Introduction to today's journey
Today's journey takes me from Kota Kinabalu with my new group following a long highway up into the mountains under the spectacular Mount Kinabalu. We reach the top of the mountain pass before diverting through rugged mountain roads to a village owned by the Dusun people, the wardens of the mountain.
Today's Journey
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Departing Kota Kinabalu in the morning, we head north eastward, then eastward into the mountains under overcast skies. |
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The road rises to about 1500 metres above sea level where we stop at a cafe and tower at Pekan Nabalu. The view is covered in thick cloud, but normally the mountain is clearly seen from here. |
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We continue a little further up the road then turn off along a rough gravel track around the base of the mountain to our homestay at Kiau Nulu about 1800 metres above sea level. |
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Our hosts the villagers entertain us with traditional Dusun cultural music on their large steel drums as thick cloud envelopes the mountain village. |
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Then the children of the village perform a dance routine. |
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We watch under the shelter as heavy rain falls. Later we join in on the dancing. |
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The rain stops falling and the thick cloud clears revealing the rugged terrain around the mountain but the high peaks remain elusive in the thick cloud. They say this is one of only a couple of mountains in the world that creates its own climate independent of the surrounding region. |
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The village sits perched on a mountainous spur covered in thick lush jungle. |
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We meet at one of the houses for an amazing dinner, where our mountain guide Sapinggi shares his rice wine with us. |
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When we run out, someone outside passes another bottle of rice wine through the window. Like all the food we have eaten tonight, it was grown and made locally. They are fully self-sufficient here. |
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