{"id":2030,"date":"2012-07-29T18:54:29","date_gmt":"2012-07-29T10:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/?p=2030"},"modified":"2021-01-14T19:15:35","modified_gmt":"2021-01-14T11:15:35","slug":"things-to-do-in-telupid-the-heart-of-sabah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysabah.com\/wordpress\/things-to-do-in-telupid-the-heart-of-sabah\/","title":{"rendered":"Things to do in Telupid, the Heart of Sabah"},"content":{"rendered":"

Telupid is a small town in the central of Sabah. I’ve stopped by Telupid for meals many times, when I was taking long-distance bus to East Coast. In the past, I didn’t care about Telupid, because it looked like another undeveloped remote area in Sabah. However, a few pioneers in tourism sector start to uncover the astonishing nature and historical values of Telupid in recent years.<\/p>\n

\"mountains<\/p>\n

\"location<\/a>
\nMost tourists visit Kinabalu Park<\/a> at the west and Kinabatangan<\/a> at the east. The Heart of Sabah remains unexplored for decades.<\/p>\n

\"Unduk
\nOur State-Level Unduk Ngadau 2012 (Harvest Festival Queen)<\/a>, Melinda Louis, is also from Telupid. That makes me want to see her hometown too, hehe..<\/p>\n

\"forest<\/p>\n

\"Telupid\"<\/p>\n

Though Telupid is not big, it has turned from a few shoplots to a scale of town over the years. It is a peaceful area surrounded by forested mountains. Probably Telupid is far from sea, it is hotter than Kota Kinabalu in sunny days. Below are a few activities that you can do nearby Telupid.<\/p>\n

Microwave Hill (Bukit Microwave)<\/h3>\n

The sunrise and sunset views in Telupid are spectacular. The best location to see these is on the forest fire observation tower (Menara Api Jabatan Perhutanan Sabah) of Microwave Hill (Bukit Microwave), only 20 minutes by car from Telupid town.<\/p>\n

\"forest
\nPlease note that this tower is locked and managed by Telupid Forestry Department. The tower is meant for monitoring forest fire and not for public access. You need to contact Telupid Forestry Department (Tel: +60 89 521743) during office hours to get the permission to access.<\/p>\n

\"tower
\nThe Microwave Hill is about 422 Meters above sea level and the observation tower is about 20 Meters in height. It takes quite a bit of effort to climb up there.<\/p>\n

\"on
\nPic: a nerve-wracking view for height phobia
\nDon’t worry, the tower is made of steel and concrete, rock solid enough to support 10 people.<\/p>\n

\"green
\nPic: I saw a poisonous green viper on the tower. It’s a myth how and why it got there. It is locally known as “Ular Kapak” (Axe Snake), a deadly snake.<\/p>\n

\"view
\nYou can get a breathe-taking view of mountain, forest, river, plantation and Telupid town on the tower. However, if you come in early morning, the surrounding might be too misty for you to see anything.<\/p>\n

\"ultramafic<\/p>\n

\"forested<\/p>\n

\"lush
\nPic: misty Ultramafic forest of Tawai in the morning.
\nEnjoy the view. Sabah has more forest than you think.<\/p>\n

\"view
\nThe reason this hill is named Microwave Hill is because there are a few telecommunication towers here. 3G broadband is available for Celcom and Maxis network subscribers.<\/p>\n

Photos of Telupid during sunset:<\/p>\n

\"rain
\nPic: thunderstorm approaching Telupid<\/p>\n

\"rain
\nPic: rain in Telupid<\/p>\n

\"sunset
\nPic: sunset at Telupid<\/p>\n

Meliau River (Sungai Meliau), the Cleanest River of Sabah<\/h3>\n

The Tawai forest near Telupid is a protected water catchment area free of pollution, and the clean mountain streams flow into Meliau River (Sungai Meliau).<\/p>\n

\"crossing
\nLast week I followed the tour organized by North Borneo Safari<\/a> to get wet in the cleanest river of Sabah. The starting point is only 10 minute drive from Telupid town.<\/p>\n

\"ready
\nPic: briefing before the river walk. You can see two photographers at the right busy looking for pitcher plant, which is abundant on the slope.<\/p>\n

\"pitcher
\nPic: Mirwan our guide found a Nepenthes.<\/p>\n

\"big
\nPic: a big Nepenthes rafflesiana<\/em>. Pitcher plant is everywhere around this area due to the infertile ultramafic soil.<\/p>\n

\"heart-shaped
\nPic: a heart-shaped pitcher plant. Be careful when handling pitcher plant, its lid (cover) is very fragile.<\/p>\n

\"Meliau<\/a>
\nAt this point, you may think this place has no big deal. However, foreigners appreciate this pristine river earlier than we do. The Meliau River is chosen as one of the filming sites for Danish reality show titled “Girls Off The Beaten Track” and broadcasted by Tv2, Denmark’s biggest television network. Basically, 7 spoiled high school Danish girls were sent to this area to test their jungle survival skills, something far beyond their comfort zone.<\/p>\n

\"walking
\nPic: river walk along Meliau River
\nIf I’m an advertiser, I’ll surely pick this river for any mineral water ad, as it’s sooooo…… clean.<\/p>\n

\"crossing
\nPic: crossing the river
\nEveryone didn’t really want to get wet first. After soaking our body in the cooling water during hot day, we felt great about it and minding no more. The river can be up to 1 Meter in depth, so bring a waterproof bag for your stuffs.<\/p>\n

\"No
\nWe had a bit of fun at the “No Name” waterfall near to the river. From the smiles of those ladies, you know they enjoy it.<\/p>\n

\"clean
\nThe emerald-color is the sign of clean river, unlike the milk tea color of other Sabah rivers. <\/p>\n

\"crystal
\nI feel the urge to drink the water right away.<\/p>\n

\"swimming
\nPic: this shot is perfect if they are in bikini
\nThey say there are small fishes biting them.<\/p>\n

\"splash!\"
\nPic: SPLASH!!! An ad by Spritzer LOL.<\/p>\n

\"enjoying
\nWhat? Call me for another date at this river?<\/p>\n

\"going
\nAfter the refreshing shower, we walked back to starting point.<\/p>\n

\"enjoying
\nThe next best thing – cold drink after cooling ourselves in river. You may contact North Borneo Safari<\/strong> at www.northborneosafari.com<\/a> for a river tour.<\/p>\n

Below is the location map of all the places I mention:
\n