|
History
Ranau literally means 'wet-rice field' and the fertile plains of
this vast valley must have been inhabited for a long time though
little historical or prehistorically data are available at this
moment. The surrounding hills have also been inhabited by Dusun but
they would plant 'dry rice' on the slopes of the hills, leaving the
fields fallow for several years after the harvest rather than 'wet
rice' in yearly used rice fields. Hence the name of this place,
which to this date has a weekly
tamu on Sundays that serves
more purposes than just selling and buying local produce. Every
first of the month, regardless of what week-day, Ranau has a 'tamu
besar' which is particularly colourful and vibrant with still many
people attending who have to travel several hours by foot to reach
Ranau. They live in remote and inaccessible areas and bring to the
market rattans, medicinal herbs and tobacco. With the money they
earn they buy commodities they cannot produce despite their
otherwise self-sufficient life-style: soap, coffee, sugar etc. After
having exchanged all the latest news and heard enough gossip they
disappear again to their remote villages for another month.
Ranau has a definitive rural character
to it, is laid back, has a couple of good restaurants and above all,
is full of extremely friendly people always ready to stop for a
quick chat with a traveller. No worries about parking here, one
always finds space right where one wishes, and there are no traffic
lights!
Places of Interest in Ranau
Few travellers stopover in Ranau. Normally you would be on your way
to Poring Hot Springs, or coming from there and going
to the
Kinabalu National Park Head Quarters, from
where one can climb Mt Kinabalu. There is unfortunately indeed
nothing much that would attract tourists in this little charming
town, if not the restaurants. The town was built in the 70ties, as
is quickly apparent, just as apparent that most of the buildings
have since their construction never seen any maintenance... But as
already mentioned, the people are extremely friendly and the
restaurants good and thus the outer appearance is not that
important!
Close to Ranau, direction KK is
Kundasang, Sabah's 'Vegetable Capital' and where an
Australian War Memorial is located. The memorial marks the
end of the infamous Death March of some 2300 mostly
Australian POW, and an infamous chapter in Australian warfare:
towards the end of WWII the occupying Japanese marched their POW
from
Sandakan all the way through the
jungle to Ranau. Only six POW survived, and this because they
managed to escape and were helped by local Dusun who hid them in the
jungle and fed them until the war was over. Another war memorial in
Sandakan, at the site of the former
prisoner camp marks the beginning of the march. The journey has been
retraced according to the few historical documents that survived and
one can now trek along some of the stretches of the 'Death March'.
A few minutes by car from Ranau
direction KK you arrive at the
Kinabalu National Park Head Quarters
(KNP HQ), from where one can climb Mt Kinabalu. With more than 10 km
of well maintained trails the KNP HQ are also ideal for leisurely
walks in the lower montane rainforest. The HQ are at more than 1650
m a.s.l. and the air is cool, making it ideal for hiking but take
along a raincoat because the weather can change abruptly. The KNP HQ
are also a paradise for ornithologists as many of the bird species
you can, with some luck, spot around the HQ are endemic to this part
of the world! There is also good accommodation infrastructure and
since it has been taken over by a 'proper' hotel staying at the park
HQ is an experience by itself! No wonder the KNP HQ are Sabah's most
visited destination with over 120,000 visitors a year!
If you travel direction Sandakan you
will come to a junction not long after you have left the last houses
of Ranau behind you. If you turn left you will get to Poring
Hot Springs, which is within the Kinabalu National Park and
Sabah's second most visited attraction. At Poring there are, as the
name indicates, hot springs which represent here the last
manifestation of ancient volcanic activity. The Japanese
'discovered' the springs and rudimentarily developed them during
their occupation. The locals have never really made use of those
springs, as it is essentially only hot water, and not mineral rich
water which normally has health benefits. However, in the 70ties the
springs were developed, and recently again renovated and further
attractions were added to cope with the increasing number of
visitors each year. The springs are a great attraction for the local
population (Malaysian visitors are the biggest contributor), and on
week-ends, public and school holidays the place, though vast, still
seems hopelessly too small!
Though there is not much forest cover
left on the way to Poring there are some pockets here and there,
belonging to local people. They have realised that
Rafflesia
flowers are quite abundant and will put up a signboard along
the road when a flower is in bloom - which it is only for some four
to five days, after nine to 26 months of developing its bud!
Normally one pays RM 10 - RM 15 per person to see the flower, which
normally involves a short trek through their orchards where one can
see a wide variety of local fruit tress, vegetables and healing
herbs (if you know them...). The locals will be happy to chat with
you and let you get a glimpse of their life, alas most are not very
fluent in English. If you know a couple of words in Malay you'll
make new friends! The plots where Rafflesias grow are regularly
checked by Sabah Parks rangers and the locals are explicitly allowed
to ask for an 'entrance fee' if you wish to see the flowering
Rafflesia. This helps the conservation of this intriguing flower -
nevertheless the biggest in the world - and yet little studied
plant: they could, for all we know, burn down the last pockets of
forest on their property and plant durian or other fruit trees, or
rice - arguably more profitable than waiting for nearly a year until
a bud bursts open, and then only reap a couple of tourism dollars!
How to Get to Ranau & Accommodation
Bus, taxi, van - 110 km / 2 hours;
though there are a couple of small hotels in Ranau travellers
usually would not stay there. Sabah's highland 'resorts' are in
Kundasang, such as the Pine Resort, the Rose Cabin, and the Perkasa
Hotel Kundasang; there is also ample accommodation at the KNP HQ in
various categories and for every budget. Some accommodation is
available at Poring.
|
the
plains of Ranau
vegetable
gardens, Kundasang
Pine Resort - accommodation in the cool heights of Kundasang
view of Mt Kinabalu from Kundasang
some Ranau Dusun faces...
swimming pool (cold water) at Poring Hot Springs
Rajawali
Chalet, Poring Hot Springs |
