Friday, March 2, 2018, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Named for the stunning Mt. Kinabalu that rises to jagged heights, Kota Kinabalu is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah.  Today’s modern city was built after Jesselton, as Kota Kinabalu was once known, was destroyed during World War II.  One of Malaysia’s first national parks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of lush and mountainous terrain that hosts orangutans and 4,500 other species of flora and fauna, lies to the west.  Indigenous cultures are preserved here, too, as a visit to the Mari Mari Cultural Village attests.  Deep in a remote forest, the ethnic communities of the Sabahan people survive and provide a fascinating glimpse of the island’s traditional ways (see pictures about mid-way in this blog post).

Views as we arrived in port.

 A small water village but nearly as large as Brunei.

 Very modern buildings.

 Dock side welcoming party.

 On our way to Mari Mari village.

We rode in a bus for 45 minutes with our guide into the lush interior of Sabah, arriving at the Mari Mari Cultural Village.  It is located in a very remote rain forest deep canyon with steep sides. 

We gained immeasurable insight into the lives of indigenous Malaysian tribes during our visit to this colorful village.

Here, we received a warm welcome into the various homes that embody the ethnicities that have shaped Sabah's past.  Our start point was to cross a fast moving creek on a suspension bridge at the bottom of the canyon.

Each home was built by descendants of the tribes they represent and provide a genuine glimpse of the island's diversity. Of over thirty indigenous tribes in Kota Kinabalu, five tribes are represented at Mari Mari.  As we visited with the "residents" of each house, we had the chance to witness many traditions.

Our local guide is stepping on a mound of dirt in the shape of a crokadile; the mound is the size of some crocks in their area.

The urn above is used to put bones after a body has decomposed a year + in a similar but much larger urn.

Long house; houses several generations or families.

Making clothing from tree bark.

In our guide's left hand is a blow gun used to paralyze enemy with poison darts. The knife in his right hand is used by the head hunter to chop off the head of the stunned victim.

"Steps" into the hut; gotta be careful!

 Frying a mixture of rice flower, coconut milk, ground up leaves from a sweet root plant; frying in coconut oil.  Really tasty and crunchy, as shredded wheat.

  

 Honeymoon suite.

Cooking corn meal pancakes.

Head hunters village.

Blowpipe demonstrations.

 Target shooting with a blowpipe.

Two for two at 20 feet into a coconut.

Traditional trampoline-like floor.

The importance of tattoos within their culture.

Guard at doorway to head hunters village.

Cooking onions, chicken pieces, rice, peppers stuffed into bamboo sections over an open fire.

Serving samples; very delicious.

Low alcohol (20%) content.

High alcohol (40%) content.

Starting a fire using bamboo shavings and a knife for friction.

A very pregnant black cat on the stage for our lively artistic performance.

  

Hopefully we can show videos of the dancers jumping between bamboo poles that are fast moving.

Things we saw on our 45-minute return trip to cruise ship.

Christianity is far stronger here than in Brunei, our last port call.

Sunset out our cruise ship dining room windows.