The launching of Kaamatan Festival (Harvest Festival) on May 1 every year marked the beginning of Kaamatan celebration, which lasts for a month. Today the world food shortage crisis makes Kaamatan more important, as rice is our main source of food. Sadly, more crop such as oil palm is planted to feed the cars (with biodiesel) than the mouth. Every year we got funding for aiding rice plantation. However, after many years, we still heavily count on imported rice. Now our government is crying for more fund. I wonder how the money was used in the past.

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Mother’s Day also falls in May. That reminds me the story of Huminodun, the greatest Mother of mankind coz she sacrificed herself. Her spirit resided in the paddy and became the 7-in-1 Bambarayon (Rice Soul). But the harvesting and processing of the paddy will split these spirits apart. That’s why KadazanDusun people have Magavau ceremony, to recover the Rice Soul, to ensure a good harvest again next time. Sumazau dance is also performed to complete the ritual.

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Beaufort town hosted the event this year. This is the 3rd year I come to launching of Kaamatan. And I never miss the chance to see the Unduk Ngadau (Harvest Queen) beauty pageant. There are a few things unique about this beauty pageant:

1. Traditional Costumes
It is a cultural beauty pageant to choose a figure to remember Huminodun. May is really the best time to see pretty ladies dress in finest traditional costumes. Since Kaamatan is celebrated by KadazanDusun and Murut people, you will see the contestants wear KadazanDusun or Murut costumes. Below are the 3 most common costumes worn in the competition:

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Sometime you see them carry a towel. Not towel lah, just kidding, I forgot the name of that item. You would find each district has its own mix of costumes being displayed, usally represent the ethnic groups in that area. For example, some contestants from Kudat district would dress in Rungus costume. This is the first time I see Bisaya costume in Unduk Ngadau competition. This is interesting coz Bisaya is not KadazanDusun and Murut.

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2. Mushroom Hair
No offense ok. I am not making fun of it. Even my Kadus friends also think it is very old-fashioned and they wonder why the Mushroom Hair should be the “official” hair style for all Unduk Ngadau. Why ah? Anyone knows? I am curious to find out.

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3. Bare Feet
This is also a “feature” coz it is probably the only beauty pageant that doesn’t need shoes. Also no butt-shaking catwalk, show off poses and mouth pouting to purposely act sexy. Instead, the contestants will walk very slowly and pose gracefully. I like it coz it makes my photo-taking a lot more easier.

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Let’s us pray for a bountiful harvest for the world. I got the photos of all the beauties. Please check them out. I lost the name list of the contestants so I couldn’t print their names. I will add the names later. Personally I like contestant no. 11.

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Photos taken in Beaufort, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Murut people (Murut means “Men of the Hills”) are famous for their headhunting history and bravery. Their traditional warrior costume is always my favorite, so are their stories. We still could find pieces of their past in their dance performance and festival (such as Kalimaran Festival). With a bit of imagination, I try to use some photos to paint a complete picture of how they looked like in the past…

Photo: Ontoros Antonom Memorial

Standing in the heart of Tenom town is the Memorial of Ontoros Antonom, a Murut hero who led the uprising against the British colonists in 19th century. Under the administration of British Chartered North Borneo Company (BCNBC) more than 100 years ago, besides imposing many funny taxes, which the locals never heard of, British also forced every Murut couple, who had two children, to give up one of them as forced labor.

Photo: Murut warrior get ready for battle

Running out of tolerance, Ontoros Antonom gathered nearly a thousand of Murut warriors from Tenom, Keningau dan Pensiangan to fight the British empire in 1915. According to the description in Murut Museum, the British officers were totally shocked to see hundreds of Murut flooded their administration building and attacked them. The document also mentions Ontoros Antonom built a few strongholds that even got underground tunnels and houses!

Photo: The rise of Murut warriors

In April 1915, British sent 400 soldiers equipped with firearm to counter attack. Though Murut were only using primitive weapons such as blowpipes, swords and spears, British army failed to take them down. Therefore, they set a trap by offering a peace talk at Rundum. When Ontoros Antonom and his followers were on their way to the venue, hundreds of British surrounded them and arrested them. Later Ontoros Antonom was executed. This Sabah hero died at age of only 30 (year 1885-1915). Seeing more and more corrupted, self-interest and big-mouth Sabah politicians nowadays, the more I respect this hero who loved his land and really did something for his people.

Photo: Warriors departed for battle

Photo: Murut girl celebrated the victory of the warriors with Anggalang dance

Below are the weapons used by Murut to fight gun and bullets. Note the hole in the spear. It is a 2-in-1 weapon (Blowpipe + Spear). Also note the human hair at the end of the headhunter sword. I wanted to buy the headhunter sword (for appreciation, of course not for headhunting), but it costs RM300 (nearly USD100). Ok… O_O

Below are the containers that store the darts and poison for blowpipe.

Photo: Murut girls waiting for the return of the Murut warriors

The era of conflict and headhunting has become a thing of the past. No matter you are British or tourists from other countries, what you will experience here is very warm welcome from our friendly Murut people. They will invite you to dance with them and even try the blowpipe.

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

For photographers who like to picture the colourful culture of Sabah, the annual Regatta Lepa is definitely on their list. Not only it attracts the locals, many overseas photographers also come to Semporna to see this grand tourism event. I went there in year 2006. Though I almost ended up sleeping on the street, I always come back again.

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There are two main groups of Bajau tribes in Sabah. Land Bajau lives in West Coast, mainly in Kota Belud town, famous as the Cowboys of the East and their Tamu (Native Market). The Sea Bajau lives in East Coast. They spend most of their time on the boat, which known as Lepa-Lepa. Some call Sea Bajau as the Sea Gypsies. Many Sea Bajau were pirates in the past (now no more).

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Lepa-Lepa sails with wind and was the main transport for Sea Bajau to travel among islands. The traditional lepa boat is nicely crafted and about 20 feet long. Bajau loves to use bright colours in their handicraft and textile, and such creativity also relects on their lepa-lepa. Now it has become a cultural heritage of Sabah.

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The dancers, who dressed in traditional Sea Bajau costum, on the lepa-lepa are also the highlight, especially when you see lot of them dance at the same time, under loud music from over 50 lepa-lepa. I took many many photos of them in year 2006. But this year I was using Canon 400D with polariser. I think the outcome is quite good. Probably you can tell me which lepa photo gallery you like better, year 2006 or 2008, or none?

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The event was good. I also have comment on 2 things. The first thing is — the floating rubbish on the sea is really an eyesore. Now we have more and more tourists. We hope they will see the beautiful islands at Semporna, but not an island of rubbish! Not only it gives tourists a bad impression, the junk will pollute the sea and kill the sealife. Compare to 2006, the year I first visited Semporna, it is getting worse. I also need to spend a lot of time to use Photoshop to remove the rubbish appears everywhere in my photos.

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The second thing - hmmm… the “Kiasu” (afraid to lose) advertisement bunting and commercial logo all over the lepa boats. Don’t get me wrong. Personally I really appreciate the sponsors who support the culture. However, if the sponsors are really, seriously sincere in promoting the culture, they should not overdo the ad, which makes our cultural heritage looks like something else. This year we got coffee lepa, noodle lepa, telco lepa and supermarket lepa. Wonder what will come next… Ice-cream lepa? Bank lepa? Or a Detergent lepa? Just my personal point of view. You can say I am conservative or whatever.

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Photos taken in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Everything seemed so perfect when I first met Kapalai Island. I don’t what words to use to describe this beautiful and dreamy destination, so it doesn’t sound like an advertisement, which always lies. May be I will just let my photos speak. By boat, Kapalai Island is about 40 minutes away from Semporna town. It is near to Mabul and Sipadan Islands, the world-class diving sites of Sabah.

200 years ago, Kapalai Island was once a “true” island before it was eroded by the sea. What leaves today is only a stretch of sand bar, which will disappear during high tide, thereby giving it another name “magic island.” I enjoy every moment of staying there.

Below is a “summary” of why I love Kapalai so much:

1. Crystal clear water
The sea water is so clean that you can see the bottom clearly even it is deeper than 10 feet. From my photos, you will see some “dark spots” in the water. Those are the corals and sea weed, the sign of rich underwater life. I better explain this coz some foreigners, who never go to sea, would think it is “dirty” stuff. Since this place is so far away from main land, it is also far from air and noise pollution.

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2. Fishes everywhere, some look delicious
Just look down from the boardwalk. But probably what would amaze you the most are large number of starfishes around the resort. They are so plentiful that they have become a feature here, making the water looks like the sky in the sea.

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And you also don’t need to dive deep to see stingray, tiger fish, angel fish… At night you will see them wandering under the light of the jetty and chalets. I even saw a sea turtle passing by.

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3. Meal time
Food is plentiful too, in buffet style. Unlike the restaurants in town, in here seaview is the music, sea breeze is the air-con, sunset is the candle.

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Personally I like the opening in the dining hall, where you can see the fishes below.

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4. Spacious chalet
Very big room, as big as a house, even for 3 guests. You can open all the windows, so you can see the sea when you are on the bed.

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There is a small group of soldiers stationed on the island. They are not there for vacation, but to protect the tourists. I saw them only in late night. Well, it is not that our place is not safe. Consider in any part of the world, there are always politic extremists from other countries, who look for easy target. The presence of armed force nearby will be an added security though we would never use them. At least I could sleep soundly.

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5. Water Sport
Don’t you want to jump into its sea water at this point? Yes, you can do snorkeling, swimming, diving and kayaking all day long if you like to. They also have a dive centre on the island. I dived in the Mandarin Valley, about 17 Metres in depth and near to the resort. I saw flamboyant cuttlefish, eel, tiger fish, stone fish and many other macro sea life that I can’t name. Too bad I don’t have an underwater camera, otherwise can show you more. Tell me if you got any good bargain / suggestion for such camera.

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Overall, it is a 5-star experience and I wish to stay longer. Just check out my photos for more.

Sorry for not updating my blog for nearly 2 months. I was extremely busy on a project. I’m sorry that I couldn’t respond to the poke, hug, water bomb… from the Facebook. But if you drop me an e-mail, I will definitely reply.

Photos taken in Kapalai Island, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

My last visit to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park (Taman Hidupan Liar) was in Mar last year. That time there was no reptile house, sun bear, zebra, animal shows, etc. The place is getting more interesting now. Still, I haven’t seen everything coz of the rain at 3pm. Next time I will come back to check out their elephant ride at Children’s Zoo, and also the Botanical Garden.

We can see crocodiles, lizards, tortoises and snakes in the Reptile House. A few snake got weird names such as Banana Snake (Ular Pisang) and Dog-Toothed Cat Snake. The main attraction is the big long King Cobra. The funniest thing is the crocodile pond looks more like a wishing well. Probably every Malaysian think crocodiles only eat money, like our “Buaya” politicians.

Ah… finally I got a few upclose decent shots of Proboscis Monkeys. Unlike other monkeys, it is very hard to get good picture of Proboscis Monkey, as they are relatively more timid. I have seen them in my trip to Klias and Kinabatangan River, but they flee before I could have a closer look of them.

Last time they didn’t have any male Proboscis Monkey. Not only they got one now, they also two new baby Proboscis Monkeys born in the park.

However, to make the photos look like taken in the wild, I have to avoid the background with cage, fence, and man-make structures. To achieve this, I have to change the shooting angle, composition and depth of field setting. It can be difficult coz the hot weather would make the animals hide under the shaded area. I also need a lot of patient to wait for them to move to the good spot for photography.

Overall, I am quite happy with what I got. Last year a photography society organised a photography contest in this zoo. At that time, I was not confident so I didn’t join. Hopefully they will organise again this year.

This park will be my new favourite place for photo shooting. I also saw some interesting scenes along the way. I just shared them here. For example, the Orangutan below tried to chase away the baby otters during feeding time.

From their leaflet, they say they will build 1.4km forest walk, canopy walk, mountain biking track and the observation pavilion. I can’t wait to try them already. Please let me know if you find that they are completed.

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Photos taken in Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo