Sabah Road Trip: Kundasang

Kundasang.. This is where I started to actually fall in love with Sabah.. I knew for sure once I reached Kota Kinabalu. After our alleged 'race to Rafflesia Mountain' (please do read my previous post to understand why) we were tired and looking forward to our next destination (we were looking forward to ALL our destinations ha,ha) which was the Kinabalu Pine Resort located in Kundasang. Kundasang offers a panaromic view of Mount Kinabalu and as you can see is often enveloped by misty clouds.

We stopped for fuel at a Shell petrol station in Ranau Town

They have various packages that you can choose from. Have a look at kinabalupineresort.com/rates/ to see which package suits you best. We took the Deluxe Room promotion package (RM240) inclusive of breakfast and set dinner for 2 which is usually RM270. It seemed like a better plan and was less of a hassle for us. We had made reservations with the resort for a Deluxe room with a double bed, instead they gave us twin beds and said they were fully packed. The lady at reception was rude and unfriendly. However, after being told off by my husband, she was better, if she ever could be that.

Anyway, the Resort offers a wonderful view of the Kundasang valley and of course of Mt Kinabalu. Initially, it was covered with clouds but suddenly it cleared and I had my first view. It was spectacular and beautifully calming. Every time we stepped out of our room, this view awaited us...

At night people just gathered chatting away and kids ran around playing

Just below our room...

Many compare Kundasang to Cameron Highlands in Peninsula Malaysia and so I thought it might be a little cold but it was bearable. At night I slept without my blanket and I was wearing shorts so I really must say it wasn't cold in the room. However, step outside and you are likely to freeze certain body parts off : )

The food..Hmm.. If I stay here again I will definitely not be eating their food...Photos of dinner are shown below. I didn't bother to take photos of the breakfast buffet..Oops did I actually say buffet. Well, that's what they call it but erm..it was just some kind of rice, a soggy vege (for breakfast? c'mon people!), cocktail sausages and bread. I can't remember if they had scrambled eggs.. Anyway, it was better than dinner. I have to say though, I would not have done it any other way. Why? It was convenient. We spent time walking on the grounds. They have a nice playground and rabbits for kids to enjoy. For us, the view was spectacular and breathtaking. It was beautiful to just sit and enjoy the view with each other, our kids and of course, a cup of coffee..bliss..*sigh..

Mushroom soup..the saving grace of the meal. Was quite nice..

The disgrace of the meal.. Asam fish.. more like Burnt fish..It had a very strong fishy smell..

Mixed Vege..was okay..

All in all, I would definitely recommend this place. Just seeing these photos (except the food ones) make me want to go back there again...

Goodbye Kinabalu Pine Resort... and Hello Kinabalu Park (will post about it soon)..

1derful ONE!!

It feels like it was just a few months ago that I was planning my daughter's 1st birthday celebration. Instead it's just been a year and a half. Soon I shall be looking forward to my little princess' birthday party but before that I have my little prince's birthday party to plan.

I naturally went with the princess theme for my girl which is a popular theme as every girl is a princess! And now it's the prince theme for our lil' prince. It's been loads of browsing for party venues, party ideas, party invitations and the whole shingding. All this, mind you, in the midst of my 'online shopping' browsing. Where do I find the time? Well, I suffer from a bad case of insomnia. By the time I put both my kids to sleep, I'm in dire need of someone to help ME to sleep. So I go online and surf,surf,surf...

For my daughter, we celebrated her 1st birthday@Subang National Golf Club or KGNS (Kelab Golf Negara Subang) located in SS7, Kelana Jaya. We are not members at this club but you can rent their hall/ballroom at a non member rate. Recently renovated, the President Hall had suited all our needs. You can look them up at http://www.subanggolf.com/

The cake was from Choffles. We went to the outlet in Sunway. There is another in Damansara Perdana. I was very happy with their service and the cake was what I wanted, although pricey. The people at Choffles are friendly and they gave in to all my requests which were many!! So, I'm definitely going back to them again this time. Look them up at http://www.choffles.com/

We looked high and low for THE dress and finally found not one but many contenders worthy of being THE ONE at Wonder Tots. We went to the branch at Sunway Pyramid. There are other outlets but I forget. The people here too were very friendly and patient as we tried on many many dresses - all the contenders, of course. I have to mention, my princess was an absolute darling during the entire process. We also got her a tiara and a wand.

The invitation was designed by my husband. He combined my favourite designs and made a beautiful card..We took it to a printer and voila! her card was ready. Actually we had to make a few trips to the printers ha,ha.. Then came the task of handing out or posting the cards. I had already made a guest list and grouped them so that helped in making it easier to keep tabs on the invitations.

Food was served buffet style by the caterers we used for our wedding reception; Big Rajah Caterers. (http://www.thebigrajah.com.my/) The person in charge was Mr. Paul and he did a good job. The food was tasty too. Unfortunately, we only got to eat at home because we were busy with the guests.

Right, photography, a good friend of my husbands took the photos for us. We had bulletins as the first part of the birthday party was a prayer meeting to thank the Lord for our bundle of joy and blessing. I used the invitation card design as the cover for the bulletin.

Next, decoration. Ballon Buzz in Section 14 was our go to place. The guy there was uber helpful. He had so many things to handle at times but he would still smile and give his all to every customer. I do hope he's still there. We got out balloon decorations and party packs there. We went once to look around and the second time we ordered. They deliver the decorations if it's above a certain amount. I just can't remember how much.

We did not have clowns or magicians or games as my girl was still small but am looking into these things this time around as she can enjoy them during her lil' brother's birthday.

Party planning sure is tiring and stressful but is filled with much fun and excitement, too...

Update: read about our son's 1derful one here .

Sabah Road Trip : Poring Hot Springs

After visiting the Sabah Tea Garden, we decided to move on to the Poring Hot Springs. I was rather curious about this place. The scenic route as we drove was peaceful and well, green...

Here are a few photos of the route that I managed to take while playing with my kids..

Opposite the entrance are little shops selling souvenirs, trinkets, hats, shorts and the likes.

Parked cars lined both sides of the narrow road; it's occupants enjoying themselves at the hot springs. Local families and tourists alike were out for a day of swimming, picnicking, relaxing or all three but basically having a good time together.

The sound of the water gushing forcefully ahead was wonderful. When you look down (especially as I was taking this snap) it was a little scary....just a little : )

Furry friends can be seen everywhere in Sabah and are usually clean and look well fed plus they don't disturb anyone.. here are two such friends that I saw...

A conservation fee of RM3 is charged for Malaysians and RM15 for foreigners. The sulphur hot springs are said to provide a therapeutic bath and there are marked trails to small waterfalls and caves. The Canopy Walkway (RM3) (RM5) is 157.8metres long and 41metres above the forest floor thus giving a splendid aerial view. The butterfly farm is the first butterfly farm in Borneo (RM3) (RM4) .

The topical garden is said to have mousedeers and deers frolicking in the garden and vividly coloured birds flying in the aviary. The Orchid Centre is home to the largest collection of Sabah orchids and some rare endemic orchids. So, were talking about roughly 1,200 types of orchids. Orchid lovers this place is a must. RM 5 for Malaysians and RM10 for foreigners. If you want to visit waterfalls, the Langanan Waterfall is about 15 minutes from the Poring gate whilst the Kipungit Waterfall requires a guide. All these fees are in addition to the conservation fee.

As we had a very active and very curious 2 year old plus a 7+ month baby, we decided to only go to the outdoor hot tubs. Enclosed bath tubs are charged by the hour (RM15-RM20).

This area is railed off and you can't swim here. A sign also tells you not to boil eggs here!! I guess many people must have done it!

Although it's not clear in the photo, you can actually see the steam coming from the water!

Not much to look at, I know.. and quite a put off.. I suggest the rock pool or the outdoor tubs in the photo above.. It was a Saturday and the place was packed even though they were going to close in 1 hour.

Personally, I would recommend you spend a half a day here. Take the Canopy Walk and walk along the Menggaris Tree (King of the Forest), swim in the waterfalls and spend time in the rock pool. Bring your own food along and have a simple picnic.