Kota Kinabalu - watch your head!

Kota Kinabalu is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah, on the island of Borneo about 200 miles northeast of Brunei.  It is named for Mt. Kinabalu which lies about 30 miles to the east.  Its population is around 600,000.   Formerly known as Jesselton, after the vice-chairman of the British North Borneo Company, the city was almost completely destroyed during WWII.  It was a British Protectorate from 1882 until 1963 except for 3 years under Japanese control during WWII.  In 1967 it was given its present name which is frequently shortened to KK.  Our guide emphasized that the British governors were conservationists who were concerned about the unique rain forest habitat and native wildlife.  As a result, nature-based tourism is the third highest revenue generating industry in the Borneo Island part of Malaysia.  The British also had a very positive influence on the native population in bringing education, trading, and an end to head-hunting in the 1930's (at least officially).  

We were taken for a photo stop of the Tun Mustapha Tower, a 30-story tower which houses a state sponsored foundation to promote education and economic development.  Our guide felt that the building had been "put on the map" when the urban climber, Alain Robert, "free climbed" it as part of a government approved fundraiser.  Robert had free climbed over a hundred  other skyscrapers using no equipment other than a small bag of climbing chalk and climbing shoes.  He was reportedly ecstatic
upon reaching the roof , exclaiming this was the first time he had climbed legally.

More modern architecture was in evidence just kitty-corner to the Tun Mustafa at the Sabah State Administrative Centre building.  These buildings would provide quite a contrast to the tribal huts we were to see at the Heritage Village at the Sabah State Museum.

We had one more photo stop at the City Mosque.  Built between 1992 and 2000, it cost 34,000,000 Malaysian Ringgits (8.7 million USD).  It was Friday, the day of prayer, so we weren't allowed inside.  I don't seem to tire of beautiful buildings built as a place of prayer, no matter what faith.

These women greeted us at the Heritage Village.  They are dressed in some of the traditional clothing of the indigenous tribes of Borneo.  

A group of musicians accompanied our wanderings in the village.  The one on the right is playing a sompoton, a mouth organ made by inserting bamboo pipes into a gourd, then sealing them with beeswax.  It is somewhat related to a bag pipe in sound and in the mechanics of making the sound. The gourd takes the place of a bag and allows the sound to be made with both inhalation and exhalation.  

The houses on display in the Heritage Village represent the styles and purposes of those built by the indigenous tribes of Borneo.

With the village are docents dressed in tribal costume demonstrating some of the traditional activities.  Clockwise from upper left: weaving, beading, using a blow-pipe, pounding rice to remove the husks. 

In one tribal house, there was a bamboo floor suspended like a below ground trampoline.  Hanging from the roof above were objects like prizes at a carnival booth.  With the help of several others, the jumper would try to get enough of a bounce to allow him to reach high enough to grab a prize. 

In the rice storage house were skulls that had been donated to the museum by the descendants of the original head-hunter owners.  Our guide told us that although head-hunting was officially prohibited in the 1930s, it was still practiced for many years.  When tribes fought against one another, the heads of those killed were taken back to the village longhouse.  They believed that the power of the individual who had been killed would be infused into the men of the longhouse.  It was also a visible symbol of a tribes power and dominance.  Hence the stories of the "wild men of Borneo".

More contrasts--we were taken to the Sutera Harbour Golf & Country Club for a refreshment break.  Such a beautiful view and resort.  

In addition to the beautiful marina, there is a 27 hole golf course which is lighted for night play.  I'm sure there was a little bit of marketing going on bringing busloads of mostly American tourists to the location of their next island getaway.

Our last stop was to the Filipino handicraft market.  It was a warren of cheap souvenirs like pearls, sarongs, handbags, magnets, keychains, etc.  What amazed me was that the area was about five stalls wide and 10 stalls long and each stall had basically the same tchotchkes, and  interchangeable young women who looked up from their cell phones only long enough to greet me with "Hallo, ma'am, anything?".  There were so many things suspended from the ceiling that I had to duck my head much of the time.  Great fun.

Of course, shopping brings me to the Malaysian currency.  The Ringgitt is worth about $.26 USD, so when I saw a "3 for 50" sign near packages of fabric, each more than a meter long, sewn into tubes to be used as a sarong, I snapped them up.  My purchase made a great addition to our crazy quilt fabrics collected that day.

David decided to pass on the Filipino market, so he sat in the air-conditioned bus to avoid the 86 degrees with 80 percent humidity.  Looking out of the window to the strip mall stores beside him, he made note of the attempt to battle the year round tropical temperatures.  It's obvious that one window sized air-conditioner isn't enough, so just add more.