Our stay at the Kinabalu Pine Resort on our way to Kota Kinabalu on the west coast was not the most comfortable for me as I had a very upset stomach. This did not stop me from admiring the morning view of the prominent Mount Kinabalu from our room balcony. At 4,095m high it is the highest mountain in Borneo.
Mount Kinabalu Earthquake
We learned that reaching the summit of the Mount is a popular two day climb for keen hikers and mountaineers. Although Borneo is not prone to earthquakes, the country experienced a 6.0 magnitude quake on 5 June 2015 with the Mount as its epicentre. When it struck there were many mountain guides, teachers, and schoolchildren enjoying the Mount, with 18 of those losing their lives. Though time has passed, the memory of those who perished remains deeply etched in the hearts of their families, their communities, and the mountain itself. The trek to the top is as popular as it ever was, with an annual ‘climbathon’, the record for which is a staggering 3 hours 5 minutes.
Kundasang War Memorial Park
I managed a very light breakfast before we set off for the Kundasang War Memorial Park where the story of the Death March was told in an emotional 20 minute video. As I mentioned in my earlier post, East Coast #1, the Japanese transported 2434, mainly Australian and some British, POWs from Singapore to Sandakan to build an airfield in support of their war effort. The POWs endured unimaginable hardship during the construction period. As it became clear that Japan was losing the war, they did not want any prisoners to survive to tell their stories. Rather than outright slaughtering them, they marched them in three waves from Sandakan to Mount Kinabalu, 260 km. With each wave becoming more tortuous, the Japanese aim was to ensure that none would survive. This continued even after the end of the war was declared. Only 6 Australian POWs survived by escaping and being protected by local villagers.
The War Memorial Park was established and is maintained by local volunteers supported by funding from Australia. It comprises four gardens: an Australian Garden; a formal English Garden; a Borneo Garden to acknowledge the locals who tried to help the POWs and a Contemplation Garden. The mood on the coach as we drove to the next stop was very subdued.
Kota Kinabalu
Our next stop before lunch was Kinabalu Park and Botanic Gardens, where I elected to stay on the coach to rest. Lunch at a restaurant high in the mountains was a non-event for me, the smell of the food enough to make me leave the table. However, after a two hour drive to our hotel in Kota Kinabalu, I started to feel a bit better. As it was close to the waterfront which features a string of restaurants, we ventured out for a pasta – a welcome departure from the local cuisine. We collapsed into bed for a great night’s sleep.
Manukan Island
This was a leisure day on Manukan Island in the South China Sea, a short speed boat trip from the mainland. It is a popular spot for all sorts of water sports, including snorkelling, diving and swimming to enjoy the coral reef. When we arrived, our group went straight for the beach, however, K and I decided to tackle the 3 km jungle trek to the south end of the island. After a buffet lunch, we had an hour or so to enjoy the warm sea water before our 14:00 return boat trip.
The rest of the afternoon was spent washing a couple of shirts and undies and relaxing. Dinner was a coach ride away – with all our included meals we had been served dessert, so we all sat after our main course with great expectation, only to be disappointed.
Mari Mari cultural village
This final day of the Trip a Deal tour featured a visit to the Mari Mari cultural village. This introduced us to five different tribal cultures including the well-known head hunters.
The Dayak tribe historically practiced headhunting as part of their warrior tradition. It served as a rite of passage for young men to prove their bravery and become eligible for marriage. However, with British and Dutch colonialism and the introduction of religion, an inter-tribe peace agreement was reached in 1894 to end the practice.
Each of the represented tribes were set up in replicas of their traditional houses and, at each, tribe members in their customary dress provided us with samples of their food and drinks. The tour highlight was a thrilling stage performance of music and dance, followed by another buffet lunch.
On returning to the hotel, we said farewell to our guide and driver (who had to return to Sandakan for another tour the following day) and our fellow travellers, as we had an early next day departure.
We walked to the very busy, vibrant waterfront fish and vegetable market before settling for a pizza for dinner. The rest of the evening was allocated to packing.
Our next three days was an ‘add on’ tour with Borneo Eco Tours back into the rainforest. We had decided to leave our large suitcases at the hotel (which we were returning to later), and only take our backpacks as carry on luggage for the flights to and from Sandakan and the tour.
Stay tuned for our second visit to the rainforest.