Sabah Art Gallery

Balai Seni Lukis Sabah (CNB 2013)

The Balai Seni Lukis Sabah is now in a beautiful new octagonal building shaped like a traditional Kadazandusun  bahuyun (basket). It is Sabah's first environmentally friendly four-storey art gallery costing RM15 million. Designed by architect Lee Hon Liong, much of the building is powered by the sun, with rain water collected to flush toilets and water the lawns. Windows are kept to the minimum and the building is designed in such a way to shed much of the inside from sun rays (which reduces the amount of harmful ultra-violet rays that could destroy paintings on display). Enough natural light and fresh air is let in through an open circular roof. This Visual Arts Conservation Centre is located at Jalan Penampang, about 3km from Kota Kinabalu City Centre.

While in Sabah recently, Penel took me to visit this very new art gallery and we were thoroughly impressed, with both the building and the art works within.

Penel signs the visitor's book (CNB 2013)

The Exhibitions are held on two spacious levels, reached by a circular/curving staircase. Pameran Bakat-bakat Baharu 2013 was on then. It showcased the artworks - paintings, collages, sculptures - by the various new local artistic talents of Sabah.

Pameran Bakat-bakat Baharu 2013 (CNB 2013)

A bird sculpture and paintings (CNB 2013)

Tun Fuad Stephens in Warhol style (CNB 2013)

Another exhibition was the Pameran Datuk Yaman dan Rakan-rakan. Datuk Yaman Ahmad Mus (1938-2012) was a great artist and the Director of the Sabah Art Gallery at the time of his demise. But he never got to visit the new gallery building due to his frail health then. This exhibition was to honour him and display his artworks. I liked his Ilusi dimensi series in acrylic. Among his rakan-rakan/friends whose works were displayed were Tina Rimmer, Datuk Hj Murshidi Nambi, Datuk Simon C. Yew, and Benedict Chong.

Exhibit of Datuk Yaman's Ilusi Dimensi series (CNB 2013)

Kinabalu by Datuk Simon C. Yew

Tina Rimmer's Tobacco sellers Tamparuli Tamu  

Datuk Hj Murshidi Nambi's Penghidupan di sawah padi

24 March 2013 Ref: insightsabah.gov.my

Portraits of Sabahans

Sabah is fascinating, not just for being the site of world famous Mt Kinabalu and Sipadan, but for its interesting people. When M and I were in Sabah in March, we observed that Sabahans, no matter their ethnicity or tribe, are mainly most friendly and helpful. Who are the people of Sabah?

"Modern-day Sabah has been shaped by a diverse range of ethnicities, with the majority of Sabahans members of at least one of more than 30 groups. By far the biggest is the Kadazan-Dusun which comprises the Kadazan, people of the plains, and the Dusun, mountain farmers. But it also includes 40 other related tribes. The Sabah coast has long been influenced by outside groups to such an extent that the second biggest ethnic group is the Bajau, descended from nomadic seafarers and emigrants from the Philippines, just a couple of hours to the North" (Niall McIlroy for Sabah Tourism, 2011).

Here I share some photos of Sabahans who(m) we came across during our trip.
1. Pretty Eliccolina, a Dusun, works at the Jim Thompson outlet at the Nexus Karambunai Resort. She was very gracious when I went into the outlet to buy a tee.

2. Janurin works at the Lagoon Park Karambunai. He is a Bajau Darat from Tuaran and very knowledgeable about the fauna and flora in the area. He also made us aware of  the jelly fish season.

3. These girls and a boy are the very helpful front office staff at the Nexus Karambunai. I jotted down their names in my notebook, but mislaced it somewhere. When I do find it, I will name them.

4. Ever smiling Yana is one of the North Borneo Railway stewards serving on the train we took from Tanjung Aru to Papar and back. Her uniform and the thermos flasks complete the vintage train experience.

5. A fish seller at the Kinarut Tamu shows off a fish to customers. I forgot to ask his name or the name of the large fish!

6. A man selling the wakid (traditional baskets) at the back of a van at the Kinarut Tamu. He was quite happy to pose for this photo.

7. These two boys (brothers) were helping out their mother at the Kota Belud Tamu and gamely posed for this picture.

8. This beautiful old lady reminded me of my grandmother Maimunah. The way she wears her selendang as headgear is also reminiscent of how the Malay women of yore wore theirs. Now the 'tudung' is the norm.

9. This jovial lady sells tobacco and sireh at the Kota Belud Tamu. She'd offered me some sireh to try, which I found too 'sharp' for my taste. She obviously loves her sireh as her almost scarlet tongue testify. She was also one of the very few at the Tamu to sport a native headgear.

10. A young Malay woman at the Kota Kinabalu town centre dry food market. We bought some local snacks from her.

March 2013 (All pics by CNB)

Kota Belud: The Tamu ... and Looking for the Bajau Horsemen

Kota Belud Tamu* (traditional open market) is held every Sunday and is one of the main weekly tamu in Sabah. An integral part of rural economic life here, as usual for me, markets are a pull factor, so Husin & Penel took us to Kota Belud on Sunday morning. The tamu is usually held from as early as 6 am till midday, so we set out from Kota Kinabalu heading north around 8.30 am. It was a journey of nearly an hour and a half, passing by the town of Tuaran which also has a Sunday tamu.

Archway into the Kota Belud tamu (MB 2013)

At the tamu Penel tells me that more and more, the women here are abandoning their native head wrap styles for the ubiquitous tudung (head-wear). We did spot three older ladies in traditional headgear, two selling dried shrimps and one selling tobacco and sireh. Tobacco at the tamu is rolled into packs or in loose heaps. It is usually smoked in cigarette form, the wrapper a long dried leaf (lopian). Similar to rokok daun that my grandfather used to smoke. The tobacco lady offered me betel nut and lime wrapped in sireh leaf to chew. I obliged but found it to be very pedas (spicy hot). So she offered me a quid of tobacco to hold in the upper lip to soothe my mouth. Yikes! This is reminiscent of my grandmother and her sentil (tobacco quid)!

Tobacco seller at the KB Tamu. Note 3 different headgears
on the ladies here (CNB 2013)

The tamu is fairly busy with all kinds of foodstuff and other items being sold. At the dried food section there were all kinds of fish and seafood. We bought tampoi and pisang rastali at the fresh fruit and vegetable section.

Dried fish at the Tamu (MB 2013)

'Pekasam' fish stalls (CNB 2013)

The crafts section was most  interesting with colourful basketry and woven textiles. I bought a small tudung saji and two trinket boxes as souvenirs.

Rainbow hued basketry (CNB 2013)

In the 50s the roof of these tamu stalls would have been atap
but now corrugated iron is used (MB 2013)

At Kota Belud, I was also hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous Bajau horsemen there, deemed 'Cowboys of the East'. But I only saw their horses tethered near some houses. I guess I may have to return during the annual tamu besar which is said to bring out the best of the culture and heritage of the Kota Belud indigenous community. The Tamu Besar Kota Belud is usually held in October or Novermber.

* Tamu is from the Malay word 'temu' - to meet.
24 March 2013

The North Borneo Railway & a Train Journey of a Bygone Era

Vulcan steam powered locomotive of the NBR (MB 2013)

The railway history in Sabah dates back to 1896, when it was constructed to transport tobacco from the interior. Today the Sabah State Railway (the only rail transport system in Borneo) runs from Tanjung Aru, KK to Tenom (134 km). The trains run daily, but twice weekly on Saturdays and Wednesdays a historic North Borneo Railway vintage (steam engine) train is operational from Tanjung Aru to Papar.

It was a railway journey I wanted to go on to celebrate my 62nd. It was short but most memorable because the North Borneo Railway 'offers passengers an opportunity to experience the bygone era of British North Borneo while transporting passengers along the lifeline of Sabah. Refurbished to recreate the nostalgic romance of people travelling by steam train ... in the 1900s'.

9.30 am    We collect our tickets and 'passports' at the Tanjung Aru Station, then board the train.

10.00 am  The train leaves the station for Papar. (Continental) breakfast is served on board. We pass by Putatan and the train hugs the coast for a view of Lokawi Bay and the South China Sea.

10.40 am  We stop for 20 mins. at Kinarut. Some of us visit the Chinese Temple here, M and I walk  around the little town with its traditional shops and a tamu (market).

11.00 am  The train departs from Kinarut Station. We pass by Kawang, home to Kawang Forest Reserve.

11.45 am  We arrive at Papar Station after crossing the Papar River over a yellow steel trestle bridge. Here at the station we watch the locomotive head do a turnaround for the return journey, before going on a walkabout of Papar town. No, the locomotive head did not go on the walkabout - we did.

12.20 pm  We re-board for the return journey and the train departs 10 mins. later. A very substantial 'Tiffin' lunch is served; quite a generous meal indeed - rice, chicken satay, fried fish, mixed vegetables, fresh fruits and ice cream. (The return journey does no stops).

1.40 pm We arrive at Tanjung Aru Station and disembark.

A carriage of the NBR (MB 2013)

Tiffin lunch on the train (CNB 2013)

In summary, this North Borneo Railway journey enables passengers to experience the sights and sounds of the Sabah landscape. The lush greenery, the quaint rustic little towns, the local children waving, errr ... also including the whistle sound of the locomotive very often along the journey. There is some soot involved - you will notice it in your drink. But its okay, all part of the great experience in the nostalgia of a vintage train travel. The journey was all the more interesting with trainmaster Encik Jual Hussin and the train stewards being ever so friendly, with their colonial style uniforms definitely a hit with the passengers.

Kinarut town view from the railway station (CNB 2013)

M with the trainmaster and stewards of the NBR (CNB 2013)

Note: The North Borneo Railway is a collaboration between the Sabah State Railway Department and Sutera Harbour Resort.

23 March 2013

March 2013 Sabah Sojourn

Ten years ago B, A and I visited Sabah for the first time (see my previous blog entry of 10 October 2011, 'My Sabah'). Our good friends Penel & Husin played host in Kota Kinabalu and it was a most memorable visit to the land below the wind. Recently it was M's first visit, and P & H played host again. In fact I must say that we were thoroughly spoilt by their kind hospitality. Not only did Penel help with the hotel bookings (directly, not online) but she also got our tickets for the North Borneo Railway on the 23rd. And I got to celebrate my birthday with a vintage train ride, then dinner and a specially baked cake at her home. Thanks a million!

Thank you Sarah for the beautiful birthday cake! (CZ 2013)

Our first two nights stay was at the Nexus Karambunai in Menggatal, touted by some as "a piece of heaven". The Ocean Wing rooms are large and the gardens quite beautiful with purple water lilies in full bloom. The architecture of the resort is a combination of building ingenuity and local craftsmanship. I also found four paintings of Rafiee Ghani adorning the lobby wall - very nice!

It is jelly fish season (February to April) and we found many washed up on the beach. So M had to be content with swimming in the pools. Rather a letdown, but as they say, "don't play, play with jelly fish"! By the Karambunai Lagoon, we managed to capture on camera the elusive cloud smothered Mt. Kinabalu. Only just!

The sunset at Nexus Karambunai (MB 2013)

Karambunai Lagoon & Mt Kinabalu in the distance (MB 2013)

Playing hosts to Penel & Husin at Nexus Karambunai

Another three nights we spent in Kota Kinabalu, at the Sutera Harbour Resort. It is resort, hotel, golf, marina, spa, country club all rolled into one interesting site. But it is the sunsets here that are most intriguing. The marina had some beautiful sea crafts to admire too.

The sunset at Sutera Harbour Resort (MB 2013)

That is a helicopter atop this boat. Engkau ada? (MB 2013)

A pause during our Sutera Harbour walkabout  (2013)

One dinner we had with Husin and family was at the Chinese Restaurant of the Hyatt Regency, Kota Kinabalu. Interestingly, ten years ago we were sitting at the very same table of the restaurant, served by the very same maitre d'. The food tasted as good as ever. After dinner we had Husin and family pose on the very same bench we did ten years ago - just for (nostalgic) kicks.

Husin, Penel with Zul, wife & children (MB 2013)

On the same bench at Hyatt 10 years ago! (2003)

Apart from showing us the sights and sounds of Kota Kinabalu, Husin & Penel also drove us to the Sunday morning Kota Belud Tamu (traditional market). One afternoon I got to see the exhibits by local artists in the newly opened wakid-shaped Sabah Art Gallery/Visual Arts Conservation Centre with Penel. Once M and I checked out the Sinsuran Market in the city centre, but for our (pearl) souvenirs, on Penel's recommendation, I shopped at Jamilah Jewellery (wholesale shop) rather than the 'Filipino'/Handicraft Market.

Note: The recent incursion into eastern Sabah may have seen a drop in tourist numbers there, but we noticed many visitors from South Korea, China and Russia in Kota Kinabalu.

20-25 March 2013

My Sabah: Tawau

When travelling by the national airline from KLIA to get to Semporna, Tawau is the gateway airport. One can easily dismiss Tawau and go straight ahead to Semporna, doing the same on the return trip. But then Tawau has an interesting history. In the 1980's, it was once the cocoa capital of Asia, and Tawau district the world's third largest producer of cocoa beans (after the Ivory Coast and Ghana). The fishing industry still remains important, with tiger prawn farming contributing to the export trade, especially to Japan.

The Tawau Mosque (CNB 2012)

A part of Tawau town (CNB 2012)

Anyway, Tawau is also the third largest town in Sabah, after Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan. From Semporna, we did not have much time to spare before our afternoon flight back to KLIA, so for us, it was straight to the town's central market in Tawau Lama or Old Tawau. In the market, we made a beeline for the dried fish stalls on the first floor. There were loads of dried anything (edible) from the sea - all sizes of prawns, all kinds of fish, etc.

The Tawau Central Market (CNB 2012)

Dried anchovies, prawns, etc., etc. (CNB 2012)

Dried fish, fish and more fish (CNB 2012)

Keropok  Amplang - crackers (CNB 2012)

We left the Central Market with plastic bagfuls and cardboard boxfuls of dried everything (I think the plane had to be deodorised after our flight landed at KLIA). Still, there was more shopping to be done - this time at the HS Crystal Wholesale shop in Jalan Masjid. But pearls (mainly from the Philippines) are the main attraction.

The traffic at the 'Eagle roundabout',  just outside the market
(CNB 2012)

Some interesting old wooden shops in Tawau (CNB 2012)

Some more interesting old shops (CNB 2012)

Pearls galore at the wholesale shop (CNB 2012)

Finally heading for the Tawau Airport, we stopped at an eatery nearby for lunch - sup payau. I know the word payau as something to do with taste (not so great), but this sup payau is actually venison soup.  The taste? Certainly not payau, but quite delicious!

Bibiq Corner that serves sup payau (CNB 2012)

Rice and sup payau (CNB 2012)

At the Tawau Airpot, there is ample opportunity to buy more Sabah souvenirs - the T-shirts here are most reasonably priced, the frozen seafood quite plentiful in choice, and do not forget the plush soft toys (monyet Belanda included), and cocoa products from Tawau itself. I bought some 3-in-1 cocoa packs here since we never made it to the Cocoa Museum or plantation. Maybe next time ...

Tawau Airport (CNB 2012)

Adieu, monyet Belanda. (CNB 2012)

22 April 2012