A 5 hour flight from Perth & here we are in Kota
Kinabalu (9.30pm and 27 degrees & high humidity). Met up with other family
& friends & headed to Mt Kinabalu national park for a drive &
lunch. Mountain obscured by fog but a great drive anyway with stops at street
side stalls & markets. An amazing array of regular & exotic fresh
fruits, vegies, souvenirs etc.
Checked out the markets etc around KK & again astounded
by the huge number of amazingly tiny little stalls selling very similar items
to the previous stall – no idea how they all survive? Torrential rain confined
us to the shopping mall for coffee with a few friendly locals.
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| Kota Kinabalu harbour |
Met up with Rosie & Pete at her flat then drove in
convoy to Kuala Penyu about 2 hours south of KK. Had lunch along the way at a
seafood restaurant on the banks of a river – beautiful fresh fish feast. Brief
stop at Rosie’s mum’s house to meet the rellies – already dozens of people
milling around & setting up for the wedding. Then “just 10 minutes”
(everything is just 10 mins away even if it’s an hour) to Tempurung Seaside
Lodge our digs for the next 5 nights. The track in was nearly 4WD with huge
ruts & washouts. The Lodge is in a beautiful setting on a hill overlooking
the Sth China Sea.
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| Tempurung Lodge |
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| Tempurung Lodge |
Had a cruise on the Klias River & saw proboscis &
macaque monkeys & amazing fire flies after dark. Then back to Rosie’s mum’s
where the wedding party had begun. People everywhere (maybe 200) & very
noisy with a traditional singing group & gongs – very repetitive to our
ears but lots of fun. Gambling tables were set up under the patio & in
every room of the house & Rosie’s sister’s house next door. There were also
mah jong tables. A huge spread of food & rice wine. The party continued
until 3am? There were also several temporary shops set up around the perimeter
selling drinks, cigarettes, toys, lollies & ice creams. A truly amazing
scene & this was the day before the wedding???
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| Rice wine jug |
On the wedding day we all rocked up at 1pm & the place
was already humming with another big crowd, music, food & drink. And yes,
the gambling & shops continued throughout. Pete & Jason (as best man)
wore suits – wonderful in 28 degrees & high humidity – the rest of us wore
shorts. Pete disappeared into the house to get Rosie who appeared in a
beautiful white wedding dress. They cut a handsome pair & the wedding party
were stunning. Speeches in 2 languages, cutting of the cake, small gifts for
the guests, then party time! There was DJ music, karaoke, gongs, kids games,
drinking dances where everyone has a sip of other peoples drinks, a rice wine
sculling jug etc etc. Rosie, Pete & the wedding party had several changes
of outfit through the day. The fun continued again into the wee hours. An
amazing experience.
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| Wedding party |
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| The kids - Zac, Abel, Jess & Danni |
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| The cake on its side? |
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| Karaoke queens |
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| Mother & son |
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| Sue, Rosie, Anne & Anne |
The next morning was clean up time but the gambling &
mah jong continued & food was still being provided. We headed off to Tiga
Island (Survivor Island) for a crazy volcanic mud bath (very thick & oozy)
then a wash in the sea before a snorkel on the reef. Another great day.
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| Oozy |
Finally a quiet day at the lodge followed by a leisurely
drive around the local roads. Many interesting houses all colours of the
rainbow or no colour at all, some very impressive looking & others looking
like demolition material.
Finally we had to leave our lovely lodge & headed south
to Beaufort & Tenom which included a number of river crossings &
winding mountain roads through the rainforest. Visited the local coffee factory
– very nice & tried to visit the Agricultural Park but it closes on
Mondays. Our hotel is perched on the hillside & we watched the monsoon
rains sweep across the valley below our window. Quite a sight.
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| Rain approaching |
Next morning returned to Agricultural Park which was like a
botanic garden of tropical plants including some special orchids. A really
special & interesting place. Then visited a cultural centre which was set
in large grounds with fantastic buildings, art, sculptures, traditional
costumes etc – very interesting. Our planned next stop was a waterfall but had
to abort as the monsoon rains went ballistic – the windscreen wipers couldn’t
cope as water rushed across the road & off embankments. We had to drive
through water in several spots. The waterfalls would have been great but we
would have been washed away. Back across the Crocker Range on an amazing
winding mountain road with wash outs (washed away sections of road & land
slips etc) to KK for our flight back to
Perth.
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| Sabah Agricultural Park |
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| Sabah Agricultural Park |
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