Canopy Walkway @ Poring Hot Spring [Kinabalu Park]

I was under the initial impression that i could have a relaxing, sulfur-rich bath at Poring hot spring and didn't expect there were so much more to do within the nature complex; one of which was the canopy walkway! 

The eight of us were left on our own as the route was pretty straightforward and i guess the local guide wasn't keen to expense her energy, especially when she has been to the same treetop trail countless times.

It was a loop anyway and i guess it would be hard for us to get aimlessly lost. And knowing myself, it's good to explore on our own without any time restriction. 

Taking photographs is so common nowadays and i bet the attraction must be earning a lot from the camera fees! To clarify, it's RM 5 per camera (if you are using your mobile phone in addition to a DSLR, it would be RM 10). Video-recording, even on your mobile, would require an exorbitant payment of RM 30! 

As with any canopy walk, you would have to start with an upward climb!

Do wear appropriate shoes; i am just thankful that the floor wasn't wet and muddy which would have made the climb slightly more challenging, particularly for the elderly. Amusingly, i am the oldest in the entire group! 

I was always the last in the group as i would like to make full use of my camera fee, and the sight that met me upon the first climb was the rest of my travel companions with their eyes fixated on a tree trunk 

A lizard; species of which i am unaware of. It didn't appear to have the appearance of the lizards we have in Singapore; notice the slightly bulging eyes and the longer claws. 

Another ascent and once again, the observant members in our tour group managed to spot another insect! There's no way i could have seen it!

Cicada! While the rest were pointing it out to the minority few (like myself), i still took quite a while to finally see it on the trunk! Darn, i need to change my glasses!

200 meters - think this would likely be the length we have walked rather than the sea level as i understand from Priscilla, the guide, that Poring hot spring was above 500 meters above the sea level. 

Gigantic trees all over the place and they were beautiful sights to behold. Just be careful of any falling branches / fruits. 

A gentler path which meant we were getting closer to the canopy walk! I was thrilled as i love to challenge my fear for heights and the elevation of the canopy was said to be more than 40 meters; higher than that of Forest Adventure and HSBC Treetop Walk.

Here's where our adventures began! 

Reminder on the camera / video camera fees; well, i didn't encounter anyone checking if i am holding on to the ticket and you may wish to try your luck. To prevent any unhappy incident, just pay lah!

Guess the "check ticket" sign was just to scare us. 

Note: only six persons allowed at any one time on each stretch of walkway and no running, jumping and swaying is permitted! Bad luck if you have someone who was severely acrophobic right ahead of you.

Time to start the walk above the trees!

Like a humongous fishnet that was stretched and hung up with a few planks of wood that made up the "flooring", the suspension bridge reminded me of an obstacle at Forest Adventure but this was way easier. 

Bloody hell; frayed ropes! A few more jumps and we would likely end up on the ground 40 meters down! Maybe i should write to the park management so that they could maintain the ropes! 

I think it would be hard for us to be wary of any falling branch / twigs with the limited space on the platform. How to siam sia?! The only way to avoid was to jump down which would most probably result in dire consequences. 

It would not be a pretty sight. 

The second section of the treetop bridge; it wasn't so much the observation of animals on canopies that excited the visitors as the limit of six persons impeded any effective study and there was always a constant flow of incoming visitors! 

Third section; there were four in total.

They were all the same after a while, save for their length. I was still fearful and grabbed tightly to the rope as i slowly made my way through. 

Not many share my fear. :(

Platform 3 - each platform was said to be supported by a super-tree species known as Menggaris, the king of forest! Given my love for fairy tales, is the Faraway Tree based on Menggaris?!

Menggaris tree in its full glory! 

Spectacular scenery that i managed to chance upon and gaze for a short moment. Pity it didn't have the fortune of facing the sacred mountain. On second thought; better not as it would just contribute to human congestion!

Last stretch! After Forest Adventure, it's no longer the quantity that matters. I would prefer to have more unique obstacles to challenge my fear! 

Might as well use our precious time to explore other parts of Poring Hot Spring.

Previously, i didn't think too much about this "no entry" sign although i noted on a Poring hot spring map that there were two walkways! Is that restricted path the way to the second walkway?

Whatever the case, i am not going to check it out alone! 

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Location

Within Poring Hot Spring,

Sabah, East Malaysia

Operating Hours

From 8am to 4pm. 

Additional Information

Part of Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring Tour

For the summarised itinerary of my 7 days, 6 nights Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) trip, please click here. 

Fat Boy's Set Lunch - Mahalo Specialty Burger @ 122 Pasir Panjang Road [Near Pasir Panjang MRT Station]

Fat Boy's has been around since 2009 and i remember seeing its flagship branch whenever i drive along upper Thomson road; as usual, i had kept it under the "to try' list but never got around to it until recently when a colleague suggested having its super worth it set lunch at only S$12 nett! 

All set lunches come with a free drink and you can choose from home made iced tea, soft drinks, coffee or tea. I am a great fan of ice tea and although this might not be comparable to the epic ones from KFC which never longer serves it, it was easily the second best for its right balance of sweetness and sourness. Perfect drink for the hot weather we are facing in Singapore currently. 

My set - Mahalo Specialty Burger; conjuring images of beautiful Hawaiian girls doing the hula dance, this came with "a pork patty, pineapple, caramelised onions, mayo, monterey jack cheese on a sesame seed bun'! At a nominal fee of only S$2, I opted to top up the French fries for onion rings.

I am caught in the middle as i could not decide which was better; the onion rings from Buckaroo or the ones at Fat Boy's. The former was bigger in size while the latter came in a crunchier, way more addictive batter!

Trying to get my huge mouth to take a chunk of the burger was a challenge (my mouth must have shrunk with age) but i must admit the burger was really delicious, especially with the slice of pineapple that added much sweet juiciness to the already moist minced pork patty.

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I would definitely be back for the extremely affordable weekday set lunch. The picture above was my colleague's Swiss Shroom burger which tasted even yummier!

Location

122, Pasir Panjang Road

[Near Pasir Panjang MRT Station]

Map

As above.

Website

http://www.fatboys.sg/

Set Lunch Menu

As above. Do note that the set lunch would not be available on weekends and public holidays. 

Price

Mahalo Set Lunch - S$12.00

Top up Fries to Onion Rings - S$2.00

[No GST and No Service Charge]

Additional Information

Make your own burger if you do not wish to conform to standard menu offerings. I usually don't use this option as my penchant for unique taste always results in funny tasting food. :(

Botanical Garden (Part of Kinabalu Park and Poring Hot Spring Tour) @ Sabah [East Malaysia]

Climbing Mount Kinabalu was not on my agenda and the closest i ever got to the sacred mountain was actually at a Botanical Garden at Kinabalu Park.

I figured a short walk in the cool highlands would be sufficient and i bet the rest of the seven members in my tour group had that exact same sentiment when they signed up for the day trip.

Hailing from a little red dot in Southeast Asia has its disadvantages; we have no lack of rainforests in our country and are also blessed with a good sized botanic gardens (that might possibly be awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Thankfully, we had Priscilla (the local guide) who took pains to explain interesting facts of the flora in the garden to us ignorant urbanites.

As it wasn't the flowering season, there was honestly not a lot to show us except for the green towering mass surrounding us. 

By the way, we had yet to arrive at the botanical garden.

Main entrance of Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden; situated at about 1,500 meters above sea level, this was still pretty low compared to mountain climbers who would start at a higher 1,800 meters which was about four kilometers away. 

I am happy so far with the climb i made and have absolutely no complaint! Actually, one of the main reasons for not attempting the climb to the peak of Mount Kinabalu was the healing period post-descent which could take two days! 

Time could be spent in better ways. Whatever the case, there was supposedly a charge for entry to the fenced up garden but our tour package had already included the admission charge of RM 5 for foreigners. 

The highlands are blessed with many orchid species although what we can see in the wild cannot be on the same scale as purposed built gardens. For those crazy about orchids, you may consider the National Orchid Garden in Singapore; note that it could be extremely hot and humid. 

Squirrel tail grass - an apt name for a plant. Should the colour be brown, i bet many people could have mistaken them for the real thing.

Crossing a bridge. 

As it had not been raining for quite a while, the riverbed was dry with hardly any noticeable life forms; it might have been more mesmerizing otherwise.

Information panels were put up at some locations but their assistance was severely limited compared to a personal guided tour. Talking about a guided tour, you could gather at the entrance of the botanical garden at 9am, 11.50am and 2.50am where a guide would bring you around. 

After a while, i got bored. Although Priscilla had been enthusiastic and managed to point out some plants to us, what i experienced was similar to a nature walk in Singapore! I had a way more invigorating time at Mossy Forest in Cameron Highlands.

This fruit is used a type of henna plant even though its usage isn't for tattoo. For the tribes in Sabah, its intense colour was used as dye for clothing. 

Rattan - Priscilla explained to the Caucasian tourists that this vine is heavily utilised to make furniture in Southeast Asia. I had to add that the kids in the region would also remember it, albeit fearfully as a cane used for physical punishment! 

Vibrant flowers that added splashes of colour to the generally green surrounding.

Once you got into the garden, do not expect to have any sheltered pavilion where you can take a breather; frankly, the garden was rather small. 

Bring along an umbrella in case it rains!  

Figs! 

Pitcher plant -it was said that the water in pitcher plant was not drinkable unless they are found at a height of about 2,500 meters in the mountains. I am unsure how true it is since my mom ever told me that monkeys in Singapore drink from the pitcher plants and as we all know, the highest natural point in Singapore is only about 168 meters.

Ferns!

Known as kerosene fruit, it was commonly used locally by the villagers as a source of fuel! Someone should conduct an extensive research on it as a replacement for the expensive petroleum we are paying for!

Broken heart leaves even though i personally thought the shape was more like a butterfly than a heart broken into two. 

Seems like a periwinkle flower; we planted loads of this in our kampong backyard although kids were always warned not to touch the milky secretion when we plucked the flowers as it was poisonous! 

Looked like a mini lantern flower.

A moth or a butterfly? 

Morning dew on moss. 

End of tour. I would be blunt here in my review; it was a tad boring for me but i could not help it as i had been to quite a few rainforest tours. There were some new insightful information though; like the kerosene flower. 

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Map

As above

For the summarised itinerary of my 7 days, 6 nights Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) trip, please click here.