KK Stories: Mt. Kinabalu

These photos are taken on my way up to the Kinabalu Park. Our trip was heading towards Ranau to go to the Poring Hotsptring. While on the van, I got to capture some of the best views of Gunung Kinabalu in the morning. 

My friends and I were able to see some shiny surfaces on one of the sides of Gunung Kinabalu. We inferred that it was the reflection of the sunlight onto the wet surfaces of the mountain. For those who do not know, Gunung Kinabalu is the highest peak in Southeast Asia.

This is not the view of Gunung Kinabalu. It is actually the mountain ranges that connect the Crockery mountainous region that build up the Gunung Kinabalu. It was formed by magma which made igneous rocks and the place was uplifted to form the orogeny of the place. That was what I heard from the seniors doing Geology. If Allah SWT gives my friends and I the opportunity, we will be going to Kota Kinabalu again to do our field trip. What is the best thing for a geology student here is the existence of three types of rock; igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic at almost the same places. I got myself some crystals and marble while my friends brought back a granite filled with hornblende minerals. Very nice. 

My friends and I have made a commitment to climb the mountain before we graduate. From what we have heard, it should cost us around RM800. More or less, I need to get at least RM1200 to get to the peak comfortably. Let's save and travel to see the greatness of Allah SWT's creations. Travelling does bring me closer to Allah SWT and you should try too.- The Chukai Insider

Sunset @ Marina Bay

Kota Kinabalu Trip 2011

It feels like the Raya Holiday has gone very fast. I came back from Chukai to Miri with a mission- getting myself a motorbike. Alhamdulillah, I have the rezeki and my du'a has been granted by Allah SWT. Finally, my father gave his approval for me to buy a motorcycle. The story will be featured in a different post. 

Another thing that made me excited was the trip to Kota Kinabalu or KK in Sabah. The plan to go there came as a little bit fast and unintended for my friends and me. We were not planning it but some other friends out of our Assabiah-ism (that's what we call ourselves since many of our friends always think that they are really hard to join our 6 group of people) invited us. Alhamdulillah again for Allah SWT has us to get to know more people and make more friends in a very unexpected ways.

Kota Kinabalu is one of the most beautiful places in Malaysia. It's really good for your money too. It worth to spend some money just to go to Kota Kinabalu only. I really should thank my friends who invited me to go along with them to KK. 

I plan to tell the stories of Kota Kinabalu as detail as possible and the upcoming posts will be as short as possible but filled with tonnes of photos. Overall, I really like KK even the airport- the main terminal, not the low-cost for sure.

I know I tend to be heartless and do not satisfy and feel other's warmth easily but I find that I can smile and be very nice to the Sabahans easily. You want to know why? Because Sabahans are such warm and delightful people. 

How could not someone be very happy (note: I don't get satisfied with sour faces at local immigration officers at other places) when the immigration officers treat you as 'new' friends? They even ask what degree are you doing (if you're still a student, of course!) and when you mentioned 'Geology', an immigration officer replied 'Oh, nak kaji batu dekat Kinabalu la ni!' (Translation: Oh, that means you want to study the rocks in KK lah!) To other immigration officers in Malaysia, this kind of simple thing that made people feel welcomed. Not the tallest tower that they will remember but the sweet chubby immigration officer with the name of a football player will be in their hearts. How can you beat that? 

Another story to tell about the warmth of the KK-ians- the cashier and waiter at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Yes, sometimes Malaysians cross the line when they try to be friendly but that's all relative. While Asha Gill wrote in her fortnightly column in The Star that sometimes it crosses the privacy line, I beg to differ. We are Malaysians- we really want to know about other people. We tend to get to know other people and from there, we get to care each other and treat them the right way. At the KFC, a cashier even laughed with my friends and me when we made jokes. For some people, it is not good but hey man, isn't that fantastic that someone who does not know you feel the same excitement that you have in a vacation?

More to come about KK. In one word about KK- AWESOME!-The Chukai Insider

Isn't it too much to eat?

While Muslims in Malaysia would have been eating two courses of meal for breaking of fasting today, Somalians are probably have nothing to eat. I read a story in Huffington before about a Somalian mother losing her breast milk to feed her child while on her way to food distribution centre. Can you imagine the devastating effect it has on the baby. How unbearable the situation for a mother to watch it happen to her child is beyond imagination. I admit that I bought extra food everyday. Well, I finished all of them but I think I would have been okay if I did not have another nasi goreng, soto ayam or mee jawa after my nasi with ayam for breaking of fasting. Come to think of it, the Somalians are not even close to a drop of water and I drink like a gallon of it every night. 

So how is it that the world has not noticed? And why is it so difficult for us to give?

The politicians argue about it here and there. They keep bullshitting us about the 'plans' while people are dying. If you can bail out a rich country for trillion dollars, why can't you at least set a portion of million dollars to give food right now? Yes, don't show your moronic I-know-the-economics-of-this-situation-but-you-don't-so-shut-up attitude. Oh please, if your large percentage of your Gross National Income (GNI) can go to military activities that killed millions of people in Iraq, Afghanistans and any other countries, why not show your mercy in times of hardship like this. Argh, who cares? The stock is plunging and it is far more important than saving those kids who have nothing for you, isn't it?

Friends and Sunset

These are a bunch of people who like being in photos all the time. Don't ever say 'This place is so nice, let's have a Kodak moment!' and they will be ready for it in split seconds. They are photo maniacs especially the one at the most right. 

Needless to say that this photo is poorly edited. I really have to get an Adobe Photoshop, or any other suggestion, Ainul?

These two last photos were taken yesterday just after I finished my Geology lecture. After more than two straight hours of listening to 'sedimentary', 'weathering' and 'mass-wasting', the panorama did make all of us intoxicated. Miri's sunset views are kinda a mystery to me because they are extremely gorgeous. Busy taking photos, we were left by bus to go back home. 

Curtin Village at Noon

 Curtin Village at noon and a Mother's Day moment for a cat...