Ikan Kelah in Kiulu Tuaran

January 13, 2020April 14, 2021 Matsuda MashimaruLeave a comment

On our way out of Polumpung Melangkap in Kota Belud … we, the 3 traveling Sumandaks make a quick stop at a small town of Tamparuli to visit my local Tuaran Dusun friend, Lano Lan. A well-known local journalist cum photographer who writes for our local newspaper, NST for years.

I need to check out some interesting places in Tuaran for my next visit. And, who else should have known this place better other than the local journalists, right? So … I asked him, “Lan! we have 4 hours, please enlight us on why we should spend more time here in Tuaran”.

He laughed at the idea of how he could ‘excite’ us, the Sumandaks.

Jambatan Tamparulli or Tamparulli Bridge

We started with a walk on the most well-known hanging bridge in Tamparuli. This bridge is made famous by the song ‘Jambatan Tamparulli’ means the Tamparulli bridge. I used to listen to the song during my school day years. “Jambatan Tamparuli” is the title of a Kadazandusun song composed and sung by Justin Lusah in the mid-1970s.

The song tells the story about a lady walking in high heels on the Tamparulli bridge.

As we strolled down the bridge, coincidently there was a street musician singing with his guitar at the other entrance of the bridge. I requested him to sing the well-known song “Jambatan Tamparulli” for us … he obliges. And listening to him singing ahhh! what a way to enjoy my “Jambatan Tamparulli” moment.

If you happened to bump into him while crossing the bridge, don’t forget to give him a good tip ya.

*Eric, the Tamparulli bridge street musician*

Lunch mee rebus at Terminal Cafe

“Jom! let us have a quick lunch at this place that I really like,” suggest Lano Lan. Mee Rebus a local boiled noodle at Terminal Cafe in Kiulu village, super delicious for the hungry Sumandaks who had only a cup of ‘Maggi in a cup’ each for breakfast 😂 , yummy!. The best part of having a good local guide is that we could plan our limited traveling time in the most efficient way.

Done with our lunch.

Fish conservation or Tagal at Poturidong

Next, a short drive to the famous fish feeding, campsite, fish conservation area (Tagal) of Kampung Poturidong Baru in Kiulu. Crossing another hanging bridge to enter the riverside fish conservation area of Poturidong village. Another fish feeding area, so I thought?

My first impression?

Clean. Crystal clear river water. Well-maintained recreation area. Beautiful green spot suit for nature lovers.

And the fish omg! y’all should look at the size of the fish crowding around our feet as we splashed the water surface with some fish food in our hands. As big as my thin crus. And, there are hundreds of friendly Kelah fish here making loud sucking sounds as they sucked on my hand and my fingers. Amazingly gross … lol. I like it though.

This area is in the red zone area, a conservation area gazetted as a no-fishing area. A good place for camping too but I personally prefer sleeping on a bed, I’ll stay in a chalet instead.

Residents of Poturidong village has been practicing a traditional approach called Tagal system for years to breed fish and to protect their precious natural asset, both the river and the fishes. Fishing is illegal here. The fishes are harvested once a year during the dry season.

My mom said that Kelah or Empurau or Belian dish is famously tasty. I have yet to taste it but I am sure that Nazz must have loved the fish so much as I heard her calling the Kelah fish by a dish name 😂 … “Hey! Kelah goreng (fried Kelah) over there, masak tempoyak Kelah over here, asam pedas Kelah on this side”.

Selfie time

The long and winding Tuaran river that runs throughout this area is well-known for wild water rafting activities too. I should give it a try. As we drive along the river I couldn’t help but noticed numerous hanging bridges along the river, connecting one village to another. A good Instagramable-spot detected.

Thanks, Lano Lan for a quick eye-opening tour to Kiulu. We would come back again soon and stay for a night or two to experience more natural wonder of Tuaran, In Sha Allah.

Contact Lano Lan for his local guide service. DM him on his IG and Fb account or WhatsApp him at +6016 838 8290

Have you been to Tuaran?

Are there any other interesting places that I should visit here in Tuaran? Share it with me. Leave your suggestion on the comment area ya.

Sharing is caring. Semoga memberi manfaat.

Thanks and cheers

PS —}: ‘Sumandak’ means young lady in ethnic Kadazan-Dusun dialect.

And we, 3 very curious Sumandaks (Nelly, Nazz and I) traveled together and explore some parts of Sabah in 12 days. Traveling solo is cool, trust me … been there done that. But traveling with curious and same-minded traveler friends is way cooler.

A special way to deepen or weaken friendships as travel will remind you why you became friends with them in the first place, and how good it is to spend focused time together. I would share about places that we went to during our 12 days journey in Sabah and share them here, in my blog. In Sha Allah.

Hiking Maragang Hill Kundasang

December 30, 2019April 13, 2022 Matsuda Mashimaru2 Comments

If you are in Kundasang, I bet that you would love to have a closer view of the mountainous Crocker Range surrounding the area but like me, the thought of rigorous hours and days of hiking scared the hell out of me. And, if you could not resist the temptation to climb the gigantic Mt Kinabalu, then you should try climbing the 2 km trail of Maragang Hill instead, located in Kg. Mesilou, Kundasang.

Spend a total of 4-5 hours of your morning (4 km in total) to check out the gorgeous peak of Mt Kinabalu and the 360-degree view of Crocker Range from an open platform on top of Maragang Hill (2232m). But, bear in mind that there is a high chance that the view would be overcast or hidden by thick mists and clouds. Unless you are lucky or the weather is super good or you are there very-very early in the morning.

Location: Maragang Hill, Kundasang, Sabah
How to go: From Kota Kinabalu, drive to Kundasang and to Mesilou Village (Mevoc).
Attraction: A closer view of the gigantic Mt Kinabalu
Difficulty: Moderate.
Distance go and back: 4 km
Time spent: Half-day hike
Caution: Start super early and be at the Mesilou Hill platform by at least 6:30 am, Mt Kinabalu’s peak would be clouded by 7:30 am
Tips: Book your hiking slot early
Leech level: None
Fees: Conservation fee rm10/ Guide fee rm70 (per group of 1-5 people) / Transportion

Nelly, Nazz and I, the 3 travelings Sumandak* started our journey from Kota Kinabalu at 5.45 am. Reached Mevoc (Mesilou Volunteer Club) admin registration office at 9 am. After registration, we then quickly jump onto our 4WD transportation to the hiking starting point and managed to persuade the ‘pakcik’ driver to drive us to the very last driving point of the trail (we saved 500m of our hiking energy 😝).

The Hike to Maragang Hill. July 2019

As always, I need to enlighten you that I am not so into hiking but I always love the feeling of being surrounded by nature. I grumbled to myself as I walk on my first 500m while chewing on my apple. As I ascended the trail, the air started to feel very humid and fresh. Traces of mists still hanging on the air among the mossy trees.

Due to the heavy rain last night, the ground is wet and muddy. The air appeared gloomy and mysterious. Very refreshing.

The climbing trail is surprisingly bearable for me. Yes, some 45-degree angle slops along the trails make it difficult to climb especially after the rain. I take my time and enjoy the fresh oxygen from the trees.

We reached the peak at 10.30 a.m and sadly could not see anything as thick mists filled the void areas around the mountains, hiding the gem. Sad but nature always has its own agenda, very unpredictable. I swallowed my disappointment silently. But yeay! this is not too bad … I could do this again on my next visit, In Sha Allah.

Nature lovers, this place is a must if you are in this area. Highly recommended!

Maragang Hill hiking package

They have 2 types of trekking trails that you can choose from; the normal trail and the loop trail, each with different package prices. We chose the normal trail package, the same trail ascending and descending (4 km) and for the loop trail, the same trail going up but different trail down (4.3 km). Our package cost is as follows:

1. Conservation fee rm10.00 per person
2. Guide [ 1 – 5 ] fee is rm70.00 per group of 1-5 people
3. Transportation cost rm30

Contact details for further queries and updates :

Mesilou Volunteer Club (MEVOC)
Jumaidi Lasim, Chairman

T: +60 14 678 7136
E: maraganghill160917@outlook.com
Facebook: Maragang HILL (@MaragangHill)

But the good news is … there are no leeches here. Ahhh … finally, I can explore around the bushes and the tree trunks, peacefully. Nonetheless, you always need to be well prepared when you are in a jungle.

My to-do checklist for this trip includes:

A guide is a must for Maragang Hill hike
Wear good hiking shoes or hiking sandals or any shoes with a good grip would do too. I wore my Teva hiking sandal for this trip.
Start the hike very early in the morning (4 am) and be at the top of the hill for the first light (as early as 5.30 am) until 8.00am to increase your chances of seeing a clear landscape view
Well powered handphone.
Food. I brought an apple, 1 bar of Sneaker, some snacks and my water bottle.
A small towel.
My small camera and a GoPro (optional)

Would I do this again?

Absolutely yes! I am curious about how does the best view of this place would look like and I need to check it out with my own eyes. What do I like about this place?

The gorgeous front-seat view of Mt Kinabalu peak, they said. I need to confirm this with my own eyes. 😝
The trail is bearable, not too difficult
Our encounter with MEVIC personnel was very pleasant. Our guide, Azwan is well experienced and very polite. For travelers, meeting up with a genuinely kind and polite person on our journey is always feels heartwarming.
My travel mate Nelly and Nazz are superb companions. Nothing would feel gruesome when you have a good companion.

A pose after the hiking with Azwan, our guide

*The night after the hike, we slept like a baby*

Have you been to Maragang Hill?

If you have, please share with me your story or tips. I would love to repeat this trip again soon.

Thanks for dropping by.

Cheers

PS —} *’Sumandak’ means young lady in ethnic Kadazan-Dusun dialect.

And we, 3 very curious Sumandaks (Nelly, Nazz and I) traveled together and explored some parts of Sabah in 12 days. Traveling solo is cool, trust me … as I have tried traveling solo before. But traveling with curious and same minded traveler friends is way cooler. It is absolutely true that traveling can either strengthen or weaken a friendship.

A special way to deepen friendships as travel will remind you why you became friends with them in the first place, and how good it is to spend focused time together. I would share about places that we went to during our 12 days journey in Sabah and share them here, in my blog. In Sha Allah.

Is Paramotor Dangerous?

December 23, 2019April 14, 2021 Matsuda MashimaruLeave a comment

I was sitting at my favorite spot in Pantai Irama, Bachok, Kelantan when I saw a flying man up on the sky.

I grabbed my handphone, snapped a photo and posted it on Instagram. 10 November 2012: I said to myself while watching the flying man – “I want to fly like that man”.

A year after that in December 2013 while mourning of the passing away of my beloved father coincidently a friend of mine, Yusuf Hashim asked me to join him learning to fly with an engine on my back and a big canopy wing on my head, exactly like the flying man that I saw a year ago.

I know this might sound crazy but yes! I took up the flying lesson for 6 months and finally fly on my own, solo for a few times.

This sport is called paramotor or powered paragliding.

The engine weight a total of 23kg with fuel and you have to carry that on your back while at the same time both your hands handling the glider or the wing.

It was hard for a super-light aka skinny girl like me to master this as the engine is very heavy on my back.

And, I don’t see the point of flying when I can’t use my hand to handle my camera, as both hands are busy maneuvering the glider. The view up there is spacious… a gigantic open space with no boundaries, the air smells freedom.

I love flying

For a dreamer like me, flying shows me the romantic side of being peaceful with just yourself and the beautiful air around you, hanging and dancing 1000 feet up on air, minus the noisy engine sound of your machine.

The amazing feeling of being in a vast open space.

In late December 2014, JanjiFly paramotor pilots approached and invited me as their official photographer.

My job is to follow them during flying events and help captured their best moves while on air. This arrangement continues almost every weekend for 4 years until today.

This is the reason why I love photography, this skill opens up so many doors for me to explore life. I had the best time flying together with the team, all over Malaysia.

Read my writings about some of our flying adventures, click on these links:

Paramotoring, is it dangerous?

Like everything else, paramotoring has its own risk.

Riding a motorbike is dangerous too if you are being reckless.

This sport is an extreme sport.

Yes, this is a dangerous sport if you are not well equipped with the right skill. It requires a high level of mental persistent, time and money to master this sport but the reward is beyond words. Not only that, you need to learn to listen to your senses, be ultra-sensitive with nature (the wind and the weather) and calculate the risk accordingly each time you decided to fly.

If you have all the safety measures and skills intact, I feel that paramotoring could be considered as a safe sport.

If you want to try paramotoring I have a few tips:

1 – Try tandem paramotor first. Fly as a passenger to a well-experienced tandem paramotor pilot. Get the feel of it and decide if it is for you or not. If you want to try tandem paramotor, it is important to observe these following tips:

Try flying with a well-experienced pilot
Look at the engine, it should be well maintained
Check the years of life of the glider aka the wing. The wing should not exceed its expected years of use.

2 – If you have a good feeling about this and want to fly on your own, then get a good Paramotor instructor. Contact JanjiFly u-Fly i-Fly team as they could advise the right instructor for you.

It always feels good to breeze through the air, flying like a bird.

And having the right team during each of our flying moment is a blessing. After 6 years of flying, I still adore this sport.

For those who are curious and adventurous, do try paramotoring… you won’t regret it.

Conclusion: Is paramotoring dangerous? With the right instructor, the right skill and the right mentality, this sport is not dangerous at all. The only danger is to fall in love with your respective tandem pilot, kidding! lol.

Do you want to try fly tandem paramotoring? Leave your comment below.

Cheers

Matsuda

Exploring Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

October 10, 2019July 14, 2023 Matsuda MashimaruLeave a comment

I always dream of how I would wander alone in New Zealand.

Just immerse into the moment surrounded by nature, with my travel companion – my loyal camera, safely tucked in my backpack. New Zealand, the land of vast open space with beautiful landscapes.

I had my chance last year while on a quick trip to accompany my beloved daughter to register at one of the universities in Wellington. It meant to be just a sneak peek trip for me … send her off to the maturity land and as for me, the wandering mom would come back another year to embark on my own wandering trip exploring NZ.

The land of Lord of Ring with Dwarfs, Elves, the Hobbits, the Wizards and all sort of creatures wander around freely. Well … sort of lol.

Tongariro National Park

I could not contain myself though, once my daughter completed her things-to-do list I quickly purchased my Intercity bus ticket to the nearest adventurous place that I could hold on to, which is the Tongariro National Park.

The oldest national park in NZ, located in the centre of North Island and acknowledged by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

Here sit Mt. Tongariro 1967m, Mt. Ngauruhoe 2291m (Mt Doom in the Lord of the Rings filming locations) and Mt. Ruapehu 2797m. One of the several locations where Peter Jacksons shot the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

I travel alone.

I like the idea of exploring and wandering alone. It is less noisy. More just do it moments and less “let us plan on what to do” moment

I booked my 2 nights stay at YHA hostel, National Park thinking that well … I should just hang around here looking at the mountains from afar.

The weather was not very good on the day that I arrived at the park. Raining with thick fogs surrounding the valleys. If you have just one-day you can do the Tongariro Alpine Crossing but if you have more days to spend then you can camp and track to several routes surrounding the park.

My plan was just to be here and enjoy the mountainous view.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing takes a maximum of an eight hours track to complete, it is insane to take up the challenge when you never walk further than a distance between your car and the shopping mall’s front door (am relating it to me, lol). The total distance of the crossing is 19.4km … insane.

Memang giler kentang … curiosity kills the cat. Well, guess what … yours truly completed the crossing.

Sharing a snippet story from my previous posting here on how bizarre was my experience doing the Tongariro National Park … walking by myself for 8 hours crossing mountains, volcanic craters and alpine forest on my own.

“As I continue for another 11.3 km trails to Ketetahi Carpak the weather started getting irritated. The fogs thicken, the temperature started to drop further down (9-12 degree) as the raindrops started to clouds my glasses … omg, I was standing on a narrow trail between 2 very steep craters while my feet were shaken due to lack of sugar aka energy and my glasses was clouded. The sulfur smell filled the air.”

“I nearly cried at the very last 6.3km … as my feet could not take it anymore. Other trekkers passed by me one after another leaving me alone struggling with my incapabilities. Oh, I hate that feeling of being left behind … but I kept my chin up and walk slowly imagining myself doing brisk walk at my most favourite park.”

For further reading about my story please click here at ➤ LOTR moment at Tongariro National Park

Picture of me posing at the midpoint of the crossing ↑.

Yeah! me too, I also could not “brain” the MYDIN plastic bag that I carried on my back during this bizarre journey. Out of all the bags that I have … that lucky MYDIN plastic bag was the chosen one. And, that plastic bag is a non-biodegradable type lol.

Gorgeous beautiful world we live in. I am now working on my 2020 traveling plan and the New Zealand trip would be in early autumn (April 2020).

Anybody want to join me for my next NZ trip? It will be a cost-sharing trip.

Please drop a message on the comment column if you want to join me.

Cheerios

Ramadhan 1440 H/ 2019 M

May 31, 2019April 14, 2021 Matsuda MashimaruLeave a comment

25th Ramadhan 1440

We are in the last 10 days of Ramadan. Out of the 30 days of a blessing month of Ramadan, the last 10 days is the most blessed and anticipated nights. Believers take extra effort to increase their prayers and devotions toward the Almighty during these nights.

A month of self-restraint against food, drinks, wrongful desires, bad habits, negative temptations etc.

Fasting for 30 days in Ramadan month is one of the 5 of Islamic pillars. Fasting is just 1% of the effort while the other 99% is the extra effort that believers need to perform to strengthen their bond with the Al-Mighty.

Fasting is very hard for me with this Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that I had for almost 20 years.

With my health condition, to be able to fast during this month is a blessing.

I don’t want to miss my train. It’s my personal journey and I hope to fulfill my duty through my own pace. With a strict diet and the right amount of medications, I manage to fast without me ended up injuring myself.

Understanding that every deed of the son of Adam is for themselves except fasting; fasting is solely for Allah. Allah will reward it according to him.

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed your Lord said: ‘Every good deed is rewarded with ten of the same up to seven hundred times over, except for fasting.’

I was assigned to write about Ramadan for my photography article in the News Straits Times this time around. Ideas on what to capture with your camera during this holy month.

_SMM5794-Edit — having dates of odd numbers during iftar. It is a sunnah food

Ramadan Bazaar is the most visited place in Malaysia, you could find it at every corner of the town. Operating between 4pm to 7:30pm. Food heaven where you could get food for iftar in one place. Because of my strict food diet, I don’t frequent Ramadan Bazaar that much anymore.

DSCF2283 — a food stall selling murtabak, a famous dish for iftar

I decided to skip the food part of Ramadan and focus on how to capture the spirit of Ramadan through close-up photos. A close-up photo adds intimacy or relatable feeling onto your images. Sharing my article here for reading pleasure.

How do I spend my Ramadan month this year?

I tried to discipline myself to be closer to the community of the mosque.

Tried my best to have my iftar with my family and friends at the mosque every day, sharing food in one big tray, eat together, perform our Maghrib-Isyak-Tarawih prayers together, read certain surah from the Quran together.

As I sit quietly at my corner observing my surrounding, I saw one big group of orphan of different ages occupying another corner of the mosque while some corners are filled with believers of different races, different level of lives, poor or rich sat together sharing whatever food served during that day.

I feel humbled. Being broken, I have this unrealistic pride I tried so hard to overcome. That feeling of pride that I should rely on my own, that I am the sole provider for my own needs. Accepting others gratitude is not something I am used too. I am trained to give but not to accept.

Accepting food from others is something that I am not comfortable with. Here I learned to let down my pride and tone down my expectation. Feeling grateful with whatever food served in front of me and not complaining.

Praying together as one big ummah create strong bonding between us. I personally need the motivation boost to excel during the last 10 days of Ramadan. The late-night prayers, the almsgiving aka sedaqah, trying to read as many surahs from the Quran as possible and rushing for suhoor.

Doing all these spiritual activities together within a group make it achievable. I could not do that alone, am a dreamer that would drift into my own cave if I am left alone … cruising in my own world.

The divine journey to get closer to the Al-Mighty is the essence of Ramadan. It is not easy to achieve but it sure is joyful, spiritually joyful.

A few more days before the month would end. Still feeling that I am not putting my best effort, yet the clock still continuously ticking.

Will I be able to experience another Ramadan again next year?

In Sha Allah, if Allah permits.

Cheers

MATSUDA MASHIMARU

I LIKE NONSENSE, IT WAKES UP THE BRAIN CELLS

Tag: lifestyle

Ikan Kelah in Kiulu Tuaran