As I’ve mentioned before, this journey has been a great lesson in geography and culture, not the least of which includes the island of Borneo, which seemed like an almost imaginary place until now. It does indeed exist and on the island is the city of Kota Kinabalu, the Malaysian state capital of Sabah province, with a population of about 500,000. Nestled in the shadow of Mount Kinabalu, KK, as the city is affectionately called, is home to tropical rainforests, orangutans, and former head-hunting tribes of natives…..really. But fortunately we are told that is no longer practiced. Virtually unknown to most of us passengers, we all developed a kind of fondness for the city because, as our ace Cruise Director Andy says,” it’s just so darn much fun to say the name.”
We headed out on a day trip to see the Sabah State Mosque, built in 1974, one of the two main mosques in this Muslim dominant city. The mosque can accommodate up to 5,000 worshippers at one time, with a separate balcony for Muslim women during prayer time. Visitors are not allowed inside unless they adhere to the strict dress code of the religion.
The Sabah Heritage Center includes examples and demonstrations of the style in which the native tribes live, including the once practiced use of blowpipes for poison darts. A complex of traditional “long houses”, made of bamboo and thatched roofs are built on stilts and are designed to accommodate family members in one long building. More rooms are added to the length as the family grows. The nearby Sabah Museum houses examples of regional native culture dating from prehistory, including the practice of head hunting, when human skulls were prized and used as currency.
The city is a wide contrast of modern streets, buildings, shopping malls, and the Handicraft Market filled with pearls, wooden crafts, and textiles, next to the wet and dry food market with “exotic” fresh and dried foods, tropical fruits, and pungent aromas that assault your senses. Fortunately, no skulls.
The formerly preferred local currency, while certainly unique, would seem to be less convenient to use and carry than the modern version… How did they make change?
We did learn that, when the European explorers arrived, their skulls were even more highly valued for trade, so maybe that’s when the local version became the “change”..?
Cute picture of you, Kristy! I am learning about the world through your blog. It is great!