me and arey have been hired for a wedding photography in semporna. we managed to go to tawau, shopped for some salted fish “ikan masin” and some sleeping mat. ( not just a normal sleeping mat that you can get in indonesia, buat a big one like normal carpet. - Paie jangan jeles )

 the trip was good. after all, it was an all paid trip except for the carpet and salted fish :-p the family of the bride has given a wonderful hospitality. we were treated with nasi kuning, granny made tapai, spirulina, and some other local delicacies that i have forgot the name.

my dearest auntie above is performing iga iga, a traditional bajau dance. It is always presented during the wedding fiesta or official ceremony. i dont think this dance is similar to kadazan dusun dance.

if you observe carefully, you will realize that there is a RM 1 note in between the dancer’s finger. The money is given by the audience. This is somewhat like showing their acceptance / appreciation to the dancer’s dance. The dancer will continue dancing until she notice that she feels that she needs to stop. ( and of course when people stops giving her money )

will post some scenic photos of semporna later. got to get a nap, me catching a flu. grrrrrr

the above pix is taken exactly in front of floating @ dragon inn. It was taken during the sunset. i wished i had more time capturing those moments. the pix below is taken exactly opposite of the one above. i just luv the lines…

the pix below is taken near the bride’s house. This is what the Bajau clan call PANJI. This signifies that there will be a wedding fiesta held at the house. Notice the Germany’s flag color scheme and the cockerel image on top of it… . I have asked around on what those 2 identities stands for, but i just couldnt find the right ppl to answer it…sigh

this pix is taken on the Pulau Sipadan Resort Jetty. Those kids live inside the boat house. They say that this kind of clan is of the Bajau Laut origin. ( Sea Bajau ).

i felt a little bit disappointed as i couldnt visit sipadan-mabul and kalabakan. That was our target. but since there were some problem with transportation, the photography session has to be cancelled.

still, i got the chance to visit tawau. tawau is 2 hours drive from semporna. iti s not a small town like semporna. i passed by the central market but we were asked to go the wet market instead. At the wet market, i bought some salted fish like kurau, terubuk, dried squids and marinated kerupuk. 

at the wet market, i also bought 2 carpets made of  foam / some plastic material. it is of the same quality as the sleeping mat that paie bought in jogja. He bought it for RM 15 but the size is only half of what i get. I think mine is a bargain as 1 carpet cost me exactly RM 20.

from my last trip to kuala koh national park last weekend, i have discovered few interesting places along the route.

the places include:

1. jeram busu
2. pahang national park merapoh’s entrance
3. fraser hill entrances that can be found twice along the route
4. air terjun pelangi
5. and some other waterfalls etc.

i have not been to any of em. but i am sure places like jeram busu and air terjun pelangi have been mentioned by Dr Jamal or Dr Ali during our last trip to Mount Merapi, Jateng, Indonesia. Those places are great for photographers.

anyway, me wanna go to berkelah and kenyir lake after this. might missed the kenyir lake fishing expedition but i think i can really plan for berkelah.

anyway, i have met mr amy in kuala koh and he has shown strong interest in ecotravelogue’s next trip. he is always welcome to be a family member of ecotravelogers.

ok, its time for si cecep.

chiao.

yeah…just came back from a fishing trip at Kuala Koh National Park, Kelantan, Malaysia. The trip was ok. This is all due to “small” amount of catch acquired. but…nonetheles, with 2 arowana @ kelisa in hand, i think that has really made our day. Both weighing around 2-3 kilos were captured on the 2nd day of the trip. i will post the photos later.

?

?

some links:

http://www.wildlife.gov.my/webpagev4_en/bhg_ekotn_kelantan.html

Dear Remi,

I’m Az, from kinabalu cemerlang travel & tours sdn bhd, an authorized agent for mt torq activities. I’m referred to the email forward by Diana regarding on your request to have the mt
kinabalu via ferrata price package.

FYI, our package price for (malaysian rate) :

1. 2D1N - Walk the torq = RM 790.00 per person (beginner)
2. 2D1N - Low’s Peak Circuit = RM 890.00 per person (beginner / intermediate)
3. 2D1N - The preamble = RM 890.00 per person (intermediate)
(preamble doesn’t climb up to the summit, only do the via ferrata)
(Walk the torq & low’s peak circuit : summit climb + via ferrata)

* * For 4d3n Mt kinabalu via ferrata package is available on request with minimum of 10 persons per trip.

package include of:

1. 1 night accommodation at pendant hut (new accommodation - non heated : dormitory)
2. Via ferrata activity - as stated above
3. Via ferrata equipment
4. climbing permits & insurance
5. certificate
6. mt guide & mt torq activity trainer
7. return transportation : KK (hotel) / Kinabalu Park / Hotel
8. meals (1buffet dinner at Laban Rata & 1 simple breakfast at Pendant Hut b4 climbing)
9. sabah park entrance fee.
Interested? I’m waiting your positive response.

Regards
az

yep, ive been there, 1 year after?graduation and i would love to go there again.

i might say that i was quite late in joining other friends who have been?involved in outdoors activities while in the?university.?despite of that, i still joined the activities organized by the outdoor society.

the trip was comprising of 10 persons including 1 girl, which is ikin. the members were me, aril, aspa, eddy, sad, that sabah guy, that?tall guy ( edi’s room mate), ikin and his boyfriend. not sure whether apek were there or not.

actually there were?2 trips. one group will conquer trans titiwangsa, and the other, some says “trans-gopeng”.?the first team is?to hike 7 continuous mountains on titiwangsa range starting from ulu kinta in ipoh?and up to the blue valley, in cameron highland.?the 2nd team is to hike to cameron highland too but following an easier route, crossing two hills and started from gopeng.

i wished i was on the 2nd team. the route?is much much easier and??some of the members were?pretty hot chics…hahaha. Actually, i had crush on one of the girl…hahaha

anyway, life goes on…hueheue. after having some breakfast in medan kit, we proceed to ulu kinta and were left at the foot of the new damp being built in ulu kinta. fortunately, we have come across?one guy driving hilux. thinking of cutting shot our journey, we paid the hilux driver and he drove us to the starting point of the jungle track. We saved a lot of time, i think 3 hours of walking have been saved.

oh, before i proceed further, i would like to introduce, our guide, Encik Kassim. He is an aborigine and actually the head of an aborigine tribe in peninsular malaysia. with him, he brought along a 2nd guide, may be he was his relative.

im short of few info, will try to get it from eddy. will write about it later.

ooh shoot…this i cannot recover from google cache. so here it goes.

emm..on friday, march 15, while reading some email, i stumbled upon one corezone email. and the email lead me to this website mountain torq . hey…they have a NEW ROUTE to summit mount kinabalu, and the view is emmmm….SUPERB….

the new route is being campaign as World’s highest via ferrata. So…according to mountain torq website:

A via ferrata (or ?iron road? in Italian, plural via ferrate) is a mountain path consisting of a series of rungs, rails and cables embracing the rock face. It allows access to scenic sections of the mountains that are typically available only to rock climbers and mountaineers. The excitement, scenic beauty and personal conquest you’ll experience on a via ferrata is guaranteed to give you an invigorating nostalgic experience for years to come.

There are more than 300 via ferrata routes around the world predominantly in Italy, Germany, France, Austria, Slovenia, Switzerland and Spain, and a few places in the United States and Canada. The world’s highest via ferrata, Mountain Torq - which also happens to be Asia’s first - can now be found on Mt Kinabalu in the east Malaysian state of Sabah.

and to further support the magnifecent view that i have mention above, here are the pictures taken from mountaintorq site:

marvellous isnt it. me wanna go there next year. zani has also shown a strong interest. so, lets have some fun ppl.

participants to the world’s highest via ferrata 2009 are:

1. mas remi
2. bapak zani
3. bapak zarril

dan sapa lagi yach…bapak2…tonton video ini dulu yach.

yeah, i made it again. i have succesfully asked my bos to approve my leave with immediate effect. yeah, i still remember, the time was 3 pm in october 2006 in which i had asked my bos for a leave for the next?6 days. fortunately, he approved the leave or i might say, the flight ticket will flown with the wind if i couldnt get the leave.yeay?yeay?yeay?i am so happy. ive completed all my pending tasks and now i can go on the much needed break. yeay?.

?

?will continue later?

?for the time being, here is a good link

http://mount-kinabalu-borneo.com/