Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Kinabalu Park


7.30am, Saturday16/5/2009 we left our hotel at 1Borneo towards Kinabalu Park. Although we are still fatigue from the previous day’s adventure ay Klias River, every body is in good mood to have a sight on Kinabalu Mountain.

The journey took 2 hours. The scenery is awesome. Even from the distance, Kinabalu Mountain looks so majestic. No wonder it attracts thousands of mountain climbers. We stop at Nabalu town for a break. From Nabalu town, the mountain seems so near and it makes a beautiful backdrop for your photo. If you have the energy, you can walk up the observation tower. You can also find souvenirs sold at a cheap price.

From Nabalu town, we resumed our journey to Kinabalu Park. We arrived at the park around 11am and the temperature is quite cool. If not because of global warming, it should be cooler I guess. According to our guide, there used to be ice on top of the mountain. However, it disappears since 1980s.

We took a guided tour through the forest track. Our guide, Ms Betty, was so helpful and elaborates with her explanation about the flora and fauna found in the forest. We just realized that bamboo is the tallest grass in the world. I don’t even know that bamboo is part of grass family. At the backdrop, the ‘audio entertainment’ of tour is the high volumes of cicadas. You also can find varieties of wild orchid. If you love nature, this is the place to be. If not, the only ‘sexy’ thing here is the ‘naked tree’.

Once in a while, our guide will explain the important of maintaining the biodiversity of the forest. For example, Silau-Silau River starts from the Kinabalu Mountain and will combine with other rivers to form a huge reservoir of clean water resources for the whole of Sabah. The forest surrounding the mountain functions as natural filter to these rivers.

Our guided tour took an hour to complete. Despite the long track, I felt so refreshed. Perhaps it is due to the fresh air and the cool climate. My friend may not share the same sentiments. Our next agenda is our favorite; lunch. When you are hungry, tired and the weather is cool, everything tastes delicious.

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