We were directed to the long distance taxi stand to find up a ride up to small town of Kundasung in the foothills surrounding Mt. Kinabalu. We wound up sharing a minivan for the two hour drive, most of it climbing continuously on the busy winding road. We’d booked two nights at the Kinabalu Pine Resort that boasted a view of Mt. Kinabalu from every cabin. The mountain is the tallest in Borneo and a popular climb. But our interest was hiking in the forest – at a cool 1500 m.
Our hotel was vaguely colonial with a touch of Muskoka. The views of the mountain were spectacular from our little deck. It was wonderful to be up in the mountains where it was so much cooler. Still tropical but not steamy hot. It was also wonderful to see pine trees. The evenings were cool enough to put on my light fleece. It was funny to see the Malaysians bundle up their kids against the ‘cold’.
We only had one full day to explore the park. We started out by walking into the nearby village of Kundasang and right into the thick of their weekly market day. The fresh vegetables were amazing. We hadn’t seen such diversity in any other market. It is all produced on the local farms. We bought some fruit and ‘donuts’ for a picnic later on.
We went on several hikes in the park including one guided walk. There are 1000 species of orchids in the park and over 350 species of birds. It’s a really beautiful spot to explore. The cool evenings allowed us to sleep soundly both nights without the aid of air conditioning or even a fan. It was a nice break.
Pictures from Mt. Kinabalu...
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| Mt. Kinabalu |
Video - Kundasang market - dried fish stall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSrPO3eB00U
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