MY KAMPONG - TENOM

I took the Crocker range road again last weekend, making my way to Tenom driving through Tambunan and Keningau. I have not visited Tenom for quite a while. I made this trip because of some business commitment. Tenom is located in "Interior Division" of Sabah. It was called Fort Birch in the early colonial period. The area is primarily an agricultural zone with a population of about 60,000. Soy beans,maize, vegetables, cocoa and oil palm are the major crops. Entering the town center after 2 hours and 40 minutes drive from Kota Kinabalu. New residents in town..........???

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There was not much developement except that the old house I used to stay back in early 50s has been demolished to make way for a new shoplot.

The old house has gone and replaced by the structure of the shoplot. (Note the Perkasa hotel at the left top corner of the picture.)

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The picture below is extracted from my old posting (THE OLD HOUSE IS STILL STANDING)

Saturday, May 17, 2008

THE OLD HOUSE IS STILL STANDING

This was my home in TENOM in the 50s.
It is amazing to see that the old house is still standing! The house was still standing in the old picture.(Note: the "Perkasa hotel" at the left top corner of the picture).

Tenom Fried noddle, a well-known dish in town.

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I stayed a night at this 2 star 64 rooms Tenom Perkasa Hotel which is situated high on a hill over looking the town and the whole Tenom valley.

Tenom Perkasa hotel is the largest hotel built in the 80s. I was given a brief inspection of the hotel and it's facilities before I checked in. Their lobby, coffee shop and rooms are presentable. However, most of the the bath rooms including that of my room were poorly lighted and looked very old and dirty.

The lobby and the receiption area
Coffee house
The bed room
View of the town from the hotel
Padas river in the distance
I woke up to a foggy morning. The town had disappeared!
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Driving back to Kota kinabalu, I used the Tenom-Sipitang-Beaufort route, approximately 3 and half hours drive. Crossing the Padas River via the "Tenom Lama bridge" A "full bloom" mango tree by the road sideThe construction of the 56.1 kms Tenom-Sipitang was completed in early 2007. My first time on this "new" road and my expectation was a smooth and relaxing drive all the way.But no........, it was not to be when I saw these logging trucks on the road. I just wonder why there were still logging actitivites.. I thought that the Sabah State government has put a stop to all these activities. Trailing and overtaking Logging trucks most of the way

Very dangerous driving by this driver. Overall, it was a scenic drive with tropical jungle along most of the way

Passing this small Sipitang town then to Beaufort before arriving at Kota kinabalu clocking a total distance of 166 kms from Tenom.

ASAMI CHIYUKI

The Waterfront came alive when Ms. Asami Chiyuki, a professional singer and recording artist from Japan staged a 30 miniutes performance on 18 August evening. She thrilled the crowd with her Japanese "enka" and some of her own popular songs. It was a first ever performance by a Japanese singer at the Waterfront.

Ms. Asami started her singing career as a street singer in Japan and later became a professional. She was on a 5D4N Kota Kinabalu holiday tour and her manager organized a brief performance to mark the occassion.

What a performance with the backdrop of a spectacular sunset !!!

CROCKER RANGE - MAHUA WATERFALL

I have heard about this Mahua Waterfall in the Crocker Range but I did not know the extact location until I found it unintentionally last Sunday. It was a hot and hazy day. Our plan was to drive up to the Crocker Range's Gunung Emas Highland Resort to enjoy the cool mountain air and relax for half a day. After an hour of driving through the winding road, we finally arrived at the Resort. I was surprised to see that the state of the Resort's building. It was rundown and dirty and what's left of it, is only a small filty offee shop. This Resort used to be a popluar venue for "getaway" from the city. Visitors had the options of spending a night or two either in the Resort or try out their tree top accommodation. We decided to go further and visit the Tambunan Raflesia Information Centre. We could be lucky if there was a Raflesia in boom. The rundown Resort and the abandoned tree top accommodation. On the way to Raflesia Centre, about 5 miuntes away from Gunung Emas, we noticed another Resort with a small restaurant. A more presentable and cleaner place but we did not stop. Tambunan Raflesia Information Centre.It was another disappointment. The gate was closed and there was nobody in sight ! Something was wrong, the Centre was supposed to be opened daily from 08:00-15:00. There was no notice indicating that the Centre was temporary closed or otherwise.
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I decided to continue to Tambunan town which is about 20 minutes away. On the way, we stopped at this small man-made waterfall. The mountain water was refreshing and cold. The Tambunan Valley Food and vegetable stalls by the roadside near the Valley The popular Kadazan pickles (Wild ginger, local fruits and fish)

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This road sign caught my eyes - Mahua Waterfall - 13kms.The junction to the waterfall after 15 minutes drive on the Tambunan-Ranau road. It was a 6 kms of sealed road drive all the way to the Crocker Range Park - Mahua sub Station.

The entrance fee for visiting the park is RM3.00 for Malaysian and RM10 for Foreign visitor.

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To get to the Mahua waterfall, visitors have to trek 500 meters into the jungle. I was a bit doubtful if I could make it considering my last trekking experience to Utan Paradise waterfall, climbing up and down steep slopes, going through the uneven trails and with leeches all around.

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We talked to the Ranger on duty and I was convinced to have a go. I was amazed to find that the paths leading to the waterfall was built for "leisure walk" instead of trekking. It is totally the opposite of the Utan Paradise's trails where I had to struggle all the way.

My wife was enjoying the jungle surounding while "walking" towards the waterfall. Huge trees like those in Utan Paradise. Wide and clear trail. I was told that Raflesia flowers could be found in this part of the jungle.
Plank walkway along the trail.

Broad walk along the river.
One of the Jungle hut for "Picnic" near the waterfall.

Mahua Waterfall is a pristine natural fall deep in the Crocker Mountain Range. I figure this spectacular waterfall is approximately 16-17 metres tall and has a pool depth of about 1 meter +. It is a good place to relax and have a picnic.

Leaving the waterfall, we continued our trip to Tambunan passing through many rice fields like this one. We had some refreshment at this Chinese Restaurant. The open market in Tambunan

Watch out for these "Lembu" (cows) when driving in the town area. From Tambunan, we took the road to Keningau town which is 30 minutes away. Beautiful "flame of the forest" lined the road. The Popular Perkasa Hotel in Keningau

From Keningau, it was all the way home via the new Keningau-Kimanis Crocker Range road.