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Butterflies of Sabah Borneo

Kinabalu Birdwing, the Sabahan Butterfly

On 2 Oct 2023, Kinabalu Birdwing (Scientific name: Troides andromache) is officially declared as the Sabah State Butterfly. It’s the best candidate because: (1) its black and yellow colours are the main colours of traditional costumes of Kadazan, the largest indigenous group of Sabah, (2) Kinabalu Birdwing is only found around Mount Kinabalu and Crocker Range of Sabah, and (3) its bird-like flight movement reminds us of Sumazau dance. Most entomologists would agree that this endemic Borneo birdwing is truly a Sabah butterfly.

Kinabalu Birdwing Butterfly (*Troides andromache andromache*) is a montane butterfly lives between 1,000 to 2,000 Metres above sea level. Kinabalu Birdwing a large butterfly with a forewing length of about 65 mm (male) or 85 mm (female). The male (right) is black, yellow, and grey in colour, lower forewing with a band of large greyish distal spots dusted with yellow, while the female (left) has additional brown and white scaling on the forewing. The hindwing differs from the male in the band of large, black discal / postdiscal spots.

Official announcement of Kinabalu Birdwing as the Sabah State Butterfly in a press conference on 2 Oct 2023. Group photo at the right: (from left to right) Dr. Stephen Sutton (Leading Researcher of Kinabalu Birdwing Project), James Quek (President of Rotary Kota Kinabalu), Datuk Christina Liew (Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment (Sabah)), Datuk Mohd Yusrie Abdullah (Ministry’s Permanent Secretary) and Dr. Gerald Jetony (Director of Sabah Biodiversity Centre).

The Kinabalu Birdwing (Troides andromache) is a large (wingspan of female can reach 18.5cm (7.28 inches), the size of a small plate) but elusive butterfly, and its life remains pretty much a mystery. For example, why it chooses to live in cloud forest between 1,500 to 2,000 metres above sea level, a cold and misty environment which is harsh to most butterflies. The locals call Kinabalu Birdwing as Kalibambang Emas, which means a large and brightly coloured butterfly, in Dusun language.

Female (left) and Male (right) Kinabalu Birdwing Butterfly (*Troides andromache andromache*). They are rare endemic species of Borneo island. Right: The upper forewing of male is entirely black with a violet sheen. The hindwing is almost entirely yellow with black scaling narrowly over the veins, as a broad inner margin, and as large fringe spots producing an edentate submarginal band.

Kinabalu Birdwing has four other sister species in Borneo. All of them are sexually dimorphic (means male and female have different look).

Common Birdwing (Troides helena)
Golden Birdwing (Troides amphyrysus)
Miranda Birdwing (Troides miranda)
Mountain Birdwing (Troides cuneifera)

Left: Golden Birdwing (*Troides amphrysus*) from Kinabatangan, Right: Common Birdwing (*Troides helena*) from Poring in mating mood. Though the colours of all Borneo birdwing species are almost the same, they have subtitle difference in wing pattern and geographical distribution. For example, Golden Birdwing is a lowland species.

All Borneo birdwing species look the same to casual eyes. Unlike the other Borneo Birdwings, the females of Kinabalu Birdwing have white forewings with a black band on the edge of their wing. The males have black forewings and on the underside a number of white arrowhead bands.

Families of Borneo Butterflies

It has been estimated that there are about 940 species of butterflies in Borneo (from 10 families) and 81 of them are endemic (only found in Borneo). As of 2020, the family Lycaenidae has the most endemics, with 42 species, followed by Nymphalidae (15), Hesperiidae (9), Pieridae (6), Papilionidae (5) and Riodinidae (4).

Butterflies endemic to Borneo: 1. Kinabalu Swordtail (*Graphium (Pathysa) stratiotes)*, 2. Bornean Mormon (*Papilio acheron*), 3. Kinabalu Bluebottle (*Graphium procles*), 4. Bornean Straight Pierrot (*Caleta manovus*)

Every year in May, over 40+ Kadazandusun and Murut girls from different districts of Sabah line-up during Kaamatan (harvest festival) to compete for the State-level Unduk Ngadau title (Miss Harvest Festival). Probably we need a beauty pageant for our butterflies too. Don’t worry about the scientific names of their families and species (in brackets), just enjoy the riot of colours from these flying gems.

Butterflies of Sabah Borneo in *Papilionidae* family. Top left: Common Bluebottle (*Graphium sarpedon*), Top right: The Great Mormon (female) (*Menelaides memnon memnon*), Bottom left: Tailed Jay (*Graphium agamemnon agamemnon*), Bottom right: Green Dragontail (*Lamproptera meges meges*)

Papilionidae family has four “most”: largest, most beautiful, most studied, and well-known. There are 44 species in Borneo, which include the famous Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing and Borneo Birdwings.

Left: *Catopsilia scylla* from Kota Kinabalu wetland mangrove, and Right: Painted Jezebel (*Delias hyparete diva*) are butterflies of *Pieridae* family

Butterflies of Pieridae family are mostly medium-sized with yellow, white or orange colour. 41 species live in Borneo. They are often called whites, yellows or sulphurs in common names according to their colours.

Sabah butterflies in *Nymphalidae* family. Top left: Bornean Oakleaf (*Kallima buxtoni*), Top right: Malay Lacewing (*Cethosia hypsea*), Bottom left: The Yellow Glassy Tiger (*Parantica aspasia aspasia*), Bottom right: Common Three Ring (*Ypthima pandocus sertorius*)

Nymphalidae is one of the largest butterfly family and there are 136 species in Borneo. They are diverse in shapes, colours and patterns. They are also known as the four-footed butterfly because their front pair of legs is non-functional. These are strange butterflies that are often found sipping on fallen fruits, plant sap and animal dropping.

Sabah butterflies in Danaidae family. Left: Tree Nymph (*Idea stolli*), Top right: *Ideopsis gaura*, Bottom right: Mangrove Tree Nymph / Paper Kite (*Idea leuconoe*)

27 species of Borneo butterflies belong to Danaidae family. Many of them have black veins and numerous oval black dots on their translucent white wings. They are slow flyers and said to be the lightest butterfly in the world. For example, Ashy-white Tree Nymph (Idea stolli) is named as “Kupu-kupu Surat” (Mail Butterfly) locally because it glides gracefully in the air like a floating paper.

Butterflies of Sabah in *Hesperiidae* family. Left: *Burara gomata lalita*, Right: Yellow Banded Awl (*Hasora schoenherr chuza*)

With a family of 3,000 species (over 200 species in Borneo), Hesperiidae, which is also known as the Skippers, is the largest family. These moth-like butterflies are usually small and dull coloured.

Borneo butterflies of *Lycaenidae* family. Left: *Zeltus amasa maximinianus*, Right: *Miletus ancon gigas* from Crocker Range Park. A common name for *Lycaenidae* family is the Blues as most of them are blue in colour.

Impressed by the colours and diversity of Sabah butterflies? Kinabalu Birdwing is always my Unduk Ngadau. Who’s yours?

Differences between Butterflies and Moths

Many people can’t tell the difference between butterfly and moth. Let’s do the fun quiz below and see how good you are (ask your kids to join too). They are from Sabah and you may have seen two or more of them.

Quiz! Guess which one is Moth or Butterfly. Scroll down to next picture for answers.

**Answers for Butterfly vs Moth quiz above.** 1) Giant Atlas Moth (*Attacus atlas*), 2) Butterfly (*Junonia iphita viridis*), 3) Butterfly (*Cynitia cocytina ambalika*, male), 4) Tropical Swallowtail Moth (*Lyssa zampa*), 5) Butterfly (*Chersonesia risa cyanee*), 6) Emperor Moth from Deramakot Forest

Did you get all the answers right? There are three easy ways to distinguish them:

Butterflies are day-flying insects and moths are active at night.
When resting, the wings of butterflies are folded upright (but butterfly outstretches its wings for sun basking sometimes), while moth’s wings are open horizontally.
Butterfly has a pair of plain and club-like antenna. Moths are heavy-bodied with feathery antennas.

Interesting Facts about Butterflies

Here are some truths about butterflies, which are as fascinating as their colours.

Bornean Jezebel (*Delias eumolpe eumolpe*) is another marvelous butterfly species of Borneo and it’s hyper-endemic to Crocker Range Park

Interesting Facts about Butterflies

Here are some truths about butterflies, which are as fascinating as their colours.

The largest butterflies of Sabah are Golden Birdwing (Triodes amphrysus) and Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing (Trogonoptera brookiana), with a forewing of 8.5 cm (3.35 inches) in length.
Lesser Grass Blue (Zizina otis) is the smallest butterfly of Sabah, with a wingspan of only 1.5cm.
Caterpillar has crazy growth rate. For example, the larva of Great Mormon butterfly can grow from 0.3cm to 7cm in 3 weeks. For that speed and scale, a new-born human baby can grow into a 40-foot-tall giant within a month!
From egg to adult stage, most butterflies have a life span of only 1 to 3 months, depending on the species, some can live up to a year.
There is a butterfly called Kadazan Lass or Bornean Sapphire (Heliophorus kiana), a Borneo endemic, so are Kadazan Small Tiger (Dodona elvira) and Kinabalu Gem (Poritia phormedon).
Approximately five per cent (i.e. 50 species) of Sabah butterflies are toxic, so having butterflies in your stomach can be a bad experience.
There are about 17,500 butterfly species in the world, and Peru has the most species, which is about 3,700. Iceland has 0 species.
Butterflies smell with their feet, which have taste receptors to help them locating food.
The world’s largest butterfly farm is located in Penang.
Butterflies evolved from moths around 190 million years ago. Both co-existed with the dinosaurs before.
More recent findings suggest that butterflies may have existed before flowering plants. Another chicken and egg question?

Group of *Eurema hecabe hecabe* butterflies sipping mineral-rich water at river bank of Poring Hot Springs

Where to See Borneo Butterflies in Sabah?

Butterflies are everywhere. In general, you can see rich variety of wild butterflies in a garden full of blooming flowers and adjacent to a forest. Areas such as Tun Fuad Stephen Park (Bukit Padang), Crocker Range Park and Kinabalu National Park (625 species) are good places to start butterfly watching. If you want to see a lot of rare butterflies with the least effort, you can visit a butterfly garden (entry fee applied). Note: most butterflies in captivity have broken wings, not so great for photography.

Left: Malayan Nawab (*Polyura moori saida*) sipping chicken dropping in Kawang Forest, Right: The Blue Begum (*Prothoe franck borneensis*)

1. Poring Hot Springs

Most visitors aim for soaking in the popular sulphur springs and skip butterfly farm inside the park. Poring Butterfly Farm is started in 1989 with 4 main components, namely, exhibition gallery, large enclosure, breeding room and nursery of larvae’s food plant. Only the first two are open to public. You can see the specimens of most, if not all, Borneo endemic butterflies in the gallery. There are information panels and insect display boxes along the walkway. No guiding service is provided.

The Exhibition Gallery and Enclosure of Poring Butterfly Farm

The garden and streams outside the enclosure are the magnet for wild butterflies from pristine forest nearby. Besides butterflies feeding among the flowers, you can find group of butterflies (majority are male) congregate at stream banks for puddling, a drinking party for butterflies to sip natural salts from the mineral-rich creek, which contains vital nutrients for their reproduction. Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing prefers to do this in shady area.

2. Kipandi Butterfly Park (by appointment only)

Kipandi Butterfly Park is similar to Poring Butterfly Farm, but with more extensive and exotic collection of local and foreign insect specimens in their exhibition hall. The visitors can check out the pupa and caterpillars in their nursery. This site offers better experience for an education tour because they also have native orchids and pitcher plants in their garden. However, visitors need to book an appointment prior to the visit. You can try calling or texting (Whatsapp) their phone numbers at +60 13-8739092 (Mr. Stevan Chew, Operation / Park Manager) or +60 19-5302298 (Mr. Linus Gokusing).

Education tour, butterfly nursery, exhibition hall and native orchid garden of Kipandi Butterfly Garden

Best Time for Butterfly Watching

Butterflies are more active when there is sunlight, so 9am to 3pm during sunny day would be the most suitable time for butterfly watching in Sabah. Most butterflies need an air temperature of above 15°C (60°F) to fly. If they get too cold, they are unable to fly, so in cold days, you would see them rest on a leaf and bask with their wings out-stretched like a solar panel. Nevertheless, some species such as Kinabalu Birdwing can remain active in a cool and misty day.

Conservation of Borneo Butterflies

Same as other wildlife, butterflies need undisturbed habitat and reliable food sources to survive. Global warming, use of pesticides in agriculture, and forest clearance are threatening their well-being. In 2018, Kinabalu Birdwing was listed as ‘Vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as a result of the large-scale forest clearance in Pinosuk Plateau (around Mesilau) of Mount Kinabalu. Therefore, some proactive measures are needed in place to prevent them moving toward extinction.

Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing (left) and Borneo Birdwing (right) butterflies are fully protected species by Malaysian law

Protection by Malaysian Law

Butterflies are fun to watch but you could be caged for catching a protected species. About 30 Malaysian butterfly species (e.g. Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing, Borneo Birdwings, Ashy Tree Nymph) are categorised as the fully protected species in Wildlife Protected Species Act 2010 [Act 716]. You can be fined up to RM30,000 or jailed up to one year, or both, for capturing, collecting or trading them illegally (without a permit or license).

Left: The Black and White Helen (*Papilio nephelus albolineatus*) is sipping nectar from Red Javanese Ixora (*Ixora javanica*), Right: Aeron’s Rod or Brazilian Tea (Local Name: Bunga Malam) is an evergreen plant loved by butterflies such as this *Eurema hecabe hecabe*

Feeding the Butterflies!

Why not inviting these little fairies into your backyard? You can plant plenty of flowers to conserve and attract these colourful visitors. Evergreen plant such as Red Javanese Ixora (Todong Periuk), Indian Snakeweed (Bunga Malam), Red hot cat’s tail (Ekor kucing) and Hibiscus are some of the common nectaring flowers of butterflies. Or just plant any flower you love, the more variety, the better.

Left: Clipper (*Parthenos sylvia borneensis*), Right: Common Red Harlequin (*Paralaxita telesia*)

You can target different types of butterflies with selected flowers. For Kinabalu Birdwing in highland, Orange balsams (Impatiens walleriana). Yellow daylilies (Hemerocallis spp.), Mussaenda, Lantana, Busy Lizzie, Poinsettia (Eurphorbia spp.) and Hibiscus (Rosa sinensis) are the flowers they feed on. It’s even superb if you cultivate Aristolochia foveolata, a liana that can serve as a foodplant for larva of Kinabalu Birdwing. FYI, Swallowtail & Birdwing Butterfly Trust and The Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu are training homestay operators in Kampung Kiau to plant this liana.

Borneo or Kinabalu Birdwing butterflies feeding on nectaring flowers

References & Acknowledgement

Stephen Sutton, Corné F. H. van der Linden, Tom M. Fayle, Kalsum M. Yusah, Alim Biun, Arthur Chung, Paul Foronda, Saiheng Taradas and Bart P. J. Burger. Troides andromache Staudinger 1892: The Natural History and Conservation of the Kinabalu or Borneo Birdwing Butterfly. The Malayan Nature Journal, 81st Anniversary Special Issue 2021.
Butterflies of Sabah poster by Sabah Forestry Department, published in May 2022
Marcella Gohun, Dg. Fazrinah A.D., Nurul Aqidah l., Razy Japir, Arthur Y.C. Chung. A Compilation of Bornean Endemic Butterflies. Sabah Forestry Department, Dec 2020.
Sherell Jeffrey. How society romanticises butterflies. Daily Express, 7 Feb 2021
Arthur Y.C. Chung. Butterflies of Borneo. Research Gate, Sep 2019
Fatimah Abang. Butterflies of Malaysian Borneo – A Pocket Guide. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 2006.

Special thanks to members of Butterfly of Borneo Facebook Group (especially Potanthus Ttp), Dr. Stephen Sutton, and Dr. Arthur Y.C. Chung for the identification and information on Sabah butterflies. (Disclaimer: This acknowledgement doesn’t imply that they adopt this article)

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

The Amazing World of Insects at Borneo Jungle Girl Camp

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About 40 years ago, a young Japanese boy named Satoshi Tajiri was so fascinated by insects that he loved to explore the forest for collecting bugs. In the early 1990s, inspired by the world of insects, Satoshi invented the wildly successful Pokémon video game and you know the rest of the story. If humans are afraid of insects, there would be no Pokémon game, and also no life-changing discoveries such as honey bees and silkworms.

Insect is a source of inspiration for science, artworks, fashion, movies and even games.

Borneo island is the kingdom of insects and bugs, and it offers far more variety of bugs than what Satoshi saw in his childhood. Some of the insects become an attraction, for example, firefly Christmas trees, Gombizau Honey Bee Farm, butod (sago grub).

Insects of Nuluhon Trusmadi forest reserve. In peak seasons, you could see more than 5,000 species of insects there. Photos by LeeLing

The best place to see insects of Borneo is at Borneo Jungle Girl Camp, located in Nuluhon Trusmadi, a 74,736-hectare (747 KM²) Class I (fully protected) forest reserve in Keningau and where Mount Trus Madi, the second highest mountain of Malaysia situated. I had a wonderful time at the camp just two weeks ago.

20 awesome (or weird) things I saw at Borneo Jungle Girl Camp

A trip to Borneo Jungle Girl Camp is a dream vacation for nature lovers, entomologists, and macro photographers. I’ve visited most rainforest of Sabah and thought there would be nothing new. I was wrong. I was awed by the insect world during my 2-day-1-night trip in the forest of Nuluhon Trusmadi. I just share 20 of them below.

1. Jewel Beetles, the gems of rainforest

Many beetles in Nuluhon Trusmadi are endemic to Borneo and some of them are not named yet. Different beetles seem like wearing armoured wings made of various materials such as wood, marble, metals and leather.

Jewel beetles at Borneo Jungle Girl Camp. Photo by LeeLing

The most remarkable group is the jewel beetles that have a metallic iridescence body. Some rhinoceros, stag, scarab and long-horned beetles of Borneo have such shiny shells. Jewel beetles are the most sought-after trophies by insect collectors and the rare ones can be worth as much as jewelry in black market.

Shiny green scarab beetle of Sabah (species: *Pseudochalcothes planiuscula*). Photo by LeeLing

Note: you are forbidden to collect any specimen in the protected forest.

2. Pitcher plant with “eyes”

On the way to the camp, there is a rockface area that is almost fully covered by clumps of pitcher plant. The species of this carnivorous plant is Nepenthes reinwardtiana, which is native to Borneo and Sumatra and is unique for the two “eye spots” on the inside surface of its pitchers. Nepenthes reinwardtiana has many different colour forms. In Sarawak, it’s red colour.

*Nepenthes reinwardtiana* can be found in lowland and highland but is fairly uncommon. The eyespots (see red arrow) are its trademark.

3. Meet the most elegant flying insect

Look like a kite, Moon moth or Luna moth (species: Actias selene vandenberghi and Actias maenas diana) is the most elegant flying insect of Borneo and it has the longest wing tails in insect world. Its swaying long tails are to confuse the predators such as bats, which would target its tails instead of the body. Moth moon is quite rare and I’m glad to see it twice at the camp.

Two types of Moon moths. Left: *Actias selene vandenberghi*. Right: *Actias maenas*

4. Flying dead leaves?

How on earth can some moths be so identical to dry leaves? The best camouflage trick human can pull off is a ghillie suit and it’s not even close to these dead leaf moths. Some moths even have holes on their wings to mimic a decayed foliage perfectly!

Borneo moths that mimic the shapes and colours of leaf

5. Praying Mantis, the Master of Stealth

The lethal claws makes Kungfu mantis the apex predator of the insect world. Some species take it to next level by being stealth to ambush their prey. They even rock back and forth to imitate the movement of leaves in wind. Praying mantis also can turn their heads 180 degree to scan their surrounding. Insects in range only can pray for their lives.

Praying mantis in different camouflage. Top: *Toxodera hauseri*, Bottom: *Deropatlys truncata*

6. Frog with horns. Is it evil?

Before the trip, I haven’t seen any horned frogs that are endemic to Borneo, so it’s high on my bucket list. Believe it or not. In a rainy evening, one of them just jumped to me in the camp. The one I met is known as the rough-backed horned frog (species: Borneophyrs edwardinae). It’s a brown-coloured medium-sized frog with horns above its eyes. Actually the “horn” is a drawn-out, slender, triangular projection from the eyelid. Horned frogs don’t intend to look like a devil, they need that leaf-like horns to hide among foliage.

Rough-backed horned frog (species: *Borneophyrs edwardinae*) is endemic to Borneo.

7. Hide and seek with leaf mimic pygmy grasshoppers

Though this insect is tiny and not as flamboyant as other famous insects, it’s a superstar among entomologists who love extraordinary insects. There are only four Borneo species of leaf mimic pygmy grasshoppers and you can find 2 or 3 of them just 15 metres outside the camp!

Leaf mimic pygmy grasshoppers (*Paraphyllum antennatum*) of Borneo. They are about 1cm in size but they have patterns and colouration that look like an art.

This is exciting as they have very limited distribution. However, it’s fairly hard to spot them as their colours blend into rock faces where they feed on algae. Put them under the magnifying glass and you would see something like a Sail-Backed Dimetrodon (dinosaur).

8. Moth that deceives with pictures

Besides camouflage, moths have another mean to fool predators. Many of them have “faked eyes” on their wings so they look like an owl or snake head.

Left: *Macrocilix maia*, with pictures of feeding flies on its wings. Right: the eye-like marking on the wings of Brahmid Moth (*Brahmaea hearseyi*) makes it looks like an owl.

The funniest strategy is employed by Macrocilix maia, a moth with wings that feature a picture of two flies feeding on a poo, to show that it is not delicious. It’s always jaw-dropping to see the work of nature. Who knows in future we would find a moth with a painting of Mona Lisa on its wings.

9. Misty cloud forest is a heaven for insects

Borneo Jungle Girl Camp is located about 1,170 metres above sea level, a highland zone dominated by lower montane forest (cloud forest). The dense forest is showered by fog, so the environment is cooling and humid, the most ideal habitat for insects, as many of them migrate uphill due to global warming and pesticides.

Borneo Jungle Girl Camp and its natural surrounding. The white things on the clear ground at the right are light traps.

Even if some tourists are not fond of bugs, they still come here for the refreshing air and nature touch.

10. Light trap, a magnet to insects

One of the fun activities at the camp is to check out the light traps at night. You know insects are attracted to light. Four light traps are set up on four corners of a ridge in the evening, then we went for dinner and waited for the insect show. We might lure some rare bugs out of the wood without searching hard.

There are four entomology light traps about 150 metres away from the camp. Photos by LeeLing

By the time we came back around midnight, the screens were already blanketed by hundreds of nocturnal bugs of different colours, sizes and shapes. Most of them are moths, with stick insects, beetles, mantis, cricket, grasshoppers, cicada, and katydid among them. Jimmy the camp manager, smiled and said, “in peak season between March and May, the screens would be totally covered and swarmed by insects. You couldn’t even walk near them.”

11. Moths are more diverse than butterflies

The light trap is like a stage for a fashion show by moths. Moths form a very large group, with about 10,000 species in Borneo, in different sizes, colours and forms. You are lucky if you see the gigantic Atlas Moth (species: Attacus atlas) with a wing span of 25 cm, which is among the biggest insects in the world.

There are about 10,000 species of moths in Borneo. Many species are yet to be fully described. The picture at the far left shows some big jet moths with aerodynamic shape.

Hawkmoth is a common visitor too, it’s nicknamed as Jet because of its hawk-like aerodynamic shape and super flying speed of 50 KM/H, the fastest in the insect Olympic. Some moths look like they are wearing a fur coat or Halloween costumes.

Altas moth is the largest insect in Borneo. Two variations of Altas Moth can be found at Borneo Jungle Girl Camp. Left: *Attacus atlas*, Right: *Archaeoattacus staudingeri*. Note their wing tips look like snake head. Photos by LeeLing

12. Crab + Spider = ?

You know crab and spider have eight legs but they are totally different creatures. If you can “merge” them, it would look like Crab Spider, Jewel Spider, or Parallel-spined Spiny Orbweaver Spider (Gasteracantha diardi). Despite its intimidating appearance, this spider is harmless to humans.

The bright-coloured Crab Spider is one of the most beautiful spiders in nature

Crab spiders fluoresce blue under ultraviolet light, which is to simulate the blooming flowers for luring the insects that use UV vision. You can bring some crab spiders to a disco night to see their cool UV effects.

13. Bird’s dropping that moves

Besides disguising themselves as a dead leaf or the eyes of predators, butterflies and moths have another camouflage tactic called “masquerade,” a defense that helps them look like inedible objects, such as twigs, stones or bird droppings. Bird’s dropping caterpillar is a great example of masquerade, which increases their survival rates by three times.

Bird’s dropping caterpillar looks and poses like a bird poo for a better survival rate. It doesn’t need to hide under the leaves.

Birds have better eyesight than humans, so it’s difficult to fool them. Therefore, a knobbly body with the correct poo colours isn’t enough. Some bird’s dropping caterpillars use bent posture to copy the look of a dollop of excrement.

14. Searching for peace and a sense of purpose? Go Stargazing

City people would think a description like “starry sky studded with diamonds” is just an exaggeration in the romance novels, until they visit a place that has no light and air pollution.

Milky Way in a starry night of Nuluhon Trusmadi Forest Reserve. Photo by LeeLing

Just come to Nuluhon Trusmadi during moonless days and witness it yourself. To see the Milky Way in its brightest time, the best months are between April and September.

15. Butterflies also loves smelly stuffs

Whenever we talk about butterflies, usually what comes to our mind is a picture of a butterfly foraging on a fragrant flower. What if I tell you that butterflies also love dung? On the way to the camp, I saw a group of butterflies sipping pee on the ground.

Butterflies puddling on the animal urine for minerals. The butterflies in the photos are: (1) Commander (*Moduza procris agnata*), (2) Abnormal Sergeant (*Athyma clerica clerica*), (3) Straight line mapwing (*Cyrestis nivea borneensis*), (4) *Athyma selenophora amhara*, and (5) *Athyma assa pseudocama*

In addition to the sweet nectar, butterflies also need some minerals (especially salt) and nutrients that are not available in flowers. You guessed it right. They obtain these from the pee and poo left by other animals. This strange behavior is called puddling, and is mostly seen in male butterflies, which need the materials for their reproduction system.

16. Stick insect the walking stick

At Borneo Jungle Girl Camp, don’t be surprised if you see a walking twig. Stick insect, as the name implies, is an insect that resembles a stick or twig, and it’s the longest insect in the world. Phobaeticus chani or Chan’s megastick, the second longest insect in world’s record (567 mm or 22.3 inches), is from Sabah. Their eggs are large and some village kids eat them like a snack.

Stick insect from Nuluhon Trusmadi. This one doesn’t have a name yet.

Some stick insects at the camp still wait to be named. Therefore, you can discover the new species there and name the ugly ones over your mother-in-law or boss. Some stick insects are capable of laying eggs without the need to mate with males to produce offspring. Crazy huh?

17. Birdwatching

Very few people know about this so it’s almost like a little secret. The montane forest near the camp is a great birdwatching site. Avid birders would be thrilled to see Bulwer’s pheasant, Bornean Pitta, Whitehead’s Broadbill, Red-naped Trogon, Red-bearded bee-eater and Black-and-yellow broadbill, just to list a few rare or famous ones.

Birds in Nuluhon Trusmadi forest. From left: Red-billed Malkoha, Crested Serpent-Eagle, Dark-necked tailorbird. Photos by LeeLing

If you are too lazy to walk, Temminck’s Sunbird, Bornean Bulbul and Bornean Laughing-thrush are always wondering near the camp.

18. Monkey loves bugs?

Monkey is omnivorous and banana is not its only food. But it’s only in my last trip that I first saw a pig-tailed macaque eating insects as a source of protein. It’s quite picky and only choose the big and juicy ones. The crunchy cicada sounds like its favourite snack and followed by jet moths.

Left: pig-tailed macaque eating insects. Right: the crime scene. You can tell most of them are big moths.

This monkey is one of the four macaques that always hang around the camp. They are probably old beta males that are expelled from the troop and form their own bachelor group. As a matter of fact, insects are nutrient-efficient compared to meat, and they may be the solution for the world hunger problem. It’s safe if our close cousins can eat it.

19. Cicada, the singing orchestra of rainforest

For the sound of rainforest, cicada is always the lead singer as it can produce a noise over 100 decibels, enough to cause hearing loss if you leave it singing next to your ears for long hours. The most interesting species is Pomponia merula, which is also known as Six O’Clock Cicada because they start buzzing at six. I want one as an alarm clock.

Left: 6 O’ Clock Cicada (*Pomponia merula*), native to Borneo. Photo by Pavel Kirillov. Right: 7 O’ Clock Cicada (*Megapomponia imperatoria*), photo by 57Andrew

Their counterpart in Peninsular Malaysia is 7 O’clock Cicada (Megapomponia imperatoria), which sings at 7pm (because sun sets 30 minutes slower in West Malaysia).

20. Borneo Jungle Girl Camp is more than a camp

After all the exciting activities in the forest, I only need a hot shower, some nice food and a cozy bed. I thought I was probably expecting too much from a jungle camp. A camping tent is more realistic in such a remote jungle. To my surprise, Borneo Jungle Girl Camp provides all these. They have clean and spacious bedrooms, and bathroom with hot shower. I have absolutely no problem (in fact, would love to) to stay over a month in the camp.

Borneo Jungle Girl Camp is located at 1,170 metres above sea level and surrounded by mountain range and rainforest

The food was yummy too and the cooling weather there boosted my appetite. During my stay, I had nasi lemak, BBQ, steamboat and even seafood. 4G network is available at certain spots in the camp. Electricity is available from 6pm to 6am.

We had fresh fish, meat, vegetables and fruit as lunch at Borneo Jungle Girl Camp, not instant noodle and canned food. We also had BBQ and steamboat the other day.

About Borneo Jungle Girl Camp

Borneo Jungle Girl Camp was established in 1986. With decades of experience in entomology, the founders believe that Nuluhon Trusmadi forest is the most ideal location for entomology studies and entotourism. During peak season, over 5,000 species of insects can be recorded at the site.

Building of Borneo Jungle Girl Camp. After a few expansion, the campsite is complete with electricity (half-day), bedrooms, dining hall, kitchen, toilets and other amenities.

Therefore, the founders spent most of their personal saving to fund the construction of the entomology camp, and they obtained the operation permit from the Sabah Forestry Department in 2006 for tourism, education and conservation on entomology. After a few phases of upgrade over the years, the humble camping tent is developed into a decent lodge complete with accommodation, dining hall, water and electricity, and other amenities that can host up to 60 guests. The camp has been an academic destination for hundreds of students from overseas universities in China and Japan, as well as local tourists who just want to chill.

Malay civet and porcupine, other residents around the campsite. You would see Kijang (barking deer), pig-tailed macaque, and slow loris too. Photos by LeeLing

You can contact the camp or follow their social media for more information:
Phone / Whatsapp: +60 16-4106078
E-mail: trusmadientomology@gmail.com
Website: www.trusmadientomology.com
Facebook: @trusmadientomologycamp
Instagram: @trus_madi_entomology_camp

Tour and Fees

As Borneo Jungle Girl Camp is situated in the fully protected Nuluhon Trusmadi forest, entry permits are required for visitors and vehicles, so walk-in tourists are not accepted. You can book a tour with Borneo Jungle Girl Camp and they will get the permit(s) for you. The following is the a list of the fees (USD1.00 is approximately RM4.40). Note: though these prices are valid until the end of 2022, they are subject to change:

Nationality	Entry Permit (per person)	Entry Permit (per vehicle)	Camera
Malaysian	RM15 per day	RM100	RM5
Non-Malaysian	RM30 per day	RM100	RM5

*rates are subject to change

Accommodation (meals included)

Room rates per head on twin-sharing basis:

Visitor Type	Standard Room	VIP Room	Chalet
Malaysian	RM300	RM400	RM450
Non-Malaysian	USD120	USD170	USD190

Room rates of Borneo Jungle Girl Camp (valid until the end of 2022)

Rooms are available at Borneo Jungle Girl Camp. You don’t need to bring your sleeping bag and pillow.

The temperature at the camp can drop to between 10 and 16°C (50 – 61°F) at night, so bring some warming clothing such as a windbreaker. Daytime temperature is between 28 to 30°C (82 to 86°F). To see more wildlife, spending two or more nights is recommended.

Sunrise view from the balcony of VIP rooms at Borneo Jungle Girl Camp

How to get there

The distance between Kota Kinabalu City and Borneo Jungle Girl Camp (GPS Coordinates: 5.443048041703671, 116.45120820208399. See Location Map) is about 160 KM, which takes 3 hours and 30 minutes to travel one way. The first 128 KM is asphalt road with fair condition. The last 32 KM to the camp starts at the junction to Jalan Ranggom Kepayan in Apin-Apin (Keningau), which is an old logging road (mainly gravel road) only accessible by four-wheel drive.

You need a 4-wheel drive to reach Borneo Jungle Girl Camp

Don’t worry if you don’t own a 4WD. You can request the camp for a 4WD return transfer for a fee of RM450 per car (can fit in up to 4 tourists). You can park your car in the village of Apin-Apin, and they will pick you up there. If you want them to fetch you in Kota Kinabalu, the fee is RM1,100 (round trip) per car.

Things to Bring

MyKad / Passport
Cash
Extra clothing (overnight trip)
Jacket or warm clothing
Raincoat / poncho / umbrella
Drinking water
Plastic bags (for soiled clothing)
Toilet paper
Toiletries (toothbrush, tooth paste, face wash, etc.)
Towel
Power bank (portable charger) and phone charging cable
Snacks / energy bar
Sunblock lotion
Hat
Sandals / Slippers
Torchlight
Camera (with spared batteries and memory cards)
Personal medicines
Optional: swimwear, binocular, anti-leech socks

Left: beetle with jewel colours, Right: *Ceroplophana modigliani* beetle

My Thoughts

Insects being insects, they just do what they ought to do. No insect is bad. Allah / God creates all living things for a purpose. The insects keep our earth balanced and healthy. It’s up to the people to choose if they want to appreciate bugs and become the next Satoshi Tajiri, or let the unjustified fear of insects turns them into a wuss.

“If all insects on Earth disappeared, within 50 years all life on Earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the Earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish.” – Jonas Salk

Photos taken in Keningau, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

How to prevent leech bite?

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Some of us might get bitten by leeches when we trek in the Malaysia forest. Leeches don’t kill but they are extremely irritating and disgusting blood suckers. I was first bitten by the forest leech when I was on the way to Poring waterfall. I still hate leech bite, so I never stop asking the experienced trekkers how to avoid leech bite. Below are some of the tips that I’ve collected so far.

Above: Tiger leech gets its name from its orange stripes

Above: a fully-fed happy brown leech

6 Ways to Prevent Leech Bite

1. Anti-Leech Socks

Anti-Leech sock is the MOST effective way of preventing leech bite. It does not contain any chemical to drive away the leech. Basically it is just an oversized sock that you wear it over your trousers as outer layer to cover the opening of your sock and jean. If a leech crawls on your leech sock, then you can spot it and get rid of it. FYI, you can buy anti-leech socks online shop such as Shopee (search by keywords “leech socks”).

Left & Middle: anti-leech socks cover the opening of your trousers. Right: Herb that can stop the bleeding caused by leech bite.

Click Here to read “How to use and where to buy anti-leech sock?” if you want to get a pair of leech socks

2. Tobacco Sock

Tobacco can kill leech in minutes. Spend a few dollars to buy some grinded tobacco leaves from the tamu or pasar (local market). Put it in a container and soak it in water (but not too much). Soak the socks in the tobacco water overnight. Leave the socks dry up next day. If you wear the sock, leech may crawl on it but it’ll halt moving after a while due to the poisoning by tobacco.

To see if tobacco can kill leech, I sprinkled some tobacco leaves on a leech and it died within a minute.

3. Dettol

Heard this from the villagers in Long Pasia. During World War II, people were wondering how the Japanese soldiers bear the leech bites in jungle warfare. Later they learn that the army applied Dettol on their hands, necks and legs. The strong smell kept the leeches away. However, if you go for wildlife watching, I won’t advise you to do this because your smell will scare away all the wildlife hundred feet away.

Above: the body size of leech can double or even triple after sucking blood. One full meal can last it for several months.

4. Lady’s Stockings

I heard from someone that there is a scientist in Danum Valley, who enters the forest frequently for research and seldom got leech bite, though he wears short pant. His secret is to wear the stockings (yes, the pantyhose used by lady).

5. Insecticide Socks

I got this tip from a friend who works for a lumbering company. Just got a pair of long soccer socks, like the one wore by ah pak (old uncles) for jogging. Wear it all the way up to your knee (also cover the opening of your jean). Then spray Baygon brand insecticide on the sock and shoe. FYI, other brands such as Ridsect does not work well. The leech dies almost instantly the moment it touches your shoe or sock.

Pic: Baygon insect (pest) spray, only some supermarkets or stores selling it.

6. Insect Repellent

The easiest way is to buy a bottle of Mosi-Guard at Guardian (also available in other local pharmacy / drugstore) and spray it on your shoes and socks. It is an insect repellent but its eucalyptus extract can prevent mosquito, as well as leech attack up to 6 hours. Insect repellent with DEET is also effective but it is very hard to find here (probably local restriction on such chemical). You may click the picture below to read the article:

Above: Mosi-Guard insect repellent also can repel leeches. You can find it in many pharmacy shops in Sabah.

I spray Mosi-Guard insect repellent on my shoes and anti-leech socks, and I almost got 0 leech bite during jungle trekking in most leech-infested area of Borneo. This repellent only makes you smell terrible to the leeches. A few stubborn leeches still want to get on your shoes but most of them won’t move on.

More Useful Facts

1. Leeches live in humid area. So you can expect more leeches near the river and during the rainy session. The forest that has more wildlife tend to have more leeches too. Leeches not only hide on the ground, you also can find them on the leaves and twigs of low shrub. Leech is the most abundant in lowland forest. I encounter leeches in altitude of 800 Meters above sea level, but the number is a lot lesser. However, in drought season, you may not see a single leech in the forest.

Above: tiger leech can attack you from any direction.

2. Some says, if you walk in group, the people at the front have less chance of getting leech bite, most victims are people at the back. Leech is sensitive to body heat and vibration. The first person passing by will “wake” them up, making them active and look for the next comers. Well, based on my experience, everyone has equal chance. In fact, first person gets very high chance of leech bite because he always has to stop to wait for the slow movers behind, giving leeches more time to crawl onto his body.

3. Leech is blind and likes to bite warmer area (due to thinner skin) such as armpit, skin between toes and butt. That’s why I hate it. It loves sensitive spots. You better wear long sleeve and tuck in your t-shirt. How does it gain access to your butt? For example, fashionable girls who like low cut jean, or you do your no.2 in the forest. Whatever, just don’t bite my balls.

4. Some may tell you that leech can leap / jump to you. It’s just an exaggeration from people who are so afraid of leeches so their imagination goes wild. Leeches only can crawl. That’s it. I have walked hundred of Kilometers of forest trail and never see any leech that can jump.

5. Someone even say if you cut a leech into half. Each half will grow into a new leech. It’s bullshit. I tried that before. The leech just turned pale and died.

6. I don’t believe the widely circulated non-sense + scary leech stories such as leeches grow in your brain. But I do believe that if you let leech got into your nose, it will live inside permanently due to free flow of food supply. My mom personally saw this happened to one of her dogs. Avoid washing your face in forest stream and don’t swim in still water.

Pic: fully-fed tiger leech sleeping on a twig

I was bitten by leech. What should I do? OH NO, Help!!! I’m going to die!

Don’t panic, don’t scream. It’s just a bug as weak as mosquito. If you are bitten by a leech, do not try to pull it away by force. This would leave permanent scar on your perfect skin. You can apply salt, tobacco, eucalyptus oil, lime fruit juice, tiger balm or medicated oil (e.g. Minyak Kapak or 驱风油) on it and it will shrivel and drop. Or just let it finishes its meal and drop off itself. The last resort is to put your finger on your skin next to its oral sucker, then gently (but firmly) slide your fingernail toward its mouth to detach it from your skin.

Above: bleeding caused by leech bites. Look scary, but from their smiles, you know it is no big deal. Just treat it as a leech therapy. You won’t bleed to dead anyway. Leech also doesn’t carry any disease and poison.

Due to anticoagulant to facilitate blood flowing, leech bite will cause your wound to bleed for hour but it will stop eventually. A guide taught me to stick a small pieces of paper on the wound to speed up the clotting and it works! Apply anti-septic cream on the wound to prevent infection and you will be fine. Keep your wound dry and clean. It will itch for a few days before fully healed, but don’t scratch it.

Types of Forest Leeches

There are 2 types of leeches in Borneo rainforest, namely, tiger leech (species: Haemadipsa picta) and brown leech (species: Haemadipsa zeylanica). The Tiger Leech can extend its body more than 6cm long, while Brown (ground) Leech is much more smaller, only about 2 cm. The bite of tiger leech is sharp & painful (like 5 mosquitoes bite you on same spot). If brown leech bites you, you may not feel anything at all, due to the anesthetic chemical in its saliva.

Stingless Bees, Honey Bees and other Bees of Sabah

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I guess the little black bees (see photo below) are no strangers to you, as they are so common in Sabah. They seem to nest anywhere that has cavity, like tree hollow, even wooden houses. They usually make a wax-like exit tunnel for the hive. When I was a naughty boy, I just couldn’t help to pinch the tunnel to close the exit, though they are gentle and harmless.

In one occasion, I was told that they are “stingless bees” (Trigona spp). FYI, they are locally known as Kelulut, and Chinese calls it Mi Zai (蜜仔). When stingless bees got agitated, they don’t sting. Instead, they secrete something sticky and make my hair stick together. I didn’t pay much attention to them, because they are so ordinary and abundant.

Stingless Bee Farming

One day I passed by a house in Kiau Nuluh Village and saw a few log, each with a small opening.

Another closer look of the log. Actually they are hollow log (usually coconut trunk) for bee farming. The locals call this empty log “Gelodog”. Beekeepers keep the stingless bees in their original log hive or transfer them into a wooden box. Some put it in bamboos, flowerpots, coconut shells, and other recycled containers such as water jug.

However, to my surprise, they are not farming honey bees, they farm stingless bees instead. It was early in the morning and most villagers have gone to work in their plantation, so I could not turn to anyone for answer. I wonder why they rear such a small bee species. Aren’t larger honey bees more productive?

Stingless bee hives in Kiulu (noted the bamboo logs being pointed to by green arrow)

Later I met a bee expert, Mr. Salim Tingek, who is one of the authors for the book “Honey Bees of Borneo”. He told me that the honey produced by stingless bee is sour and even bittern in taste, but its honey has better medical values, with functions still not being well-known to most researchers.

As stingless bees are a lot smaller than honey bees, they may have access to smaller flowers such as herb. His studies are mainly focus on commercial honey bees, so he advised me to ask the locals for more details.

Searching on the Internet, I found a bit of info from a propolis bee farm at the Penang Botanical Garden. They breeds stingless bees (in fact only Malaysia doing this) to get the propolis which can “promote healing and regeneration of tissues. It has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory functions and protect the body from oxygen free radical damage, …useful as healing agent and application for home remedies such as honey, soap and balm”. In Sabah, the State Agriculture Department and Koperasi Pembangunan Desa (KPD) provide consultancy and training courses for villagers in stingless bee farming.

Last month in a jungle trek in Gaya Island, I saw hunderds of stingless bees gathered on a small tree, which is next to their hive.

It was quite an interesting phenomena, but I have no idea what they were doing. This specie has every big exit tunnel.

Due to the forest fire caused by drought, many bees lose their home. Above is a photo of stingless bee rebuilding its home on a burnt tree.

Thanks to Dr. Arthur Chung, I learn that the honey of stingless bee is much sought-after because it contains more antioxidant properties than honey bee. It contains less sugar, with phenolic compounds, which is a superfood good for health. Geniotrigona thoracica and Heterotrigona itama are preferred stingless bee species for commercial honey production in Malaysia.

Preferred Host Plants for Stingless Bees

Flowering creepers, such as “Honolulu Creeper” (Antigonon leptopus) and passion fruit.
Ornamentals, such as Turnera subulata.
Fruit trees, such as star fruit and rambutan.
Acacias and other flowering forest trees.

Honey Bees of Sabah

Talking about honey bees, probably I can share something I learn from the honey bee experts (Nikolaus Koeniger, Gudrun Koeniger and Salim Tingek). There are five species of honey bees in Borneo. One of them is Apis nuluensis (nulu means Mountain in Dusun language), a new species endemic to Sabah. They found its nest in a tree hollow near Laban Rata. There are 9 species of Apis honey bees in the world. The dominant honey bee species of Sabah is Apis koschevnikovi.

Apis cerana is the most common honey bee species being farmed (domesticated) in Sabah. In Kudat you can find many bee farms around and they have become tourist attraction of villages. The most famous honey bee farm of Sabah is located in Kampung Gombizau.

The “Gelodog” (hollow log) bee farming method is destructive, as you may damage the bee hive when you open the cover to collect the honey. The more sustainable method is by using Movable Frame Hive (like photo above).

Apis cerana honey bee is an Asian bee species, and it is not as famous as the European bee such as Apis Mellifera. We pay RM40, 50 to buy a small bottle of imported honey, even though our local honey bees also produce high-quality honey. Our environment is cleaner and more nature than the western countries. By right, our honey is better. We only don’t package our honey and turn it into a $ound brand.

Pic: a small bottle of Sabah honey (right) can cost MYR25 (≈USD8.33), expensive, but still cheaper than imported honey.

Photo above: unwelcome guest detected by honey bees. Many natural predators and thieves are eyeing for the sweet honey and want to get a share. Besides stinging, honey bees have many ways to deal with enemies. Like the “sticky ring” next to the hive of Apis andreniformis bees, ants and other bugs who want to approach the hive will be glued. The powerful mandible of drone (soldier bee) can chew off their heads too.

Here comes the most famous bee of Sabah, Apis Dorsata. This largest wild honey bee of Sabah is not only famous for its honey, but also its aggressiveness. Chinese calls it “Ba Gong Mi” (八公蜜) and this bee means horror. Stealing honey from these bees brings death penalty. I sweated when a bee expert showed a photo of her only 2 feet away from the dorsata swarm. She says it is ok, because the swarm is looking for a nesting site so the bees are not in the mood of protecting honey. I can’t read bee language so I will never dare to try that. I advise you not to too..

Apis dorsata specie is not a suitable candidate for bee farming, as they are not cavity dwellers. For safety and easier navigation, they love to build their hives high on tree, especially tall Menggaris tree. But my God, this bee seems to love to nest on Rambutan fruit tree too. Village kids like to throw stone to pluck Rambutan and that’s how they hit the jackpot by accident. Some locals hunt for their honeycomb and very likely the wild honey you buy in local market is from A. dorsata (or Apis cerana). The bee larvae is also edible. My mom tried it before and say it tastes like milk. Very healthy food I suppose.

Other Bess

The big black bee in photos above are Carpenter Bees, which were used to be the bee I feared the most. Later I found that it is very gentle and rarely attacks people. The only thing I know about it is this bee likes to drill a hole on the wood and nest inside, and it doesn’t live in group. Now I find it very cute. Oh Bee-Bee…

Ok, this one is a hornet (Lesser Banded Hornet), not a bee. If you see a rat corpse without eyes, that’s the work of this hornet. So far I haven’t seen any of them harvesting nectar, so I assume they like rotten meat. For those who do fishing in the wild, you better cover the fishes and bait, otherwise you will find many hornets come and feast on them. Anyway, it is quite safe to get near to them, as long as its nest is not somewhere nearby. Chinese calls it Tiger Head Bee (虎头蜂 in Chinese. Scientific name: vespa affinis). Its bright orange stripe is a clear warning. Everyone, who was stung by this hornet, says it scores 10 of 10 out of pain scale and the wound may leave a permanent scar. Imagine if you are stung by hundreds of them. The only way to escape the attack from swarm of hornets is to jump into the water, no matter you know how to swim or not. It is far more better to drown rather than being stung to death by hundreds of hornets.

Honey bees die if they sting, because they detach the sting that is linked to vital organs, this is not the case for hornets. Many even call them killer bees. Hornet hives are very common on the trees of countryside. If you come too near, they will send a few patrolling hornets to check on you. It is important that you slowly walk away from their hive and don’t do anything stupid that makes them perceive you as a threat.

Hornets like to nest on the tree, inside the shrub, under the roof and cliff. Their nests are very beautiful. However, after some days, the nest will grow from fist size to size of sandbag (or even bigger!). That’s how they get another name, i.e. Sandbag bee (泥包蜂 in Chinese). If you see their nest, don’t try to chase them away by boxing their hive like sandbag or fight them with mosquito insecticide. Just call the Fire Department, they know about to eliminate the nest (and it is a free service).

Can’t believe I can write so much about bees, hope you enjoy reading this…

Kampung Gombizau, Honey Bee Village of Sabah Borneo

Photos taken in Sabah Malaysia

Bat Cave of Serinsim: Home of Thousands Worm

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Whenever you see people go caving in a movie, you know something terribly wrong is gonna to happen next. Soon they would find some skeletons laying around, then they become the dinner of some unknown monster, or accidentally awaken a thousand-year-old demon. To most, cave is a dark and hideous world full of creepy and creeping dwellers.

Hendrick is my guide who took me to Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar)

On the other hand, exploring cave is thrilling to the adventurous hearts, as one may expect to find treasure inside. Well, you can make a fortune from saliva and dung. I meant the edible bird nest (US$2,000 per Kg) and guano fertilizer (good quality as it’s rich in nitrogen, phosphate and potassium), which are the real treasure from a cave. To me, whether it’s a monster or Batman inside, cave is always a mysterious place that draws me.

Dense rainforest of Serinsim Park

In Sabah, only a handful of caves are really huge, for example, Gomantong, Madai, and Japanese War Tunnel. Most other so-called caves listed in tourism brochure are more like crevices between boulders less than 20 Meters deep, with some smelly guano, noisy bats and stinky cockroaches that wait to be screamed at.

Therefore, at first I didn’t expect much from the Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar) in Serinsim Park (in Kota Marudu, Sabah, Malaysia). When I checked it out, I was really excited to see something new and special. And for the first time, the video of this cave is available online.

Going to Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar)

Gua Kelawar (translated as Bat Cave) is located in Serinsim Park (or Sorinsim), a substation at the north of Kinabalu Park about 130 KM away from Kota Kinabalu City (KK). In the park, you need to walk 5.5 Kilometers (one way) on a jungle trail to reach the cave, and you must be escorted by a guide. You can request Sabah Parks (management of Serinsim) to get you a guide. The guide fee is MYR60 (about USD$15), you can hire one guide for your group and share the cost among yourselves.

Guide clearing the trail

A round trip is 11 KM in distance. FYI, I departed around 7:30am and arrived the cave about 11:30am. You better go in the morning, so you can come back before nightfall. Do bring water, packed lunch and raincoat with you. Dry bag is optional but good to have because you will cross two rivers. Hendrick is my guide. Though he looks very serious in my photos, he is really friendly and helpful.

Genat, a friendly village dog wanted to follow us but stopped by a river

A village dog named Genat (means flash or lightning in Dusun language) was following us. Genat was always running 10 Meters in front of us. He would stop and wait if we were too slow. Sometimes he would go missing in action, then suddenly pop out of the wood next to us. According to Hendrick, Genat had followed the tourists to the peak of Mt. Nombuyukon (Height: 5,550 feet!) a few times. Sadly, after 3 KM, he was stopped by a river. After barking at the river for a few minutes, he headed back to village in disappointment, poor dog…

Interesting plant in jungle

The jungle trekking is not so tough. The first 3 KM is mostly flat area, with some short walk on gentle slopes, followed by a walk on undulating terrain for the last 2.5 KM. Blood sucking leeches are present in this warm and humid rainforest, so you better wear a leech socks. I saw some interesting mushroom and plant along the way, and happy to see two hornbills flied over the canopy.

Different type of fungi I saw. Note the mushroom at upper left is like having a drop of blood on it.

Hendrick is a very responsible guide who has been guiding tourists since 2006. I’m sure whatever shit happens to me, he will make sure I go back in one piece. He is 44 years old and a Dusun lives in Serinsim Village.

Crossing the Serinsim River

We had to cross a few streams and two rivers. One of the streams is called Thomas River, because a white man missionary died there during World War II. The rivers are about 2 to 3 feet deep (Be careful of the uneven depth). To avoid getting wet, I crossed with my underwear only lol.

Bull eye fungus (edible). Some local girls use its “jello” as hair conditioner or facial mask

After we crossed the second river named Sungai Serinsim Gibang, Bat cave is only 200 Meters away.

Outside the Cave

As we were approaching the Bat Cave, I could smell the ammonia of the guano. This is a bat zone, evidenced by their dropping on the vegetation.

Mushroom near the Bat Cave

Interesting rock formation near the cave

Then we saw a beautiful rocky knoll, which is about 20 Meters high and mainly constituted by dark colored conglomerate.

Rock wall that looks like man-made structure

Bat Cave is behind this dark rock wall

My first impression of that knoll is – it looks like a rock castle of a vampire, and something belong to another world.

Begonia at cave area

Though I was near to Bat Cave, I was so enticed by the peculiar surrounding, so I spent more time around to explore more. The cave area is a flourishing zone for begonia. More than 190 species of begonia are found in Borneo and more than half are endemic species.

A small cave outside Bat cave

Colorized rocks in a small cave

Probably due to some chemical reaction, the bat dropping “dyed” some rocks into green, orange and purple colors.

Rock wall outside Bat cave

Mold-like substance on the rocks

Some rocks seem to have mold growing on them and turn whitish.

The spot where the rebels slept

More than a hundred years ago, this place was one of the hiding places of Sigunting and his followers, a guerilla group who rebelled against the British colonial government.

Exploring the Bat Cave

The entrance to Bat Cave is about 12 Meters above the ground and doesn’t look inviting. Frankly I was a bit scared because I had 0 info about this cave, and didn’t know what was waiting for me inside.

Climbing to the cave

Hendrick and I climbed over some boulders with bare hands and came to a 15-feet aluminium ladder that led to the opening of the cave. The aluminium ladder was covered with mud and probably bat shit, quite disgusting, but I didn’t plan to flinch once I started.

Hendrick standing at the entrance of Bat Cave

The smell of guano got stronger, and from the loud volume, I could tell there were a lot of bats in the cave.

Narrow passage to Bat Cave

After I climbed up the ladder, in front of me is a narrow passage that is only 4 to 7 feet wide, enough to cause some panic attack to those with claustrophobia (Fear of Confined Spaces).

Near the entrance of Bat Cave

I entered the tunnel. It’s quite steep, with 30 to 50 degree of slope. I moved up slowly on pile after pile of rocks with uneven surface, and had to use the rock wall as support. Hendrick was about 10 feet behind me. I worried some loose rocks would be freed by my footsteps and hit his face, so I asked him to stay closer.

Earthworms crawling everywhere

Even though it wasn’t raining outside, the cave was really wet with water dripping from the top. Thanks God we reached a relatively flat and wider area after 25 Meters. It gets really dark and dingy, so I turned on my torchlight, then I noticed something like snake crawling next to my foot.

Earthworms all over the cave

It’s a… no, thousands of big and long earthworms everywhere! Most of them are over one foot long, with disgusting red segment rings. Aren’t earthworms living underground? I can’t explain why they lay around on exposed rocks from the ground to the wall as high as 10 feet.

Big earthworms in Bat Cave

There were some cockroaches ran away from my light. Compare to earthworms, they are like a minority in this cave.

Cockroaches lurking in the dark

My spidey sense kept pressing me to leave the cave, but I ignored my tingling goosebumps and moved further in and faced another steep climb.

Deep layer of guano

When I looked up and pointed the light to the top, Oh-My-Gosh, I saw a dense dark cloud of restless hanging bats. Their echolocate may have detected intruders, so they jittered. The deeper I went in, the more intense and louder the bat screeching, it’s getting almost unbearable. I knew for sure that I was not welcomed.

Bat dropping on the ground

Bat tornado on top of my head

Suddenly they all took off and flied in panic. It’s like turning on a giant fan and create a strong turbulence of air in the cave (I’m not exaggerating here). My heart was thumping like crazy.

Rock wall of Bat Cave

I didn’t see any stalagmites and stalactites, so this is not a limestone cave I guess. After walking for another 20 Meters, we came to an edge of a 10-feet drop to a trench filled with guano. I could see light at other end of the cave. I estimate this cave is about 200 Meters long.

Guano pool near the end of cave

I had no idea how deep is the guano pool, so I better didn’t try to walk over it for the sake of safety.

Deep inside the Bat Cave

Hendrick says I’m the first tourist who goes inside Bat Cave. I would not recommend you to try this, as it carries some risk. It is not a touristy cave which have boardwalk for you to explore the cave illuminated by colorful light. If you really want to explore, bring a very powerful torchlight or LED headlamp.

Yellow bat dropping, brown mud stain and red blood stain (leech bite) on my pants

My body is full of stains of bat dropping, mud and leech bites. This is the filthiest trip that I have experienced so far, but fun.

Photos taken in Kota Marudu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Traditional Food of Kuala Penyu

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Kuala Penyu is a small town in south-west of Sabah, and majority of the population there are Dusun Tatana, Orang Brunei, and Bisaya people. Personally I call Kuala Penyu a “quiet corner” of Sabah because it looks like an ordinary countryside of Sabah, but they do have some special food.

Ambuyat

Ambuyat is a traditional dish of the Bisaya and Orang Brunei in Kuala Penyu district, as well as a popular traditional Sabah cuisine. It is a type of starch extracted from sago palm tree.

Ambuyat with side dishes (bamboo shoot, fishes, shell (tuntul), curry)

This translucent and sticky sago paste is almost tasteless, so the locals usually eat it together with side dishes such as fishes and curry, or dip it in sour sauce or fish soup.

“Chopsticks” of Kuala Penyu

The people of Kuala Penyu use Candas, which looks like Chinese chopsticks but is thinner and made from sago leaf stalk or bamboo stick, to scoop the slimy ambuyat.

Right way to use candas

They twirl the soft ambuyat around the prongs of candas to bite-sized, and then dip it into a sour or hot sauce. That could be a fun experience if you try this food the first time.

Bisaya girls

Ambuyat is one of the staple food in Kuala Penyu. Due to its popularity, some hotels also have ambuyat on their menu, so tourists can try it out. There is a joke that says, “If you are poor, you eat ambuyat at home. If you are rich, you eat it in a hotel.” LOL

Orang Brunei people

Tinimbu Dumpling

With a population of 6,000, Dusun Tatana is a unique indigenous group which is influenced by Chinese culture, because there were groups of China merchants who traded and married the locals in Kuala Penyu more than 250 years ago. For example, they also celebrate Chinese New Year.

Tinimbu dumpling

My first impression of Tinimbu (or Tinimbuh) of Dusun Tatana is – it looks like a miniature version of Chinese dumpling, and I also wonder if they learn this from Chinese in the past. Tinimbu is made from glutinous rice and wrapped in triangular shape by pandan (or bamboo) leaves and tied with lamba vine. Unlike Chinese dumpling, Tinimbu has no filling.

Dusun Tatana from Kuala Penyu. Some of their ancestors may have lineage of Chinese.

Tinimbu is served during occasions such as Chinese New Year. To eat, dip it in coarse sugar and enjoy the aroma of sticky rice and pandan in each bite. I’m sure children like it.

Sago Grubs (Butod)

The last and the least appetizing food is Sago Grub (locally known as Butod), which can be eaten raw or cooked. I have tried both. The live worm tastes like coconut milk and the fried butod is like dry fish skin.

Fried Sago Grubs (Butod)

Though many Sabahans struggle with eating Butod, some people really love it because it improves hair growth, increases sex drive, and reduces obesity. These health benefits are quite powerful motivations to eat sago grub (even if it tastes bad which it doesn’t).

Dusun Tatana food on display during Harvest Festival of Sabah (Kaamatan)

There are still many Kuala Penyu food that are not introduced here. To learn and sample traditional food of Dusun Tatana, you may visit the Kuala Penyu house in KDCA Penampang during Kaamatan Grand Finale (Harvest Festival) on 30 and 31 May every year.

Traditional food of Dusun Tatana people

Or you can try these food in Kuala Penyu homestay. For more information, please contact Dr. Monih Epin (Tel: +60 19-8106786) or Ms Monica Gualin (Tel: +60 13-8517633), the operator of Borneo Kuala Penyu Homestay.

Photos taken in Kuala Penyu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Sago Grub (Butod), the Most Bizarre Food of Borneo

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Known as Butod locally, Sago Grub or Sago Worm is a delicacy, as well as the most disgusting food of Sabah. Junk food always look good, but it does ugly things to your body. Sago Grub is the opposite, it’s an ugly but nutritious food. However, it’s a test of bravery to put this wriggling bug into your mouth.

Edible Sago Grub is the larvae of Sago Palm Weevil

Butod is the larvae of Sago Palm Weevil, a species of snout beetle that consumes sago palm during its infancy. Sago Grub can grow fatter than the little finger and looks like a giant maggot. This creamy yellow color and fat worm is rich in protein and sold at US$0.25 each (RM40 – 45 per Kg), quite expensive, but still a hot selling item in local market.

Sago Palm Weevil (Species: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus olivier), adult of Sago Grub, is also known as Red Palm Weevil, and Asian Palm Weevil. Locals call it Linggaung.

According to Dr. Arthur Chung, an insect expert, adult Sago Palm Weevil is also consumed in Sabah. The rusty red colour adults are usually grilled or roasted, with the hard and spiny parts, and unsavoury guts removed before eating.

Sago grubs grow and feed inside sago palm

The best place to collect sago grubs is in sago palm, as they feed on starchy pith of decaying sago palm tree, before they are mature and transform into beetle after 2 months.

Grub up some sago grubs (Butod) in Sago Palm

Just chop the sago trunk to look for butod in the spongy internal of the palm. Farmers also deliberately cut some opening on fallen sago tree, to attract female weevils to lay eggs inside. They could harvest up to 100 butod per trunk after 1 to 3 months.

Cleaning sago grubs before cooking them

Sago Grub is white. I notice it’ll turn yellowish or brownish after being exposed to ultraviolet. Sago grubs can die fairly quick under direct sunlight and dry place. Keep them in shade, preferably with pieces of damp sago wood, and they can survive for a few days.

Sago grub is a healthy source of protein and fiber.

Sago Palm is an important crop of Sabah. Sago Grub is supposed to be a pest because it burrows and eats voraciously into the heart of sago palm, and cause the tree dies. However, sago grub is a highly sought after food that brings good money. You can see the statue of Sago Palm Weevil at the entrance of Rumbia Information Centre. There is no other insect in Sabah that is “commemorated” by such a big statue.

Statue of Snout Beetle / Weevil at Rumbia Information Center

In Sabah, though everyone knows about Sago Grub, not many are actually eating this soft-bodied larvae. Bugs seem to be doing filthy things all the time. Just look at fly and cockroach that make people sick. So it might be a bad idea to eat bugs. Anyway, sago grub is very clean because it only feeds on and live inside sago pith.

Sago grubs make tunnels and feed on decaying pith tissues of the sago palm

According to what I read on the Internet, sago grubs have been described as creamy tasting when raw, and like bacon or meat when cooked. I wanted to try out the live and cooked sago grubs and see if it is true. Now I can tell you that the taste of both is not bad, and I can assure you that sago grub has no funny smell or taste. No, it doesn’t taste like chicken.

Are you dare to eat this?

Tasting Live Sago Grub

Every human has insectophobia to some degrees. We can’t never be friends with bugs. Even if I love to photograph bug, that doesn’t mean I want to lick it. Anyhow, I always want to experience eating live sago grub at least once. Probably I think this is a big achievement as high as the Medal of Honor.

It’s me first time eating live sago grub

To eat live sago grub, hold its head with two fingers, because you won’t eat its hard chitinous head, and to avoid its pincer biting you. I squeeze its head to kill it first, so it won’t wriggle in my mouth later and to suffer from a painful death. Then I take a bite at its neck and chew. You can watch the following video if you want to see action:

In first bite, the juicy worm “bursts” in my mouth, and I can feel its creamy gut flows all over my tongue. OMG, that’s so gross! I just try not to think that I’m eating a bug, or I would throw up. The taste of raw butod is like coconut milk with a bit of sweetness. The skin is tough and chewy. Though I don’t think that it’s delicious, the taste isn’t terrible at all. In fact, it’s quite bland.

Cooking Sago Grubs

Swallowing squirming sago grubs may look way too savage. No problem. You can fry, boil, or grill it, then eat it with knife and fork. Personally I think cooked butod tastes much better. It’s so easy to cook butod. You will know how after watching the video below:

According to a research by Oxford University, Sago Grub contains significantly more vitamins, unsaturated fat, and minerals, but much less cholesterol than other common meat such as chicken and beef. Therefore, Butod is an excellent alternative source of protein.

Washing the sago grubs before cooking them. Female butod is bigger and darker in color

The simplest way to cook sago grubs is to stir-fry them in a pan, until they are totally dry and turn crispy. The first step is to wash and clean the butod with water.

Cut an opening on sago grub. (sorry about the animal cruelty)

Next step is quite cruel. You tear an opening on their bodies, with finger or knife, so they won’t expand and “explode” while being fried. The yellow soft stuff gushes from the cut is the fat. Butod is packed with oil like a natural energy bars. The locals believe butod oil can thicken their hair.

Pan-fried the sago grubs

Then pour all the butod into the pan and stir fry them slowly with small fire. For better flavor, you may add a pinch of salt or MSG. If you think that is too plain, you can cook them with onions or other vegetables, basically it’s same as how you cook other meat.

All the oil is from the plump sago grubs

Do you see the oil in the photo above? It’s all from the sago grubs! The smoke smells really, really good and appetizing, like butter.

Fully cooked Sago Grubs (probably a bit overcooked…)

Researchers describe insects as “micro-livestock” that emits 10 times less greenhouse gas than farting cows. The author of “Bug Chef Extraordinaire”, David George Gordon, says, “Insects are the most valuable, underused and delicious animals in the world.” Eating bugs comes with hundreds of benefits, but people don’t eat bugs for only one reason, it is disgusting. Well, I can give men a superb reason to eat Butod. It’s good for men. *wink wink* If eaten together with patiukan (honeycombs) and tapai (Sabah rice wine), man will certainly experience an incredible aphrodisiacal erection, according to John Seet, the author of The Beliefs & Practices of the Kadazandusun-Murut (ISBN 978-0-7393-8358-2).

Fried sago grubs go well with beer

After stir-fried, the butod becomes crispy and taste like fried fish skin, with a hint of prawn, quite nice. It goes well with beer. Dipping it with a bit of cheese would make it more yummy (I haven’t tried that though).

Sago Festival

If you are interested in munching some sago grubs, you may visit Sago Festival (Pesta Rumbia in local language), which is held in Kuala Penyu annually.

Sago grubs to be cooked

During the festival, the ticket for Sago Buffet is available for a few bucks only. Buy one and you can try different kinds of sago food, which includes cooked sago grubs.

Cooking Sago Grubs (Butod)

Sago Grubs served in Sago Festival

Tourists trying out Sago Grubs (Butod)

There are many tourists who are keen to try sago grubs. The ticket is always sold out fast.

Sago Grub Satay

Sago grub is also widely eaten by people of Sarawak, Southeast Asian countries, and Papua New Guinea. Sago grubs are commonly sold in weekly open air market (Tamu) in rural area of Sabah.

Children learn about sago grubs

However, whenever I want to share butod with my friends, 9 out of 10 them would run away, and one passes out. Actually most Sabahans haven’t tried this delicacy yet. Hope the young generations will be educated that butod is great stuff and nobody should be afraid of eating it.

Butod Products

As one of the Four Asian Tigers, Thailand is far ahead in food industry. You can buy butod in package and tin from their supermarket and even order them online! Here are some product shots for your viewing pleasure.

Salted Sago Worms. Photo by www.thailandunique.com

Yes, you can eat worms like snack. Do share with your friends!

Edible Sago Worm Larvae (BBQ Flavour). Photo by www.thailandunique.com

Let’s open a can of worms, shall we?

Butod Sushi by D’Place Kinabalu Restaurant

Nom Nom… Chocolate Coated Sago Worms. A great gift for Valentine’s Day? Photo by www.thailandunique.com

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Rumbia Information Center, all about Sago

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Do you know certain trees are “edible”? You may have tasted it too, for example, the tiny jello-like balls in famous Malaysian dessert, Bo-Bo Cha-Cha (or Bubur Cha-Cha) is from Sago Palm, an important crop for people living in south-west of Sabah. Sago is known as Rumbia locally and a kind of starch that is extracted from the sago palm.

In Sabah, sago palm was once planted extensively in the wetlands of the west coast like Beaufort, Kuala Penyu, Papar and Penampang. However, the scale is getting small now because rice has replaced sago as the main source of carbohydrate.

Rumbia Information Center / Sago Information Center

Sago palm is also called the “Tree of a Thousand Uses”. If you are on a tour to Klias or Pulau Tiga Island, you may drop by the Rumbia Information Center (Sago Information Center, or Pusat Informasi Rumbia in Malaysian language) near Kuala Penyu town.

Statues of sago worker (left) and sago grub (right) at Rumbia Information Center

You can check out the 4-hectare sago plantation in the Center on a boardwalk. The signage, labels and information at the Center are displayed or presented in both Malay and English languages.

Sago palm can reach up to 10 to 13 Meters tall

If you are lost in jungle, finding a sago palm can save your life. Sago is almost pure carbohydrate, an energy food which also contains a bit of protein, vitamins, and minerals. One palm can yield more than 50 Kg of starch, which yields 355 calories for every 100g, and its leaves and trunk are great materials to make tools and shelter! During WWII, the locals survived from starvation by eating sago.

Sago Exhibition Hall

The exhibition hall is the first highlight of the Center. Besides reading information about Sago, you also can see variety of handmade handicrafts made of sago leaves, bark and stem.

In the audio-visual room, visitors can watch a 30-min video that introduces the uses, processing and story of sago. The narrative is in Malay language but English subtitles are shown.

Visitors can learn more about sago in Rumbia Information Center

Over 50 handicrafts are on display. Most items are baskets, utensils, containers, mat, hats, fishing net, farming tools, etc. and some items are made of coconut leaves, bamboo and rattan. They are not so common nowadays, because plastic stuffs are more readily available.

Exhibition about Sago and ecology in Beaufort

In addition to sago, there are many information panels and photographs about the wetland ecology and wildlife in Klias Peninsular.

Beautiful handicrafts in Sago Information Center

The hall is air-conditioned. Depending on your level of interest, a tour in Rumbia Information Center usually takes only one or two hours.

Exhibition hall of Sago Information Center

The craftsmanship is so fine that I want to buy them all (a few items are available for purchase). I think they are made by Dusun Tatana, Bisaya and Orang Brunei tribes live in Kuala Penyu district.

Various handicrafts made of sago materials

Sago Information Center isn’t a well-known tourist spot, so you (or your group) would be the only visitor most of the time.

You may watch the 1.5-min video below about Sago Exhibition:

The Legend of Sago

I heard a sad story about the origin of sago during my visit. During old days in Kuala Penyu, there was a woman who could feed her family very well. Even though food was scarce, she was able to bring home food every day. Her husband was suspicious and decided to stalk her one day. He saw his wife placed a nyiru (straw colander) on the ground and started shaking her sarong. Then many small white pellets dropped from her body to the nyiru and that’s the stuff he ate. He was so furious and accused his wife of feeding him nasi kangkang (literally means crotch rice), which is a black magic used by women, in urban legend, who mix the rice with their menstrual blood, and believe that their husband will be subservient to the wives after eating it.

Two species of sago palm, without thorn (left) or with thorn (right)

Knowing that her husband would kill her, the woman begged her husband to cut her body at waist level into half, and bury them in different spots. After some times, a nypa-like tree with smooth bark grew at the spot where her upper part was buried. And a similar tree, but with thorns, grew on another spot. Both are sago palms that produce sago and are scientifically known as matroxylon sagus (no thorn) and metroxylon rumphii (with thorns) respectively.

Sago Food

At this point, you would ask, “How to ‘eat’ sago tree then? Do you cut down the tree, chop it and bite it?”

Sago Processing

NO!!!! The starch needs to be extracted from sago stem first. After cutting down the sago palm, the farmers will remove the outer hard skin and process the spongy center of the trunk. Then they crush the stem with a wooden board (garus) full of nails in sawing movement, to break the pith into smaller pieces.

Another tool to break down sago palm into chips

Next step they will collect the sago pieces and lay them on a mat which acts as a filter. A worker will pour water on sago pieces, continuously kneading them with feet, the starchy liquid will flow into a container. The starch powder will be collected after drying the water.

The traditional method is very labor intensive and time-consuming. Nowadays, electrical sago processing machine can grate, filter and collect the sago starch. You can see this machine demo in Sago Information Center.

The starch from sago can be used for making different kinds of delicious food such as cake, dessert, biscuit and pudding. Sago flour can be used similarly to other types of flour. It is used in baking bread and pancake too.

Sago starch powder can be stored for weeks or months (but usually consumed within days).

In Sabah, sago starch is mixed with boiling water to make the popular local cuisine called the Ambuyat, a traditional way to enjoy sago. Usually locals eat it with fishes and soup, which go well with smooth texture of ambuyat.

Sago Grubs (Butod)

Sago grub (Local Name: Butod) is a “byproduct” of sago cultivation. Beetles also know the richness of carbohydrates in sago stem, and their babies (larva) grow so fat eating sago. When farmers harvest sago, they collect these juicy worms as food too. You can even eat it raw if you dare.

Sago grub (locally known as Butod) is a delicacy

You may read this article about eating sago worm as delicacy. Sago grub is not cheap though, each is sold for RM1.00 and it’s a hot selling item in native market.

Sago Festival (Pesta Rumbia)

So, are you drooling? You can sample different kind of exotic sago food (include worms) and dishes during Sago Festival (known as Pesta Rumbia in local language) in Kuala Penyu for a few dollars only. This sago buffet is very popular. The tickets sold out fast, so don’t miss it.

Sago is so important to the local community that Kuala Penyu celebrates Sago Festival annually (usually in July). You may find out the date of this biggest cultural event in Kuala Penyu in Sabah Tourism website.

Making Ambuyat, a sago paste with semi-transparent and glue-like texture

Sago is normally sold in the shape of very tiny, colorful balls called sago pearls. When soaked and cooked, the pearls become larger, translucent, soft and spongy.

Sago palm can grow very fast (about 1.5 Meters per year) so it is ideal as an alternative staple food.

Sago palm takes 9 to 12 years to mature. You must cut it down before it starts to flower for 2 months, otherwise the fruiting will exhaust the starch and then the tree dies.

It’s all about sago during Sago Festival, you can check out exhibition, sago food buffet, Sago Beauty Queen Pageant, cultural shows, handicraft making demonstration, sago processing, games, etc.

House made of sago trunks. Isn’t it beautiful?

Entrance Fee & Opening Hours

Rumbia Information Center is managed by district office of Sabah Forestry Department in Beaufort. Apart from providing basic information on sago, it is also open to public as a tourist destination. The following is the ticket price to enter the Center (rates as of Mar 2016):

	Adult	Child
Malaysian	RM5	RM3
Non-Malaysian	RM15 (≈US$3.75)	RM7 (≈US$1.75)

Walk-in visitor is welcome. You also can organize a group tour with the Center. Their staff can give you an interpretation walk and education tour for better experience. You can even try eating the live Sago Grub. You are advised to inform them a few days prior to your group trip.

Education tour in Sago Information Center

Below is the opening hours of Rumbia Information Center:
Mon-Thu, Sat, Sun, Public Holidays: 9am – 12pm, 2pm – 4:30pm
Fri: 9am – 11:30am, 2pm – 4:30pm

Contact

Tel: +60 87-897073
E-mail: rumbiainfocentre@gmail.com
Facebook: RumbiaInformationCentre
Address: Pusat Informasi Rumbia, Kompleks Perhutanan Kimanis, KM 61, Lebuhraya KK-Beaufort, Sabah, Malaysia
GPS Coordinates: 5.496861, 115.543920 (see Location Map or Street View)

Facilities

Besides exhibition hall and boardwalk through sago palms, Rumbia Information Center has other amenities and services such as conference room for rent, food catering and laundry.

Toilet (left) and signage of Sago Information Center

The toilet is quite clean. Overall, this Center is quite tourist-friendly. Their staffs are very helpful and friendly too (can speak and understand simple English).

The cafes there don’t sell or cook sago grubs. If you want to have a butod feast, you need to arrange with the Center at least 1 day in advance.

Orchid Rest House, the accommodation in Sago Information Center. The Check-in / Check-Out time is 12pm

Accommodation is available in the Center and named as Orchid Rest House (Rumah Rehat Orkid) suitable for family or student group. The house has two rooms, each room has two double decker bunk beds to host 4 people. The rest house is complete with kitchen (with cooking gas and utensils), toilet, air-conditioning, fan, parking, dining table, and living room. The accommodation can be rented as RM400 (≈US$100) per day for whole resthouse, RM160 (≈US$40) per room per day, or RM40 (≈US$10) per person per day. You can call Mr. Hillary at +60 13-5462717 for booking (or ordering Sago Grubs).

How to get there

Rumbia Information Center is located next to Menumbok – Kuala Penyu highway at Kampung Kasugira (Kasugira village), about 114 KM away from Kota Kinabalu city (KK). When you reach the roundabout (which has turtle statues on it) about 10 KM before Kuala Penyu town, take the junction to Menumbok. After 1.5 KM, you will see Rumbia Information Center at your left (see Location Map or Street View).

Entrance of Sago Information Center. Note statues of sago palm at the left and beetle next to it.

If you depart from KK, the road trip will take approximately 3 hours on asphalt road in good condition. You also can take a bus that heads to Menumbok, but to return to KK, you have to take a bus to Beaufort town first, then get another bus from there, quite troublesome. Taxi is a better choice if you have more money.

Photos taken in Kuala Penyu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Kinabalu Birdwing, the Sabahan Butterfly

Families of Borneo Butterflies

Differences between Butterflies and Moths

Interesting Facts about Butterflies

Interesting Facts about Butterflies

Where to See Borneo Butterflies in Sabah?

1. Poring Hot Springs

2. Kipandi Butterfly Park (by appointment only)

Best Time for Butterfly Watching

Conservation of Borneo Butterflies

Protection by Malaysian Law

Feeding the Butterflies!

References & Acknowledgement

20 awesome (or weird) things I saw at Borneo Jungle Girl Camp

1. Jewel Beetles, the gems of rainforest

2. Pitcher plant with “eyes”

3. Meet the most elegant flying insect

4. Flying dead leaves?

5. Praying Mantis, the Master of Stealth

6. Frog with horns. Is it evil?

7. Hide and seek with leaf mimic pygmy grasshoppers

8. Moth that deceives with pictures

9. Misty cloud forest is a heaven for insects

10. Light trap, a magnet to insects

11. Moths are more diverse than butterflies

12. Crab + Spider = ?

13. Bird’s dropping that moves

14. Searching for peace and a sense of purpose? Go Stargazing

15. Butterflies also loves smelly stuffs

16. Stick insect the walking stick

17. Birdwatching

18. Monkey loves bugs?

19. Cicada, the singing orchestra of rainforest

20. Borneo Jungle Girl Camp is more than a camp

About Borneo Jungle Girl Camp

Tour and Fees

Accommodation (meals included)

How to get there

Things to Bring

My Thoughts

6 Ways to Prevent Leech Bite

1. Anti-Leech Socks

2. Tobacco Sock

3. Dettol

4. Lady’s Stockings

5. Insecticide Socks

6. Insect Repellent

More Useful Facts

I was bitten by leech. What should I do? OH NO, Help!!! I’m going to die!

Types of Forest Leeches

Stingless Bee Farming

Preferred Host Plants for Stingless Bees

Honey Bees of Sabah

Other Bess

Related Post

Going to Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar)

Outside the Cave

Exploring the Bat Cave

Ambuyat

Tinimbu Dumpling

Sago Grubs (Butod)

Tasting Live Sago Grub

Cooking Sago Grubs

Sago Festival

Butod Products

Rumbia Information Center / Sago Information Center

Sago Exhibition Hall

The Legend of Sago

Sago Food

Sago Processing

Sago Grubs (Butod)

Sago Festival (Pesta Rumbia)

Entrance Fee & Opening Hours

Contact

Facilities

How to get there