Canopy walkway, Kipungit Fall, Hotspring - Poring, Sabah

Canopy Walk, Poring, Kinabalu National Park

It was roughly a 20 minute walk uphill to the canopy walk at Poring Hotspring Park. What a thrill! To be up there and not have my feet on solid ground! To be exact, 30.8 metre above the ground and a stretch of 105 metre 'skywalk' with 5 platforms to linger by and marvel nature. The tualang ( Koompassia excelsa) trees majestically tower above, at 85.7 m just took our breath away.

You can't but be in awe of the rainforests. There was a' gentle ' reminder for visitors to take home lasting beautiful memories and not to defile anything in the forest in any way.

Away from the din of city life, the jungle offers its own kind of noises. A male cicada making its mating calls is unashamedly noisy. I don't know how many were calling. But should you have been there, the cicadas were at their symphonic best! So LOUD and the jungle just resonated with their music. I love it! It was not easy to see them. Caught sight of 2 on the tree trunks.

Lianas here, there and everywhere! What a thick loop! Trudging the trail one has to look where you step. Don't forget to pause, look around and skyward too.

The starting point of the Canopy Walk. We gave our ticket bought at the main entrance to the guard who was manning the canopywalk.

Hey! don't rock it - walk slower and it will not shake so much! Only 6 at a time to cross for safety reasons.

How often we get words of wisdom about walking the straight and narrow path in life. This seems like one alright!! There's nowhere else to go but to head forward!! A beauty of a rainforest tree welcomes us at the other end.

It's not only the blue sky but the delicate patterns pasted on it !!

The dry weather made the descent manageable . I've been on trails and slippery, muddy earth makes trekking more challenging. I couldn't help thinking the rewards of attending Pam's aerobics classes at YMCA. It pays to be flexible as one negotiates the uneven ground.

On the trail down from the canopy walk, there were stories to listen to. Mr Lee told us he and his friends had just led a group of ladies, cancer survivors from Singapore to climb Mount Kinabalu. These ladies, not in the prime of health, underwent consistent training for 6 months to conquer and reach the summit. They did.

On a personal level, his wife suffered from altitude sickness . She found a helper in a man who helped her in the descent. He held her hand for some 2 km, now and again. 'The Low Peak ( referring to the main peak of Mount Kinabalu) is her highest peak!' Having conquered the mountain, there's no lows but highs!! Our guide on the Silau - Silau trail, Gusimin dispelled notions that Mount Kinabalu is difficult to scale. Well, the climbers are the ones to vouch for it!

The same 'gang' of trekkers we met earlier at the Butterfly Farm at PoringHotspring Park. With their butterfly field guide book at hand, they told us a few names of the lovely butterflies flitting so fancy -free from flower to flower. They are experienced birders and belong to the Johore Branch of MNS(Malaysian Nature Soc.). More company added to the joviality as stories were exchanged.

The sun was really beating down but I was prepared to be a couple of shades darker. Had only a sun hat to shade off the glare. Well, when the walk was over, the 'Good Morning' towel round the nape of neck was well soaked with beady, salty sweat trickling down my face.

The tree base is my throne !!

How the woody lianas crawl and make their our patterns across the forest floor. Just wish an orang utan would lend me a hand and swing me up among the lianas creeping towards the sky!!

Kipungit Fall

Crystal clear water falling on the rocks

When we arrived at Kipungit Fall after the canopy walk, the sounds of laughter attracted us to a group of trekkers and their activity. Legs were dipped in the water and little fish were having a whale of a time 'snacking' on their skin!! Visions of the fish spas in KL cropped up.Of course we joined in to have a free treatment. Some kids were coaxing their mum to try longer . She did but gave up quite quickly as they ' bit me', she squealed!

It's been a long time since I made a visit to a waterfall. The trail was easy and quite shady , hemmed in by lots of bamboo and other vegetation. Again the cicadas called out. Kipungit Fall, albeit small, was nevertheless peaceful and a refreshing sight. O Life- giver, the water was crystal clear and it didn't seem a place for picnickers.

Time to soak achy feet in the hotspring water at Poring HotSpring known for its therapeutic properties in sulphuric minerals. We sat among some Korean tourists who were delighted with Sabah and its wonderful eco beauties of flora and fauna and charming friendly people.

Majestic bamboos lining the walk inside Poring Hotspring. Poring means 'bamboo' in the Kadazandusun language. In the Exhibition Hall, there's a wonderful display of bamboo and its immense diverse uses : building materials, bridges, handicrafts, food, musical instruments etc.

Bamboo a giant grass??? Yes, it belongs to the grass family It is the fastest growing woody plant on earth! From 3m to a giant 40 m , watch the bamboo grow!!

Mount Kinabalu, the focal point of Kinabalu National Park, standing at 4095 m, is one of the youngest non- volcanic mountains in the world. This granite massif with its jagged peak is still growing at 5mm yearly. The lure of conquering the summit draws people from the world over. Kinabalu National Park was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000.