road, staying put sounded like a great idea so that was what we did. We were planning to go on a train ride to nowhere but services were down since they are fixing the railway track till next year. Brought Josh to the pool and that definitely tired him out. Tomorrow we head back to KL.

Sandakan back to KK

This is the 4wd we've rented. Since we set off on Thursday, we have clocked 1300kms not inclusive of the 160km or so that the guide took us in his van to Gomantong and Sukau. Or the miles we covered on the Kinabatangan and the boat ride to Mataking and back. The next 2 days there will be more miles to be covered but maybe on a different kind of transportation. Today was especially strenuous for me as the 330km took more than 6 and a half hours. That means the journey was slow averaging 50kph. Through estate roads and through mountainous routes. This picture was taken in Kundasang. If it was a clearer day, it would be Mt. Kinabalu in the background. Regardless, it was still breathtaking. Well, the adventure continues in the land below the wind.

One resort, two islands and a spa...

The last 3 days and 2 nights we were at Mataking Island with the tagline in the title. Sadly we don't scuba dive as the surrounding area is littered with amazing dive sites. Mataking is basically one island but becomes 2 during high tide creating Mataking Kechil. The sandbank separating the 2 islands is called the Moses walk for obvious reasons. We were close to the Phillipines but security is assured as there is also a police outpost there. Josh had a great time feeding the fish, lazing on the beach and just playing with his toys when we were in the room. It was a relaxing stay for the Zizzster and me too with nothing on the itinerary except meal times. What holidays are about, really. We're back in Sandakan now for a pit stop before making our way back to KK. Where we end up between Sandakan and KK has yet to be decided...

Sandakan to Semporna

Another four and a half hours of driving. On the way out of Sandakan, we stopped by Sepilok to see orangutans at the sanctuary during feeding time. There were only 3 apes that came out and one busybody monkey stealing free bananas. Our sighting of orangutans in the wild yesterday was more rewarding. Reaching Semporna, we immediately arranged for a stay on one of the islands. That would be another post for you to find out where we will be, starting tomorrow.

Gomantong caves and Kinabatangan river cruise

Today the adventure was amazing. First stop was Gomantong caves. We were quite fortunate as it was bird's nest harvest time. It only happens 3 times a year for a fortnight each time. Men hanging on bamboo harnests 50 metres in the air all on the name of birt spit. I hear they make RM30k for 2 weeks' work. Then it was a river cruise along the Kinabatangan hoping to see the elusive proboscis monkeys. We we rewarded with more than that when we actually spotted a pair of orangutans. A mother and a baby. It was funny as the guide himself was excited to see one in the wild and how all of us bolted into the jungle to get a closer look. Including the boatman! Amazing apes they were. Not long after we saw a family of the proboscis monkeys before it started to rain. It was worth the soak as a rare sighting of orangutans in the wild more than made up for the wet ride back.

Kundasang to Sandakan

The drive was supposed to be 3hrs. It took us nearly 5 with bad roads and slow traffic. There was nowhere memorable to stop along the way. It was just miles and miles of palm oil estates. Reaching Sandakan was a pleasant surprise with a quaint old town centred around its port. We're now having tea at the English Tea House. Surreal!

Kundasang on Day 2...

Day 2 was a relaxed day in Kundasang. We went to the Kinabalu park where we followed a short trail in the Botanical Garden where Josh became the guide. Following clues along the way to ensure we were on the right path. Well, ok so they were arrows along the paths but he did a good job taking us thru the trails and back. He deserved a break so he gets to watch the Disney channel in the afternoon. Tomorrow we head for Sandakan.

Kinabalu welcome!

Reaching the airport from a 4am flight wasn't pleasant. Having to change the 2 front tyres to the 4x4 was wasting more time. Once we got on the road, it was already 3hrs since touchdown. A slow drive up the mountains was breathtaking. Missed the turning to the hotel so had to double-back 15km but all was worth it with this view from our room.

East Malaysia Tour

Cuti-cuti Malaysia is something most of us take for granted. To most KL-lites holidays are exotic destinations like Bali, Phuket, Mauritius and such. When the Zisster and I were going out we used to take aimless drives around. We've ended up in places like Teluk Panglima Garang on the west coast to Teluk Iskandar in the east. This time we're planning to do a road trip in Sabah bringing Josh along. From KK to Tawau. We will report on what we encounter in the next blog.

Tengkujuh

Musim tengkujuh is a season associated with bad weather and reduced income for the fishermen especially on our Eastern shores. Our recent visit to Kuala Terengganu was not a holiday but more of visiting relatives. Even so, personally the tengkujuh time is a time when nature is at its best. The wind blowing mercilessly bending coconut trees to awkward angles and rain in the bucket fulls coming down effortlessly. To me these are all gentle reminders to how insignificant each of us are in the greater scheme of the universe. Allah is great. Even in the worst of weather, there is graceful beauty at show. Even with raging seas there is a sense of serenity to the surroundings that is tengkujuh.

Blogging from my phone

This is my first blog using the phone. Maybe with this application I get to publish more frequently and on the go.

Memory Lane

Amazing how memory lane seems to change everytime you visit it. What I mean is that the same instances in the past can give pain and comfort at different times in one's life as you journey back through time.

We sometimes have selective memories. Like me, my adolescent years are better left not talked about but they were interspersed with beautiful memories too.

Recently my elder sister wrote in our family yahoogroups! her memories of the time she was growing up in our kampung house in Tongkang Yard (I kid u not, this is the name of the place). Her posting was made more colourful with the help from my uncle who sent in these pictures of that specific time for our families (uncles, aunties and cousins too). Yours truly was just a toddler (an ugly chubby one if these pictures were to be of any proof) so I had no idea what she was writing about.

Then I started to pen down my own memories of growing up in Alor Setar. My version was no longer of Tongkang Yard but of Taman Golf. The only thing in common between me and my elder sister (who is a decade and 2 years older than me) was the fact that we grew up tormenting my other sister (who is 4 years older). The middle child syndrome is a theory someone came up with after meeting this sister of mine. Hehehee...

I guess in years to come, my son will be reminiscing his childhood with his kids from the hundreds of pictures I have of him now. "This is when grandpapa brought me to Phuket and I actually piloted the elephant myself...."

Me and my dad

Fatherly love is weird. It's not as straightforward as you may think. Each one of us have different kinds of relationships with our respective dads. Heck, even our siblings enjoy different degrees of closeness with the same person. Of course by default a mother's love is stronger than any bond there is out there, but a dad's? It's personal to holder.

Here is a small collection of pictures we took during Hari Raya.

Asking for forgiveness is a ritual we do before we go out and see other families on the first day of raya.

The youngest addition to the family, Zayn, was patient enough to wear his songkok throughout our lenghty 'salam-salaman' session.

Josh was not really in the mood to pose as he was too busy snapping away on his own camera. This was the best shot of him and us, I tell you.

On other days, it may be the mom who dresses you but for raya, the elusive 'sampin knot' can only be administered by a father.


So how is YOUR relationship with your dad? We each have our own private moments with the old man. It may not be numerous enough but I am sure there was at least one time you really connected with dad. Go give the old guy a hug...

A walkabout in KL

Had been wanting to do this for a long time and finally got round to it. This time, I increased the saturation, maxed out the contrast and sharpened the pictures. They (the pictures) turn out warmer than it is when it was actually a cloudy day. It's amazing how we in Malaysia take racial harmony for granted. We are ok with each other's religions more than we think we are. Evidenced here by various temples and holy men within a swivel of a camera. The British, and now politics, keep us in harmonious disunity for far too long. To me, the average Malaysian will eventually see that we can't live in isolation.

Hmm, maybe I should go out and buy me a unity band.

Experimenting with light...

It's all about how much light is captured. These series of photos is my attempt at getting my pictures to appear bleak and moody.



At the end of the day, it is our own interpretation that matters when we look at anything that we perceive to be nice. I kinda like these pictures but they don't do it for my wife.


The hard part is being consistent throughout your selection. What I do here is just play around with saturation, hue, sharpness and exposure. No touch-ups done.


No touch-ups? What I mean is that I don't lose someone's navel by airbrushing. Tweaks were done on the way light is captured.

Fireworks at Putrajaya

The inaugural Malaysia International Fireworks Competition attracted thousands and I mean thousands of people to Putrajaya. The show started at 10pm but we were there before 8.30pm to make sure we get there before the gridlock started. We wanted to give Josh a treat so to be comfortable, we bought tickets to watch it from the Putrajaya International Conference Centre (PICC).


The show was spectacular with the music aptly playing to visual cue. Great job Team Italy!

We would love to see other teams' effort but the jam going home was just horrendous that we opt not to. I would advice those going to check-in the Shangri-La and just retreat to your room after the show and not get stuck in a 2hr jam just to get home.

I didn't have a wide-angle lens so the pictures look too close-up for a perfect shot. Nevertheless, I was happy with the outcome as it was my first time taking pictures of fireworks with this camera. Next time, I'd choose a vantage point across the lake to get a nicer angle.