Lobster Sashimi and Crab fried rice

Lobster sashimi with miso soup

Crab meat Fried Rice

Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah state in northeast Borneo, is rightly famous for its seafood. With a coastline of 1440km, Sabah has an abundance of sea creatures that can be turned into the most delicious dishes by skilled chefs. While it is cheaper to eat at the cities closer to the source (Sandakan, Kudat, Semporna, etc), Kota Kinabalu does have the most numerous seafood restaurants. For good and cheap seafood, make friends with the locals and beg them to take you to their favourite place. If not, you will just have to make do with what’s in the city centre and listed in the tourist brochures (no less tasty mind you, just more expensive).

*Ps. Please note that shark fin soup is banned in Sabah, and try not to order those rare (and expensive) fishes that are getting rarer and rarer.

For a rough figure of how much you are going to spend, here are the photos and price of the recent meal that I had with 2 friends.

Restaurant: Ocean Seafood Village (next to Promenade Hotel)

City: Kota Kinabalu

Telephone: 088-264701

Costs:

0.75kg king lobster RM210

1 plate Sabah Vegetable RM20

1 plate Crab Meat Fried Rice RM20

3 plates of peanuts and papaya appetizers RM6

3 pieces of  wet towels RM1.8

2 bottles Tiger beer RM38

10% service charge RM29.58

6% government tax RM17.75

Total: RM343.15

Bull elephant kills Australian woman tourist in Borneo

Sourced from The Star

Published: Wednesday December 7, 2011 MYT 6:16:00 PM

Bull elephant kills Australian woman tourist in Borneo

By DURIE RAINER FONG

KOTA KINABALU: An Australian woman tourist taking pictures was gored to death by a bull elephant in Sabah’s east coast Tabin Wildlife Reserve.

Jenna OGrady Donley, 26, a Sydney-based veterinarian, was attacked by the elephant, which was apparently startled by the sounds of the camera’s shutter and flash, in the 6.30am incident on Wednesday

Witnesses claimed that she could not flee in time as the elephant suddenly charged at her while her woman companion and guide escaped in the attack at this 123,00ha wildlife reserve about 100km from Lahad Datu town.

State Wildlife Department director Dr Laurentius Ambu said the women and their guide had gone to a nearby mud volcano and decided to take the wildlife trail on their way back to the resort.

Ambu said the group had gone off the trail to snap photographs of the wild elephant, which he suspected was a single bull.

Single bull elephants normally isolate themselves and their behaviour is difficult to predict and often dangerous, he said, adding people should keep their distance from such elephants or any wildlife for that matter.

Ambu learned that the women had stopped about 10m from the animal and started clicking away their cameras.

This might have provoked the elephant which suddenly turned around and charged at them, he said, adding the others escaped but the woman could not as she was the closest to the animal.

He said police are investigating the matter, adding the woman’s remains have been sent to the Lahad Datu hospital for an autopsy.

Tropical fruits of Borneo

Granny fends off croc attack with a mean punch

Sourced from The Star online

Friday October 28, 2011  A 63-YEAR-OLD woman from a longhouse in Sibuti, near Miri, socked a crocodile in the eye and escaped being eaten alive by the reptile, Harian Metro reported. Lumeit Entabang was bathing by the banks of Sungai Bakas, not far from her home in Rumah Empading, when she felt a sharp bite on her left hand. She was then dragged into the water. “All I could do was scream,” she said. “The crocodile let go of my hand and then grabbed my left thigh. “Quickly and with all my might, I hit it right in the eye with my clenched fist,” she said, adding that the punch caused the reptile to loosen its grip and flee to the opposite bank. Following the incident, residents of the longhouse and nearby villa-ges held a miring ngampun ceremony, a traditional Iban ritual to pacify any spirit or jungle creature that the community may have offend-ed. Villager Jackson Gawing, 63, said the Ibans believed that the crocodile had a spiritual relationship with the community but some people might have offended the reptile by killing baby crocodiles that got stuck in their fishing nets. The injured Lumeit said that although her village had been supplied with piped water, she continued to bath and wash by the river as she had done for the past 60 years. “But I’m never going near the river again,” she said.

Smallest frog in Asia

From a lost frog to a frog the size of a pea…

Sourced from MSNBC 25/8/2010

Indraneil Das / IBEC via ReutersA specimen from a miniature frog species named Microhyla nepenthicola sits on a tip of a pencil. The frog was found on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo.

        One of the tiniest frogs in the world, and the smallest ever seen outside of North and South America, has been discovered in the forests of the Southeast Asian island of Borneo.

The pea-sized amphibians (Microhyla nepenthicola) were found near a mountain in Kubah National Park.

Read more at MSNBC

More about frogs:

Top 10 most wanted frog rediscovered

First lungless frog discovered in Borneo

Top 10 most wanted frog rediscovered

Doing some research on frogs to broaden my knowledge and what do you know, frogs are interesting! This is the first of my few frog discoveries.

Sourced from http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14151541 14 July 2011

Lost rainbow toad is rediscovered

Prior to this sighting, the toad was last spotted in 1924

A colourful, spindly-legged toad that was believed to be extinct has been rediscovered in the forests of Borneo.

Scientists from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) found three of the missing long-legged Borneo rainbow toads up a tree during a night time search. The team had spent months scouring remote mountain forests for the species. Prior to these images, only illustrations of the toad had existed. These were drawn from specimens that were collected by European explorers in the 1920s.

Conservation International, which launched its Global Search for Lost Amphibians in 2010, had listed the toad as one of the “world’s top 10 most wanted frogs”.

Read more at http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/14151541

More frog news

Smallest frog in Asia

First lungless frog discovered in Borneo

Kudat Chinese Temple

A Chinese temple in Kudat town, the northernmost town in Borneo.

Tabin Wildlife Reserve photos

Place: Tabin Wildlife Reserve

Things to do: Spot wildlife, bird-watching, walk in mud, stay in jungle lodge.

Why you should visit: Best place to see the smallest elephant in the world (Bornean Pygmy Elephant)

Ratings: **** If you love wildlife, this is one of the places you must visit in Borneo

Click on photos to enlarge

Photographers

Lipad Mud Volcano

More mud

Roads

Lodges

Tabin Riverside Lodges

Detailed information on everything you need to know can be found at Tabin Wildlife Reserve’s website

Beautiful Caterpillar

Who needs to turn into a butterfly when the caterpillar is this beautiful?

Found near entrance to Kinabalu Botanical Garden in Kinabalu Park.

First lungless frog discovered in Borneo

Here’s another animal to add to your must-see rare species in Borneo list

Name: Bornean Flat-headed Frog

Scientific name: Barbourula kalimantanensis

Found in: Kapuas River, Kalimantan

Why you want to see this: Only frog known to have no lungs

read more about it here

More about frogs:

Top 10 most wanted frog rediscovered

Smallest frog in Asia

Photo: Dawn at Lake Sulaman

Fish in bottle

Saw this in Tuaran’s Sunday tamu (market)

Fish-flavoured drink?

Bajau girl in mangrove forest

Mount Kinabalu panorama

 

Mount Kinabalu as seen from Nabalu village.

Where to see orang utans in Sabah?

Just as the kangaroo and koala are symbols of Australia, the orang utan is the symbol of Borneo, and inevitably, everyone wants to see this red ape. Unfortunately, you won’t see them crossing the street next to you in Kota Kinabalu anytime soon. There are only a few places where the orang utan can be seen. In Sabah, the following places are where you can catch a glimpse of this adorable animal.

1. Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre

The largest orang utan rehabilitation centre in the world, Sepilok is located about 30 minutes drive away from Sandakan and offers the visitor the best chance to see the orang utan in the wild. Feeding sessions are held twice a day, once in the morning at 10am, and once more in the evening at 2pm. Numbers vary from 20 to none at all, depending on whether the orang utan is able to find food on their own or whether it feels particularly lazy on that day and prefer a hand-out.

2.  Danum Valley

If you prefer totally wild orang utans rather than semi-wild ones, Danum Valley is one place where sightings are possible. Whether you are able to see the orang utan or not really depends on luck. I would say there is a 50-50 chance.

3. Kinabatangan River

Another place where wild orang utans can be sighted. Don’t get your hopes up though.

4. Shangri-la Rasa Ria’s Nature Interpretation Centre

There are a couple of juvenile orang utans being taken care of by the staff in this resort, located about 45 minutes from Kota Kinabalu. Feedings are also held twice daily, and sightings are almost guaranteed. However, priority is given to in-house guests and during the peak season, it can be quite difficult to get a booking. Entrance is RM50 for in-house guests and RM65 for outside guests.

5. Lok Kawi Wildlife Park

“Orang utans in a zoo? We have that in our country too.”

I know, but if you really want to see the orang utan, this is one place where 100% sighting is guaranteed. They make an appearance at the animal show too, and despite the negative connotations of a zoo, Lok Kawi Wildlife Park is actually not that bad.

And last, but not least

6. Near Roundabout outside Wisma Tun Mustapha

Really, no orangutans at all? No worries, you can always pretend to be one.

Malaysian Desserts

ABC at Gayang Restaurant

 

Sexy Lady orchid

one of the many (and definitely the best-named) tiny species of orchids found in the Botanical Garden in Kinabalu Park

Local Fruits

Local/English name: Rambutan

“Rambut” means hair in Malay, and the name aptly describes this local seasonal fruit. The flesh inside is transparent white in colour and completely covers the wood-like seed. It is sometimes difficult to completely remove the flesh from the seed. Rambutans look and tastes like lychee, but is sweeter and very juicy.  Tastes even better when it is refrigerated.

Taste: 8 (out of 10)

 

Local/English name: langsat

A small oval-shaped fruit, about the size of the circle that you make with your thumb and index finger. A bit sourish, compared to the rambutan. The greenish seed is bitter, so be careful not to bite into it. The latex from the fruit leaves your hand sticky after eating it.

Taste: 6.5 (out of 10)

Bambangan

Local/English name: Bambangan

A mango disguised as a coconut. The skin colour is similar to a husked coconut, but one touch and you will know the difference. Peel it, and it is even more apparent. This mango-like fruit tastes like a very sour mango, and is therefore seldom eaten as a fruit, but rather it is used in cooking when you want to add a sour taste to your dish. Cut up and mixed with its grated seed to be sold in bottles in local markets in Borneo. A fruit very common in Borneo, but not found in Peninsular Malaysia.

Taste: 3 (out of 10)

orang utan shovelling sand

Further proof that orang utans know how to use tools.

This orang utan was seen playing with a shovel and using it to scoop sand.

Now if we can only get her to start building a house.

Tycoon sends jet to S’pore for durian purchase

Sourced from The Star

Wednesday July 14, 2010

THE Musang King durian from Malaysia has proven to be so delicious that Stanley Ho, who is Macau’s Gambling King, sent his personal jet to pick up 88 durians from Singapore.

China Press reported that Ho bought about RM4,800 worth of the durian from the 818 Durian Stall in the island republic.

Ho then shared the king of fruits with his friend Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing by giving him 10 durians.

The daily reported that Ho’s worker wanted to buy 98 durians but only managed to get 88 as supply was low due to adverse weather.

In Singapore, the Musang King durian costs about RM38 per kilo, the daily reported