Unfortunately Sharon came down with an upset stomach and flu bug. As she had been talking to the porcelain telephone all night with very severe gas pains, she decided to stay at the apartment. I left with Mahani for her house in Kundasing and Mount Kinabalu around 12:30 pm. We had lunch of noodles and fish soup at the Kidi Kopi Dat Sing restaurant, the same restaurant we had previously had lunch. As my back was still painful, I stopped off at a local pharmacy and picked up some aloe vera jelly to put on my back when we reached our end destination.
We made our way to Tuaran where the road turned off to Sandakan on the east coast to the left and Mount Kinabalu to the right. Mt Kinabalu is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. It rises to a height of 4,101 metres (13, 455') above sea level. Known as Aki Nabalu (a-kinabalu), "Revered Place of the Dead", the local Kadazandusun (or Kadazan) people believe that the spirits of the dead dwell among the forbidding peaks. In the past, no one had dared climb the to the top for fear of disturbing and angering the spirits of the dead.
We began a very steady climb of around 2,600 metres over a 60 km stretch of road. The road curved and twisted around the sides and tops of the mountains as we snaked ever higher and higher up in the mountains. Down in the steep valleys and alongside the road, the lush jungle vegetation became thicker and thicker with a wide variety of trees and undergrowth. In various places, the road had slid into the deep valleys and the slopes had been stabilized with long rows of concrete pilings anchored into the sides of the mountains.
Everywhere along the way there were roadside stands with people selling vegetables and fruits. These came from the farms that were anchored along the sides of the steep slopes of the mountains. As we approached Kundasang, the farms became more numerous. At Kundasing, we saw a stabilization project that had been undertaken by Mahani's construction company. The road had dropped about 11 feet and required stabilization on both sides of the road. We turned off the main road onto a side street and then off onto a small trail that clung to the sides of the slopes.
At the end of this trail was Mahani' s house. It was perched on the side of a steep slope and looked north across the deep valley to Mount Kinabalu. The house was made of white painted brick with a blue sheet metal shingle roof. It had a central dining-living room with large glass windows and wide doors that overlooked the mountains. At one end, separated by a breeze-way was the master bedroom. At the other end, again separated by a breezeway, was the guest room, quarters for the staff, and the kitchen.
There to greet us was Ruhul Bin Amin (or Amin) who was Mahani's "adopted" brother. Amin came from Bangladesh about 25 years (or more) ago on a contract. He started a construction company and became a member of the community. Malaysia has very strict immigration and property ownership laws which require foreigners to have work permits. Foreigners cannot own land. His work permit had expired and he was deported. Along the way, he had married a local girl, the daughter of the local chief, and had a family of three children. What was he to do!? He managed to get a 2-week visa back to Sabah where he tried to resolve his situation. Along the way, he was referred to Mahani who interceded on his behalf. He became a landed immigrant but only for a 7-year term. He had to report to the authorities each year. At the end of the 7 years, he was accepted as an immigrant. Amin lived in Kundasing and had a very. prosperous construction company doing all kinds of work for local residents.
We immediately sat down for tea and treats. Amin had to leave to look after some business matters. I took out my binoculars and peered across the other side of the valley. Off in the distance on the other side of the valley I could see the Mount Kinabalu Golf Club, a cell phone transmission tower. The top of Mt Kinabalu was shrouded in dark grey cloud that was blowing across the top of the mountain. I could see the sharp crags of the mountain top looking much like the spikes on the tail of a humongous dinosaur. Along the slopes of the mountain at the lower levels I could see where small farms had been carved out of the slopes.
Vegetables were being grown everywhere. Large acreages had been covered in plastic to shelter the fruits and vegetables being grown. All available space was being farmed. In the middle of each piece of land was
the farmer's house. The farmer and his family could simply step out of the house, walk up or down the slope, and till whatever piece of land that required his attention. In the middle of the each farm, irrigation pipes snaked down the slopes.
After tea, Amin returned from his errands and drove Mahani and I around to visit the local sites. Our first stop was at the local farm supply store where we waited for a German friend of his, Marlisa Baker. Marlisa lived in Ranau, a village about 15 km from Kundasing. She had first visited the area in 1976 - 1979 as a teacher with the German peace corps. Over the years, she had frequently stayed with friends in Ranau. When she retired 5 years ago, she built a house on property owned by these friends and lived most of the year in Ranau.
While waiting for Marlisa to join us, I toured the farm supply store and asked questions of the proprietor about pesticides, fertilizers, and other supplies to try and get a better idea of the farming methods used in the area. Because the farms were smaller, the quantities sold were also smaller. There seemed to be no difference in the price of the products between Sabah and Canada.
We went up Mount Kinabalu with our first stop being at the Mt Kinabalu Golf Club. You could look back across the valley and see Mahani's house as a small blue and white speck. Not one hour before, I had peered across the valley with my binoculars and had been looking at the very same spot where I was now standing with the cell phone transmission tower not 200' in front of me.
We went halfway back down the mountain and then turned into the Kundasang entrance to Mt Kinabalu Park. Here were guest houses built right into the side of the jungle where visitors could stay. This was also the start of the climb to the peak of Mt Kinabalu. We returned to the farm supply store where Marlisa picked up her car and followed us back to Mahani's house where we awaited the arrival of our guests.
In addition to Mahani, Amin, Marlisa and I, we were joined by the local Chief of Police, his wife Kim, the District Officer and his wife and son, for dinner. Mahani related stories about her life in politics which I found to be very interesting. You could see her guests paying close attention to what she was saying. It seemed as if she was mentoring these people and urging them to get involved through the examples she was relating.
Dinner broke up around 10:30.
Throughout this time since our arrival at the house, I had been slathering the aloe vera jelly on my back. My skin was still burning to my touch. I had really gotten a very bad sunburn. Each application of jelly seemed to cool off my back and kept my skin moist. By the next morning my back was much better but it was till very sore.
