Tag Archives: Penampang

Pogunon Cemetery Site

Pogunon Community Museum and the Secrets of the Dead

Leave a reply

In the year 2000, an unexpected discovery unfolded at Pogunon Village, nestled on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu City, leaving the entire Sabah astounded. The unearthing of an ancient cemetery reignited the recollections of burial and megalithic cultures prevalent in Sabah.

Entrance to Pogunon Community Museum. The entry is free.

Standing on this hallowed ground, the Pogunon Community Museum (known as Muzium Komuniti Pogunon or Muzium Tapak Perkuburan Purba Pogunon in Malay) invites visitors to behold the burial jars and old graves, while delving into the haunting tales of headhunting and the revered Bobohizan, the high priestess of the Kadazan people, who once graced this site.

The exhibition hall of Pogunon Community Museum is about the size of a basketball court and has air-conditioning.

Pogunon is named after a native plant, Sorim Pogun. It also means “bekas yang ditinggalkan”, which is translated as “the traces left behind.” because in old days this village was in war, the villagers were ambushed and fled into forest, then came back next day.

Discovery of the Pogunon Cemetery

In January 2000, the construction of KEMAS Kindergarten building at Pogunon Village (or Kampung Pogunon) led to the finding of four burial jars (three of them are complete and have human bones in them), blue-and-white plates, and bowls. These ceramics originated from China between the 16th and 19th centuries.

Sabah Museum carried out excavations at Pogunon in 2000, 2007 and 2008 to rescue the buried heritages. (Photo Credit: Sabah Museum)

Further excavations conducted by Sabah Museum dug up thirteen ancient burial jars from an old graveyard in front of the St. Joseph Chapel in the same village. The lidded burial pots contain artifacts such as coins dating back to 1885, bangle, belt (himpogot) made from ancient silver coins, jewelry and decorated ceramics.

Ancient burial jars exhibited in Sabah Museum. The one at the right is from Pogunon.

The people buried in jars are usually those who have high social status such as Bobohizans and headhunter warriors, so this cemetery is important in cultural anthropology. Some graves belong to the ancestors of the current generations living in Pogunon. In fact, 60% of this village is an ancient burial ground.

Pogunon Community Museum is open from Monday to Saturday, from 9am to 5pm. It’s closed on Sunday and public holidays.

The site is gazetted in 2000 to protect this ancient graveyard and its megaliths, which served as grave markers. Pogunon Community Museum is built in situ in 2004 to showcase its artifacts and history.

The Past of Pogunon Village

Though Kampung Pogunon is a quiet village nowadays, it’s quite a happening place in the past. The small village is situated on the flat plains under Crocker Range and next to a river, so it was a suitable meeting point for mountain and coastal tribes, who used to barter trade with one another. For example, Bajau people from seaside can exchange for forest stuffs with Dusun from the interior with seafood.

Group visit to Pogunon Museum by participants of Sabah Dark Tourism workshop. This museum is listed as one of the attractions of dark tourism.

An article dated 1st July 1884 on North Borneo Herald newspaper stated that Pogunon was the largest tamu (native market) in west coast that time. The tamu of Pogunon was held every 10 days and is considered as one of the earliest known tamu. Some inhabitants were wealthy because of this blooming marketplace.

Old ceramic plates and bowls that were buried with the jars

Now, here comes the interesting and important part, there were Chinese merchants who also traded in this tamu market. Their ships brought in some China products such as ceramic jars, plates, crocks, dishware and other ornaments, which were used for exchanging herbs, spices, hardwood, agarwood, resin and even birds feathers from the locals. This explains where the Chinese jars of Pogunon coming from. Some of the Chinese married the native Dusun and settled in Sabah. Therefore, almost every villagers in Pogunon Village have Chinese connection.

Burial Jars

There is a collection of about 20 burial jars in different size and designs being displayed in the exhibition hall of Pogunon Museum, together with other artifacts such as plates, skeleton and headhunting sword. On the walls are information boards with photographs and description, in English and Malay, on the burial and megalithic cultures of Sabah Borneo.

Collection of burial jars at Pogunon Community Museum

In old days, Kadazandusun, the largest indigenous group of Sabah, has been practicing burial by jars (jar is locally known as tajau) for centuries. The natives believed that jar is the home and shelter for the deceased in the next world. The dead body was stored in fetal position in a large jar, normally at least a metre in height. If the mouth of jar was too narrow, they would cut the jar in half along the rim, so they could fit the corpse inside and joined the pieces again.

Skeleton remains in the burial jar of Pogunon

Favourite personal adornments and belongings of the deceased like plate, bowl, ceramic, silver coin belts, ring, button, necklace, beads, bracelet, and shoes would be placed in the jar too. The mouth of the jar was then sealed with a plate and resin or bee wax. For leaders or village heads, gong would be used as the cover. Lastly the burial ceremony was completed with rituals and prayers led by Bobohizan.

Antique jars of Sabah from China, Thailand, Vietnam, and other countries (photo in Sabah Museum). The oldest China ceramic found in Sabah is from Song Dynasty period (960-1279).

Ceramic jar was a luxury item, so burial by jar is only for the prestigious people. Majority of ceramic jars at Pogunon belong to headhunters and Bobohizans. The commoners were normally buried in bamboo or wooden casket, or cheap (brown) earthen jars. The most expensive jars are from China, especially those with beautiful engraved or embossed patterns. The oldest jar found in Pogunon is about 800 years old (and is given to Sabah Museum).

It’s a special experience to listen to the ancestor stories that happened right under our feet.

Owning one or more big and beautiful jar was a sign of wealth, probably same as owning a designer handbag from Hermès Birkin today. The valuable ceramic jars from Pogunon are in blue and white, or five colours, which were made during Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) Dynasty periods in China. The locals also used jars for many purposes, for example, heirloom, currency for trading, storage, brewing wine, dowry.

Video of a 2-minute tour at Pogunon Museum

The location of the burial jar is often marked by a rock that served as a tombstone, so it’s easier for the family to locate.

Gravestone and Megalithic Culture

There are 32 sandstone markers (menhirs) of various size and shapes at the compound of Pogunon, each marks the final resting place, and to indicate the gender and age of the persons being buried. Megalithic practices in Sabah existed from 15th century to the end of 19th century.

Rock markers of ancient graves at Pogunon Museum. There are about 30 of them here in different sizes and shapes. The megalithic tradition is used as an intermediary to their ancestors because they believe their ancestors can bless them from another world.

In megalithic culture of Sabah, a rock could be a grave or territory marker, a memorial, or an oath stone. In fact, the name Penampang, the district where Pogunon is situated, originates from the Kadazan word pampang, which means a big rock.

You can tell the gender of the buried from the shapes of their grave markers. The left one belongs to a male, while the right one with rounded top belongs to a female.

At Pogunon cemetery, larger rock is an indicator that the buried is of high status. There is one small rock near the edge that might belong to an infant who probably died in miscarriage. In general, the ‘male’ rocks have rough edges, with angular and pointy top, while the ‘female’ rocks are round and smooth at the top.

The menhirs in Sabah are found in several districts, with the largest deposits found in Penampang, Putatan, Kinarut and Tambunan.

Headhunting History

Check out a few larger stone markers at Pogunon and you will find a few of them have notches carved into the side. These are the menhirs of headhunter warriors and the notches indicating the number of heads they took during their lifetime.

Left: old photograph of a Dusun headhunter. Right: The number of the notches on the tombstone represents the number of heads taken by the deceased.

Pogunon was the gateway between highland and plains hence making this place a war zone among the neighbouring tribes. Headhunters believed that they could capture the power and spirits of the beheaded. Owning many enemy skulls was a sign of bravery and strength.

Enemy skulls were proudly displayed in longhouse as the trophy of the headhunters

Therefore, skulls were placed and hung everywhere in Pogunon during the headhunting era. Bobohizans there were chanting day and night to appease the spirits of the skulls. The skulls were said to move even on a windless night to warn of imminent attacks. They could even made war cry to scare off the invading enemies.

Museum staff (James) sharing the stories of headhunting and Bobohizans

The tour to Pogunon Museum is perfected by the storytelling of the museum staff, James. His stories are so intriguing and vivid that you can visualize what was going on. One of the stories being a Bobohizan ambushed and beheaded the Japanese soldiers at night during World War II. She was never caught of the assassination.

Left: sword and gong. Right: real headhunting sword with Dayak decoration. The sword can’t be buried with its headhunter master, as the next world has no war. People with weak spirits are advised not to touch this sword or they would be possessed.

A headhunting sword owned by a late Bobohizan is another highlight of this museum. The hilt of this Gayang sword is made from a deer’s antlers and has Dayak-styled designs and motifs engraved on it. This sword took many lives including the Japanese.

Left: skulls displayed in Sabah Museum. Right: old photograph of people dismantled the hut used for hanging heads

Pogunon Village was used to be a stronghold of the old belief and headhunting culture, before the arrival of British and their religion. When British ruler started banning headhunting in 1883, countless number of skulls were burnt, buried or thrown away by the villagers, which marked the end of headhunting era.

How to get there

Since Pogunon Museum operated in April 2009, it has received thousands of tourists, historians, researchers, enthusiasts, and students. The entry is free. This museum is situated at Pogunon Village of Penampang district, and highly accessible by car. It’s about 11 km from Kota Kinabalu City and 3 km from Donggongon town. The junction to Pogunon is located at the Penampang-Tambunan road. If you use navigation apps such as Waze, set your destination to Muzium Komuniti Pogunon.

Junction to Pogunon Village (Kampung Pogunon) in Penampang

Opening Hours: 9am to 5pm (Monday to Saturday). Closed on Sunday and Public Holidays
GPS Location: 5.913255638634767, 116.1449756274239 (see Location Map)
Contact Person: Mr. James Dinggon
Telephone: (+60) 088–225033, (+60) 088–215606
Website: museum.sabah.gov.my

Reference

  1. “Kebudayaan Megalitik di Kampung Pogunon, Penampang, Sabah”, page 260 to 270, Sabah Museum Monograph Volume 12 (2014), published by Sabah State Museum

Photos taken in Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

10 Most Beautiful Traditional Costumes of Sabah

1 Reply

Sabah culture is so colourful. We have over 30 indigenous and 200 sub-ethnic groups, most of them have distinct traditional costume, a heritage that tells the world their identity, traditions, and stories. Sabah is beautiful because of this cultural diversity. I’ve been photographing Sabah traditional costumes for 15 years and would like to share what I think are the 10 most beautiful traditional costumes of Sabah (not in any order).

Please note there are always variants in costumes due to different occasions such as wedding, ceremony and social status, so I only can give you a general view. FYI, many ethnic groups share common elements such as linangkit (needlework), siga (headgear) and belts (e.g. Tangkong, Himpogot).

1. Kadazan Penampang

Kadazandusun is the largest indigenous group of Sabah, and Kadazan Penampang is the biggest sub-ethnic. Their traditional costume has become an iconic dress to represent Sabahans.

Kadazan Penampang couple in traditional costume

Kadazan Penampang costume has basic trimmings and embroidery and may look a bit plain. However, simplicity is beauty, like Vietnamese Ao Dai and Chinese Cheongsam. Though it has relatively less shining ornaments and accessories, it is an elegant cloth inspired by sarong kebaya.

The costume of young female consists of a long cylindrical wrap skirt and a sleeveless blouse (Sinuangga’), and decorated with gold trimmings running along the opening for head and arms, and along the seams at the side and along the middle of the back. Around the trimming on neck and front is 20 or more gold plated Betawi buttons.

Bobohizan is the high priestesses of Kadazan people. They wear large headgear with feathers and beads.

Silver-dollar chains (himpogot) and brass ring belts (tangkong) in set of 2 to 3 are worn around the waist and hip to emphasize the curve. Some himpogot and tangkong are antique passed on to women as heirloom or wedding dowry, they can cost thousands of dollars!

“Light version” of Kadazan Penampang costume could be a daily wear

The jacket and trousers of Kadazan Penampang men bear some Chinese influence. They wear headgear called siga, a very intricately woven square piece of headcloth, handwoven or embroidered, and folded to the shape of the peak of the Mount Kinabalu. Most men from Kadazandusun ethnic group wear siga.

The basic material for clothing is black commercial fabric, silk or velvet for ceremonial occasions. It is also made from cotton for daily wear.

2. Dusun Lotud

With a population of only 6,000 in Tuaran district, Dusun Lotud is very famous for weaving the embroidered panel called linangkit, which is used to decorate the skirt, sash and trousers of many Sabah tribes. Without linangkit, Sabah traditional costumes would be far less colourful.

Dusun Lotud couple in ceremonial attire. Note the siwot on her head, an ornament which is stuck into the hairbun. It consists of four bunches of red cloth and black cock feathers. The strings of silver-green beads in forehead was used to be the iridescent wings of beetles in old days.

In English, linangkit is sometimes referred to as needle weave or tapestry weave. a technique closely resembles the tatting or frivolite in Europe. Strips of linangkit are used by various native tribes to decorate and join the seams of their clothing. Different ethnic groups have different patterns and colours of linangkit.

Dusun Lotud girls in ceremonial attire with the following items: Sandai: long sash draped over one shoulder to the front and over the next shoulder falling to the back. Karo: a necklace made of mostly long barrel beads of glass, shell and carnelian.

The traditional costume of Dusun Lotud, be it the long sleeve ceremonial attire or short sleeve version, is just gorgeous. In fact, this costume is one of the favourite choice for contestants in Unduk Ngadau beauty pageant (Harvest Festival Queen) during Kaamatan (Sabah Harvest Festival).

Women in Dusun Lotud traditional costume. Gonob: knee-length black cotton tube skirt. From the waist down is a panel of linangkit needle work. Kuluwu: circular sash with gold trimming along the edges. At the seam is wide band of linangkit. Lilimbo: wide girdle of interconnected loops of split rattan worn around the hips. (Red colour for childless women, black colour for mothers)

Man is wearing headgear called sundi can be folded in different ways. When two points stick out, the weaver has two wives and so on (now you know!).

3. Rungus

Rungus of northern Sabah is considered as the most “traditional” and unique tribe among all Sabah indigenous groups. Rungus women wear a dark bandeau with delicate hand-stitched patterns, a matching knee-length tube skirt and a slipover that drapes over the arms like sleeves. The narrow upper zone of the bodice is decorated with horizontal bands filled with floating weft and/or embroidered motifs. The lower part of the bodice is embellished with vertical bands.

Rungus people dancing Mongigol Sumandai

The women’s hair is pulled back in a neat bun and decorated with a titimbok (a multi-colored floral headpiece), sisingal (a thin band of beads tied together around the forehead) and rampai (a hairpin which has two or three rows of folded pieces of colourful cloth strung together and which float down to the nape)

Rungus woman costume decorated with exotic accessories. Hip band looped with brass rings and antique beads called orot and two pinakol, beaded shoulder bands worn diagonally across the chest. Togkol: string of carnelian, glass and shell beads looped crossed over the shoulders. Sulau: necklace of old beads and a disc of white shell (giant clam) in front and back.

The dress is “musical” too, by having many tiny brass bells attached to bottom hem line of their skirt, making delightful tinkling sounds when they walk or dance.

Rungus women wearing brass ring necklace (Ganggalung) and legging (Lungkaki)

Some older Rungus women wear heavy brass ring necklace and legging. It’s a fading costume.
Ganggalung: discs of brass coil worn as necklace.
Lungkaki: tightly coiled brass ornament covering the lower legs.

The headgear of men is brightly coloured Kain tinohian (a.k.a. kain pis), a richly embroidered cloth with legendary creatures and takes four months to weave one.

4. Murut Tagol

Murut means “People of the Hill”, and majority of this third largest indigenous group of Sabah lives in interior. They were used to be fearsome headhunters in the past, and men preserve their wild warrior outfit until today (they prefer proper shirts anyway).

Girls in Murut traditional costume

Murut has over 15 ethnic groups, and Murut Tagol is the most skillful for their weave work. Murut women wear black, sleeveless blouse and a long, black skirt decorated with colourful beads motifs of daily objects such as flowers, insects, animals and ferns. Female skirt has hip belts made of chained white round seeds collected from Job’s Tears plant (Coix lacryma-jobi).

The men costume is even more interesting. They wear vest, frontal and rear flaps made of tree bark. First, barks of the tarap or tamarang (timadang) trees (Artcocarps tamaran) are peeled from the trunks, soaked in stream for days to soften them up, then it is pounded, washed and rinsed, and lastly dried under sun for the fabric. However, man costume is too “sexy” so they also wear short pants for more cover.

Beautiful female traditional costume of Murut

The headgear of Murut may be adorned with long tail feathers of Great Argus Pheasant. To see more Murut costumes, you may check out Kalimaran Festival which is held annually in Tenom.

5. Bajau Sama

While most Kadazandusun and Murut people use black as the base colour, Bajau goes bold with striking colours such as yellow, red, green and blue. This also reflects in their multi-coloured and elaborate floral motifs in their crafts, an element greatly inspired by Islam. Bajau in Kota Belud town is also known as Cowboys of the East due to their mastery in horse-riding skill.

Traditional costumes of Bajau Same

Bajau women wear an unusual headgear called sarempak, which is a two-pieced head decoration in the shape of a ship made of gilded silver or modern substitute. Small ornaments dangling down from both ends of sarempak are called garigai. Next is the brightly colored satiny blouse usually in yellow. The flared sleeves show the cuffs of an underblouse in contrasting hue.

Mock wedding of Bajau people

Shining metallic accessories complement their traditional costume really well. Bajau women covers the front from below the neck to waist with beautiful mandapun, a flat collar-ornament accentuating the neckline decorated with stylized leaves in silver, goldleaf or substitute. To add more colours, long and wide band of linangkit embroidered panels (berangkit in Bajau) are sewn into their long black wrap-skirt.

Bajau men wear the traditional headgear called kain dastar, which is also used in women skirt. See more their vibrant culture in Tamu Besar Festival which is normally held in October in Kota Belud town. They even dress up their horses!

6. Kadazan Papar

I wonder who designed the traditional costume of Kadazan Papar. It’s so cute and “flowerish”. The lovely girl costume looks neat and modern. Kadazan Papar women wear a short jacket with gold or silver buttons over a white blouse, and their knee-length black skirt is decorated with a horizontal and vertical cross-stitched panel lined with gold thread. Gold or silver trimming is used on the seams.

Kadazan Papar couple

The mini conical hat is made of fine bamboo strips and features coloured feather-down or artificial flowers at the top to show the wearer’s marital status. Feather-down for the single lady and flowers for the married woman. Another hint is the silver  belt (antique British trade dollar), unmarried ladies wear four and married wear two.

The flowers of Kadazan Papar

If no feather or flower, the woman is widowed, grandmothers or elderly ladies then.

7. Dusun Tindal

Influenced by culture of Bajau Sama in the same district, Dusun Tindal is also the most colourful Kadazandusun sub-ethnic group. Just look at the girl costume, 3-colour slashed and flared sleeves from the elbows, rainbow-like beads girdle around the hips, and also embroider on their arms and hem of the skirt. To add more colours, in formal occasion they also carry sunduk, a multi-color hood with embroidered border.

Dusun Tindal people from Kota Belud

On top of colours is extensive use of metallic elements: line and line of gold or silver trimmings and sequins are sewn into their blouse and skirt, two to four Himpogot (or Simpogot) silver-dollar chain belts on the waist, one or more of kuapu (a round embossed silver tobacco container made by the Bruneis) are worn around the neck on a silver chain.

Close up of Dusun Tindal girl dress

Dusun Tindal has brought the creativity of native fashion to the next level. You would be surprised that Dusun Tindal extracts fibre from a wild banana or pisang lanut (Musa textilis) which is processed into a coarse yarn for weaving their skirts, jackets and headwear.

8. Sea Bajau

While Bajau Sama in West Coast of Sabah has the best horse-riding skill, Sea Bajau (or Suluk) in East Coast is an expert of seafaring. Also known as the Sea Gypsies, Sea Bajau spent most of their time on the boat and sailed around the sea of South East Asia. Now they are not as nomadic and many have called Sabah their homeland.

Sea Bajau girls in Lepa-Lepa boat

Similar to Bajau Sama, Sea Bajau is also a fan of bright colours. Their dresses are almost fully covered with colourful patterns, and gold / silver trimmings, sequins and embroidery. Sea Bajau dancers wear long gold or silver fingercovers, to show their fingers dance.

Sea Bajau girl dancer

Backed by beating of drum and kulintangan (small brass gong) music, the dance of Sea Bajau is one of the most mesmerizing in Borneo. They shake and move every part of their bodies, combine with rich facial expression to dazzle you, even to a seductive level. To see more of Sea Bajau, don’t miss the Lepa-Lepa Festival in April every year in Semporna.

The traditional costume of Sea Bajau is really fancy and shout “Look at me! Look at me!”

9. Dusun Lebou

Dusun Lebou (or Lobu) is a sub-ethnic of Kadazandusun lives in Sook (in Keningau district of Sabah interior). Their big woven cloth (called Binaduan) takes a month to weave and consists of different Rungus motifs and even some Dayak motifs from the southern part of Borneo. The complete costume is 2 pieces of woven Binaduan sewn together to create the front and back covers. Binaduan is used in skirt too.

Dusun Lebou girls from Sook

The size, design and complexity of Binaduan is simply astonishing. Men’s costume has a finer motif called Inambau. Unfortunately, the last person who knows how to weave Inambau has passed away. The traditional costume of Dusun Lebou is complex and special, but this art can go extinct.

Binaduan cloth of Dusun Lebou

In old days, married woman with child was not allowed to be a Binaduan weaver. The story was:- a mother was too engrossed with weaving Binaduan from morning until night that she accidentally starved her baby. Devastated, she forbade any married woman to weave Binaduan. The ban was lifted later so more people can pass on this heritage.

Back view of Binaduan is as beautiful as butterfly wings

10. Lundayeh

Most Sabah Lundayeh lives in Sipitang, Tenom and Long Pasia. Different to other groups who mostly use black as main colour, white blouse and black skirt are the signature wear of Lundayeh ladies. Lundayeh men wear jackets made of tree barks called kuyu talun.

Smile of Lundayeh girls, so sweet. Marry one?

Traditional costume of Lundayeh people is simple, but sharp and catchy

Bead cap made entirely of beads (it can be glass, carnelian and other materials) is worn by every Lundayeh woman. In the past, only upper class ladies could wear bead cap. Other key accessories are multi-strand necklaces, silver waist belts, and colourful bead girdle wrap around the hip. Overall it’s a very clean and stylish traditional costume.

Cute Lundayeh flower girls in Sipitang

That’s all! Have you seen other beautiful costumes that desire to be featured here? What’s your top 10 list? Please share it in comment section below.

Now you can see that Sabahans are totally different breed of Malaysians. Put all 200 traditional costumes together and we can make a Sabah version of Wakanda movie.

Sabah has enough beautiful costumes to film Wakanda. Sakanda anyone?

To learn more about traditional costumes of Sabah, you may visit Chanteek Borneo Indigenous Museum in Tamparuli, which showcases wide array of costume dolls, and it is awarded the title “The First Miniature Indigenous Museum” in the country by Malaysia Book of Records. Want to rent a traditional costume? You can browse Sabah Cultural Board website.

Reference Books

  • “An Introduction to the Traditional Costumes of Sabah” – January 1, 1997, by Rita Lasimbang and Stella Moo-Tan
  • “The Beliefs and Practices of the Kadazandusun-Murut Natives of Sabah” – 2017, by John Seet

Ngiu Chap (Mixed Beef) of Kedai Kopi Loi Hin (来兴茶室)

2 Replies

Do remember the name Ngiu Chap, if you want to have “a taste of Sabah”. Literally Ngiu Chap means “Mixed Beef” (牛杂 in Chinese), which is a mix of beef slices, tendon, tripe, meat ball, liver and tongue cooked in yummy beef broth. Usually we eat it with Mee (yellow noodle) or Mee Hoon (rice noodle).

There are many Sabah restaurants serving Ngiu Chap. Personally I recommend Kedai Kopi Loi Hin (来兴茶室 in Chinese) in Donggongon town, about 10 KM away from Kota Kinabalu city (KK). Loi Hin has been making one of the best Ngiu Chap in Sabah for over 40 years.


Pic: Kedai Kopi Loi Hin (来兴茶室), “Kedai Kopi” means Coffee Shop.

Kedai Kopi Loi Hin is listed as one of the “100 Best Kopitiam of Malaysia” published by Tourism Malaysia. (Kopitiam means Coffee Shop)


Loi Hin is open from 7am to 3pm daily, and it’s always full during meal time.


Pic: worker preparing Ngiu Chap


Pic: Ngiu Chap served in different style. Most people order Ngiu Chap Mee (yellow noodle in beef soup, 牛杂汤面 in Chinese).


Pic: the food menu
Each bowl costs about RM10 (≈USD2.30), RM12 (≈USD2.70) if you request “ka-liau” (extra meat). *Prices as of Feb 2023.


Loi Hin is a typical Chinese coffee shop. Besides Ngiu Chap, you can order hot and soft drink such as coffee and tea here.

Pic: Ngiu Chap Mee (Mixed beef soup served with yellow noodle, 牛杂面 in Chinese)


Pic: close-up of Ngiu Chap Mee

As always, it’s delicious, with tangy aroma of beef, and the meat is fresh. The spleen tastes a bit raw and fishy though. The hot soup is the best part, it’s thick, as if they cook the whole cow in soup (just kidding). Usually I take one or two spoons of soup to excite my taste buds before eating.


You also can ask them to serve Mee Fong (white rice noodle, 米粉 in Chinese). The rice noodle is thinner and taste less oily.


By default, the noodle is served in soup. Order Kon Lau (dry noodle style, 干捞 in Chinese) if you prefer the Ngiu Chap soup served in separate bowl.

Below is the location map and contact of Kedai Kopi Loi Hin:


View My Sabah Map in a larger map

Address: Block H, Lot 8, Ground Floor, Donggongon New Tonwship, Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Phone No.: +60 88-712136

Loi Hin has 3 branches in KK, opened by the sister and brother of the owner, Mr. Yong, at Donggogon, Foh Shang (behind Millimewa supermarket) and Inanam (also behind Millimewa supermarket).


Pic: the Donggogon branch is less than 50 Meters away from the main shop.

Photos taken in Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Kiss of Fishes from Tinopikon Park of Moyog River

2 Replies

Water is the source of life. However, keeping a river clean and thriving with lives is one of the most challenging tasks. Nowadays, most rivers are polluted and their ecosystem is unsustainable, as most people is only interested in being a taker. You will see how nature rewards “givers” when you visit Tinopikon Park (Tagal Taman Tinopikon) next to Moyog River, located in Kampung Notoruss, a village 12 Kilometers away from Donggongon town (see location map).


Pic: a friendly village dog welcoming me at the hanging bridge

Tinopikon Park is less than 50 Meters away from the road and highly accessible. Last week I drove about 30 minutes from Kota Kinabalu city, parked my car at the roadside, walked 5 minutes, crossed a suspension bridge and the park was right in front of me.


Pic: Tagal Taman Tinopikon at Moyog River

Most of the population in Kampung Notoruss are Kadazandusun (largest indigenous group of Sabah) and Murut (headhunter tribe in the past).

Tagal = No Fishing Zone

On the bridge, I noticed something astounding in the river. There were dozens of big fishes swimming near the shore. Due to over-fishing, river teeming with fishes is really rare in Malaysia.


The secret word for this success is Tagal, which means “prohibition” in Kadazandusun language. The river is managed by local community / village and fishing is prohibited. You will be fined if you are caught fishing in Tagal area.


Pic: Besides me, there were other visitors who were also impressed by such view and came by the river for a closer look.

Tagal system is a simple concept initiated by a few riparian communities of Babagon in 1997, fishing and littering are prohibited in protected section of river so it allows the fishery to flourish. Villagers are also not permitted to cut the tree and extract stones around the river. As a result, the fishes came back after 2 years and the river was restored to near-pristine condition.


Pic: fishes went frenzy when children fed them with fish pellets

Tinopikon Park covers an area of 15,000 Sq. Meters, all the fishes here know that they are safe and not afraid of human. Instead, they all swam to us wanting us to feed them. To be practical, Tagal area is divided into three 1-KM-long zones, namely, Green Zone (fishing is allowed for own consumption), Orange Zone (fishing is permitted at an interval set by Tagal committee) and Red Zone (as generator of fish stock, fishing is totally prohibited).


Tagal is such a successful conservation and rehabilitation project that Sabah Fisheries Department also implements 511 Tagal zones in nearly 200 rivers in 17 districts of Sabah since 2000! This is a perfect example of how local people can manage and protect the natural environment. Sadly, Tagal never takes off in Peninsular Malaysia.


The fishes are so tame that you can touch and even catch them by hand. When seeing swarm of fishes coming to them like piranha, some visitors were scared at first. Then they found that those fishes are toothless Pelian (official name of Kelah fish in Sabah, a type of Mahseer. Species: Tor duoronensis). The fishes suck our skin with soft mouth, so it is like kissing us. Soon everyone walked into the water to enjoy the “fish massage”. Pelian fish only lives in clean river and it tastes really good, so it is also known as the Gem of the River.

Below is a video showing us having fun with the fishes:

Eat

After we were busy feeding the fishes, the villagers also prepared a lunch buffet to feed us. Everything we experienced in Notoruss Village is 100% “kampung” (village) style. The people are from local community and not actor. They are very friendly villagers and soon we mix well together.


The villagers cooked some delicious food consisted of rice, fresh meat and vegetables. They used firewood so the food has nice aroma, the smell and taste that reminds me of the food cooked by my grandparents in old days.


Pic: traditional food served in coconut shell.


Pic: lunch buffet near to Moyog River


Pic: my food in coconut bowl. Note the rice is hill paddy, more healthy.


Pic: enjoying fresh food, fresh air and fresh water next to river.

Play

With so much energy to spend after lunch, we tried some traditional games such as blowpipe and lastik (slingshot).


Pic: blowpipe was used to be the hunting tool and weapon of headhunters


We also walked 20 minutes on a nature trail to a waterfall nearby. The village is surrounded by lush forest so itself is a park. When I was a boy, I was used to explore the wood with my cousins like “wild kids”. The big nature was our playground, in contrast to young people today, who spend most time exploring virtual world with fingers.


Finally we reached Tombokou Waterfall. Frankly the scale is not impressive, but the waterfall pond looks so inviting. During hot day, it’ll be really refreshing to soak myself in this pond and enjoy a couple of beers with friends. The villagers told me that there was a big waterfall named Wasai Waterfall about 15 minutes away from this pond. They will open the trail soon.

Experience Kampung Life


We also toured around the village and visited some houses. It is a very peaceful place and our presence is welcome. All houses here are build on high stilts to avoid flood and prevent unwanted animals to enter. Most villagers are farmers and many work at office in town too. Every house has a piece of land and I don’t see any fence, a typical Sabah village but foreigners would be surprised.


Pic: The rats in village are so big that they need a giant mouse trap. Just kidding, it’s a trap for squirrel. To you, squirrel is cute. To farmer, squirrel is a pest which can drill a big hole in Durian.


Pic: rubber tapping demo by villager. The white latex from rubber tree was the “platinum blood” of Malaysia in the past.


Pic: pineapple and sugercane from the village. The villagers let us had a taste of their fruits, when we moved from house to house lol.


I drool whenever I see the photo of this green pickle fruit. It is super sour with a slight taste of fresh grass, best if taken with a bit of salt or belacan (shrimp paste). I strongly recommend you to take one if you feel sleepy in a meeting, sure will wake up all your senses, haha.


Want music? Just hit the gong. From the expression of the locals, we know we need more practice.


Dancing Sumazau would be easier. Sumazau is a Kadazandusun dance that imitates the movement of bird in flight. Master it and you can call yourself a half-Sabahan.

Relax & Swim

Moyog River is one of the most beautiful rivers in Sabah, so I spent some time checking it out. Despite the hot day, the tree shade and cool breeze at the riverside make this a nice spot to relax.


The big rocks on river bank indicates that this is an upstream river. Note the water is a bit greenish due to the natural minerals, a sign of clean river.


The river further upstream at Tinopikon Park is shallow (up to chest level) and suitable for swimming. It is like a huge swimming pool with running water, but without Chlorine.


There is a section with cascading mini waterfalls, where you can sit and enjoy the natural Jacuzzi.


Thank you Janice and Hock Song for inviting me to this wonderful trip.

AJ Best Travel is the authorised operator who offers this 3.5-hour experience (9:30am-1pm) to be a kampung folk at Tinopikon Park. The tour will be available in April 2014 and you may contact AJ Best Travel for detail (see contact below):
Address (office): Lot 7, 2nd Floor, Block SH9, (MDP SH9-7-2), Taman Suria Shop Apartment Phase 1B, Jalan Penampang 88300 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Email: ajbestsb2013@gmail.com
Tel / Fax: +60 88-702878
Mobile Phone: +60 17-8623833
Facebook: ajbesttravelsb (many nice photos)

The fee is RM160 (≈USD48) for adult, RM140 (≈USD42) for child and free for 4 years and below. The program includes entrance fee, Fish SPA, Kampung games, visit kampung house, trekking to waterfall, kampung meal with sumazau dance performance.

More Photos

You may check out my photo album if you want to see more pictures:

Photos taken in Penampang, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Mee Sup Pipin: in Love with Sabah Noodle Soup

2 Replies

In Sabah, if you cook really good food, no matter how far you “hide” your restaurant, food lovers will find you. Though soup noodle is very common in Kota Kinabalu city (KK), the only place that can make me drive over 10 KM for its soup noodle is Mee Sup Pipin.


Pic: Mee Sup Pipin 1

“Mee Sup” means Noodle Soup. Pipin is the name of the restaurant.


You would be surprised to see such a plain setup for this famous eat out spot. No fancy decor, just some tables and chairs under the zinc roof, a very village style environment. The place is clean and quiet, and their customers also look very laid-back and enjoy their food slowly, unlike the noisy and busy restaurants in the city.


Pic: the food menu and pricing (Note: USD1≈RM3). The Noodle Soup is RM5 (≈USD1.70) for regular size, RM6 (≈USD2) for extra serving.
*Price as of Nov 2012

Besides Noodle Soup, you can order other side dishes such as Tauhu (Stuffed Tofu), Sup Tulang (Bone Soup), Cucap (Mixed Pork & Ear) and Kaki Ayam (Chicken Feet). I wish to order ALL!


Pic: the friendly cook busy preparing food

Ok, enough with the introduction, let’s EAT!

Pork Noodle (Cucap)

Mee Sup Pipin makes many great dishes, the first item that I strongly recommend is their Pork Noodle (or Cucap Mee Hoon, ???? in Chinese).


Pork Noodle (Cucap) consists of rice noodle (also known as Mee Hoon) served with sliced pork meat, heart and (clean) intestines in hot pork soup.


The soup is clear, without thick layer of floating oil, and the meat is fresh too. My stomach told me that the serving was not oily.


Pic: close-up of Cucap Pork Noodle

You can see that the ingredients are simple. However, the meat and noodles are cooked with good timing to bring out their best taste. In other places, I often got noodle soup with overcooked or undercooked noodle.


Pic: fresh pork meat for making cucap

Ngiu Chap Noodle (Mixed Beef)

Another item that also appears in words of mouth about Mee Sup Pipin is Ngiu Chap (or Ngau Chap, ??/?? in Chinese). Ngiu Chap is different parts of cow cooked in beef soup. Tendon, tripe and tongue have little taste by nature, but they become a delicacy with interesting textures, after they absorb the delicious beef soup.


Pic: I always order Ngiu Chap Mee Hoon (Mixed Beef with Rice Noodle Soup).
Note the green Calamansi fruit at the edge of the bowl. When I’m half-done, I will squeeze a bit of sour Calamansi juice, to give the Ngiu Chap Noodle Soup a new taste.


Their Ngiu Chap is pleasing to eyes as well as tongue. Every item tastes different but complement well to one another. The meat is well-marinated, so it looks dark, tender but slightly salty though.


Pic: you may add aromatic fried pork fat chips into Ngiu Chap for thicker taste. I always do.

Stuffed Tofu

The best selling side order which goes well with your noodle soup is Tauhu (Stuffed Tofu, ??? in Chinese).


I’m not kidding you. They make hundreds of Tofu every day to feed the hungry customers.


You can tell from the photos above that it’s extremely smooth and soft.

Direction to Mee Sup Pipin

Mee Sup Pipin is in Kampung Inobong (Inobong Village) of Donggogon, about 10 KM away from KK. Below is the location map:


View My Sabah Map in a larger map


Pic: If you head to Tambunan on Penampang-Tambunan road, you see will this junction at your right, about 4 or 5 KM after Donggogon town. (Update (Mar 2014): the signage is no longer there)


Pic: Turn right to the junction, you will enter a narrow village road. Just take second left turn.

There are two Mee Sup Pipin next to each other. The first Mee Sup Pipin that you will see is open by the family of the owner. They only open from Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm. Both restaurants are selling the similar dishes. Some says the taste is different but I haven’t tried theirs yet.


The one that I talk about is Mee Sup Pipin 1. They open every day, from 7am to 3pm (may open before 6am during weekend). Their phone no. is +60 16 8302088 (Contact Person: Christina @ Onong).


Goodness… I want to go to Mee Sup Pipin again after I write this. :-P~ *mouth watering*

Photos taken in Donggogon, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Ngiu Chap Beef Noodle of Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant (精華冰室)

2 Replies

Opened by a Hainanese named Wong Whue Fong in 1961, Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant (精華冰室) has been selling delicious Ngiu Chap (Mixed Beef, 牛什 or 牛杂 in Chinese) for over half a century. Your grandparents or parents may have tried it. If they keep up the current standard, I have no doubt Cheng Wah can open for another 100 years.


Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant is run by Wong family. For those who look for the most traditional Sabah Ngiu Chap, they will be sent here by words of mouth.


Pic: the aromatic Ngiu Chap soup evidences that it’s good stuff.

In general, Ngiu Chap (or Ngau Chap) is beef broth consists of stew meat, tendon, omasum, tripe, intestine, tongue, heart, spleen, liver and other parts of cow / buffalo. Different restaurants have different formula and spices in making Ngiu Chap.


Once you try Ngiu Chap, you will never forget the taste and will constantly crave for it. If you don’t believe me, just ask your Sabah friends overseas which food they miss the most, and they will prove me right. Unfortunately, Sabah Ngiu Chap is unique, and you can’t find the same flavor outside Sabah, even in West Malaysia.


Normally, we enjoy Ngiu Chap as noodle soup. You can choose noodles such as rice vermicelli (米粉), yellow noodle (面) and Pho (河粉). I chose Pho this time, as shown in photo above.


You can’t overcook beef, or you will end up chewing Ngiu Chap that is as hard as shoe skin. The Ngiu Chap of Cheng Wah is tender but not too soft.


I also like their broth, which is neither bland nor salty. The soup tastes like a mix of beef and chicken soup (though no chicken meat is added), with mild smell of pepper.


Pic: the food menu of Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant (prices as of Nov 2012)

Standard Ngiu Chap noodle costs only MYR5.50 (≈USD1.83). You can try other variety of Ngiu Chap such as soup-only, dry noodle style and meat-ball only. If you are big-eater, you can order extra noodle or meat (for additional price).

How to Get There

Kedai Cheng Wah Restaurant (精華冰室) is located in Lido Penampang, about 6 KM away from Kota Kinabalu city.


The full address of Cheng Wah is:
Ground Floor, Lot 8, Block A, Taman Che Mei (Lido Township), Jalan Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Below is the location map of Kedai Cheng Wah:

View My Sabah Map in a larger map


Opening Hours: 6:30am – 10pm daily
They rest two days a month (no fixed date). Before going, you may call them at +60 88-222831 to confirm if they are open.


I hope you will be sitting at one of the tables there for a great Ngiu Chap soon.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo