Wednesday, 24 July 2013

Races At Sabah.

PEOPLE OF SABAH

Malaysia is a multi-national country, and it is even more so in Sabah. With 33 ethnic groups in a population of three million that communicates in over 80 ethnic dialects, the different races here in East Malaysia are even more diversified compared with West Malaysia. Sabah is really a melting pot of cultures and people. This harmony can be seen playing out in many parts of Sabah, where people of different races and religions can be seen happily chatting together at the local kopitiams. Inter-marriage among the races are the highest in Sabah, where the difference of bumiputra (natives or “Son of earth” in Sanskrit) and non-bumi (non-natives) are becoming quite obscure. Nevertheless, Sabahans also are recognised to be one of the most friendliest people in Malaysia and most Sabahans are multilingual and are able to speak at least three languages - Bahasa Malaysia - the national language - English and their mother tongue.

Ethnic Tribes
The Kadazandusun is the largest ethnic group in Sabah, making up almost 30% of the population. The vast majority of Kadazandusuns live in the hills and upland valley, where they till their lands with padi and vegetables. “Pesta Kaamatan” or Harvest festival is the most celebrated holiday in the calendar year for the Kadazandusun. “Unduk Ngadau” or Harvest Beauty Queen, Rice wine and traditional dances are the highlights of the festival which is celebrated annually on the 30th & 31st of May. Although the rites and customs of the Pesta Kaamatan are practiced by the Native tribes, all Sabahans join in the celebrations one way or the other. The true meaning is to honor the Rice Spirit, by giving thanks for a bountiful harvest.

Bajau is the second largest ethnic group in Sabah, where they are seafaring people and live their life off the sea, and fishing is their main livelihood. Many Bajaus in Sabah can be found on the east coast, and the Bajau of Kota Belud is famous for their house riding skill, which earns them the tag as "Cowboys of the East". Bajaus are expert horsemen - this is their main claim to fame in Malaysia, where horse riding has never been widespread anywhere else. The Bajau people are also well known for weaving and needlework skills.

The Muruts are the third largest among the ethnic groups in Sabah. Large percentage of Muruts can be found residing in towns like Keningau, Nabawan, Sook, and Tenom, in the Interior Division. Murut simply means "hill people". Headhunters in the past, they were also fishermen and hunters, skilled with their blowpipes. They were also the last of Sabah's ethnic groups to renounce headhunting.

Other indigenous ethnic groups include the Bisaya, Brunei Malay, Bugis, Kedayan, Lotud, Ludayeh, Minokok, Rungus, and Suluk. There are still many smaller groups that are not mentioned here.

The ubiquitous Chinese make up about 20% of Sabah population. Many of them can be found reside in major towns and cities, opening shops, kopitiams, and trading post.
Languages
Malay (Bahasa Malaysia) is the national language spoken across ethnicities, although the spoken Sabahan dialect of Malay differs much in inflection and intonation from the West Malaysian version. The Sabahan accent of Malay is actually what Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka endorses, which is Baku. Sabah also has its own unique slang for many words in Malay, mostly originated from indigenous or Indonesian words. English, Filipino specially Chavacano, Mandarin as well as Hakka and Cantonese are widely understood. In addition, indigenous languages such as Kadazan, Dusun, Bajau and Murut have their own segments on state radio broadcast.

http://www.discoverytours.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69&Itemid=45

Traditional Food.

Sabah Traditional Food That You Must Try

ADMIN OCTOBER 27, 2012

[0] COMMENTS

Sabah is famous for its beautiful beaches, friendly people and the magnificent Mount Kinabalu. While you are in Sabah, why don’t you try out the unique local food that Sabah has to offer? The many ethnic groups of Sabah offer a wide variety of traditional food that you will be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

The Sabah traditional food is made from the various natural sources that can be found abundantly in Sabah. You will find Sabah traditional food made from the seafood and plants that live and grow throughout Sabah. The coastal people of Sabah uses seafood in making the Sabah traditional food while the people living inland would create food made from rice, corn, cassava and tapioca plant. As you can see, the rich variety of ingredients makes trying out Sabah traditional food a wonderful culinary experience.

Traditional Food,Sabah

The Kadazandusun people have this unique dish called Bambangan. This traditional dish is made of mango, which is either pickled or cooked together with fish dishes to add distinctiveness to their flavour. Sometimes they would also fry this delightful traditional food with onion and serve it as a side dish. The sour and tangy flavour of this traditional food caressing your tongue will surely bring you a lot of delight!

Another Kadazandusun Sabah food that you should try is the Bosou. Bosou is made from raw river fish pickled with a local herb and salt, which is then mixed with rice. This mixture would then be pickled for two weeks before being served. Like the Bambangan this Sabah food is also tangy with a strong hint of saltiness.

A good accompaniment for your Bambangan or Bosou is the Ambuyat. This Sabah food is the traditional dish of the Bruneian people here. It is made from the interior trunk of the sago palm. This starchy blob is prepared by mixing sago powder into boiling water until it coagulates. Despite its tastelessness this Sabah food, when combined with other dish such as the Bosou and Bambangan, will indeed surprise you. Why don’t you try it out yourself?

The sayur manis, which is popular amongst the entire ethnic group in Sabah, is another Sabah food you must not miss trying out. The crunchy stems and tender leaves of this unique wild vegetable will surely gives you a memorable dining experience. This Sabah food originates from Lahad Datu and thus is sometimes known as sayur manis Lahad Datu.

Another plant dish that you should try out is the Tuhau. The thing with Tuhau is that you would either love it or hate it completely once you have eaten this Sabah food. Tuhau is a combination of wild ginger mixed with scallion and chilli which is then pickled with salt and vinegar. The pungent smell of this Sabah food is worth overcoming once you sink your teeth in it. It is surprisingly good. So don’t let your initial unease of the smell prevent you from trying out this unique Sabah food.

Last, but definitely not least is the jaruk, which the Murut community is famous for. This mouth-watering dish is made from the succulent flesh of either roar wild boar or fresh river fish that is put into a bamboo tube together with rice and salt. After a few weeks of fermentation, this magnificent dish is then ready to be served. Now, where else can you find such a dish apart from Sabah?

These wonderful examples of Sabah food is something you must experience. There is no doubt that you will appreciate the diversity of Sabah traditional food. Why don’t you embark on this culinary adventure now?

http://blog.borneotropicaladventures.com/2012/10/sabah-traditional-food-that-you-must-try/

Event at Sabah (Kudat)

Coconut Festival (Pesta Kelapa) of Kudat

To recognise and appreciate the significant contribution of coconut, the 9th annual Pesta Kelapa (Coconut Festival) was organised successfully from Sep 8 to 11, 2005 in Kudat town. The event was held in Tomborungus Field, somewhere in the centre of the town, very convenient. If you plan to go to Kudat by bus, you can catch up the 8 AM or 1 PM bus near the bus terminal of Padang Merdeka. The drive will take 3 hours and the ticket costs about RM15 (one way). FYI, the 8AM bus from Kudat to Kota Kinabalu is available in front of the Ria Hotel. For locals, you would prefer to get there with your car as the road condition to Kudat is good.

If you find this event interesting, do not miss it next year. I heard that they would celebrate the 10th Pesta Kelapa (in year 2006) in big scale. The Coconut Fashion Queen Pageant, which had children and adult categories held in different day, is really something unique, creative, and of course, fun. There were over 50 coconut dress designs shown, and you can see the complete collection in this site. Somehow I think I should get a trophy or something. The Pesta Kelapa has been around for 9 years and I guess I am the only one who creates a online photo gallery for the Coconut Fashion Show.

There were some small-scale sport events and exhibition during daytime. The number of exhibition booths were much lesser than the Sago Festival and GATA Festival. A main thing that was left out was the opportunity to try out different exotic food and dishes made of coconut, like the Sago Festival. I expected to eat a lot of coconut food but ended up having my meals at the restaurants nearby. But overall, the event is well done.
Check out the photo gallery…

Photos taken in Kudat, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

http://www.mysabah.com/wordpress/coconut-festival-pesta-kelapa-of-kudat/

Interesting Places At Sabah (Sandakan)

Sanctuary for Marine Turtles

The Turtle Islands Park lies 40 km north of Sandakan.The park comprises three small islands, Selingan, Gulisan and Bakungan Kechil. It covers an area of 1,740 hectares which includes the surrounding reefs and seas. Two species of turtles - Greens and Hawksbills are special features of this park. Throughout the year, they come ashore at night to lay their eggs. Hatcheries exist on all three islands. Sea Turtles are not the only attraction of the islands. The clear turquoise coloured sea and coral reefs are ideal for swimming, snorkelling and scuba diving. When the fruit trees are in season, the islands have another interesting visitor - the Island Flying Fox. The islands became a marine park in 1977. Staff are resident on all three islands to safeguard the park.

Pulau Selingan
Pulau Selingan is the second largest of the three islands with an area of 8 hectares. A conservation programme has been in place since 1964, when the Fauna Conservation Ordinance 1963 (Act No. 11) came into force. On August 1st 1966, the first turtle hatchery in Malaysia was set up on Pulau Selingan, funded entirely by the State Government. Many turtles now return to lay their eggs and you can be certain of seeing them every night of the year. Of the three islands, Pulau Selingan is the most developed. It serves as the centre for the park’s administration. Visitors can stay overnight on Pulau Selingan to watch the green turtles but numbers are restricted to 38 persons per night to protect the turtles. Other facilities on the island include a visitor and interpretative centre.Administration, Enforcement & Research Centre
The administrative centre of the Turtle Islands Park is in the Selingaan island, however there is an administrative offices branch in Qrystal Quest jetty at Sandakan city.
Info
From Sandakan harbour , it takes about 1 hour by speedboat. Most tour companies operate tours and have their own boats, which makes it a bit cheaper. The driest months and the calmest seas are between March and July. The peak egg laying season is July to October. The seas can get rough between October and February.

Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Interesting Places At Sabah. (Tenom)

Tenom Fatt Choi Coffee in Sabah

2:45 AM 8 comments

Tenom Fatt Choi Coffee in Sabah is one of the most popular coffee brands in the country. Some even call it Tenom Old Town Coffee while the locals will call it 'Kopi Tenom' in Malay. For coffee lovers, you will not want to miss this chance when you are visiting Sabah. You can also check out some of the local Kopi Tiam or coffee shops for the coffee. The brand is undisputedly one of the best coffees from Malaysia. Records show that the Tenom Coffee factory has been around since the 1960s and in 1986, a local businessman named Foong Choon Sang, established his coffee factory and the bungalow coffee house or cafe in town.

If you are self driving, you can get to Tenom by using the Kimanis Highway from Kota Kinabalu and the journey will take you about 3 hours in which you pass through the beautiful Crocker Mountain Range. The drive to Tenom alone is a scenic journey with amazing views of the mountains with cool air. Passing towns like Tambunan and Keningau, you will then reach Tenom which is a laid back small town catering mainly to tourism for the Sabah Agricultural Park (in Lagud Seberang), the Kalang Waterfalls, the Murut Cultural Center and of course, the famous Padas River White Water Rafting.

Tenom Fat Choi Coffee - Variety of coffee to sample

The coffee is still being made the traditional way of roasting the coffee beans over wood fire which brings out the full aroma of the Robusta beans. I swear to you that smelling the coffee alone was such a nice feeling so imagine tasting it. At the Fatt Choi Coffee outlet, one can actually taste the different types of coffee sold there. They have a tasting coffee bar where you can try out various coffee products. From plain black coffee, espresso, iced coffee to the now famous Tongkat Ali Tenom Coffee which was my personal favourite, not for the wrong reasons mind you.

An old coffee grinder from Borneo

In the Fatt Choi coffee corner which is located in a lone standing old bungalow, you will see a number of antique coffee grinders, framed newspaper cuttings and even pictures of famous ministers including our former prime minister Tun Mahatir who visited the coffee outlet.

The coffee corner is located at the ground floor of the bungalow where it serves and sells the famous Tenom Coffee. The upstairs of the bungalow is living quarters and not for visits. There is a large compound for parking. Just ask anyone about this place in Tenom and they will gladly tell you where it is in town.

There are also two well known plantations in Tenom, one being Fatt Choi and the other called Yit Foh. However, Fatt Choi has taken thing a level higher where they even offer you a coffee plantation experience stay at the Fatt Choi Cabins.

Various choices of Tenom coffee for sale at Fatt Choi

Fatt Choi has a great range of coffee products for sale and one can choose as much as they like. I was told that a number of customers who come here, buy them in boxes to be taken back. The coffee is that good. From pure rosted beans, grinded and even pre mix 3 in 1 packets, they are very cheap.

http://blog.malaysia-asia.my/2009/07/tenom-fatt-choi-coffee-in-sabah-borneo.html