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Travelogue #1: Tambatuon Homestead, Kota Belud

Hey there! I’m introducing another section for my blog. I’m calling it travelogue = travel + dialogue, to record my experiences while travelling to those very few places I’ve been. 

                For my first travelogue entry, I hereby introduce you; Tambatuon Homestead in Kota Belud, Sabah. I’ve stayed there for 4 days & 3 nights with my mom, while I was invigilating the end-of-year MUET Speaking Exam in Kota Belud. I’ve discovered about the place through facebook. It looked interesting, thus I’ve booked through Andy, who was nice enough to entertain all my queries. Thank you Andy!

 

 

How to go there?

                Since I’m from Kundasang, I used the Ranau-Kota Belud bypass highway. It’s about 27km. Then, I saw the village signpost on my right & my mom drove along the gravel road junction for about 4km, I think…before we reached Tambatuon Village & then the homestead.

 

 

 

What can you expect there?

                A quiet, peaceful village life. The villagers are friendly. On my last evening there, I walked nearby the homestead area on my own (my mom was tired), and was greeted by a few villagers who chatted with me as if we were close neighbours. One guy even asked me to take a picture of him! The villagers called the homestead as ‘rumah pelansungan’ (rumah pelancongan in standard BM or tourism house in English)…keke.

 

                The villagers are mostly paddy farmers & rubber tappers. Thus, the village is surrounded by paddy fields & rubber trees, along with the green forest. The river is clean & refreshing. Though when I was there, it was sorta the dry season, thus the water in front of the homestead was shallow & only small fishes can be found among the rocks.

                The trademark landscape here is of course, the 2 mountains side by side; Mount Kinabalu & Mount Nungkok a.k.a. 'The Son of Kinabalu'. Superb view!

 

The moon looks like a giant spotlight...

Okay, next up, the formalities. I’ve got this information from the log book there, from facebook & I also add some from my own experience there :)       

A.      Facilities provided:

-          11 rooms; 1 living room, 5 rooms with bunk beds (3 rooms with 2 sets of bunk beds & 2 rooms with 3 sets of bunk beds) and 5 rooms with double size beds.

 

-          4 bathrooms with water heaters & 4 toilet cubicles (I love the ceiling, it is high & well-covered, made me feel secured).

 

-          Kitchen with tools & utensils.

-          Open hall size 30’ x 40’ (since there was only mom & I during our stay there, my mom asked for permission to park here).

-          A cable TV set (for ASTRO & another one with some foreign channels) plus a karaoke set.

-          Fire extinguishers.

-          A barbecue grill.

-          3 resting huts.

B.      Rental terms:

-          RM25 per person per night.

-          RM20 per person, if more than 20 person.

-          RM750 per night (considered as whole house rental), if more than 40 person.

-          For outdoor camping, additional RM5 per tent (without mattress) per night. You have to bring your own tent, of course. However, if you have a big group & have to camp out due to full house occupancy, then, there are no charges for outdoor camping.

C.      Miscellaneous:

-          Self activities by lodgers.

-          River bath at Kadamaian River. One can visit a big rock called ‘Tontolob’ where fishes are being conserved (locals called it ‘bombon’). Bring some food to feed the fish (Mr. Pangalui a.k.a. the homestead caretaker’s advice; bring something which floats, like bread). You need to be careful as the water is quite deep here.

-          Jungle trekking to Kilambun River. Only 35 minutes from the homestead. You are advised to get a villager as your guide. RM40 per day for one guide.

For further information, please contact: Andy Chua (mobile: 0198619882, house: 088-975509 or facebook).

My verdict?

                I enjoyed my brief stay at the Tambatuon Homestead. In my opinion, it’s the perfect getaway for nature lovers. The only downside? No mobile internet connection & very difficult to get mobile phone network…huhu.

                If you are interested, I’ve clicked here, here, here & here before I went to the homestead.

The homestead's caretaker, Mr. Pangalui & I striking a pose :)

                 So, there it is. My very first travelogue section. Were you bored? Keke…I’m not much of a photojournalist. The pictures I took are not as pretty as those taken by professionals. Nevertheless, the only thing that you guys need to know is…Tambatuon Village Homestead is worth it!!