Chilling Waterfall Adventure

Chilling out in a tropical destination

Kinabalu National Park in Sabah (Malaysia Borneo) – a UNESCO “world heritage site” with over 4,500 types of flora and fauna, 326 birds and 100 mammalian species – also boasts Mount Kota Kinabalu, which at 4,095 meters above sea level, is Borneo Island’s highest mountain.

Both attractions are located a four-hour drive from Sabah’s capital city Kota Kinabalu and it’s where we truly enjoyed some much needed respite from the city hustle and bustle.

The main highlight, however, was visiting Masilau Nature Park, situated at 2,000 meters above sea level at the southwest corner of Kinabalu National Park. At the nature park, we’d experienced thick foggy weather condition and temperature that dropped to below 10 degrees Celsius.

Indeed, Masilau Nature Park – which is often exposed to erratic weather conditions – is known as the coldest part in the national park.

Before heading to the nature park, we had the opportunity to check out Kundasang Village, located six kilometres from Kinabalu Park.

The village’s close proximity to Mount Kinabalu also proffers panoramic views of the majestic peaks, valleys and quaint village settlements situated on mountain slopes. The picturesque village is ideal for taking lots of snapshots!

Also an “agricultural” hub, Kundasang has a thriving vegetable market which is open daily. With most of the vegetable stalls managed by locals, comprising mainly native Dusun and the minority Chinese community, look out for local specialities such as fresh cabbage, mushrooms (such as shitake and black mushroom varieties) and baby kai lan.

One of our tour guides had said that some of the varieties of greens are sold at the lowest prices available in Sabah!

For those who’d prefer to buy local handicrafts such as batik, among others, check out the many souvenir stores in the village.

Old-world kopitiams (coffee shops) also dot the village – and where you can enjoy an aromatic cuppa while immersing in the surrounding’s languid pace, before taking a 30-minute drive to the Masilau Nature Park where high-adrenaline activities, among others, are available.

At the foot of Mount Kinabalu, the Masilau Nature Park is where “mountainous” vegetation thrives, such as verdant ferns and other sorts of medium-height flora and fauna.

KuLu Tu: Trekkin Happy Time

I checked into one of my favourite hostels in the world, Red Palm , where my pal Mac works.  I had met Mac six months earlier at the beginning of my trip.  I told him I was keen to do go on a spiritual/nature adventure so he hooked me up with one of the most inspirational people I've met in my life.  A local forty/fifty-something year old man named Happy picked me up the next morning.  We stopped for breakfast at Kuala Kubu Baru, a district with a large Indian population, before heading off to the Chiling Waterfall. Happy is a man who spent a career working in insurance.  After ten near-death experiences, he decided to read the Tao Te Ching, the Koran, the Bible, and other primary religious texts from front to back.  He believes there is one common underlying thread between all these texts and that is, that God is within all of us.  He memorises and recites a number of quotes from each of these texts that supports this assertion.  Yet, he doesn't understand why there is so much conflict between religions today. After one and a half hours of discussing spirituality, chopping through thick shrubs and wading through waste-high waters, we arrived at the inspiring Chiling Waterfalls.  Surprisingly, we stumbled upon some old friends of his here (this place seemed so isolated, I didn't expect to see anyone here).  Here, I fed some fish, jumped off boulders and went for a relaxing swim.  As we trekked back towards our base through the jungle, Happy taught me some interesting facts about many of Malaysia's native plants and how we, as humans, can learn from their survival techniques. The last stop of the day was the Batang Kali Hot Springs.  It was at these hot springs that I thought Happy might actually be crazy.  The water in these hot springs was between 42 to 49 degrees celsius.  Upon arriving, he immersed his whole body, including his head, into the hot pool of water.  Then he told me it was my turn.  First, I splashed some of the water onto my feet.  They turned red almost instantaneously.  I thought I was about to be involved in some sort of religious suicide.

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