Tuesday, September 8, 2009

PAPAR TOWN

Papar is 38 kms south of Kota Kinabalu and is situated right at the bank of the Papar river. It is basically an agricultural district with huge area of rice fields and tropical fruits orchards. It has also a strong fishing community. The population is about 108,000. Entering the town via the bridge.
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Papar is one of the stops on the British North Borneo 140 kms railway line from Jesselton (now Kota Kinabalu) to the interior town of Tenom. This railway line was established back in the late 1880s. The train services on this line had been operating since then but was suspended in April 2006 for upgrading work on the line. The completion date was supposed to be in May 2008 however, to date the work has not been completed. The Papar river with two bridges, one for the train and the other for vehicles.
There are still a number of old shops like this one in town.
New shops in the same area. The Central market I frequent this roadside stall whenever I am in Papar. We had a good lunch before leaving town.




The "Char Siew" (BBQ pork) Omelette








Sayur manis (Sabah vegetables) Soup








Fish in sweet and sour sauce



An old government quarter like this one built after the 2nd world war.
"Lembu" can be seen roaming near the town area. I captured this feeding moment.
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We stopped at one of the roadside stalls to check-out the fruits in season. Surprisingly, they were not any cheaper than in the Kota Kinabalu city market.

This is a smaller version of the "longan" In Sabah also known as "mata kuching" or "Cat's eye"
There are at least 14 varieties of local mango in Sabah. The most popular ones are the middle size like those above. The skin remained green even where they are ripe.
The ever popular Mangosteen
Star fruits
"Tarap" is a unique fruit, found only in Northern Borneo and nowhere else. When ripe, just open the fruit by hand and enjoy the cluster of sweet white flesh. It is one of my favourite. An open Tarap
One of the "wild" durian species in Borneo, found in the deep jungle, another favourite of the locals. They are extremely high in cholesterol content. It's a "no touch" for me!

4 comments:

Susan and Richard said...

Mr Wong, you are killing me with all these pictures. Look at the food, OMG... home is so far far away.

I should say thanks. You help me keep touch with what's happening in my hometown. Good job! Keep it up.

Marcel said...

Mr Wong, can I use your picture of the old goverment quarter for my blog. I'll give a kredit.

WONGLC said...

It's OK for you to use the old government quarter for your blog, Mr. Petrus.

WONGLC said...

Sorry, I meant the picture.