Sabah's Red Tide

We are in Miri (Sarawak) back again for about 2 weeks and I want to share about the current red tide that is now affecting Sabah's waters. A 23 year old woman and 40 something people have been hospitalized after consuming red tide infected toxic mussels.

According to The Star, dated 15 February 2013, 

'the "red tide" refers to the contamination or infestation of marine waters by microscopic algae whose concentration is so dense that they cause the water to look brownish orange or red. Some species of these algae produce potentially fatal toxins. Should humans consume marine creatures that ate these algae, there could be fatal consequences. Minor poisoning results in numbness around the mouth, neck and face. More serious poisoning causes major headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. The initial symptoms include tingling lips and tongue, a sensation of "pins and needles" on the skin, followed by loss of control of arms and legs, and breathing difficulty.'

The red tide warning was first issued by the Fisheries Department on 12 December 2012. The first red tide in Sabah to be reported was in 1976, after which it is said to be a yearly occurrence  The red tide often takes place in stagnant waters and Sabah is known to have many lagoons. 

Sarawak Marine Fisheries Department is keeping a close watch on the red tide. Fortunately, Sarawak does not have as many lagoons so the water is constantly flowing. The toxin from the red tide tends to accumulate in shellfish (crustaceans) because they are filter feeders and sedentary. Pelagic fish may also be affected because they feed on plankton, but they swim freely and thus the level of toxin in them may not be as critical as in shellfish. 

All shellfish or pelagic fish caught in a red tide zone, even when cooked, are considered poisonous.'

All right, pelagic fish? What's that? According to Wikipedia, "pelagic fish live near the surface or on the water column of coastal, ocean and lake waters, but not on the bottom of the sea or the lake."

www.borneopedia.com

Hope this was helpful! Be safe, eat safe...

President Mozzarella Cheese

Everyone at home loves to eat cheese especially my Cupcake and me.. I mean all the kids I know love cheese. So it was a mystery to me why my little Munchkin didn't.. He'd eat it if it was with other ingredients but would refuse to eat a  slice of cheese with bread or just the cheese alone. Then, one fine day Hubby bought this cheese.

Retailed at RM14.99 (or was it RM14.49) at Giant, Sandakan.

Initially, I had my doubts as I was not familiar with the brand; President. However, my Munchkin absolutely loves this cheese. It tastes a little sweet and is not salty.  Overall, we usually buy this or the BBQ one of the same brand.

Best Western Sandakan Hotel and Residence

Looking for a spacious, clean hotel with a modern design that is affordable and has tasty food? Read on..

Sandakan, Sabah has been our temporary home for 6 months so far. 4 months (Dec 2011 to April 2012) and then we are here again since August. During our stay here, we have been at the Best Western Sandakan Hotel and Residence. We absolutely love it here. This hotel is part of a large chain of hotels all over the world and Malaysia.

Newly opened in July 2011, this hotel still has a 'new' look and feel to it. Our room is the Deluxe Room and my first impression when I saw our room was that it resembled a show unit. At that time there were even white pebbles in the bathroom that have since been removed. 

Members of the staff are friendly and attentive further creating a homey feeling. The food is nice and the best part is the Internet speed and accessibility. You can access the Internet using the LCD television in the room.

Here are photos of this hotel that we have called 'our home away from home'. Would I recommend this hotel? You betcha!

F.Y.I they don't even know I blog so this is definitely not a biased post..

Surf the Internet using the tv.. or your laptop via WIFI

You can turn the TV to face the bed...

My trusted luggage..not part of the room : )

As you can see, there is ample space for my kids to run and play.. It's really our home away away from home..will post more about this hotel soon...

They're having a weekend special package promotion valid until 31 Dec 2012... Check it out here!

Best Western Sandakan Hotel and Residence,
Lot E-1-G, Lorong Letat 3,
Bandar Letat Jaya, Mile 4,
90000, Sandakan, Sabah.
+6089 243 000
+6089 243 188

MMRV Vaccination for Kids

My Cupcake and Munchkin took their MMRV shots last week.. My Munchkin was due for his first year MMR shot.. so we took the MMRV which adds the Varicella vaccination. Measles, Mumps, Rubella & Varicella (chicken pox) is what MMRV is.

These may appear as harmless illnesses in children but can lead to serious complications that may involve hospitalisation. According to a pamphlet, these viruses are highly contagious and mainly target children so it is vital to prevent them from harming your child. It goes on to say, 'An infection may spread to other family members plus burden parents who have to miss work to care for a sick child. Now, additional protection from the Varicella (chicken pox) virus alongside the compulsory MMR vaccinations is available. You can spare your child from the extra pain and injections by protecting against 4 threats at 1 go.'

The MMR is a must in our country (Malaysia) but the Varicella shot is optional. Some parents prefer their kids to get it when they are young and be done with it. I've heard of chicken pox parties overseas but do not know if we have that here in Malaysia. When Cupcake turned 1 and had her shots we opted for the compulsory MMR shot and did not take the Varicella shot. However, when Munchkin turned 1 it coincided with a friend getting the chicken pox (you can read about it here) and so we took the MMRV shot for him as well as for my daughter. Apparently, she will not have to take the compulsory MMR shot in Primary One (when she is 7years old) later as she has already been vaccinated. 

Since we are in Sandakan, Sabah we went to Klinik Pakar Kanak-Kanak Chin. Details about this very good paediatrician and his clinic can be found here. 

Klinik Pakar Kanak- Kanak Chin Tshun Leong

Soon after my Cupcake and I had diarrhea..actually come to think about it, it was the next night..Hubby says one of his collegues who is also here in Sandakan for the project, has got chicken pox! Oh oh..Cupcake and Munchkin have not got it before although Hubby has.. Me? Many many years ago my mom and brother got it and I freaked out that I was next. I mean we all lived together but somehow I didn't get it My mother couldn't remember whether I'd ever gotten it before. One simple blood test could have cleared up the mystery but hey you don't really think of doing things like that unless you're in the situation.

Praise God there is a wonderful paediatrician here in Sandakan. Off we went early the next morning..they were already closed the night before when we heard about the chicken pox or I'd have gone then to get my kids vaccinated : )

We went to Klinik Pakar Kanak-Kanak Chin (details at the end of this post) in Bandar Tyng, Sandakan. My munchkin was due for his 1 year shot and we wanted to get that as well. The clinic was packed okay.. But they have a wonderful play area for the kids..Lots of toys..I love the deco of the clinic..Cute colourful pictures in white frames adorn the walls.. I wanted to take photos but I didn't think it would go down well with the other parents..Like who is this weird person taking shots of a CLINIC! Who does that?? Bloggers and mummies do right (and daddies too) but I didn't wanna take the risk..

Even though the Dr Chin had so many patients and he had a seminar to rush off to later, he spent about 15minutes or more I tell you with us.. Awesome right.. A young Dr who studied in the UK, he was knowledgeable and patient and all you would want your paediatrician to be...

Not only did my Cupcake and Munchkin get vaccinated but so did I.. We'll be going back in 2 months for our booster shots.. We were a cute sight, mummy and kiddies all had a plaster on our left arm... Looking for a good paediatrician in Sandakan, Sabah? Look no further, head on to Chin Child Specialist Clinic...

Klinik Pakar Kanak-Kanak Dr Chin Tshun Leong
Block A, Lot 5, Bandar Tyng, Mile 6, Jalan Utara, 90000, Sandakan, Sabah
089 672809

Mon to Fri : 8.30am - 12 pm
                   2.00pm - 5pm
                   6.30pm - 8pm
Saturday   :  8.30am - 12pm
                    2.00pm- 4pm
Sunday & Public Holidays : 8.30am - 12pm

Sabah Road Trip: Race to Rafflesia Mountain

Alright so maybe it wasn't a race and it sure wasn't a mountain known as Rafflesia but the way I was out of breath, you'd think it was! Some experiences are better shared from the beginning to the end and yet some are better if you start at the end. Hence, I shall show you pictures of the elusive and exclusive Rafflesia. Although technically a member of the plant kingdom, a Rafflesia challenges the traditional definition of what a plant should be. It is a parasitic jungle plant native to the Southeast Asian tropics. It takes a bud about 9 months to bloom and lasts for 5-7 days.

Can you spot it's root?

Right, our journey to see this flower starts at a humble bamboo bridge.

No wait, I better explain more. On the way to the Poring Hot Springs (and back, of course) we saw about 3 different places where they advertise the presence of a Rafflesia. Now by places, I mean 'a huge umbrella, and a couple of chairs/ a small umbrella and one chair' and by advertise I mean 'a hastily scribbled boards'. So, we choose the only one that took the effort to name their 'business'. I think it was Erry but I forget.

We had to park our car and get into an old battered Proton Saga whose glory days were long gone, up a steep, muddy and bumpy hill. All the windows were wound down for us to feel at one with nature and probably because it didn't work anymore. Nevertheless, we preferred it that way. At one point, a small river or stream really, runs across the road...it was beautiful.. On rainy days, the water level rises and the road becomes inaccessible.

3 minutes into the drive, we arrived at a big wooden house on stilts. A family lived here. Apparently, it belonged to the brother of the man who drove us up here. Oh yes, he charged us RM 5 per adult as the Rafflesia was into it's last day. On the first day, viewers were charged as high as RM40 per person. Since it was it's last day, I feel we were really lucky to have been able to see it at all. Our driver said the flower 'had been bright orange but now a dull red' (and I thought drat, we missed it) 'initially, it would produce a stench to attract flies as pollinators and it would be covered in flies.' Eeek!! (roll in Psycho music, please) Thank God we missed those stages because I wouldn't have wanted to expose my kids to that at their age (my daughter; 2 years and my son; 7+ months).

They had a guest book! Of course, we signed it!! I was looking around hoping to spot the flower. I mean it is the world's largest flower after all! Our guide, Nain set off into the jungle and it was all downhill (in more than one sense!) so I couldn't take photos. Plus, I thought it was just around the bend. Boy, was I ever wrong. On the way back, I made it a point to snap photos as I took deep, laboured breaths of air. I usually carry my son in a sling but I had left the sling in our car. So, it was just too much for me to handle on the way back. Halfway, my husband had to carry my daughter and son while I struggled to carry our weightless Lumix!! What a sight! My husband, my hero! He just went on, barely stopping! Ain't I a lucky gal *girlie sigh*

Here's the trail from the flower back to the house. Some snaps of parts of the trail are missing as the photographer (me) was under duress : )

A scorpion looking insect

Our cheerful and helpful guide Nain.. She even gave us suggestions on different poses when snapping photos! Talk about a complete package!

Tip: Have a good motivator with you if you may find it difficult to walk the trail. My husband told me later that our daughter would count each step he took and if he lingered before the next step, she would say. "Come on Acha, Come on! You can do it" and resume counting. (Acha is Malayalam for Dad) I said I had a whole bunch of motivators in my head and a lot of good it did me! : ) Was it all worth it? You betcha!

Sabah Road Trip: Sapi Island

The Tunku Abdul Rahman Park was named after Malaysia's first Prime Minister. It consists of 5 islands, their surrounding reefs and of course the sea!

An interesting fact:

• Geologically, the islands are part of the Crocker Range but became isolated from the massif when sea levels rose after the last ice age.

Sounds interesting right. These islands are a MUST! You cannot not visit at least one of these islands during your visit to Kota Kinabalu (KK). If you are travelling with a toddler and a baby, like me, then an island or two would suffice. As I mentioned earlier, there are 5 islands:

• Gaya Island


• Manukan Island


• Mamutik Island


• Sulug Island


• Sapi Island

We visited Sapi Island. Check out our ride : ) We bought our lunch at Jesselton Point, Nasi Campur (Malay mixed rice) and ate it at the island. Yummy!

At the island you can rent large tikars (mats) for RM15, tubes for kids (RM5) and so on. What's great is that they don't take advantage and charge you hourly. Instead it's a flat rate.

There are many operators at Jesselton Point offering rides to the islands. We bought ours from Green Holiday. We left at 2.30p.m and they said when we wanted to leave the island all we had to do was call them and they would get us! What a bunch of bollocks! We saw a storm brewing and wanted to leave the island and when we called them at 3.45, they said there wasn't anyone available to get us and we had to wait until 5pm when the last boat leaves. Then, around 4pm they were rushing to get us off the island as it was already raining heavily at the jetty. It was a rough ride and I truly believe the Lord's hand was upon us guarding us and keeping us safe. The rain was beating hard on our faces and bodies, ruthless bullets as we held our precious little ones close. I praise God for His mercy...Yup it was that bad..

I'm definitely going back to the islands someday but I'm definitely not going with the 'Green Holiday'.

Yup you're Green alright...Unripe in the brains!

Sabah Road Trip: Tip of Borneo

The journey to the Tip of Borneo@Simpang Mengayau in Kudat was endless. I really felt like we were headed to the end of the world! We just kept driving on and on and on and still kept going. Get the picture? By the time we reached I was a little apprehensive. It was late Sunday evening and we were to drive to Kota Kinabalu after visiting the TOB (Tip of Borneo). Based on my self created itinerary, we were supposed to do a little shopping that night at one of the shopping complexes in KK. However, by the time we reached KK, all I wanted to do was to take a bath and rest. Besides, all the shopping complexes were closed. Was so looking forward to some retail therapy *sigh.

You can see many Catholic churches along the way

Our first view of the ocean..

The view from the car park...

The view from the car park

The view from the car park

From the car park we walked down this beautiful path....

And WHAM this greets you! We drove like forever to get there and then we had to walk quite a distance...(but it's worth it!)

My favourite photo

It's my favourite because you can see the current pulling inwards and outwards. You walk on...

And on...

And finally, the Tip of Borneo...

A truly beautiful place. Both my husband and I definitely want to visit this place again and stay a night or a couple of nights.