Bismillah...
Audits will forever be taxing. Especially when the requirements are FOREVER impossible to achieve. I always wonder why can't those who created them think of things that are more practical and useful rather than just documents that prove you did your work. Some people are very good at creating presentable documentations while in reality suck at doing their job. And logically, those who focuses on their work will not have the time to beautify their documents because they are too busy completing and perfecting their duty... I'll score people who manage to fill 3 redundant documents ZERO if I'm the auditor LOL
Anyway, this trip was not purposely planned post audit. We were lucky that the auditors decided to come before the trip so most of us were working our ass off preparing for the audit for weeks and didn't have time to check on the trip prior to going. I was lucky to have been audited last year. And since the checklist was the same, so I didn't have to prepare much; not from scratch that is. But I didn't get perfect score either. Like I said, it's FOREVER IMPOSSIBLE!
Okay back to the trip. I didn't know much when I decided too sign up LOL I just thought it sounds fun so why not. Nothing much can be found in Google either. The reviews in TripAdvisor were mostly a perfect 5 star so I thought this will definitely be something that I will enjoy.
I opted to go to LD by bus. The flight ticket fare was actually affordable; ~RM 299. By bus, it was RM 109 return ticket. Saved RM 190 there! makes you feel you've made a smart decision hahaha
Plus, I thought the schedule was convenient. The bus departed at around 8.30 pm from KK and arrived around 4.00 am the next morning. The journey was comfortable and I would say the driver had a good taste of music! I can't sleep because I didn't want to miss any song in the playlist hahaha.
And also, it was not like the bus ride that makes your body feel sore when you arrive.
The bus did several stops: once for toilet break at a petrol station, once for a half an hour stop for meal and the rest were for the drivers to smoke at the side of the road LOL
I thought that was okay and that actually ensures safety. The drivers need their breaks. I myself will lose my concentration if the drive is too long. It must be even harder to concentrate at night.
The longest break was somewhere in Telupid. One thing that I thought was unique was the place had different toilets for 'different business' LOL
The door was labeled with 'Buang air besar' and 'Buang air kecil'
None of them were vacant when I got there so I was very curious of what was the difference between the two. When someone finally got out of the 'Buang air kecil room', we peeked to see how is it inside and saw there was no toilet bowl. Just a small hole on the floor where liquid will drain through.
It was raining when we reached LD. We were lucky to get the last 2 rooms at Fajar Hotel. The Deluxe room cost us RM 110 per room. The room was spacious and had all the basic amenities. The restaurant next to it served good food too!
Our meeting point with the rest of the group was at the airport where the tour operator office is located. There, we were required to fill in a form which was for the permit and insurance.
And later we were brought to a restaurant for lunch. That was when we start to suspect that it was going to be a somewhat luxurious getaway because the restaurant was a very decent type and the food was unexpectedly a lot!
Tabin was about an hour and a half drive from town. Nothing much to see on the way there. Just palm oil plantations... Too me, it was such a sore sight huhuhu Kesian all the wildlife that have lost their homes because of that... SOBS
Our next surprise was our room! hahaha
Well, it's not uncommon to pay RM500-ish in Sabah for outdoor activities. And usually the accommodation will either be dorm type with shared bathrooms and toilets or if it's the single room type, it will be very very basic like the walls won't even be painted type of room hahaha
But this one is TOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NK and I were screaming with joy and we were like kids moving around the room checking what else is available. The room is air conditioned, towels provided and changed daily and it has hot shower!!!
And next... THE FOOOOODDDD.....
During the briefing we were given this piece of paper that has the schedule as well as rules and regulations on it. We were like, "Makan 5 kali sehari???"
It was really hard to believe until it really happen.. So the above is how a typical meal looks like there in Tabin. This was our dinner on the 2nd night and trust me the food was delicious!!!!!
The 5 meals were,
Light breakfast
Breakfast
Lunch
Afternoon tea time
Dinner
Not your typical jungle getaway, NO!
The first activity was going to the mud volcano. We used this truck and then had to walk around 700m to the mud volcano. Not tiring at all hahahaha
The area is not that big and there was only one puddle that continuously produce small bubbles (puddle ka namanya tu hahaha)
Most of the area were dried and cracked. AF mistakenly stepped on a soft spot and got trapped there for several minutes. His senior went for the rescue while the rest of us played with mud LOL
I never like to dirty myself.. That's one of the reason why I don't enjoy gardening because I dislike having dirt stuck inside my nails..
So when we were there, I was being very careful and made sure that the mud was evenly spread on my face ONLY and not to be in contact with any surface of my shawl or my other clothing LOL
But then PE noticed that I was too clean and then suddenly I became the victim of a mud attack.
They were throwing mud as if it was snow! Luckily the mud was soft enough not to cause concussion when it hits the head hahaha
That night we went for our first night Safari. I missed the Leopard Cat that night because it already ran into the bushes when I turned to look.
But the best part of that night was the cloudless starry sky!
The only light pollution was from the truck's headlights and also the guide's spotlight so it was very beautiful...
There were so many fireflies flying around the trees and their blinking lights add to the beauty
The second day was even more relaxing. We had a short morning walk after light breakfast and when for a dip at the waterfall after the 'real' breakfast.
I decided to just sit at the bank and silently take in the moment. Well, it was not silent at all because the rest were laughing and screaming in the water lol
We were at the waterfall until it was about lunchtime and after that we were free to have our own activities. Some of us went to play cards, some doze off the whole afternoon. Me, I had a short nap and spent most of the afternoon reading my book.
The picture above was taken when we were waiting for the sun to set and then start with our second night safari. It was a long wait until we finally found an animal which was a Leopard cat strutting nonchalantly on the gravel road as if our presence was nothing to him. One brave Leopard cat and such valor is to be honoured because his bravery gave us the chance to appreciate this wildlife up close!
It was free and easy on our last day.
We were actually awakened by the noise of a group of monkeys looking for food outside.
We went to the restaurant to check on the light breakfast and later played chess at this balcony
As a wrap, we did this mud hand print cert!
I think this one is very unique.
I would say yes if I have the chance to go again.
Such a relaxing excursion (^^)
