Tag Archives: Photography

Best Window Seats for Sabah’s Scenic Views In-Flight

Sabah, often referred to as the land below the wind, is a mesmerizing mountainous state in Malaysia. Its breathtaking landscapes are easily recognised from the planes soaring through the skies. Even on short flights from Kota Kinabalu City (KK) to destinations like Sandakan, Tawau, and Lahad Datu, which take less than an hour, the journey is an exhilarating experience from takeoff to landing, offering a plethora of sights to behold.

Route map of domestic flights in Sabah, from Kota Kinabalu City to Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau, and the landmarks and towns that they pass through. The actual paths are not necessary a straight line.

The side of the plane you select, whether right or left, determines your in-flight views. Below are the routes starting from Kota Kinabalu City (KK), so consider this guide when choosing your window seat. If you’re heading to KK, opt for the opposite side for optimal views.

Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan

The left-side view of the KK to Sandakan flight provides the closest vantage point to Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia’s highest mountain, and the town of Kundasang at its foothill during domestic flights.

The best aerial view of Mount Kinabalu and Kundasang town can be seen from the planes flying between Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.

As your plane approaches Sandakan city, the left side also affords a superior view of the Kinabatangan floodplains, recognized as the largest RAMSAR site in Malaysia—a wetland celebrated for its ecological and biodiversity significance. On the return journey from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu, make sure to switch to the right side for the optimal view.

Kinabatangan River is the second longest river of Malaysia

Tawai Forest Reserve under the plane flying to Sandakan

Kinabatangan Floodplains of Sandakan

Sepangar (or Sapangar) Port and Bald Hill (a.k.a. Bukit Botak / Bukit Gundul / Bukit Gentisan)

For planes heading to east coast, you need to sit on the left side to see Mount Kinabalu. The plane passes by this majestic mountain in about 10 minutes.

Gayang Bridge and river in Tuaran

Sepangar / Sapangar Port and Navy Base in Menggatal

Kinabatangan River is the largest Ramsar site of Malaysia, a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

Kinabatangan River is 560 KM in length, making it the second longest river of Malaysia

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Kota Kinabalu to Tawau

Though the KK to Tawau flight is farther away from Mount Kinabalu, this route offers much more to see. Passengers seated on the left side will still catch a glimpse of Mount Kinabalu. Additionally, as the plane passes by Tawau Hills Park, fortunate passengers on the left side may witness the ancient volcanic mouth of Mount Maria amidst the dense Borneo rainforest.

I once captured 20 panoramic photos of Maliau Basin and stitched them together to create this breathtaking panoramic shot, making it one of the best aerial photos I’ve taken.

For those frequent local travelers who might be accustomed to the sight of Mount Kinabalu, consider switching to the right side during the KK to Tawau flight. From this perspective, you might be treated to a view of Maliau Basin, also known as Sabah’s Lost World. This geological wonder resembles a vast meteorite crater when viewed from the sky. However, keep in mind that luck plays a role as Maliau Basin is often shrouded in clouds.

Oil Palm Vs Rainforest

Crocker Range in morning mist

View of Mount Kinabalu from the flight to Tawau

Maliau Basin, aka Sabah’s Lost World, encircled by cloud

Can you spot the volcanic crater in Tawau Hills Park?

Oil palm plantation of Tawau

Nypa swamp surrounded by oil palm

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No matter which side you sit on, as the plane approaches Tawau, you’ll see vast expanses of oil palm plantations, with pockets of forests nestled within them.

Kota Kinabalu to Lahad Datu

The view from the flight from KK to Lahad Datu is not bad at all. On clear days, passengers on the left side are treated to the majestic sight of Mount Kinabalu in the background, with the picturesque paddy fields of Tambunan, often referred to as the Switzerland of the East, in the foreground.

View of Mount Kinabalu and Tambunan from the plane. You can see the valley with green paddy fields.

However, if you find yourself seated on the right side, don’t be disappointed. You’ll have the privilege of gazing at the multi-peaked Mount Trus Madi, the second-highest mountain in Malaysia. Additionally, the right side offers a bird’s-eye view of Danum Valley, one of the oldest rainforests in the world.

Mount Trus Madi (or Trusmadi), the second highest mountain of Malaysia. It’s a bit difficult to spot this mountain.

The lush and hilly Tawai Forest Reserve in Telupid

Taking off from KKIA airport. You can see Mount Kinabalu at the right.

A small forest surrounded by oil palm in Lahad Datu

To Kota Kinabalu City

Planes destined to land at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) treat passengers to a scenic journey along the coastline of KK City. During this approach, travelers are afforded views of popular landmarks, including the islands of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Jesselton Point, the bustling Waterfront, the iconic Sabah State Mosque, Sutera Harbour, and Tanjung Aru Beach.

Gaya Island is the largest island of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park off Kota Kinabalu City

For first-time visitors to Sabah, this aerial route along the coastline of KK city centre provides an excellent preview of the charm and vibrancy awaiting them in this captivating destination. It sets the tone for an exciting and memorable experience in Sabah.

Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur

For flights departing from Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) bound for destinations outside of Sabah (e.g. Kuala Lumpur), they often make a turn around Gaya Island. If you happen to be seated on the left side, you’ll have a higher chance of spotting the “Smiley Islands” formed by the arrangement of Manukan, Sulug, and Mamutik Islands.

The Smiley Islands, next to Gaya Island, is formed by a group of islands (i.e. Manukan, Mamutik and Sulug).

General Tips

Choose daytime flights for better lighting. There is no aurora borealis in Sabah so nothing for you to see in night flight.
For photography enthusiasts, pay a little fee for a window seat located near the front or rear of the aircraft to minimize wing obstructions.
Larger aircraft, such as the Boeing 737, offer better views compared to smaller ones like the turboprops commonly used by MASwings.
The multi-layered windowpane will impact the quality of your photos, resulting in haziness, blurriness, or distorted colors. Using a professional camera to shoot in RAW format will help you a lot in the post-processing.
Keep your expectation low. Just sit back, relax, and let the beauty of Sabah unfold beneath your wings.

You can see Mount Kinabalu clearly at KKIA (Kota Kinabalu International Airport) especially in the morning.

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Batu Luang, the Rock that ate the Bride

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I was astonished when a famous photographer from West Malaysia showed me some stunning photos of Batu Luang, a bell-shaped rock located in a beach of Kuala Penyu. Batu means “Rock” in Malay language, and Batu Luang means “Luang Rock” literally.

Photo by Muhammad Adzha, under Creative Commons License

Batu Luang is surrounded by mossy green rocks, sea, pebbles, rusty-red rockface, and caves, when one or more of these being framed into a photo during orange-hued dusk, you will get one of the most amazing sunset shots of Sabah.

Nice sunset at Batu Luang (high tide)

It is funny that it’s non-Sabahan who introduced Batu Luang to me. Anyway, I’m excited to check out Batu Luang near Tempurong Beach (or Pantai Tempurung). The rock is very accessible and near to the main road in Tempurung Village.

Walking to Batu Luang. The hills at both sides look like a giant gate, or the parents of little Batu Luang

The beach and hills are covered by cobbles and pebbles

Batu Luang Beach

The view is better than what I saw in the photos online, which show only a small part of the beach. The beach and rockfaces are covered by pebbles in different size and shapes. There are 5 or 6 caves at the base of the hills there. The biggest cave can fit in 10 or more people, other caves are more like a hole.

The pebble beach and cave around Batu Luang

Batu Luang may look small in photos. Actually it’s over 12 Meters high and the only big rock standing in the sea (as far as we can see).

Small caves at the base of hill, created by coastal erosion

Though Batu Luang is a new hot spot for local photographers, there is no hotel, restaurant, parking lots and toilet nearby. Occasionally you would see some local youngsters frolicking there in hot days, or a few photographers taking photos during dusk, Most of the time you would be the only one at the beach.

Splendid twilight hour at Batu Luang

Therefore, Batu Luang Beach retains its beauty of untouched nature. It has some special geological features which are uncommon in Sabah. For example, the rustic-red color of the rockfaces are so magnificent when they are painted over by golden sun ray in late afternoon.

Legend of Batu Luang

The beautiful Batu Luang has a tragic story about a newly-wed couple. Many years ago in Kuala Penyu, after the wedding celebration at the bride’s home, the couple walked to the house of bridegroom with their families in a fine morning. When they were approaching Batu Luang, the sky turned dark, and they were hit by heavy rainstorm.

Batu Luang rock in the morning

Therefore, they ran and took shelter in a cave at Batu Luang. When the storm was over, the group moved out from the cave. The couple was the last to exit. Suddenly, the cave collapsed and closed, the bride was the last person on the way out. The bridegroom grabbed her hands trying to pull her out. Unfortunately, her hands slipped and left the wedding ring in the hand of her husband. She was sealed in the cave forever.

Ladies at Batu Luang Beach (better stay away from the cave LOL)

The locals say sometimes they can hear woman crying inside the rock at night. So sad… On positive side, the bridegroom doesn’t need to buy a new wedding ring if he remarries.

View of Batu Luang rock from inside a cave

According to a local blog by Muzaffar Libon Jueh, there is a part two for this story. The bride was trapped in the cave and alive. The villagers tried everything to open the cave but unsuccessful. Then a bird flied by and chirped, like saying, “Poke with a needle then it’ll open.” However, the people there just scoffed and ignored it. After 7 days of trying, the villagers gave up, so was the bride. She handed over the wedding ring to her husband through a small opening, asking him to forget her. She was then locked inside forever and marry to the guardian spirit of the cave, and became an angel named Kasum. If you bump into a pretty girl playing at Ara tree on top of the hill near Batu Luang, she could be Kasum.

The small shrub on Batu Luang reminds me of Batu Burung (Bird Rock)

However, this sounds like a “modern” legend because Sabah had no such thing as wedding ring a few hundred years ago. Very likely parents make up this story to scare children, so they won’t go playing around Batu Luang, which can be dangerous due to a few reasons. The water at Batu Luang Beach can be quite deep during high tide, and the current is strong.

Interesting rock formation and rocks covered by green algae

Furthermore, they could be hit by falling rocks from the loose rockface above. Our people also believe exploring cave would disturb the “Bogeymen” dwells inside, hence the warning they would be eaten alive by cave and become the next Batu Luang.

A Beach that Rocks

Batu Luang is not the only interesting rock here. Just look around and you will be fascinated by variety of rocks at the shore.

Shingle beach of Batu Luang

Most of the rocks at Batu Luang Beach are cobble with round edges, after being moved and tumbled by sea waves over time.

Batu Luang and surrounding pebbles covered by green algae

The most intriguing rocks are those covered with green algae. These rocks are only present from January to June, the months when monsoon washes away the sand that buries them.

Cool conglomerate near Batu Luang

The conglomerate deposit on rockface and the beach is another highlight of Batu Luang Beach. Conglomerate is made up of rounded pebbles glued together, formed by the lithification of cobble-size rocks and gravel.

The rockface and caves of Batu Luang are unique

To me, the conglomerate cemented with round pebbles looks like dinosaur eggs fossils. This is the first time I see such rock formation in Sabah.

Batu Luang during high tide (with conglomerate rocks in foreground)

The conglomerate is really nice, like a piece of art, so I joked to my friends that I wanted to bring some home. The moment I finished talking, a few rocks fell right in front of me. We have to watch our mouth in the wild, because “something” might be listening. Ok then, I took nothing but photograph.

Mimic the expression of the rock |-O

Tour around Batu Luang

Batu Luang is a public beach, so anyone can go there. It’s safe for children to explore around under the care of adults.

Batu Luang during sunrise

The only problem is the tiny blood-sucking sandfly. Its bite can stay itchy for days. Try to cover as much exposed skin as you can. There are not many sandfly anyway.

Sunset shot at Batu Luang Beach

If weather permits, you can have wonderful picture and welfie moment during sunset.

Beach around Batu Luang

Part of the beach is rocky, so you better wear shoes.

Villagers fishing at Tempurong Beach

There are a few villagers living near to the beach. You might find them catching fishes in the morning.

Children stroll on the beach

At another side of Batu Luang is a vast area of sandy beach. The waves are quite strong, so don’t go too far away from shore.

Family fun at Tempurong Beach and Batu Luang

Beautiful rockface and cave

The old folks say there was used to be a deep cave at Batu Luang in the past, which they believe hidden with a lot of treasures, but the cave has disappeared. You may try your luck there. Just watch out for falling rocks when you explore the caves.

There are many small caves around Batu Luang

The biggest cave at Batu Luang Beach

Exploring the big cave

How to get there

Batu Luang is about 120 Km away from Kota Kinabalu City (KK) and 14 Km away from Kuala Penyu town. Its GPS location is 5.524541, 115.523986 (see Location Map or 3D Street View).

Turtle roundabout before Kuala Penyu town

There is no public transport that reaches Batu Luang, so you have to get a taxi or drive on your own for 2 hours. If you depart from KK, you will reach a roundabout with turtle statues (about 10 Km before Kuala Penyu town). Turn left to the direction of Menumbuk.

Junction to Batu Luang

After 1.5 Km, turn right to the junction with the signs (see photo above) that read “JLN Kasugira BT Luang” and “Selemat Datang ke Kg. Gorowot” (opposite to Rumbia Information Center).

You can see Batu Luang from the road

Then follow the road sign to Tempurung Golden Beach Resort, and you will see Batu Luang at your left after 4 to 5 KM. The place is highly accessible by asphalt road in good condition. You can park your car at the roadside and walk 100 Meters to the beach.

Photos taken in Kuala Penyu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Traditional Food that makes Sabahans drool

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As necessary as the air we breathe and just as instinctive as going to sleep. It wouldn’t be an understatement to say it’s been around since the dawn of man, but looking at the food we consume in day to day, one does start to wonder – how did our forefathers live without that finger lickin’ good stuff. Every now and then, we should really lay off the grease and try something more natural. In this article, we give our taste buds an adventure and explore our traditional food.

Bambangan

Bambangan is a seasonal wild mango fruit which the local indigenous people enjoy. The bambangan is a spherically-shaped, orangey fruit covered with brown skin. When ripe, it can be peeled and eaten similarly to how you would a mango fruit.

Pic: Bambangan fruit

What makes it special is the variety of ways it can be consumed. Commonly, the bambangan is pickled or cooked with fish. The unripe bambangans are usually made into “Pinasakkan” (steamed) with fish and the ripe ones are fried with salted fish. The bambangan seed is usually grated, mixed into the flesh, and eaten.

According to the locals, there is a significant change of taste when eating the bambangan with grated seeds. The bambangan is a seasonal fruit, thus you won’t be able to get it all year round. When it is in season however, they can be found in the local wet markets.

Pic: Bambangan fruit cordial is available for sale. Now you can enjoy Bambangan juice.

Tuhau

The tuhau is not a dish per se, but think of it as an ingredient. It is a type of ginger which is shaped like a small stick-like figure. First time eaters might find the tuhau’s odor very repelling, but many who have endured the smell find that they become very fond of the taste, in a very weird way the smell soon behaves as the precursor to the deliciousness of the tuhau.

The tuhau stem is used in many dishes, mainly fish. Tuhau is usually minced into smaller bits, it can then be fried with salted fish or mixed into the “Pinasakkan” fish. The tuhau can be bought at almost all local wet markets and are available all year round unlike the bambangan.

Hinava

Think of Hinava as the Kadazan / Dusun version of sashimi. The Hinava is mainly made of minced fish marinated with lime long enough to “cook” the fish. The citric acid kills the bacteria in the fish, and “cooking” it at the same time. Pretty smart for a traditional dish don’t you think?

The hinava is usually mixed with other ingredients such as onions, grated bambangan seeds, or ginger among other things. Hinava is usually available during festive celebrations.

Unfortunately, because of its short shelf life and stock of ingredients, the hinava isn’t sold. If you’re lucky to visit Sabah on Kaamatan or participate in a Kadazandusun celebration you might be able to get your hands on some hinava. But do not fret! We at breeze have another way for you to to get your hands on the hinava during non-festive seasons.

You can contact the people at Tagal Tinopikon Park and request for some hinava to be prepared for you. Placing your order a week early would be preferable as they will need time to gather the ingredients.

This write-up is contributed by Andro Matthew Anthony Sandor (Thank You Bro!). You may visit his Youtube channel “Bah palan palan” for more content:

Pic: Tuhau and Bambangan pickles are available for sale at countryside stalls along the roads to Ranau, Kundasang, Tambunan and Keningau.

Pic: Tuhau (red) and Bambangan (yellow) pickles. Please note Bambangan is seasonal.

Traditional Food Drawing

The following are more beautiful illustrations of traditional food in Sabah drawn by Tan Sheauling (陈俏绫), a talented Sabah artist and an old friend of mine. Please click the drawing for bigger picture and more detail.

Ambuyat (Sago)

Bambangan Fruit

Butod (Sago Worm)

Hinava Salad

Kuih Jala

Sayur Campuran

Tapai Wine

Tuhau Ginger Pickle

Basung Fish

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Borneo KellyBays and the Beauties

About 30 KM from Kota Kinabalu, somewhere in Tuaran there is a “secret” paradise between a river and the sea. Some heard about this beautiful place but they can’t describe it, b’coz few locals have been there. Borneo KellyBays (or Kellybays in short) is special b’coz it’s probably the only Sabah nature attraction that lays between sea and river.

Borneo KellyBays is in Laya Laya Village (Kampung Laya Laya) of Tuaran. At the edge of the village, there is a boardwalk that leads to the jetty of Borneo KellyBays.

At the jetty, you will see a wide river between you and Kellybays. Even during low tide, the river is about 3 to 6 feet deep and you can’t walk across it. That’s why Borneo KellyBays looks so “mysterious” to uninvited guests. Normally they don’t take walk-in tourist, so you need to book the tour in advance.

You can look at the map below for the location of Borneo KellyBays and its jetty. The map also clearly shows that Kellybays is between river and sea:

View My Sabah Map in a larger map

Above: the wooden rafts of Kellybays.

If you have booked a tour, they will send a wooden raft to pick you up at jetty. Once you are on-board, you are their VIP.

Last month I had a photography outing with 19 gorgeous ladies at Kellbays. They are the contestants of Miss Oriental Beauty Pageant, which aims to promote local modelling talent in the fashion industry on modelling run-way show and exposure in beauty pageant. It was an enjoyable experience b’coz both models and photographers have more space and privacy, as there is no Uncle Bob, busybody and weirdo around in the private beach of Kellybays.

Though we didn’t have blue sky that day, the overcast sky in the morning offers very pleasing soft light. And it’s not too hot (except the hot models) so everyone was very relax and had lot of fun. What is better than photo-shooting sexy bikini models in beautiful beach?

The photographers and models are divided into a few groups for photo-taking in different spots in rotation. The beach of Kellybays stretches 8 KM long overlooking the South China Sea with sandy bay and forested coastal, so there are plenty of nice background for framing the shots. In fact, many overseas models have come here for photography.

The mangrove forest and river at the other side is also great for photography. The models are experienced and know how to pose for camera. FYI, quite a distance away is an estuary where the river and sea meet. Looking afar, it is like a dragon tail, that’s how Kellybays got its Chinese name ??? / ???, which is literally translated as “Dragon Tail Bay”.

For the promotion of Kellybays, the models also tried batik painting, one of the favorite activities of tourists.

Then we photo-shoot the models playing volleyball. Everyone is happy, whatever ball they look at..

Finally we could enjoy Malay buffet lunch at the floating restaurant of Kellybays after work. I really love their seashell cups for fresh fruit juice. The owner, Stephen says these are special-made and not found anywhere else. He ordered 200 units, but the guests like it so much that they “borrow” it (without asking), so there are only 100 left.

The restaurant is facing the lush mangrove forest and clam river, so you can appreciate the nice scenery while having your drink.

Above: the mangrove and river at Kellybays

Mangrove has abundant fishes and crabs. You can try crab fishing in the river there. Just throw a net with bait in it, withdraw the net after a few hours and you would find seafood inside.

There are many things you can do at Kellybays.

For example, you can laze on the sandy beach for a sunbathe.

If you are drowsy after heavy lunch, you can take a nap on the hammock and enjoy the gentle sea breeze.

Kayaking in the river to blend yourself into the nature.

Or ride a water bicycle on the river…

Ok, ok, I know the activities above are too “slow” for you. You want something Fast and Furious right? Try their Banana Boat then! Personally I call it “Torpedo”.

Don’t look down this banana-shape rubber boat.

At first a speed boat will pull the banana boat for a leisure cruise. See! You can go hand-free.

Then the boat will go faster and faster, you will feel like riding on a missile and scream your lung out.

Lastly, the boat will purposely make a sharp turn in high speed. Everyone will be thrown out of the banana boat and dash into water.

Don’t worry. It’s perfectly safe. The girls will survive.

Guess what? The babes are so thrilled being dumped and they want MORE.. so bold and sporting huh. You can have as many rides as you want.

It had been a happy day but we had to say goodbye. FYI, the Miss Oriental 2012 beauty pageant is still on. If you want to see those pretty girls, you may visit D’Junction Fun Pub (Address: Batu 3, Jalan Lintas, Penampang) at 9pm on the following dates:
20 Apr 2012: Special appearance (preview night with Burlesque theme)
27 Apr 2012: Grand Final
Come and support your favorite girl! For enquiry, contact D Junction representatives at +60 88-703131.

To visit Borneo KellyBays, head to Tuaran, after passing by the junction to Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort, drive a few more Kilometers on the main road and you will see the direction signage of KellyBays. Just follow the little signages along the way and zig-zag on the small road of Laya Laya Village to reach the jetty. You can browse their website at www.kellybays.com for more info.

You may Click Here to see more photos of Miss Oriental at Borneo Kelly Bays. I also post some photos of Miss Sabah Photo Fest models on last page, which were taken in year 2011 at Kelly Bays.

More Photos

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

Photos taken in Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Part 8 of 8. Trip to Maliau Basin – Conclusion & Notes

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Continued from Part 7

You can skip this if you are not interested in visiting Maliau Basin. This is the last blog entry for my Maliau Basin trip. It is more like some post mortem records that might be useful for anyone who plans a trip to Maliau Basin.

Notes for Travellers

You need to be reasonably fit to go to Maliau Basin. The terrain is rugged and trail is not tourist-friendly. If you are too exhausted, you won’t be able to enjoy the view. You don’t need to be as strong as a hunk. A few months of regular exercise before the trip will help a lot.
Control your water ration during jungle trekking. Sip a bit for every 500 Meters to 1 KM. If you take big quantity of water at a time and you sweat heavily, your body will ask for more water, drinking too much then you will sweat more and lose more body salt. Later you will find that no matter how much you drink, your body is getting weaker. At last, you run out of water and suffer dehydration. Bring a few packs of rehydration salt (costs only RM0.50 per pack) with you to replenish salt if necessary.
Reduce the weight that you carry. For example, I had only 2 set of clothing in 6 days. I wear the “dirty set” during daytime trekking, wash it in the evening and leave it to dry over the night, and another “clean set” is for bed time.
You can save some $ if you don’t ask the travel agent to cook for you. In that case, you must have a good cook in your team, and that person should be an experienced cook who can plan the menu and ration the food quantity accordingly. It’s stressful if everyone is really tired and hungry but doesn’t know how to cook a proper meal.
The trip will be much more enjoyable if there is a botanist, birdwatcher or naturalist joining you, as they can point out all the unique things in Maliau Basin. It is quite a sad thing to pass by those rare flora & fauna, without knowing that they are worth a closer look. The rangers speak very limited English. I’m afraid they can’t tell you much unless you can speak our local language.
Start the trekking early in the morning and walk slow. You can walk slowly if you start early. Besides, it is a bit warm in the afternoon. Even the most photogenic place will look less ideal for photography if we get there in the afternoon, due to the harsh afternoon light.
If you only want a short trip and ask me what are the “must-see” attractions in Maliau Basin, I will say (1) Maliau Falls and (2) Heath Forest (many pitcher plants).
I will go to Maliau Basin again. Next time I want to visit (1) the 12 hectares Linumunsut freshwater Lake, (2) Takob-Akob Waterfall, and (3) Garden of Eden (currently inaccessible due to land erosion. They say it looks like Japanese garden full of flower).
There are only 5 ways to get cheaper tour package to Maliau Basin:-
(1) going in big group, you can get nearly 50% discount if your group is big, say, 10 people.
(2) DIY. Try to do everything yourself, e.g., cook your own meal, use own transport, don’t use porter.
(3) Write-in to Yayasan Sabah (Management of Maliau) to waive various fees such as permit, photography and guide. You can try this if you organise trip for education, tourism, government or NGO sector. But no guarantee they will approve.
(4) Malaysians get cheaper price than foreigners. For those foreigners who like to complain about the discriminating pricing, well, many Malaysians study in overseas universities and pay expensive school fees in “international rate” for a few years. I don’t see any problem to charge foreigner tourists for higher price.
(5) The prices offer by different travel agents in different time can vary greatly. You need to shop around for the best deal. But cheap doesn’t mean good. You have to be careful of the hidden cost.

Notes for Photographers

Below are some advices for the photographers. Even compact camera users will find the guide below contains very useful tips:

You need a permit to photograph in Maliau Basin. Mine was waived so I am not sure how much it costs. But I heard that it is very expensive. Anyway, it may sound unreasonable to stop a tourist to take photo, so I don’t know how strict this is enforced. Do ask if you want to photograph Maliau.
Tripod is a must, though it adds extra weight to your back. You will really appreciate it for waterfall and landscape shots. Under the forest canopy is also a dark world. My sturdy Manfratto tripod is 2 Kg. At first I bought a mini 1Kg-tripod to replace it. Then I decided to bring the best tripod. My extra effort did pay off.
If possible, organise the trip with a group of photographers. If you go to Maliau Basin with ordinary travellers, they will not wait for you to setup tripod and spend a long time to shoot an object. Non-photographers are also lack of motivation to wake up and move earlier, so you cannot earn more time for taking photos along the trail.
Taking photos needs a lot of energy. Exercise as much as possible, to make sure you are physically fit. If you are really fit, you can afford to stop by to photograph, then catching up with the group who always leaves you behind. Do not forget you need to carry heavy camera and tripod.
Use LCD Screen Protector for the LCD of your camera. It is only RM50 (about USD$15). I am glad I did because it did stop a severe damage to my LCD. In long hours of jungle trekking and climbing in hostile terrain, bad thing can happen to your camera anytime. Just treat this RM50 as an insurance for your fragile camera.
Bring spare batteries, and a lot of them. Instead of spending a few thousands to buy too many DSLR camera batteries, you can buy a battery grip, which costs RM300 to RM500 (about USD$90 – 160), then buy many AA batteries, which can be used for your camera (and external flash). For this 6-day-5-night trip, I finished all 50 AA batteries. In Maliau Basin (except Maliau Basin Studies Center), the camps have no power point for you to recharge your batteries.
Get the best AA batteries. I was using Energizer brand AA batteries. I found that its Ultimate Lithium battery (blue & silver color) can last 3 to 4 times longer than its ordinary alkaline battery (black color). Though Ultimate Lithium battery is very expensive (RM8 each) compared to ordinary black Energizer battery (RM2 each), I recommend you to cut down your weight by using more Ultimate Lithium batteries. Though holding more power, surprisingly this Lithium battery is half the weight of ordinary alkaline battery. I was annoyed that 6 ordinary alkaline batteries (for battery grip) could not last even one day.
Bring more memory cards. Without enough memory card, extra batteries are also useless. It’s better to have spare memory cards, especially if you shoot in RAW format. The less you worry about memory constraint, the more you shoot and the more likely you will get more good photos. Make sure you format the cards before the trip. Instead of buying one big memory card, it is safer to buy a few smaller cards. For example, it is better to buy two 8GB cards than one 16GB card. If your single big memory card damages, you lose all eggs in a basket.
You can hire a porter to carry your camera bag. But you should keep some spare memory cards and batteries with you. The porters understand very limited English. Even though I instructed them a few times to stay close with me, they “disappear” when I was out of memory card or battery!
Raincoat is necessary. Raining is very common in Maliau. In case of rain, the raincoat will protect your camera from the rain. And make sure your camera bag comes with a rain cover. If your porter carries your camera bag, show them the rain cover so they know how to keep your camera bag dry in rain.

If you are interested to go to Maliau Basin, you may contact Borneo Nature Tours for more info.

Photos taken in Maliau Basin, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

All Articles of Maliau Basin Trip:
Part 1. Introduction to Maliau Basin
Part 2. Day 1 in Maliau Basin
Part 3. Day 2 in Maliau. Trekking to the 1st camp
Part 4. Day 3 in Maliau. Maliau Waterfall
Part 5. Day 4 in Maliau. Entering the garden of pitcher plant
Part 6. Day 5 in Maliau. Skybridge & Night Safari
Part 7. Day 6 in Maliau. Leaving Maliau
Part 8. Conclusion & Notes

More Photos

You may check out my Maliau Basin photo album for more pictures:

BONUS! More new photos of Maliau Basin…

F2000 Powerboat Race

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It was my good and bad day. I had to photograph the event for my company even though I got flu. We don’t have F1 in Sabah but we have our second F2 powerboat race at Waterfront of Sabah. The best thing was we didn’t need to buy any ticket to see the world cup. The day was so hot that I almost got stroke and forgot my name.

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Anyway, I still enjoyed the show. It took only about 30 minutes for the powerboats completed 35 laps on the sea. There were more than 10 powerboats competing and below are some photos of them.

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Colin Jelf from Great Britain won his 3rd world champion. You may google the net for result and more news.

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There was a prize presentation and farewell dinner in Le-Meridien Hotel later that day. I have included them in the photo album. I lost my tripod in the hotel coz I left it in the ballroom after the event. I checked with the hotel next day but it could not be found anymore. So unhappy though it is only a cheap tripod. I suspect it was stolen by the someone there, but I don’t have the proof. Just be careful with your belonging lah if you go to any function in that so called 5-star hotel.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Hot shots in Tanjung Aru Beach

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It was a great photo opportunity at Tanjung Aru Beach, but the bad weather spoiled it. The rain was on and off. I didn’t realise that my lens was wet until the photos started to seem blur. After shooting thousands of sexy photos in the past, I thought I already “immune” to bikini models. My nose bleed again that day.

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The models have become sexier and more daring nowadays. The photographers became so wild that we simply shot and forgot all about photo composition, exposure, angle, etc. I wonder if there were photographers from porn magazines among us, as there were always some weird requests.

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The nice thing to work with experienced models is that they know how to pose and we don’t need to give them a lot of instructions. There were some familiar faces who were very relax and some new faces who were a bit tense.

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Hundreds of photographers with limited number of models, so you could imagine how packed it was. The flash never stopped, so I practically can take photos without flash (stealing light from others). Usually the photographers started taking photos from a distance. But there were always one or two idiots walked to the front and blocked the view, so everyone had to move nearer and nearer to the models, so close that everyone was blocking one another. Well, what to do.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Shoot the Models

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Just a blog about the photo shooting at Tanjung Aru First Beach on last Tuesday afternoon. This was part of the activity in FAPA (Federation of Asean Photographers Association) Congress 2008. There were 30 models to be shared by hundreds of photographers. As a warm up, we started with a few models dressed in traditional costumes (Bajau, Suluk, Kadazan).

The sky was cloudy and we even spotted a “tornado” in the sea some KMs away from us. This was reported in local newspaper later. Look scary but the local fishermen would say this is not something uncommon during rain storm season. I darken the photo below so you can see the wind spiral clearly. It ended only a few minutes, though I hope it could become huge. Actually it is a “waterspout ” not tornado.

Anyway, this did not put off our passion. Shooting just continued. The female models haven’t finished their make-up yet, so we started with 15 male models first. I think they are the finalists of super model competition.

Well, I am not quite interested in male. But I shot a few just to feedback my female readers. Frankly, I was not sure if they were wearing underwear or swim short. It was so…. tight.. For ladies, it may look very man and sexy, but I got to wash my eyes, to see clearer! Haha…

After that, we had dinner and watched firework, all sponsored by DBKK. There were some cultural shows, but honestly I could not see them coz dozens of eager photographers, who thought they were made of glass, blocked the view to take photos of dancers. At first, I had high respect to those photographers whom I assumed were very well-educated art people. Seeing their inconsiderate and self-fish behaviours that night totally spoiled the impression. Kurang ajar…

Hmmm… did I leave out anything? Wait ah. I will blog about it.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

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