Mabul Island

Island hopping is a distinct passion of mine and to this day I have yet to visit an island that's as peaceful and serene as Mabul. Located just off the town of Semporna, Mabul is a small island covered in an abundance of palm trees and a beautiful soft white sandy beach that gives it that Caribbean feel. However this island is definitely more than just a combination of white rum and a couple of Bob Marley records as it induces an indescribable sense of tranquility whilst radiating an air of simplicity in the way the local villages go about their daily lives.

Map view of Mabul location

I can't even begin to describe the thrill I experienced from just sitting on the beach watching the local fishermen doing what they're best at, catching fish! Obviously I'm not reveling in the fact that these hardworking fishermen are forced to work hours on end with the intention of feeding their own families whilst earning a living, but it provided such a picturesque view that complimented the already scenic backdrop the sea and the distant sun had naturally provided. In order to make better use of my time whilst at the island, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to do some snorkeling, not just any type of snorkelling...but NIGHT snorkeling. Definitely not for the faint of heart but I highly recommend it. You wouldn't believe the creatures that came out to pay me a cheeky visit whilst vigorously trying to get my waterproof torchlight working underwater - I'm talking baby octopuses, crustaceans, scorpion fish, frog fish and many more (thankfully no sharks :)). All the small creatures mentioned are commonly found in Mabul's waters, as opposed to the large pelagic species found at Mabul's neighbours, Sipadan.

Birds-eye view of Mabul Island

Who would've thought a massive snorkeling session like that could induce such an appetite? So as soon as I was satisfied with my findings, dinner time couldn't come any sooner. All the meals provided throughout the day comprised of rice, vegetables and whatever the fisherman managed to bring in from his day out at sea, but more often than not the catch was definitely worth the fisherman's endeavour in my opinion. The next couple of days at Mabul allowed me the opportunity to tour the entirety of the island which allowed me to make a distinct conclusion of my thoughts on this beautiful 'venue', however not before making a purchase of some of the finest items on offer at the local stalls within the island's interior. Items such as pearls, necklaces, and even bracelets are some of the products commonly sold. 
Overall, my expectations were met and I wouldn't hesitate to participate in another Mabul Island adventure. Great venue, great people, great food, and great scenery. What more could you ask for?
If you're interested in booking a visit to the island or just simply intend on making an enquiry, do not hesitate to contact Ultimate Tourism - Tel:088222125  or simply visit our website at     http://www.malaysia.ultimatetourism.com/  

BALIK PULAU, PENANG

Balik Pulau is located in Penang and it is called as the Balik Pulau as in Malay, Balik Pulau means "the other side of the island". According to the Chinese, they call Balik Pulau as "the island behind the hills". The Balik Pulau is bordered by a long coastline on the western side and protected by high hills on three other sides. The Balik Pulau is a self-sufficient agricultural district situated in the Southwest of Penang Island. Balik Pulau is famous with durian, nutmeg, clove, coconut, and fruit orchard. Same as other district and state, Balik Pulau also have its early settlers. There are stories telling that during the early political, refugees from Thailand, the northern Malay states, and Indonesia emigrated to Balik Pulau in the 1800s and settled down in scattered villages on hillsides and river mouths. 

 

During that time, they fished, farmed the land and planted paddy, fruit, sugarcane, and coffee. The earlier settlers to Balik Pulau are thought to be the refugees that are escaping from the protracted wars involving Siam on 1786 and 1821. There are also refugees including Hakka, Chinese, and Phuket, Malays from the southern Thai provimces and Kedah are said to have fled southwards to Penang Island, some of them landing on the shores of Balik Pulau. In the early 1800s, the Chinese and Tamil labor was brought in to work on the rubber and coconut plantations and they stayed behind and took up residency in Balik Pulau. 

 

A later wave of migration to Balik Pulau occurred when the Japanese advanced into Georgetown in 1941 where Chinese residents from Georgetown fled to Balik Pulau in fear of the impending war and in fear of being branded communist by the Japanese. Balik Pulau is a traditional village that has a harmony and calm environment. Balik Pulau is famous with its Durian as it is known as the best fruit sources in Penang. Take a round at Balik Pulau might be very fun by using bike where you are able to feel the calm environment and view the paddy field and fruit plantation and seeing the old traditional houses at Balik Pulau.

LINANGKIT CULTURAL VILLAGE

Linangkit Cultural Village is located in Kampung Selupoh, Tuaran, Sabah. This is a place for the Lotud people which is one of 32 diverse ethnic groups in Sabah that also have their own traditions and cultures that was brought from the late great grandmother of Lotud. To reach Linangkit Cultural Village, it takes about one hour from the capital city of Kota Kinabalu. There are many activities provided at Linangkit Cultural Village that you can enjoy. There, the Linangkit Cultural Village provides guided tour around the village, traditional costume try-on, handicrafts making demonstrations, traditional food preparation demonstrations, traditional fish netting, tapioca plucking, cultural show, and also river cruise and firefly watching.

For those who are cultural lovers, visiting to the Linangkit Cultural Village will give you satisfying experiences because the Lotud people are very friendly and they are very pleased to receive you. If you are willing to know more about their tribe and culture or learning every single thing about their culture, you will absolutely get the information as they are very happy to introduce their cultures to other people. Besides giving information about their culture, the Lotud people also will give the opportunity to try and live and their lifestyle.

In the village also, you will be able to observe clearly the building structure of the houses in the village and thereon, you will know the traditional building skills of the Lotud people. Since the Lotud have traditional skills, therefore they are also able to make their traditional attires and here you will be able to witness and learn on how they make their arts and crafts and you are able to try them on and if you like it, you can purchase it directly and bring back to your home as souvenirs. Through the arts and crafts, you will know how creative the Lotud people are as well as other ethnic groups in Sabah. Besides experiencing their handicrafts making, you will also have the opportunity to learn on cooking the traditional food of the Lotud people.The Lotud people also lives in Longhouse. However, the difference between the Lotud Longhouse and other longhouses such as the Rungus Longhouse is the Lotud Longhouse only hosts one family. This means that each family lives in a longhouse. The Linangikit Cultural Village is in fact known as "treasure house" as there are many unique items of Lotud people.

Engagement Ceremony for Kadazan

Before marriage of two people, there must be a engagement ceremony. Same goes to the Kadazan culture where engagement is a must before two person getting married. Before that, let me introduce some information about Kadazan culture before proceeding to the Kadazan engagement ceremony. Kadazan culture is originate mostly in Penampang, Sabah and most of Kadazan are christian (Roman Catholic) and some of it are mix of Chinese which called Sino-Kadazan. However, in engagement ceremony for the Kadazan, there are lots of taboos to be followed. Before setting the date for engagement, both family from the woman side and the man side will meet at the woman house and discuss about the date, the price, and getting to know each other. This is called the "merisik" in Malay and "monohuku" in Kadazan language. After "merisik", the date of the engagement is fixed and before the date, the man side must prepare gifts for the woman and lending or "berian" in Malay. The gifts or also known as "hantaran" in Malay can be cloths, hand bag, make up set, perfume, high heel, bouquet of flower, and including the gold rings and the lending. 

The price that are discussed by both the women and man's side family are the lending, "pitas", a buffalo, and "belanja dapur". The "pitas" is more like "sogit" for the villagers where it should be done one month or before the marriage. The buffalo is a must in Kadazan culture and it can be change with money for the total of RM2,000. The price for "belanja dapur" is upon discuss by both the woman and man's side family and it is used for the expenses during marriage such as the foods. The wedding can be done whether at the hall, at the house, hotel, ballroom, or any place that the spouse wanted. 

Lets proceed to the engagement ceremony. The engagement ceremony should begin between 10 am to 11 am and after finished the ceremony, there will be lunch. For the roman catholic Kadazan, before the changing rings between man and woman is begin, there should be blessing for the rings. It is important to have the head of the village to be at the engagement ceremony because the head of the village need to sign and chop the engagement form to affirm the engagement and need to witness the spouse of the engagement to pledge. The gifts to the woman must be passed by the parents of the man's side to the parents of the woman's side. The man's side must go home before the sun falls which is before 2 pm. After going home, the man and the woman should not meet and only be able to meet the day after the engagement. According to the Kadazan tradition, there are lots of taboos which if there is incident and violate the Kadazan taboos, the man and woman can be separated. 

For example, before the man's side is leaving to the woman's house, on their way, if they bumped with weird animals such as lizard, snake, and other animals that are rarely seen, the engagement should not be continued and the man and woman can be separated. Besides that, before and during the engagement ceremony, there should not be any glasses broken. If there are glasses broken, the man and woman can be separated and the engagement ceremony should not be continued. During the lunch, after the engagement, nobody is allowed to used toothpicks, and the spouse that engaged, they cannot finished their food until the plate is clean. There must be some rice or food left in the plate.

Monsopiad Cultural Village

Monsopiad Cultural Village is located beside the Penampang River which is about 16km or about half an hour away from the Kota Kinabalu City. Monsopiad Cultural Village is a living museum where a fearsome warrior lived in the village of Kuai about 200 years ago. It showcase of Kadazandusun culture. Lets go for the brief history about the Monsopiad Cultural Village. 

Many centuries ago, a lady named Kizabon was pregnant and lived with her husband named Dunggou. A sacred Bugang Bird made its nest and stayed at the spouse's rooftop. When the child was due to be born, the Bugang Bird's hatched as well. Dunggou looked upon this coincidence as a good omen and sign. Dunggou named his son as Monsopiad. Monsopiad's grandfather was the headman of the village. The village however was often plundered and attacked by robbers. Due to lack of warriors in the village, the villagers had to retreat and hide while the robbers ransacked their homes.

Skull victims from Monsopiad

Monsopiad was given special training as the grandson of the headman of the village and turned out to be an excellent fighter and became the warrior of the village. He vowed to hunt down and fight off the warriors that had terrorized his village for so long. He will bring back their heads as trophies and hang them from the roof of his house. Over the years, Monsopiad soon attained a reputation and there were no robbers or evil warriors who dared to challenge him. However, the urge to kill had gotten into Monsopiad's head and he simply could not stop himself from beheading more people. With his changed attitude, all the villagers and his friends became afraid of him. The village got a group of brave warriors together and plan to eliminate Monsopiad when he is resting in his house. As they attacked him, he fought back fiercely but realized that he had lost his special strength that were bestowed upon him by the Bugang Bird and it was that very night that Monsopiad's life ended. Despite his downfall, the villagers still love Monsopiad for all that he had done for them. All in all, he collected 42 powerful warrior's heads which no other man could equal. They forgave Monsopiad for his mistakes and in honor and memory of his good deeds, a monument was erected and the village was named after him.

Monolith

Now at Monsopiad Cultural Village, in order to became a living museum, it showcase of Kadazandusun culture and a unique attraction for travelers to Sabah. In order to continue the culture of Kadazandusun, many daily activities at the Monsopiad Cultural Village are the customary work of the people here such as preparing the rice, the making of lihing or "Rice Wine" and handicrafts. Visiting to the village, there are guided tour available such as the House of Skulls, Monolith, Suspension bridge, Tangkob, Kotos, enjoy the Traditional Games, and Hamin Tinandai. There are many activities and entertainment that are available in Monsopiad such as the cultural dance, cultural drama, and music troupe. At Monsopiad also, you are able to hire per-day or per-piece of the costumes and accessories. Besides that, there are also

Traditional Dancing Lesson

traditional dancing lesson, traditional music lesson, and traditional Kadazan cooking lesson that are available at Monsopiad Cultural Village. Whoever Kadazan that wants to celebrate a traditional Kadazan-style wedding, there are wedding package in an authentic setting at Monsopiad Cultural Village. There is also guided tour to the Monsopiad Burial Ground of the Monsopiad family. Whoever that are cultural and historical lovers, you will be satisfy on your visit to Monsopiad Cultural Village.

Homestays in Sabah

Long Pasia Homestay, Sipitang

An interesting and unique way to really get to know the place you are visiting is by participating in a homestay programme. Staying for a night or more with the local families will give you the experiences of the culture and lifestyle of the people that lives in the homestay area. Every district in Sabah have provided homestays for locals, and foreign as well as domestic tourists. By just visiting the places of interest is not enough to get the knowledge and experiences, therefore, through the homestay programme, it helps you to fulfill your desire to expand knowledge in terms of culture and traditions by providing packages where you are able to stay, eat, participate in activities where the local people do. 

to Melangkap Homestay, Kota Belud

Each district in Sabah has its own charm and attractions. Some of the homestays will let you explore the wildlife, some of the homestays have beautiful gushing waterfalls, and some of them offers you an opportunity to study historical sites. All the availability and opportunities given by homestay are different upon their different culture and lifestyle. Most importantly, every person you meet will have a story to share because every homestay in different district offers different activities, story, and experiences, all you have to do is just choose. The homestay programme are always open for you to come. 

In Sabah, there are many homestays available in every district. For example:

Papar :               Koposizon Homestay Papar

Kota Belud:       Tanginambur Homestay, Melangkap Homestay, Tanak Nabalu Homestay

Kudat:               Misompuru Homestay

Tambunan:        Tambunan Village Homestay

Penampang:       Penampang Village Homestay

Kundasang:       Walai Tokou Homestay, Mesilou Atamis Homestay

Kiulu:                Mitabang Homestay

Kinabatangan:   Miso Walai Homestay, Bilit Homestay, Balai Kito Mayu Homestay

Long Pasia:       Long Pasia Homestay

Misompuru Homestay, Kudat

Don't miss the fun in joining and participating the cultural dance, music, traditional foods, costumes wear of the locals, the every day activities, and many more fun activities from the homestays that could give you an unforgettable moments and experiences. Have a visit to our blog for more info about each homestay available in Sabah on my next story. 

Pom Pom Island

The journey from Tawau to Semporna by road takes approximately one hour and from Semporna to Pom Pom Island is around 45 minutes by boat. Pom Pom Island is a scattering islands surround the dramatic hilly islands of Bogaya and Boheydulang, both are part of the rim of an ancient volcanic crater inundated by the sea. These two islands of northeast of Semporna have been gazetted as the Tun Sakaran Marine Park, together with 6 smaller surrounding island. A little further to the east and southeast od Bodgaya, outside the Park boundaries, other tiny, flat sandy islands dot the limpid Sulawesi Sea, including Pom Pom, Pandanan, Timba Timba and Mataking. 

Pom Pom Island is a home to two dive resorts, one, a large well-appointed resort with spa, and the second is more simple dive lodge. At Pom Pom Island, divers are able to explore as many as 40 dive sites on the fringing and patch reefs within the region, including Mantabuan and Bodgaya with the Park. Most of the diving is macro which includes turtles and small rays, that is sometimes seen, frogfish, butterfly fish, and small fish such as cardinal fish. There are also black coral and barracuda that could be seen at Mantabuan's reefs. The equipments for diving are all prepared by the resort and all you have to do is bring your sunglasses and sunscreen, and pull on your wet suit. The Pom Pom Island Resort's professional instructors and staff will assist you both above the water and below and they will guide and show you the wonderful underwater life along with the available amazing marine macro life.