All good vacations come to an end. We flew Air Asia to return to Singapore, transiting in Kota Kinabalu airport.
View out of our Air Asia flight. Taken with Olympus PEN E-P3 with Dramatic Tone Effect and Frame Filter.
We took the morning flight out of Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu where we waited for the connecting flight.
Mystical Mt Kinabalu
The domestic flight from Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu was rather empty but the connecting flight back to Singapore was filled.
From the papers, we read about the annual religious ritual that was conducted at Mt Kinabalu yesterday.
The “monolob” ceremony is conducted annually as part of the local traditional practice of appeasing the natural spirits that is believed to inhabit the mountain.
Barges in Sandakan port bathed in the golden light of the sunset. Taken with Olympus PEN E-P3 using Frame filter.
This is to ensure safe passage for some 15,000 climbers who scale Mt Kinabalu every year.
Lone boat at sunset in Sandakan port.
Seven white-feathered chickens were slaughtered as part of a sacrifice.
150 villagers from Kampung Kiau, Bundu Tuhan, Sayap and Melangkap Kapa then ascended the mountain.
Overall, this has been an absolutely fantastic vacation.
The children love animals and nature, and we’ve literally immersed ourselves in the abundance of wildlife in Sabah.
And not forgetting the bubbly local community and markets of Kota Kinabalu.
Most importantly, the biggest thanks goes to the kindness and generosity of our host family – which was the main reason for the visit.
We had the most wonderful hosts during our stay in Sandakan. Thank you!
Goodbye for now, Sabah. We’ll be BARRCK!
