Tuesday, February 28, 2012

A CRUISE ON THE TERATAK RIVERSIDE, AN EXPERIENCE

As the Organizing Committee responsible for organizing events for the Sabah State Level Unduk Ngadau, I together with 11 other hardworking committee endeavored to choose an activity worthy of the crowned Unduk Ngadau 2011, Miss Bo Tiza.  Part of her obligations during her reign is to carry out Charity Works and also as Ambassadress for local tourism. 

 Camwhoring at our meeting place, Hongkod Koisaan KDCA, Penampang, 
while waiting for the rest..

 the reigning queen UN2011

..that's Teratak River

For those who have no idea what an Unduk Ngadau is, it is a title bestowed upon the lady that symbolises Huminodun, the mythical princess of the Kadazan legend.  This princess was known for her great beauty, kindness, humility and above all courage when she offered herself to be sacrificed to save mankind who were experiencing a great famine once upon a time. In short, Unduk Ngadau, the soul or who morphed from Huminodun is the ultimate symbol of perfection and purity.

She is immortalized every year during the Harvest Festival Celebrations in Sabah where more than 41 girls from all over the state of Sabah compete to acquire this coveted crown. She would reign for one year and is expected to perform Charity Works amongst others and also to promote specific local tourist destinations.  

We wanted somewhere exotic for her and so identified a Cruise on the Teratak River Side which we understood to be gazetted under birds sanctuary reserves and so an ideal environment for some of the best wildlife.

Sunday, 26th February 2012, on a chartered van,  we set out on the 2-hour journey to that popular tourist destination located some 120 km from Kota Kinabalu. The Teratak river is one of the smaller swampy rivers located in the Garama wetlands in Beaufort.

 
  ..briefing..




 Can you spot me?..

Upon our arrival, we were served with refreshments before we took the boat ride to witness the wildlife - proboscis monkeys and various kinds of birds.  At first, the monkeys were elusive and after a long ride along the scenic river, the guide stopped the boat and pointed to a large tree and lo and behold! A family of beautiful proboscis monkeys.  The guide laughingly told us that they refer to these monkeys as the 'David Beckhams' ..hahaha.. I don't know why.

They were a bit too far for the naked eyes, but I managed to zoom a couple of them but of course my amateur skills still very apparent.  We were also brought to a place where the migrating birds, I think the Great White Egret sleep for the night.  There were thousands of them just perched on the trees looking like white flowers or fruits from a distance.

Towards dusk, we returned to the jetty for dinner before the guide brought us out again in a bigger boat to witness the most beautiful  'Christmas Trees' lighted by millions of Fireflies.  They were a sight to behold. It was a pity we wee not equipped with a proper camera and so was not able to capture the glorious images!



above: Joanna Kitingan (left) and Yours Truly.
(Pic courtesy of Joanna's handphone. Hmm.. so which one of you ladies took this pic?  :) and why am I asking? .. because I wanna thank you..lol )


The elusive proboscis monkey aka the 'Dutchman of Borneo'.
This is a 'she' identified with its short nose. The male of which we did not have the luxury to see as it was too far has longer nose.


I may be wrong, but the birds look like they are the Great White Egret...getting ready for their night.

 
  


Glorious sunset..
(Pic courtesy of Joanna Kitingan)

the lovely Miss Bo Tiza, UNK 2011.
 She is also a Tourism Management student in one of the local colleges in Kota Kinabalu

Our most able Chairlady..
Puan Jornah Mozihim

To sum up...
 Quote by Puan Joanna Kitingan "What a lovely day we had! A beautiful weather with a beautiful sunset in the wetlands, saw several 'monyet bangkatan', lots of migrating birds, lovely, yummy crab dinner and end up with flickering Xmas trees of fireflies!" Unquote

For more of Teratak River Side Cruise, please visit their website:

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Even the Most Beautiful Days Eventually Have their Sunsets..


That's the way it is with life, as some of the most beautiful days come completely by chance. But even the most beautiful days eventually have their sunsets...




Saturday, January 21, 2012

A PHOTOGRAPHER'S QUOTE THAT MADE ME THINK.. hmm

Quote  “ a scene being labeled as ‘pretty’ alone is not sufficient reason to take a picture. It surely is reason enough to stop for a moment and enjoy the beauty of life. Just that ‘beautiful scene’ doesn’t always equal ‘beautiful picture’… “ Unquote..

Seascape Series Jan 2012




Location: Sutera Habour Beach, Kota Kinabalu


Saturday, January 14, 2012

THAT MADE ME SMILE TODAY...


Aren't some of us guilty of this sometimes?

Found this on Sabah's local paper today and it made me smile..
Thanks Langkawit for putting humour into our lives... :)


Daddy: "If I strike the 4D, we will buy lots and lots of durian , okay son?"


Wednesday, January 11, 2012

QUEEN OF FLOWERS..


Truly She is the queen of flowers,

Yes, the lovely Rose will always bloom,

And be the reason for thousand smiles...




Such a beautiful rose
that darkens the light of the sun

it dreams of being a star

although being so beautiful

little usually lasts…








I was at a wedding recently, my niece to be exact, and apart from admiring the couple... the oh so young and a beautiful couple, I kept admiring at the gorgeous flower arangement, decor and of course the bouquet. I don't know who started it first, but half way through the reception, while some guests were still drinking, dancing and merrymaking, I noticed that the lovely white roses somewhat kept getting lesser and what was left were clumps of leaves and vines. Heyyy, you guys, please lah, can't you wait till the reception is over!! Not to be outdone, I looked around, found one, quickly grabbed it...well, if you can't win them, join them hahaha...me guilty as charged!!
 Knowing the life span of roses are short, decided to 'immortalize' them, and time stood still for these beautiful Queen of Flowers... thru' my lens...

Cheers!!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

GAYA STREET - SUNDAY WALKABOUT

Wasn’t doing much last Sunday so decided to go downtown to the Sunday Gaya Street Fair.  Formerly known as Bond Street, it is one of the main streets of Kota Kinabalu.  Situated in the older part of Kota Kinabalu , it is here where one can find a concentration of banks, other commercial and business offices, legal offices, smaller hotels, backpackers lodgings, traditional type of shops and restaurants. Many of these shops have been in existence for many years and some are family businesses that have been passed down from generations to generations. Some of the shops had undergone some major uplifts in recent years.


Pic courtesy of 

Come every Sunday, this street is closed to make way for the mega fair from, 6.30 am to 1.00 pm and transformed into a busy and crowded place as if there's a big party!  With bargain hunters,  shoppers some of whom come with their entire families, you can even find grannies being wheeled by their grandchildren, so much so that it can get a bit tricky to maneuver with your camera without being knocked, blocked or pushed.  Nevertheless, it is not a deterrent factor and I found many photographers armed with their expensive cameras looking for interesting bits and pieces to shoot.

Lol.. yeah,  I do have a sense of humour...



A community group of ukulele lovers comprising mostly youths, calling themselves the
Orkes Akiuku, performing at the fair, doing their bits for society,
spreading the HIV/Aids Awareness in conjunction with the World Aid's Day 2011



this pup cost about RM1,650.00



It is also a popular destination for foreign and local tourists to shop for souvenirs such as local  handicrafts. One can also find, antiques, home cooked food, cookies, small plants and lots more.  Looking for pets? Yes, head for the Sunday fair.  There you can find guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, cats, dogs. Be prepared to apply your haggling flair as prices of some of the animals can be a bit steep.  A young pedigree pup can sometimes cost up to RM1,500.00 and above and  a Persian kitten, at RM2,000.00!

the ugliest thing I've ever seen.. a real frog skin, treated and made into a bag..


l 
local handicrafts

popular tourist destination

So if you find yourself in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday morning with nothing to do, head for the fair and join in the crowd!

 

HEALTH HEALTH, WHERE ARE YOU?

Oh for goodness sake, enough of that Siti Nurhaliza song already. Someone in the neighbourhood has been spinning SN's cd for the umptee...