ZIMRI JAMES MAIDI: HOW IT ALL STARTED

"Although chance is one of the variables, it's choice that determines your destiny" - Zimri James

It all started on a fine day in the class, one of my friends, Marissa Wong announced about a program called Sabah Young Tourism Ambassadors which was organized by the Sabah Tourist Association. Some of my friends didn't really pay attention about it, but at that point, I had a feeling that this might turn out to be something special for me. Although I never been to any competition before, I felt quite confident applying it. Me and one of my friend even joked about it saying "we would be terrified if we win". LOL

A week later, I got a call from Jennety, the Executive Secretary at Sabah Tourist Association. It was a good news! I got through to the semi final and will be joining the day tour at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. 

Yup !! That's me on the day itself !

After the day tour, all the semi finalists are given a challenge to write a short article about Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. We were given time up until noon before submitting our short article with limited time and limited words. The tense arise as time running down. All the semi finalists did their best to impress the judges with their short article. Soon after, we were told that they will call the 10 finalists by tomorrow. 

My phone woke me up early in the morning and it draws a big smile on my face as it was a call from the Sabah Tourist Association office. 

Again, it was the beautiful voice of Jennety spreading a good news. ^_^

I was told to attend the final interview at Pan Pacific, Sutera Harbour with the other 9 finalists. The interview will ask questions about the tourism products in Sabah and we will have a week to prepare ourselves. On that day, we were divided into 2 groups which means 5 persons in a group. I picked up number 4 so I will be in the first group.

All sorts of emotions and feelings came to me as I went into the interview room.

To make it worse, we will pick our question from a box! I got no idea what kind of question is in there but after 3 finalists before me answered their questions, I got some confidence on facing mine because I believe I can answered all the question before. But soon after hearing the question, I was stunned. Of all things in Sabah, I picked up a question about a plant in Sabah. Unbelievable!  =.=!!

I tried my best to recall all of my knowledge and experience to answer the question and can only hope that the judges will be impressed and convinced by my answers. 

Sweating !!

. 

Relieved !!

L-R: Jesseca, Me, Nicholas, Chloe and Grolina 

On 16th December 2011, the Sabah Young Tourism Ambassadors 2011/2012 Award Presentation and the Launching of Sabah Tourist Association Digital Map " The Eyes of Sabah" was held in Pan Pacific, Sutera Harbour. I was thrilled when I heard my name been called out as one of the winners! I'm very thankful that I was given this opportunity and I will valued it as one of my best moments in life. 

Datuk Masidi Manjun, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment presented the award to the winners. 

Credits to Breeze Magazine and George Yong of Jofanna Bridal

There you go ! Your Sabah Young Tourism Ambassadors !

Borneo Rainforest Lodge, Danum Valley

Hello! Greetings from STA, I hope everyone has been having a good time this month. :)


After spending almost a week on the road travelling from Sandakan to Lahad Datu, we came to our last destination in our schedule. On the 17th-19th of April, we had the chance to stay at the award-winning Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL) which is run by Borneo Nature Tours (BNT), situated in the heart of Danum Valley. BNT began operations since 1996, and is a subsidiary of Sabah Foundation Group of Companies (Yayasan Sabah). BRL is situated alongside the Danum River, flowing through the Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah's largest protected lowland rainforest which covers 43, 800 hectares and comprises almost entirely of lowland dipterocarp forest.

This happened to be my very first time being in Lahad Datu and going to BRL as well, and I was extremely excited (very cliche). The moment you step into the Borneo Nature Tours (BNT) office at Lahad Datu town, you are greeted with warm smiles and service. The office itself had a luxurious feel to it, with the cool ambiance and friendly staff. In order to get into BRL, you will have to go to the BNT office first to have their transportation pick you up, as entry to BRL is based on vehicles that are granted a permit by the forestry department. 

BNT Office@Lahad Datu Town

Filling in the reservation form.

Mr.Isabelo Garcia (Director of Operations) in black with Martin

From the BNT office in Lahad Datu town, the assigned driver will then drive you to BRL. Danum in itself is a beautiful place, a picturesque destination with trees in abundance. The journey to BRL takes approximately 2 hours and a half, from Lahad Datu town. The road on the way is quite bumpy, but I assure you, the drivers are all very experienced and will make the journey as comfortable as possible for you.

The ride

After the 2 hours and a half journey, passing through many government tree replanting sites and the well-known Danum Valley Field Centre, we arrived at our destination.

Soon as we got out of the car, we were greeted by the floor staff as they draped us with a wreath of  'pandan' leaves around the neck, and handed an icy cool face towel to boot. Mind you, the weather was slightly humid when we got there. We were then escorted to the lobby, and served a 'pandan' lime drink. Just the right kind of drink, refreshing, as we listened to the Operations Manager, Mr.Henry Llames, brief us on the activities and facilities available at the lodge. He then introduced us to our guide, Mr.Dennysius Aloysius, or as he preferred to be called Denny, who further explained the activities that we will be doing and what to expect. (The whole time this was going on, I can think of nothing except for.... LEECHES!)

Henry in action (big smiles)

Denny, our passionate guide

After the briefing was done, we were then taken to our rooms. I must say, I was really excited to see the room, what with the lobby looking like that.. one has to wonder. Well folks, wonder no more, I present to you our room!

ah, what captured our eyes instantly. :D

Yes I know it doesn't look pretty here with all the mess. Girls. hehe

Seating area

View from the inside

What I really liked about our room was the fact that we were facing the river, a calming view. After settling in, Chloe and I headed to the boys' rooms to check out the scene. Boy oh boy, did I love Martin's room too. Spacious and comfy, he shared the same view as us; the serene river. After a quick snap of the room, all of us headed to the restaurant for lunch. 

Nobody snapped any photos of the food we had, we were all famished after the journey to BRL. Suffice to say, everyone had a pretty good lunch and it was worth the wait. *winks*

At 3pm sharp, we experienced our first walk of the day, a welcome to the virgin forest of Danum. For this afternoon walk, Denny brought us around the Nature Trail, which is 0.6km in length. The walk took us about 1 hour, roughly. So okay, let's get real here, Danum Valley is well-known for its population of leeches, especially the Tiger leech. *cringe*

Me being me, I was of course afraid of encountering it. What Chloe and I did was (yes ladies, tips here, don't forget it :)) we sprayed ourselves with insect repellents and made sure we didn't miss any body part. Naturally, I'm sure it makes sense why you would need insect repellent in the jungle, right? Unless you don't mind getting mosquito bites :p

The Nature Trail

Denny telling us more information about the Mengaris tree

We began our trek shortly after the introduction of the Mengaris tree, usually found in a tropical rainforest. Along the trail, there were a lot of flora habitats and we even saw a wild orchid. My first time seeing one, it is real pretty. We didn't see much of the fauna during this walk, but we managed to see the trails it left behind. In particular, a wild boar's trail. *piglet~~~*

After the walk, we returned to the lodge to freshen up for the night safari briefing and dinner. Due to the large crowd for the 8.45pm drive, we went for the earlier slot at 6.45pm as suggested by Denny. The drive lasted about 2 hours, and we were seated behind a big truck with the capacity of carrying at least 8 people. The ride was comfy, with cushioned seats on both sides and Denny was seated right on top of the truck as he was our spotter for the night. It was a quiet night for us, unfortunately, as there were not much to see due to the heavy rain earlier during the day. We then returned to the restaurant for dinner and to catch up on some much needed snooze after the long day.

what I had on my first night :)

The night ended pretty quickly, as I soon found myself all geared up, walking to the lobby for our early morning trek to the Canopy Walkway, which is 300m in length with multiple viewing platforms and stands at 26m at the highest point as stated in their website. The view from the top platform was simply breathtaking, coupled with the fresh air and cool morning breeze... ahh, it just can't get any better than this! Shortly after, we headed back for breakfast and to prepare for the 3 hours walk to the well-known Coffin Cliff.

Canopy Walkway

We paid a visit to the famous friend of Danum Valley, the Tiger Leech *cringe*

Tonny (STA Chairman), yours truly, James, Chloe & Martin (STA Treasurer)

The magnificent view from the Viewpoint. I think I can see my room from here.

The journey to the coffin cliff wasn't an easy one for me, as I rarely ever go for long walks. We were advised to each bring a walking stick, and it sure was useful going through the steep slopes along the hills. However, when we got to the viewpoint, it was worth the walk, as the view is just amazing. I was out of breath by the time we got up (warning: fitness level not good enough), so was everyone else except of course Denny. After a few snaps, we proceeded to go down to the burial grounds of the Dusun Subpan tribe. Walking to the burial site was kinda eerie in a way, what with it being extremely quiet and breezy, looks like a scene from another horror movie if you think about it...... kidding! :p

There are various coffins that are still visible on the cliff, with that of the Chief of the Subpan tribe as well as little children. Denny gave us a brief explanation on how to differentiate the coffins and how it was made during the olden days. After viewing the coffins, we then headed to the jacuzzi pool for a nice cold afternoon dip and fish spa. (picture a nice looking waterfall, clear water and lots of fishes) :)

Coffin Cliff

Jacuzzi Pool+Fish Spa

Martin's reaction to the fishes. LOL

A little after 1, we made a move back to the lodge as it began to drizzle. After lunch, we had a few minutes to rest before heading out for tubing session. I bet you must be wondering what exactly is tubing, is it even a word? Well, yeah, I did too. I've never heard of tubing before until I came to BRL, I even googled the word to see if it exists! Tubing was, as Calixtus (Operations Manager for Jungle Activities) said, a form of relaxation as you cruise through the river with minimal movements. Hmmmm....

Getting ready to hit the river

Almost reached the lodge, I was holding onto Denny's leg. (Si Penakut, LOL)

The 'After' faces (didn't realize we were that tanned)

Funny thing before we went tubing, it was super humid and there was nothing but clear blue skies (oh it stopped raining after we got back). The minute I changed my mind to join, it started pouring heavily and made the tubing experience more adventurous than what we had expected due to the heavy current. Super fun, and I would've regretted it if I hadn't tried. By the time we reached the lodge, it was still raining. The weather just seemed so cosy to sleep-in, but we had other plans instead. Chloe, James and I decided to soak ourselves in the tub outside our room. It just seemed like the most rewarding thing to do after a long journey, to just relax the body.

I think I almost fell asleep in the tub, bad idea. hahaha. After soaking session, we quickly got ready for dinner as we had the night walk right after. For the night walk, we took the Nature Trail again. It was a bit chilly that night, and it even rained a little. We saw many kinds of amphibians and insects (none of which I can recall, due to the strange scientific names. sorry, hehe). Night walk ended around 9pm, and soon as we got back, both Chloe and I headed straight to the bar for a chill-out session. We spent the remainder of the night just chit-chatting with the staff and headed to snooze at 12. 

The next morning was our last day at BRL. Initially, we were supposed to go for an early morning walk but the day before we changed plans to visit the Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC) instead. Thankfully, we managed to get everything arranged at the last minute. We checked-out of our rooms around 10am, and headed straight for breakfast. A heavy one at that, as we were informed that no food is provided during the journey to DVFC and at DVFC itself. Before leaving, as per usual, we snapped photos with the BRL team.  I felt sad upon leaving, as we had such a good time there with its amazing staff service and hospitality. Alas, time had come for us to go back to reality~~

Thank you so much to BNT and all BRL staff, I loved every single minute of my experience here and I hope to visit again in the future!!!

P/S: I apologize for the long overdue post, it took me quite sometime to put all this into words due to my imagination getting the best of me. hehe. If you have read so far as to this line, THANK YOU! I do hope you enjoy reading this :)

For more information, kindly contact the BNT office and visit their website. :)

CONTACT

Kota Kinabalu Sales Office      

Block D, Ground Floor, Lot 10

Sadong Jaya Complex

P.O.Box 11622

88100 Kota Kinabalu

Sabah, Malaysia

Tel: +60 88 267637

Fax: +60 88 251636

Email: info@borneonaturetours.com

Tour Operator Number: KPL/LN: 3719

Lahad Datu Operations Office  

Lot 20, Block 3, MDLD 3285, Ground Floor,

Fajar Lorong 9, Fajar Centre

91120 Lahad Datu

Sabah, MALAYSIA

Tel : +60 89 880 207

Fax : +60 89 885 051

Tour Operator Number: KKKP: 3026

Website: www.borneonaturetours.com

Tabin Wildlife Reserve

It’s been a long week to Sandakan and Lahad Datu. I would say, it is a great adventure! Why, because we get to travel several places in almost a week and really thanks to our President of Sabah Tourist Association, who drove us all the way from Kota Kinabalu. I also want to thank all who have hosted us, the Sabah Young Tourism Ambassador.

Well, this is actually my second time to Sadakan and Lahad Datu. I’ve been to Sandakan when I’m really young, that’s why I have limited memories. As for Lahad Datu, I just visited this place in 2010 and I have visited the same destination or attraction that I’m about to share here.

Visiting to Tabin Wildlife Reserve is not my first time. I remembered the first time that I have visited Tabin Wildlife Reserve is when I’m still in my college studying my Diploma in Tourism Management. 

It is funny though when I’m preparing myself to this trip because I have been there and all the memories just flashed back and what I have been through during my days in Tabin back in 2010. This trip, I make sure I bring everything necessary, because what we need in Tabin Wildlife Reserve is unexpected. I brought along extra bags, football socks, etc. Let me tell you why before I start to talk about my experience in Tabin.

Why it’s funny?
You don’t wanna know. I replace Leech Socks with Football/ Soccer Socks. Have you thought about it? Well, at least the leech wouldn’t go in to the socks that it’s ok enough. I brought plastics when I’m trekking to the volcano mud because you just need to carry your stuffs after soaking in the Mud Volcano. You don’t want to touch your clothes after going into the mud right? Try to think now, how can you pack everything with mud cover your whole body? (Remember to share a plastic with your friends. We are looking at protecting the environment). Also, wet tissues. Why? Read through and you will know.

Click more pictures on My Facebook.

Anyway, here’s the story.

As I mentioned, it is not my first time to visit Tabin Wildlife Reserve and I’m shocked to see Stephen, our Nature Guide, Tabin’s in-house guide. Although he can’t really remember me but when I mentioned my past experience with him, he remembers! Stephen is a great guide; he has passion in the wildlife and he’s an experienced wildlife guide.

First of all, driving to Tabin Wildlife Reserve is not just 20 minutes but almost 2 hours from town. Meeting muddy roads all the way, we have actually stuck-in-mud for several times because we are travelling by tour van, not 4WD. Lucky enough we have locals who works there, saw us and they helped us. Of course, all guys who are in our van, helped us push the van as to overcome the problem which was Mr. Martin, the Treasurer of Sabah Tourist Association and  James, one of us.

On the First Day:
Reaching Tabin Wildlife Reserve with an exciting mood but sadly, we are way beyond schedule due to the muddy road. So, we just have to postpone our plans to the next day in Tabin since we are staying there for 2 nights. Keeping ourselves cosy and clean, all of us shared 3 bedrooms because there are 6 of us. After settling ourselves, got to prepare for the first activity, which was Night Safari.

We were sitting at the back on a 4WD, searching for unique wildlife. To tell the truth, somehow I didn’t manage to get a real closed up pictures of the animals that we saw the other day but I manage to snap some pictures when we are in action. That’s much more important to see how things going on right?

Back to room after the Night Safari, James and I saw the Leaf Grasshopper. It was so beautiful and it’s my first time seeing one this close, I hope it’s James first time as well like I do. Normally they will just hop-away when people are near to them as their senses are strong. The whole situation when we took picture of the Leaf Grasshopper was like its dancing! Really funny and that’s for the night.

On the Second Day:
We were up early for Dawn Drive. Yes, it’s part of our activities. In fact, the first we saw was the Bucerotidae Hornbills and it’s everywhere! Then we came across the tall highlighted Mangaris Tree, is the tallest tree of the Bornean rainforest.

Now, the walk begins.
We started off with a simple jungle trek to the Mud Volcano. Trail to Lipad Mud Volcano is just 700 metres. Not easy, not hard, just ok. It was really muddy, I could say. Walking under giant trees, we saw different kind of plants.

Click more pictures on My Facebook.

Now, the muddy mud volcano.
Climbing up the tower for 3 minutes to enjoy the view of Mud Volcano. You wouldn’t be surprised to see the wildlife around! Bear in mind that you must pack your stuffs in your bag before going in to the mud because you are going to get all muddy. And if you don’t, everything will be covered with mud... And for my advice, please prepare wet tissue and I did and I share to everyone because they didn’t expect it. On my first college trip to Tabin, I didn’t prepare anything and it was so pain to wear the boots, trekking back to the 4WD because your foot will be covers by mud and stones. I don’t want you to get hurt like I do last time, but you can try maybe, at least? If you don’t mind. :P But really, wet tissue helps a lot as you can clean your hands and carry your bags, if you bring any bags. Also clean your foot before wearing the boots. If not, poor guides need to help you all to carry all the way.

Facts: You only can find Mud Volcano at Tabin Wildlife Reserve other than the other destinations that you can explore in Lahad Datu.

Now, the Waterfall.
After soaking in the mud volcano, we visited the waterfall called Lipad Waterfall and it’s beautiful. Washed away the mud on our body and face, I saw... LEECH! I hope I have the pictures of the waterfall but too bad, my hands are wet. Anyway, after some light swim, we need to do some adventurous trekking back to the 4WD... Without any insect repellent! So, leeches are welcome ;)

Back to Restaurant.
It was raining once we reached the restaurant. So we took a rain bath! Well, when you are in the rainforest, you just need to try taking a rain bath. It was fun! We had some coffee and tea before head to our bedrooms to clean up.

Continue with Herbal Foot Soak and Dusk Drive.
After shower, took some rest and continue with Herbal Foot Soak before the Dusk Drive. Herbal Foot Soak was awesome and it’s so relaxing after a long jungle trek. For Dusk Drive, we saw lots of monkeys, the Pig- tailed Macaque, and they are stealing foods from the trees. Plus, we witness the flying squirrels swinging from tree to tree. I bet you will see it when you are there too!

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Office Address:	Lot 11-1, 1st Flr, Blk A, Damai Point Jln Damai, 88300 Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia
Telephone:	+60 88 267266
Fax:	+60 88 258266
General Email:	enquiry@tabinwildlife.com.my