Lure of Kota Belud
A trip to the town considered as the gateway to the heartland of ethnic Bajaus offers an eyeopening experience for Zuliantie Dzul
“TO 10 million fireflies, I’m weird ‘cause I hate goodbyes. I got misty eyes as they said farewell.”
The song Fireflies by Owl City is playing through my head as the boat that I’m in cruises slowly along the Rampayan River in Kota Belud, Sabah.
The moon is so bright that its reflection on the water makes it appear as if there are two moons The night is silent; the only sound to be heard is coming from boat’s engine, whirring steadily through the calm water.
The “co-pilot” of the boat stands up and switches on his flashlight, aiming it at the dark forest along the riverbank.
The mangrove trees are illuminated in the beam of his torch, followed by cries of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ coming from our boat. The mesmerising sight of the winged beetles known for their bioluminescence truly excites city folks like me and my travelling companions.
The young man moves the flashlight in a circular motion and suddenly, some of the fireflies make a beeline for the boat, like a moth to a flame. Excitedly, we reach out to catch some of the lightning bugs.
This is certainly turning out to be the highlight of this trip, which is part of the packed itinerary prepared for a group of media to this quaint little town in Sabah, organised by the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation.
I’m here in the Land Below the Wind to participate in the craft trail programme where we will get the opportunity to explore the craft heritage of Kota Belud and meet with the artisans involved in the project called Projek Kraf Kampungku.
As the boat glides slowly across the river, my mind recalls the long journey we’ve had since arriving at Kota Kinabalu International Airport earlier in the morning.
After a hearty lunch near the Bandaraya mosque, we had made our way straight to Kota Belud which is about 1½-hour’s drive from the capital. The need to recuperate after a long journey intensifies by the hour and now we’re here on this boat. My derriere is already sore from sitting too long.
Thankfully, our friendly organisers decide to turn back after only about half an hour on the boat. We bid farewell to the fireflies and make our way back to the jetty and to the waiting vans which will take us to our lodging.
REST AND RESPITE
Our accommodation is located at the coastal line of Kota Belud. Called Chalet Bonda Rasmin, it’s situated in Kampung Rampayan Laut, 20km from Kota Belud town.
The room by the beach which can house four people offers basic necessities such as towel and soap. But be prepared to do some old fashion bathing — using a gayung
(water dipper) and a pail because of the low water pressure.
We wake up to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. Although it’s only 6.40am outside it’s already bright and sunny. Pine trees stand tall along the white sandy beach, their branches swaying gently in the ocean breeze.
It’s rather disappointing that the beach is beyond our reach as the place is all fenced up and the gate is locked. We can only enjoy the view from behind the barbed wire fence.
Our next destination is Melangkap village, located about half an hour’s drive from the town of Kota Belud. We will be staying the night at Laini Homestay, which is run by a couple who teach at a school nearby. The view is simply amazing, surrounded by mountains and a river with such clear water running right across it.
The double-storey house consists of five rooms for two, three and seven people and comes with a kitchen. The nearest restaurant is in town and we quickly regret not buying any groceries which we can whip up for our dinner. To travel along the mountain road at night can be rather challenging.
But we didn’t allow our disappointment to spoil what we do have — a view that’s totally to die for from our room on the upper floor. With our phones in hand, we excitedly snap away at the magical scene of the highest mountain in the Malay Archipelago — the majestic Mount Kinabalu. The soothing sound of water from the river is like music to my ears and temporarily I’m lulled into a state of bliss. “Kinabalu, kau ternama, kau memuncak tinggi awan. (Kinabalu, you’re well-known, you’re peaking at the highest cloud.),” I happily sing the song from my primary school Music class as I snap more photos of the gorgeous view before my eyes.
RAFT TRAIL
The name Kota Belud is derived from the town’s bloody history. In the past, hostilities arose between the different people from the different villages in that area.
To defend themselves, the Bajaus found a place on a hill to survive the attacks. In the Bajau language, Kota Belud means “fortress on the hill”, the word kota being defensive fort, and belud, a hill.
Today, Kota Belud is fast becoming a popular district to visit in Sabah. The population is made up of the Bajau, Dusun
and Iranun community, with the Bajau being the largest.
The Bajau people are known for their horse-riding skills, which is why this quaint little town is also dubbed the Land oftheCowboysoftheEast.
This picturesque town is also the bastion for traditional artisanal products. Some of the artisans we’re visiting on this trip are from the Bajau community.
In Pengkalan Abai village (1½-hour’s drive from Kota Kinabalu), a 34-year-old Bajau woman is continuing her family’s legacy of woven craft using the leaves of the Serdang tree (the trees resemble palm trees).
Our van effortlessly navigates through a narrow kampong road. Cows blithely wandering the roads are a common sight here in Kota Belud. We finally reach the house which is hard to miss as there’s a brown signboard (brown signboards indicate a tourist destination) in front of the house that reads “Kg Pengkalan Abai, Anyaman Serdang”.
We’re greeted by a young bespectacled woman who introduces herself as Syarifah Artini Ajman. She’s the third-generation entrepreneur we’ve come to meet.
I notice a vast array of colourful woven crafts such as the traditional tudung saji (food cover) and boxes of various sizes displayed on the table by the porch. The colours yellow, purple, green and pink make up the Bajaus’ unique colour palette.
We’re transfixed by the way a group of elderly women are weaving the dried Serdang leaves to make food covers, which we learn can take up to a few days to complete. Another Bajau craft is the parang (machete) forged by Ebin Adim, a 78-year-old Bajau craft master who lives in Siasai Kupang village, a 15-minute drive from Pengkalan Abai.
On the table in his shed located next to his wooden house lies an array of machetes, keris, knives and swords of different lengths.
The handles and covers boast different carvings and motifs, such as dragon and pucuk rebung (bamboo shoot).
Ebin happily shares with us the many usage of parang in the Bajau community back in the days, such as to clear the land and sometimes as a weapon of war.
With a tight schedule to follow, we bid goodbye to Ebin in order to continue our journey.
END OF THE ROAD
The best way to get acquainted with the culture and lifestyle of the locals in any country is surely by visiting the markets.
When in Kota Belud, check out the town’s Tamu (means meeting). In the olden days, there were no supermarkets or shopping malls, so farmers, fishermen and hawkers would gather every week to barter their wares.
The town’s Tamu is definitely worth waking up early for on a Sunday. An open-air market, which operates as early as 6am until 2pm, it’s a kaleidoscope of vendors, hagglers and hawkers selling their produce.
From fresh produce to delicious local kuih such as the pinjaram (a round sweet cake with chewy texture) and kuih cincin (ring biscuits with crunchy coating and sweet nutty and chocolatey filling), you will find vendors proudly displaying their goods and offering cheap bargains that you’ll find hard to resist.
Meanwhile, the stalls aren’t just made up of plastic tables and big colourful umbrellas. Here, they comprise wooden sheds, giving them a unique and traditional feel. It’s hard to leave this place emptyhanded. By the time we return to our van, all of us are armed with plastic bags, elated with our purchases.
The Sunday market is our final stop on our Kota Belud sojourn. It’s with heavy hearts that we leave this charming little town.
There are plenty of memories made, and I definitely can’t forget the view of Mount Kinabalu, now immortalised in my phone. Just like those pictures, I hope the beauty and rich heritage of Kota Belud will never be lost in time.