Bamboo Music Festival: The Sounds of Nature

If you are familiar with the idea of sustainable living, you must be aware that bamboo the world’s tallest grass is a multi-purpose, readily renewable source.  Bamboo grows freely in the Malaysian state of Sabah. In fact, it is said that 35 species of bamboo belonging to 10 different genres can be found in Sabah.

However, the use of treated bamboo in construction here is still a relatively new concept given the easy availability of low cost timber. In Sabah, this favorite food of panda bears is used mainly to produce melodic wind and percussion instruments like the sompoton(bamboo aerophone), the bungkau (the jaw harp) and the seruling(flute).

To celebrate the versatility of this tall grass in musical expression, a festival known as the Bamboo Music Festival is held at Dewan Tun Hamdan in the small town of Tamparuli in Tuaran district every year. This year, this delightful music festival will be held on Wednesday, 27^th November.

The highlights of the festival include special musical performances by the Kinabalu Bamboo Orchestra and the Taiwanese Bamboo Orchestra. Also on the festival program, is a bamboo music competition featuring local bamboo ensembles along with groups from the Philippines and Indonesia.

Bamboo products and exhibits like a bamboo raft house will also be showcased at the festival along with traditional sports featuring events like rampanau (bamboo stilt-walking) races.

So if you want to learn more about bamboo and experience the melody created by instruments fashioned out of bamboo, do head out to Tamparuli for the truly enchanting Bamboo Music Festival.

Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon

The magnificent Mount Kinabalu, which stands tall in the midst of Sabah’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kinabalu Park is a sight to behold. The mount which rises to a height of 4,095 meters (13,435 feet) above sea level, is one of the highest peaks in South East Asia.

Despite its lofty height, Mount Kinabalu is quite an easy peak to conquer and even climbers with little or no mountaineering experience enjoy climbing up to the summit of the mount, which is perennially enshrouded in swirling mists and affords gorgeous views of the Kinabalu Park and beyond. Approximately 40,000 climbers attempt the climb up Mount Kinabalu every year.

The Sabah Tourism Board soon realized the tremendous tourism potential that Mount Kinabalu offered and decided to exploit this potential by taking over the administration of the park’s Climbathon event. The Mount Kinabalu Climbathon was instituted in 1987 as an exercise to help speed up rescue efforts of park rangers who are required to scale the peak in order to rescue stranded or injured climbers. At first the competitive version of this  Climbathon featured only domestic participation but in 1995, the tourism board opened the event to international participation.

In 2013, the Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon will be held over two days, the 19^th and 20^th of October. The event will also feature two different races, the Summit Race and the Adventure Race.

The Summit Race

Scheduled for 19^th October, the Summit Race will admit only 110 elite male and 40 elite female qualified runners. Qualified runners wishing to participate in the race have to meet one of three following criteria:-

1.      They must have previously competed in one of the Climbathons held since the year 2008.    

 

2.      They have competed in their home country’s official mountain race and have proof of their participation.

3.      They have a letter of recommendation from their home country’s mountain race / athletic body or any other body recognized by the authorities organizing the   Climbathon.

The Summit race will start off from the Kinabalu Park entrance and runners will be required to go up to the summit of Mt. Kinabalu (4,095.2 m). The runners will then have to come down to the Mesilau Nature Resort and finish the course at Kundasang town. The Summit course extends over 33 Km and will require runners to traverse 15 Km of tarmac road, 18 Km of forest trails as well as the rock face of the summit

The   Adventure   Race

The Adventure   Race   is open to all men and women aged 18 years and above. The race which is scheduled for 20th October 2013 features a newly altered race course. The runners participating in the Adventure Race will navigate a newly altered course which will require them to start off at the Kinabalu Park entrance and then go up to the Layang-Layang Hut (located half way up Mt. Kinabalu at  a height of 2760.3 m). The runners will then have to come down to the Mesilau Nature Resort before finishing the race at Kundasang town

The course of the Adventure race extends over 23km and requires runners to run over 15 km of tarmac road and 8 km of forest trails.

 

Registration for the 2013, Mount Kinabablu International Climbathon is currently closed but if you enjoy mountain running, you can always plan to take part in the event next year.

For more information about the event do visit -http://www.climbathon.my

Chinese and Buddhist Temples

Elaborately decorated Chinese temples have long attracted tourists in various parts of South East Asia.  It is no different in Malaysia for a significant portion of the country’s Chinese population follows Buddhism. The Chinese first arrived in Malaysia in the early 13^th century as traders; they continued to arrive in waves down the ages. These Chinese immigrants to Malaya hailed from various regions of China and as they settled in Malaysia and formed communities, they built some magnificent Chinese and Buddhist temples, which stand until today.

Some of the most spectacular Chinese and Buddhist temples in Malaysia currently include:-

Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur

The six tiered Thean Hou Temple stands in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. This elaborately adorned temple features ornate roofs and sculptured dragons. The temple which is one of the biggest Chinese temples in the country, is dedicated to Thean Hou(the heavenly goddess) though several other popular Chinese deities like Kuan Yin(the Goddess of Mercy) and Shui Wey( Goddess of  the Hokkien fishermen) also feature within the temple. The grounds of the temple feature replicas of the Chinese zodiac signs. Several souvenir shops line the exterior of the temple.

Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen temple, Selangor

This temple, which was established in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat in 1994 is set amongst 16 immaculately landscaped acres. This temple also functions as a monastery and is a center for culture and religious studies.  The main shrine at this temple is a 5.4-meter high statue of Lord Buddha sculpted in bronze. Other idols that adorn the temple include a statue of Kuan Yin (the Goddess of Mercy).

Perak Tong, Ipoh Perak

The Malaysian state of Perak is renowned for its cave temples many of which are located around the capital city of Ipoh. Perak Tong is one such famed temple, which is housed within the huge limestone cave; Gunung Tasek located six kilometers north of Ipoh town. This temple was constructed by Buddhist monks from China in 1926 and features over 40 statues of Lord Buddha, including one, which rises to a height of 12.8 meters. Traditional Chinese paintings illustrating Buddhist folk tales adorn the walls of the temple.

Sam Poh Tong Temple, Ipoh

This temple, which lies five kilometers to the south of Ipoh near Gunung Rapat, houses several statues of Lord Buddha amongst its many limestone formations like spectacular stalactites and stalagmites. It is believed that a Chinese monk discovered this cave and he then went on to use it as a locale for meditation.  The temple also features 246 steps leading to its summit.

Kek Lok Si Temple, Penang

The Kek Lok Si Temple is one of the most visited sites in Penang. Situated on the lower rungs of Penang Hill, this magnificent temple is considered to be one of the finest Buddhist temples in Southeast Asia. The temple is built in tiers and is adorned with a tall Pagoda adorned with ten thousand Buddha statues and a 30-meter (90 feet) tall statue of Kuan Yin (the Goddess of Mercy). The temple is an exponent of Sino-Thai-Burmese styles of architecture and features  several colorful frescoes and water bodies.

Goddess of Mercy Temple  (Kuan Yin Teng)

Early Chinese migrants to Penang built the Kuan Yin Teng temple in 1801. The temple is dedicated to two goddess; Kuan Yin (the goddess of Mercy) and Ma Chor Poh, the patron saint of seafarers. The décor of the temple is quite dramatic as it features a main hall supported by sculpted pillars adorned with dragons.

The Temple of Bright Clouds (Melaka)

Located in the heart of Melaka’s Chinatown, the Temple of Bright Clouds or the Cheng Hoong Teng temple is the oldest temple in Malaysia. The temple, which was constructed entirely of materials imported from Southern China, dates back to 1646. The temple practices the three main doctrines of Chinese religion namely Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.

Puh Toh Tze Temple, Sabah

The Puh Toh Tze temple situated at a distance of 15km from Kota Kinabalu off Tuaran Road is one of the most well known Buddhist temples in Sabah. The temple, which was built in 1980, bears a distinct Chinese-style structure and roof. The temple features ten large statues including a large statue of goddess Kuan Yin at its main entrance.