Joint Kaamatan Gawai Fest June 28

PENAMPANG: The Kadazandusun Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Sabah and the Dayak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Sarawak will organise the second joint Kaamatan Gawai Festival celebrations on June 28 in Miri.

Publicity committee chairman Pius Jaua said the joint celebration would be hosted by DCCI at Imperial Hotel in Miri.

“The first-ever joint celebrations was held last year in Kota Kinabalu hosted by KCCI,” he told a press conference at the KCCI office in Donggongon yesterday. Also present was KCCI secretary Sylvia Olas.

Jaua said an attractive programme had been lined up for the event, which is expected to graced by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

DCCI president Tan Sri Leo Moggie and KCCI president Frederick Lojingki would also be in attendance, including several government and local dignitaries from Sarawak and Sabah.

Continue reading at: Joint Kaamatan Gawai Fest June 28

More hotels needed in Sabah to meet tourist boom

PENAMPANG: Many new hotels are being built to provide some 4,000 rooms for holiday makers.

And with the launch of the Sabah Development Corridor, the state would see more hotels constructed.

Currently the state still needs some 6,000 rooms to meet the increasing number of visitors making Sabah their holiday destination.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said:” Considering that we are receiving a big number of tourists, accommodations will be an inevitable problem. If we look at the bright side, it is not a bad thing after all as it simply indicates the progress of our tourism industry.”

As of end of 2007, there were 294 hotels in Sabah compared to 279 in 2004 and “I am pleased to tell you that there are many more new hotels coming up in the near future”.

Continue reading at: More hotels needed in Sabah to meet tourist boom

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah

A 30 to 40 minutes drive via the old Penampang-Papar road to the southwestern part from the Kota Kinabalu will bring you to the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. Situated about 25km from the city centre, this park has recently been officially open for the visitors this year.

The park is managed and operated by Sabah Wildlife Department under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment. While most of the visitors viewed it as a zoo, it is actually a small wildlife rehabilitation centre. The 280 acres of land hosted nearly 100 species of plants, birds and wild animals. The botanical garden which is located near the end of the zoo is managed by Sabah Forestry Department.

Attractions

The park has a few interesting sections, namely the aviary, botanical garden, and majority of the parks contains mammals sections. There is also a children’s zoo and amphitheater inside the park. To cover up a visit of the whole park, you may need to spend nearly 2 to 3 hours.

Umbrellas are available for rent at the entrance and there are plenty of shelters for you to stop and continue watching. There are also a few boards containing useful information.

Visitor will be able to witness rare animals like the endangered pygmy elephants, gibbons, clouded leopard, civet cats, tarsiers and Orang utans. As at the moment of writing, there is only one Sumatran Rhino. The Sumatran Rhino is a highly endangered species in the world and is not very often easily spotted.

Parents will find the park useful as it will be able to provide ample information thus spreading the importance and awareness of our own wildlife. A guide can be hired to bring you along, and he/she will be able to learn more as guides will be able to give more information and explanation about wildlife and plants along the way.

Outside the entrance, there are a few souvenir shops that offer a range of local products. Among them, you can also purchase merchandise such as postcards, fine prints of wildlife, handicrafts and key chains as mementos of your visit. While at the park, visitors are highly warned as well as encouraged not feeding or provoking the animals.

Bring home nothing but pictures.

Other Information

*Information only correct at moment of writing.

For those of you visiting Sabah on a very short time, you may opt to visit the park which is open daily from 9.30 am to 4.30 am. Yes, for your extra information it does open on public holidays!

The Entrance fees are free for school children below 17, senior citizens above the age of 60 and People with special needs. Foreigners are charged a fee of RM20 for adults and RM10 for child. Locals with genuine citizenship are charged a fee of RM10 for adults and RM5 for children below 18 years of age.

Courtesy of: New Sabah Times 'In' Sites - Sabah Travel and Leisure Guide

Monsopiad Cultural Village

By Anna Vivienne

Monsopiad Cultural Village is a small enclosure in Kg Terawi Penampang about half an hour drive from Kota Kinabalu. The village is built nearby a river, that flows lazily through; its bank overgrown with tall grass, bamboos and various types of shrubs. Within the enclosure, there are several huts that house artifacts unique to the Kadazan people of Penampang.

As soon as you pass the main gate you will see a house that is built of bamboo, wood and thatched with sago palm leaves. Upon entering this house, you will see a kitchen used by the people in the past, as well as cooking utensils.

Go down behind this house and you will see utensils for pounding rice. Visiting Kadazandusuns will definitely have a feeling of déjà vu when they see these implements of yore.

Take a walk behind this house and you will find an open space, where one lone house stands. On the compound, you will see a sago processing ‘plant’. I mean really. The sago pith is placed on a dais with a grater on top. In the past the sago pith was grated finely and pressed for its sago. The sago is eaten as supplementary food; made into an edible gummy substance called ‘nantung’ or ‘ambuyat’, dried fry on a wok like a pancake and many others.

The pith when unused is also allowed to rot. When it starts to rot a certain type of beetle will lay eggs on it. These eggs grow into large grubs called ‘butod’ and are considered a delicacy by the Kadazandusuns.

Some traditional games utensils are also available there, such as ‘rampanau’.

There is a nice house located in this area. This house boasts ceramic jars, sets of gongs and cooking implements.

Awad Bajerai, the Operations Manager says the house is very basic but if anybody wants to stay there and experience the ambience of a Kadazan village, they can stay for a night.

“We cannot accommodate too many people though, maybe a couple at any one time,” he stresses, adding that his staff have to be informed a couple of days in advance though.

A few months ago, I was in West Malaysia, visiting an off-spring. Needless to say, I toured with her to her many in-laws (!) all the way from Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Melaka. In every visit they would ask about Sabah.

One of the questions posed was about head hunting and if they can see the mementoes of the ancient custom. I enthusiastically told them about the village and the House of Skulls.

The House of Skulls, is where all 42 ‘trophies’ or heads won by the warrior Monsopiad during his heyday. They hang from the rafter of a house which is cared for by one of the warrior’s descendent Dousia Moujing.

If you are not familiar about Monsopiad, the warrior, well, it is said that Monsopiad lived in this area a long time ago, maybe about three hundred years ago. He was bestowed with special powers when he was a baby.

Actually he was born in a village, called Kuai, which often became a victim of plunderers due to insufficient warriors. Monsopiad took the challenge and with three boys, he sought out the robbers. A battle ensued when he found them and Monsopiad managed to behead the leader, witnessed by the three boys.

He was later given a warrior welcome. The village was later named after him. The rest is history, so they say. You can get the full unabridged version from documentaries on Monsopiad in the village.

To ensure that this legend does not die down, Awad and his colleagues, is ensuring its perpetuity through tourism. Interest by youth in Monsopiad will be kept alive through the cultural village while ensuring that tourists get an in sight in the people’s ancient way of life.


Nowadays, visitors will be treated to cultural dances such as the Sazau Penampang and warrior dance Angalang/magunatip as well as a tour of the village.

So get your tourists and friends to visit the village, the experience will surely be exhilarating for them.

Courtesy of: New Sabah Times 'In' Sites - Sabah Travel and Leisure Guide

Ministry hopes to turn Moyog River into tourist attraction

KOTA KINABALU: The Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry hopes to turn the Moyog River into a tourist attraction with activities like scenic boat rides along the river.

But first, said its minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, the river has to be cleaned of its unsightly rubbish.

“Moyog River was once a beautiful river, with scenic views on both sides of its banks. We would like to develop the river for river cruises but only if it is clean,” he said.

Continue reading at: Ministry hopes to turn Moyog River into tourist attraction

RM91.4m for 21 tourism projects in Sabah

Penampang: The Tourism Ministry has allocated some RM91.4million under the Ninth Malaysia Plan for the implementation of 21 projects in Sabah, mostly for improving the facilities at various tourism destinations.

Tourism Deputy Minister Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai said among the biggest projects would be upgrading tourism facilities at Kinabalu Park and Mount Kinabalu.

The rest are rehabilitation of the Tanjung Aru water village, construction of Seri Malaysia in Semporna, upgrading of infrastructures in Tenom, upgrading of facilities at the Tip of Borneo in Kudat, as well as tourism developments in Keningau, Lahad Datu, Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre and Turtle Island Park in Sandakan.

Continue reading (Incl. pic) at: RM91.4m for 21 tourism projects in Sabah