Trip to Kudat

Today is a holiday. I think its Wesak Day. Yes, it is.
Happy Wesak day for those who celebrate!

Yesterday, mommy told me to have a visit in Kudat, North of Sabah (Borneo).
So, I decided to go for a look since now I am taking this Tourism Course. (I’m quite missing Quantity Surveyor). Early in the morning at 6am I have to wake up and get ready but I think I woke up at 7am if I’m not mistaken haha. Anyway, It was only a day trip which I have visited four main places.

First, the Gombizau Kampung Madu.
Second, the Bavanggozo Rungus Longhouse.
Third, the Tip of Borneo.
Last, the Gong Factory.

So now, I will try my best to tell you all about these places!

First location: Gombizau Kampung Madu, a honey farm.

Actually, I am quite impressed and look high upon those ladies who are working in the honey farm. They are not afraid of the bees that fly around them, using their bare hands to get the honey. One of the workers explained to us about how they get the honey, how honey is formed, and so on. After that, everybody get to try on the honey that is raw without any artificial additions. It is so sweet! And you know what? All of us eat the honey by putting the honey comb into our mouth and suck the honey out without swallow it of course. The workers they told us that they do eat it like chewing gums everyday! Then, there are still a lot of left over, Teresa and I tried to finish it all.

At the time being, I do questions a lot to know more about the bees and honey. I asked one of the workers,

"Do the bees come itself?”
"No. We have to catch them from the jungle but now they will come automatically because they know this is their home.”
"There is only a wooden frame in those boxes. How does the honey formed?”
"By the team work and hard work of the bees, it takes quite a long time for them.”
"Why there are black and white colour honeys? What’s the difference?”
"It makes no differences. Just because the light colour is the young honey. The dark ones are those which are old honey because we collect it after sometime. It will taste different a little, dark one will be bitter.
"Why aren’t you afraid of the bees?”
"We get used to it and we do know the method of how to protect ourselves. If you see a bee or the bee stand on your skin, don’t chase it away rudely. You have to be friendly to them as they will not harm you. And if we saw a queen bee in the boxes, we will not touch her and will not let her fly away.

Second location: Bavanggozo Rungus Longhouse.
Rungus culture mostly from Kudat. They are famous with their long house and their handicraft, the beads. I love beads as they came with lots of colours and I asked the aunt there who is doing a necklace at that time, “how do you know which colour comes first?” and she told me, “it’s been years she have been doing beads and they knew which colour comes first in different designs.” Wow! Other than that, they did some performance for us to enjoy. An old granny with her flute but she did not use her mouth to blow, she used her nose. Incredible eh? Then, an old man play guitar as well. Dance performance by the granny and some youngsters as well. We had our lunch there.

Third location: Tip of Borneo

They said, it’s hot there and I’ll get dark once I’m back to Kota Kinabalu but I think I didn’t. Hmm.

By the word “Tip of Borneo”, you know what it means. Walk until the tip of Borneo, Northern Sabah. In fact, I think I should walk down to the tip. Haha but we can’t. It’s too dangerous. For me, if I am able to reach till the real tip, then I can consider myself had step to the tip of Borneo. Maybe one day perhaps. In the Sabah map, you can see the doggie head right? So the Tip of Borneo is located at the dog’s ear. :D

Nothing much we can do there but just to enjoy the view and sceneries. The sea water is bluish, very nice and clean! And before going down to see the tip, we came across with this manmade globe! Pretty and unique! Then the ice cream man told me that it never rains at the Tip of Borneo because it’s too hot!

Lastly, the gong place! The real name for this place is Persatuan Momogun Rungus Sabah. Sanora.
This is the place where people made the gongs and to sell. Guess what I saw once I reached? I saw a lady demonstrate how they make the gongs. Omigosh, she’s a Hercules!