Raya holidays – hmm, what should I do? I was just mulling over my plans for the weekend when my good friends Amor and Rendy, gave me a call and invited me to Kudat with them.
We left the city before noon, heading northwards through the paddy fields of Tuaran and Kota Belud - but not before picking up a box of Mooncakes from a local coffeeshop in KK. It was post-harvest time for some paddy field owners – in some rice patches, the once-golden crops still shone luminously in the sunlight as we sped past in Rendy’s 4WD. On the way to Kudat, we bought some Jagung Bakar (Charcoal Grilled Corn) from one of the roadside stalls at Kota Marudu. It was a funny food combination, but a delicious one, as the three of us munched and tattled about our pet peeves and indulged in a tad of salacious gossiping.
Gosh, it felt so good to be out of the city for a while! After a tumultuous year (my leaving the DE newspaper and my subsequent book launch), I desperately needed some time away from my known environment to relax and recharge my batteries. Amor and Rendy - who I have known for several years are among my best friends who have seen me through my ups-and-downs as a struggling local writer, hence it was a very meaningful experience to be on this vacation with them.
Kudat town was, historically, the first capital of British North Borneo circa 1881-1884, as well as the point of entry for the early Chinese Hakka immigrants into Sabah. Many of the later old wooden Chinese shophouses and estate residences from those British Colonial days still exist, as do the names of streets commemorating local historical figures of the time. In the spirit of 1Malaysiacoughcough, I hope that these historic street names in Kudat town will continue to remain as such, and not be changed to some random street designation like Jalan Unta (Camel Street) or Jalan Zirafah (Giraffe Street) -examples of some inane and meaningless designations that have already replaced many local and historical street names in our city of Kota Kinabalu.
Amor had planned the whole trip and listed a few interesting places in Kudat to visit. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived in Kudat, a freakishly strong wind and heavy rain had descended upon us. We found ourselves stopping outside the entrance to the famous Bavanggazo village longhouse, where we picked up two stranded German tourists, Martina and Simmi. The ladies were staying at an uphill guest quarters called Maranjak Homestay, so we good-naturedly invited them to hop aboard our vehicle and sent them to their destination.
We were impressed when we reached the Maranjak homestay. Located just below the well-known Bavanggazo longhouse, the homestay was yet another traditional Rungus longhouse comprising of 10 units of guest accommodation. To enter this native longhouse, an admission fee of RM3 each was paid at the entrance. Non-Malaysians paid RM5.
Inside the Maranjak Homestay longhouse, two Rungus ladies were patiently attending to some intricate beadwork. As we walked along the longhouse’s walkway corridor, the creaking of the nibong and bamboo floors, bending slightly under the weight of our bare feet was an interesting experience for the uninitiated guest. Towards the end of the longhouse, a set of traditional gongs hung from the rafters.
Martina and Simmi invited us to see their room. It was as expected – a typical traditional Rungus longhouse unit with simple mattresses and mosquito nettings. The communal showers and toilets were located nearby just outside the longhouse. Altogether, I found it to be was a good setup, especially for a native homestay programme.
There were some interesting things to be seen at the homestay. For RM55 each (Malaysian Rates, RM75 to Non-Malaysians) guests would enjoy a night’s stay inclusive of dinner and breakfast, and be treated to a cultural performance by the local Rungus people who lived within the vicinity of the homestay. Simple home-made meals were available at the small canteen beside the road of the Maranjak Homestay’s longhouse as well.
After some deliberation, Amor, Rendy and I decided to stay at Maranjak Homestay, instead of our intended hotel accommodation in Kudat town. But first, we wanted to explore Kudat’s attractions – thus we headed out into town for some tasty fried mee and fresh prawns.
Kudat town in Hari Raya holiday mode was decidedly dull. Not many shops were open and it seemed to be a virtual ghost town but for the occasional group of locals wandering around, enjoying the quiet serenity of this deserted seaside township. We stopped at Kudat Marina Resort, touted as the 5-star guest accommodation facility in the town, but when we got there, I have to say that the place looked pretty run-down as well. In dire need of a brand-new coat of paint and an obvious loss of sheen from its roof tiles, the resort was nonetheless a cute little hotel, given its limited build-up area.
For our own entertainment, Amor and I did our ‘funny dance’ – along the Kudat Marina pier…
…and next day at the Gombizau Bee Farm… much to the amusement of the local bee-keepers who must have thought we overdosed on wild honey…LOL.
Yummy...so good...
...it's psychedelic...wooOOo...!!
Feeling adventurous, our trio drove to Simpang Mangayau – the Tip of Borneo! Taking the longer route through kilometers of unpaved, muddy pothole-ridden roads had me reassuring my friends that we were on the right track. We finally reached Simpang Mengayau at 5.30 pm – the wind was raging, causing large waves to smash into the rocky cliff below us. It was an awesome sight.
…which inspired more ‘funny dance’-ing…
We then made our way back to the Maranjak Homestay – just in time for dinner with the German tourists and to watch the Rungus cultural performance. While I must admit that I have seen these cultural dances before, it was a moving moment for me when I realized that the elder villagers and young children had come out of their homes, braved the rain and strong winds, and had waited patiently for us to finish dinner before putting on their cultural show – for only FIVE of us guests! As such, I felt extremely honoured and privileged to have witnessed their cultural performance, as modest production as it was.
As the evening progressed, the wind and rain got heavier and stronger, and the we spent the night talking with the villagers and learning how to play a traditional Rungus puzzle made from a piece of string and two pieces of rattan. To solve the puzzle, one needed to have a high level of IQ, and I must say that after numerous attempts, I had to declare myself less than proficient in the art of Rungus puzzle-solving.
It continued to rain all night, and the wind was especially cool, blowing through our sleeping compartments like an air-conditioning unit on full blast. Strangely, the experience somehow made it an even better reason to snuggle in and rest. None of us were particularly keen to get up the next morning, wanting a few more hours of lazing around in bed; however, we did not want to keep our hosts waiting on us again. Now freshly awake and in high spirits, our trio had our breakfast before bidding adieu to the two German ladies, who were off for a final day in KK city before flying back to Stuttgart via Kuala Lumpur.
That morning, Rendy, Amor and I were curious to see the much-touted Bavanggazo traditional longhouse, which was the more famous of the two tourist longhouses facilities sharing the hilly terrain. Word has it that the Maranjak Homestay group was a splinter from the larger and more grandoise operations of the Bavanggazo premise - opting for a more personalized approach and authentic representation of Rungus village life to guest visitors. And so, the three of us headed uphill on foot - where we were surprised to be greeted by the off-key sounds of nasal singing by a local village band practicing songs from the Westlife pop album compilations. Surreal.
Further up the road, we caught a glimpse of the famous Bavanggazo traditional longhouse. It was a magnificent sight; a fine-looking structure straddling the hilly slope surrounded by lush green vegetation. In fact, we discovered later that the Bavanggazo tourist enterprise had two identical longhouses built on their site to accommodate the truckloads of overnight tourists visiting their premises. Entrance cost us RM3 each as Malaysian tourists and we were allowed to wander around.
The Bavanggazo longhouse complex was very impressive; it even had a proper handicraft shop and its own tour buses to ferry tourists around! Guests dined with delicious buffet meals as part of their tour package. Admittedly, the scale of the Bavanggazo traditional longhouse was a much bigger operation than the humble Maranjak Homestay that we had stayed in the night before. It certainly had more to offer in terms of tourist souvenirs, with more colours and varieties of beadwork and crafts to choose from.
Yet somehow, the three of us still found ourselves drawn back to the Maranjak Homestay. True, the Marajak Homestay does not match Bavanggazo in terms of the latter's grand scale and tourist frills, but it was their simplicity and honest representation of actual Rungus kampung life that we found immensely appealing. The warm hospitality and our camaraderie with the homestay owner Maranjak and his family had won us over, and had made our stay even more memorable and enjoyable.
Rendy personally felt that while the souvenir beadworks at Bavanggazo were more varied, he appreciated the quality workmanship of the beadweavers at the Maranjak Homestay. We bought a number of accessory items from the Rungus ladies at the homestay who kindly allowed us to do an impromptu fashion photoshoot - with Amor as our prop of choice.
Check it out.
Mr. Maranjak (the homestay owner) has plans to upgrade his guest accommodations. At the time of this article, a new extension of the current Marajak longhouse has already been constructed, scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. I hope to return again soon as I am interested to discover more about the native people of Kudat, particularly the Rungus and their traditional ways of living.
So which is the better of the two Kudat traditional longhouses, you might ask? Bavanggazo or Maranjak Homestay? Both longhouses have their own attractions. I’d say that it ultimately comes down to a matter of one’s needs and preference. If one is traveling in a large tour group on a limited time schedule, the Bavanggazo traditional longhouse may be the right fit for you – a showcase of the native Rungus cultural attractions. However, if one has more time to kill, and is seeking a simpler respite for a few days of quiet contemplation and peace of mind, the three of us would recommend you to try the Maranjak Homestay, for its unpretentious village setting, personal touch and warm hospitality.
I would like to thank the Maranjak Homestay for their kind hospitality, and to my dear friends Amor and Rendy for dragging me out of KK to share in this unique and memorable experience.
I love road trips!
