Imbak Canyon: 13-16 Sept 2019

Bismillah..

DS was the one who told me about Imbak Canyon last year. I have no idea of its existence until he mentioned it and did my research. I thought of arranging the trip on my own but, as usual, I didn't get the chance to do all the necessary. I'm too busy with work these days.

So, how this trip came to be... Actually HM mentioned  that he will be going there in November when we were in Tabin. Ever since I heard of that, I repeatedly reminded him to let me know if he's going for another trip and tadaaaaa he arranged an earlier trip instead hahaha

At first, I have no idea where on earth this place is located. But then I saw the signage when we were on our way to Kg Inarad the weekend before the trip. Since I was going to drive Baby Dragon to the starting point, knowing the distance, I decided to spend a night in Kundasang. That morning we started early an had breakfast in Ranau.

We parked our car at Kg Imbak and went to the Imbak Canyon Research Center with 4WD vehicles. I already told MM that the road condition is not suitable for his car and being typically him,
all stubborn, he drove his car only to be stranded halfway. Manage to refrain myself from saying, "I told you so..." hahaha

It was about an hour drive from Kg Imbak to the research center. The facilities worth millions of ringgit thus I can say that the place is kind of exceptionally complete, beautiful and clean.

This is the main building where the office and shop is located. This is the only area with wifi too.

This is the restaurant (or was it called dining hall.. hurm..??)

You can actually book a full board package that includes meals but then it's very pricey, I think.

Plus, from the 2 meals that we had here, I rather cook hahaha 

The kitchen facilities are situated in a separate building. Very complete, I would say.

The dining area is just outside; a shaded area with tables, chairs, sinks and bbq sets.

And this is our hostel

We spent the first night here and the second night at Kuli Research Station

It was about 2 km hike from where the 4x4 are parked to the research station. It is equipped with all the basic amenities so I consider it as quite comfortable (for my standard, which is quite low after all the rugged adventures). We were told by another group that happened to be here for the second time that this place is just as comfortable as the hostel at the research center and we end up not bringing our sleeping bags with us. Well, it's best to have sleeping bag with you if your itinerary includes this place because there are only mattresses so you'll need the sleeping bag as cover.

We went to a waterfall that evening and then went to another one the next morning. As always, I don't remember the names hahaha fail betul kalau tulis travelog begini ni. Nda apa... Anggap ini an element of suspense haha

The highlight of this trip was of course the Imbak falls. To be honest, I was quite dissapointed to find that this  magnificent waterfall is reachable by car hehe I thought we were going to hike there. I have this mindset that something is much much more valuable and memorable if it's hard to be reached such as the Maliau falls but anyway I was mesmerized by its beauty. 

I say this is one of those trip that I really enjoy because of the people whom I went with. The activities were very light so I wasn't really all hyped up with adrenaline. It was the laughters, the time we spent getting to know each other in such a brief period of time, the teamwork when things didn't go as planned and a smile :)

Us holding our certificates

And me, arranging the ration with all seriousness hahaha

I was actually on a burnout period at that time and was really hoping to release some stress during the trip and keep repeating to my friends..

"I'm going to put everything behind and enjoy this one..."

Alhamdulillah.. This was part of my recovery~ (^^)/ yosh! 

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Medical Camp: Kg. Inarad 7-9 Sept 2019

Bismillah...

After the passing of our beloved Uncle Ooi, the Medical Camp Whatsapp group that I joined at the end of last year became inactive. I haven't heard if anybody else has taken over his post. Before he fell ill, I frequently saw him near where I'm working. He was busied with some renovation projects. May his soul rest in peace. He lived such a meaningful life to the very end...

After so many months and several times of missed opportunities (because I already had something else planned), Alhamdulillah, last September I was given the chance to serve the people of Kg Inarad, Tongod.

When I was first added into the Whatsapp group, I was surprised that the group is comprised of hundreds of people. And when they called me "Dr. Haziah", I was quick to clarify that I'm a Pharmacist not a Doctor. And later I was told that all medical support team are addressed as doctors.

Life was hectic as usual as the end of the year approached, so I didn't have time to get the details about the medical camp and remained clueless till the day we departed from KK. That morning I learned that this team is actually a group of 4 Wheel Drive (4WD) enthusiasts, those who organizes and participates in the annual Borneo Safari event. And during their so called 'free time' they would organize Medical Camps since they have the means to bring medical team into remote areas. And it's also a way for them to gather.

There were a total of 6 4WDs from KK and more than 10 from Sandakan; we met midway and had lunch.

That weekend we had to take the longer route because the bridge that linked Nabawan and Tongod was being repaired. That route takes around 4-5 hours from KK. The one we took was a 9 hours journey. They were driving soooooo fast and we still didn't manage to cut the time.

We were  driving off road half of the journey. Having gone through Jomsom-Porkhara road, nothing in the world could ever beat the road condition. So this was okay and since the 4WD I was in was a modified one, it wasn't that bumpy.

This is the neighbouring village

I was quite surprised to see Kg Inarad is actually not as hurm 'impoverished' as what I had in mind. The village surroundings are very clean and neat. There is a nicely trimmed football field where we laid our (borrowed) mat to star gaze at night. We set up our tents on the field at first. But the it rained heavily and there were lightning flashes all around, so we moved our tents into the shaded bleacher area.

This team had a slightly different way of operating the medical camp. We were divided into two groups; Medical and Support team. The support team are the drivers of the 4WD and  those who prepare food for the team. Most of them didn't actively take part during the medical camp since they were busy preparing for meals. But that was such a blessing for us who were tired after seeing hundreds of villagers because when we finished, coffee and kuih muih were all ready for us.

We were supposed to set up the medical camp in 2 villages, but then the drivers decided to bring over the villagers from the other village instead.


I enjoyed every single moment of the camp. I'm very glad to meet all the inspiring uncles who didn't slow down despite of being in their 50s and 60s. They remain active and have chosen to use their hurm 'fortune' (I don't know what word that suits best hahaha) to contribute to those who are in need.

I didn't get to join the last medical camp for this year since I was flying to Taiwan that weekend. I hope I can join this team again in the future. Amin....

"It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent amount of what he takes out of it"- Albert Einstein

"Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege"- John D Rockfeller Jr.

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I'm not depressed, don't worry haha

Just one of those tough times that I need to PAUSE, find STRENGTH and START again..

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