Wednesday, May 12, 2010

After Sukau

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Believe or not, Langkawi is not the only place to have the mystical Seven Wells. A small town in Sabah by the name of Kunak has a similiar one. I went there very early in the morning because all the hotels in Kunak and Semporna were full due to the Regatta Lepa Lepa festival. Let me tell you this, sleeping in a Perodua Viva was not pleasant. I was sweaty and needed a bath so my destination to Kunak's Seven Wells in the early morning was very timely.
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Calm and serene

The natural wells are located inside a palm oil plantation and there are no signboards leading to the place. You just have to ask whoever that's awake at that time.

The pools were positioned on a slight incline of a hill so when you get in one of the pools, you pretty much have your own infinity pool that overlooks a part jungle part plantation scenery.
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I wished that my camera's timer had a 30 second option as opposed to 10 second otherwise you wont see the ripples.

After the refreshing dip, I went to the town of Tawau for some seafood breakfast. Only in Tawau you eat seafood for breakfast. My intention was not just consuming seafood for breakfast but also to enquire about Teck Guan Falls. Teck Guan Berhad is a cocoa plantation conglomerate and apparently, a 15 metre waterfall is located inside their cocoa plantation. When I arrived at their office, I was told I had to pay a sum of RM100 to enter their property because it was part of a tour to visit their cocoa museum and cocoa factory. Who in god's name wants to see a cocoa museum??
Despite my pleas to just view the waterfall, they ignored my request. Dissatisfied and irritated, i drove to their cocoa plantation and negotiated with the guard who manned the huge fortress like wooden gate.I tricked the guard into allowing me in by telling him that the tour manager couldn't join me as she was in Sunday church that time and had asked me to go on my own. I used God's name for my selfish benefits all for a waterfall.

Once in, I drove through the maze of cocoa plantation to reach Teck guan falls. Thankfully, there were signs leading to the waterfall.
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Signs

Like all sabah waterfalls, Teck Guan Falls was just simply astounding. With foliage on both sides of the waterfall opening gap and suspended high in the air, Teck Guan Falls has just written herself in my top ten waterfall list.
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Teck Guan Falls

Video of Teck Guan Falls

Because it was in a private property, there were no less than 5 people there that day and they all were the guard's marauding youth friends.
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Always with my Moleskine


Wild Orang Utan encounters, wildlife in Sukau, Seven Wells infinity pool, seafood breakfast, swimming in Teck Guan falls - Just priceless.

1 comment:

Pak Zawi said...

Being located in a plantation setting isn't suitable for a waterfall. The jungle is where they belong. They should have left a buffer zone of at least 2 chains on either side of the river bank. Even that wont ensure that the water in the river will be as pristine as in its original environment.