Throwback 7 years ago
One of my favourite things to do on weekends is to spend time with family members just chilling out by having potluck, shopping for bargains (or window shopping) and karaoke. Last Sunday’s activity however will be added to that list. My brother in law, my two sisters and I had happily accepted my cousin’s invitation to his family’s orchard in Tenom which is about 2 ½ hours trip through that long, steep and winding road of the Crocker Range. The roads are fully sealed but the steepness of some parts of the roads was rather daunting. It was compensated however, by the glorious sceneries. It was really humbling and I felt rather insignificant amidst God’s breathtaking creations.
Shortly before Keningau, which is Tenom’s nearest neighboring town, it was downhill, travel for another 30 minutes and then, the quaint little town of Tenom. Yes, we had arrived and as it was Sunday, we eagerly looked forward to a stopover at the ‘Tamu’ where one can find various types of vegetables from the normally grown to those plucked from the wilds, fruits, flowers, fresh fish etc.
After that stopover, we headed to the orchard. There, we found all kinds of fruit trees, local oranges, durians trees, rambutans, papayas – the list is endless. Picking fruits fresh from the tree is like being in the Garden of Eden (minus the apple). In our previous trip to that orchard, it was the rambutan seasons and we really had fun plucking bunches and bunches of red juicy rambutans. This time round, it was the local oranges. There were rows and rows of that tree, each laden with big and ripe and juicy looking oranges. I felt like I was in a big candy store but even better. The trees were pretty easy to climb and each of us armed with a fruit cutter would step onto a branch teetering reaching for the fruits – simply amazing! After that, we proceeded to pick other fruits, pineapples, coffee seeds, corns, winter melons and more.
Big thanks really go to my cousin and her husband (yes they do all the farming themselves), for their generosity. We were also treated by them to lunch of sumptuous home-cooked food of buttered fragrant rice, steamed chicken (reared by them), stuffed –taufoo (best taufoo in Sabah), mushrooms, vegetables, soups etc. …yummy!
We said our goodbyes in the mid-afternoon and proceeded back to KK with our treasures firmly packed in the four-wheel drive vehicle. Till our next trip, this will remain as one of my favourite weekend rendezvous…a million thanks cuz and adios!
Shortly before Keningau, which is Tenom’s nearest neighboring town, it was downhill, travel for another 30 minutes and then, the quaint little town of Tenom. Yes, we had arrived and as it was Sunday, we eagerly looked forward to a stopover at the ‘Tamu’ where one can find various types of vegetables from the normally grown to those plucked from the wilds, fruits, flowers, fresh fish etc.
After that stopover, we headed to the orchard. There, we found all kinds of fruit trees, local oranges, durians trees, rambutans, papayas – the list is endless. Picking fruits fresh from the tree is like being in the Garden of Eden (minus the apple). In our previous trip to that orchard, it was the rambutan seasons and we really had fun plucking bunches and bunches of red juicy rambutans. This time round, it was the local oranges. There were rows and rows of that tree, each laden with big and ripe and juicy looking oranges. I felt like I was in a big candy store but even better. The trees were pretty easy to climb and each of us armed with a fruit cutter would step onto a branch teetering reaching for the fruits – simply amazing! After that, we proceeded to pick other fruits, pineapples, coffee seeds, corns, winter melons and more.
Big thanks really go to my cousin and her husband (yes they do all the farming themselves), for their generosity. We were also treated by them to lunch of sumptuous home-cooked food of buttered fragrant rice, steamed chicken (reared by them), stuffed –taufoo (best taufoo in Sabah), mushrooms, vegetables, soups etc. …yummy!
We said our goodbyes in the mid-afternoon and proceeded back to KK with our treasures firmly packed in the four-wheel drive vehicle. Till our next trip, this will remain as one of my favourite weekend rendezvous…a million thanks cuz and adios!
