Balik Kampung - A Morning In Nupakan

From the first moment I set my feet to that land and lift up my eyes to the misty mountain ranges, I said to myself…this is ‘My Cold Mountain’. Being a big fan of the movie ‘Cold Mountain’ whose actress is Nicole Kidman, I am someone who loves cold highlands more than a hot but beautiful beach.  And being a part of this place is a dream come true to me.

It is actually called kg. Nupakan, Kaingaran.  A far and remote area beyond the mountains and green rainforest of Tambunan. This is where my husband came from.  He was born here, grow up and those forest on that mountain was his playground.  That is where he learned to survive a hard life.  While most of us running or playing in a children playground somewhere in a beautiful garden, he was running through the forest learning to hunt or perhaps somewhere on the cold river catching fish. And when his father died when he was just fourteen, it forced him to become a man before it’s time.  As much as I pity him for what he has been through, I am definitely so proud of him.

Recently, we spend a few days of our long holiday there.  And this time I learned, beyond all the beauties that catch my eyes…the refreshing morning mist, the clear water river, the majestic mountain ranges, unpolluted air and all those beautiful roses….this place sometimes can be quite harsh to anyone.  

As you know, recently we were experiencing a non-stop raining season everywhere.  As I opened my facebook account, I remember seeing lots of status saying how cold it was everywhere.  In Labuan as well as when I was in Sandakan, I too feel the coldness. It was indeed very cold everywhere. So, imagine travelling from a usually hot, but at the moment very cold nearby a sea place like Labuan and Sandakan to this highland.  I know it will be colder than usual but I have no idea it was like 10 times colder especially during the night.

I remember wearing a few layers of thick clothes and socks every night and when we sleep we use a few layers more of blankets and comforter and it’s still feel extremely cold.  It’s hard to sleep or was it only me?? And It’s hard to take bath too.  The water was freezing cold.  There were times when I wash my hand and it’s like I couldn’t feel my hand. This time, not a day passes without me boiling water to take bath…be it night or in a broad daylight.  The coldness was so harsh.

Our earlier plan was actually to spend one week in Kg. Nupakan.  But by the 4^th day, I start to notice my son’s early sign of flu and fever.  And as the night fall, his body was getting hotter and hotter.  And it happens that we don’t have any transport to go to hospital.  Our car is a sedan type and it’s not suitable for the road there.  So, we leave it at my husband’s relative in town area and we ask some villager for a ride. I also didn’t bring much medication for my son.  The only medication I have for him was Calamine Lotion and Cool Fever patch.  It doesn’t help much.  He keep waking up and crying.  The night seems so long and cold…and I felt so helpless.  The only thing I could do was pray for His healing and protection and for the morning to come sooner.  So, needless to say more…we decided to cut short the holiday.  I pack our things at dawn, and we leave for the town as early as possible.  Luckily, one of my husband childhood friends were willing to give us a ride.  And later that evening, we were heading to KK and leave that precious but cold place.

Let me share some photos that I took recently.  Most of it were shot at morning.  It is always my favorite time of the day, in this place particularly.  The melodious sounds of nature will wake us up to the mist that cover the mountains like a blanket.  The unpolluted air was so fresh that it's only smells of my mother in law's wild roses. But, as I look at it carefully I realize that those pictures didn’t do justice to the beauty of the place.  Most of it are over exposed. Thus it didn’t show the mist and green of the forest and mountain as well as the blue of the sky.  My mistake!  But..that’s what we call learning process right?  Hopefully in the future, I could take a better pictures of this beautiful place.

My sister in law starts the fire to boil water.

Early morning routine.  We always sits by the fire to warm ourselves.

My son and me...and my mother in law's roses.

'Taking Care' of the midnight hunts.

White wild roses

I am not sure what is this...just capturing it. :)

White chili...one of my favorite food. 

I have no idea what flower is this.  Macam bunga taik ayam pun ada juga.

Red Roses

Sunflower

My son with his grandma, in front of my in laws house. Capture before we leave the village.

That morning, when we leave that Cold Mountain of mine in a journey that seems longer than usual, I hold my sick son in my arms.  Surprisingly he fell asleep so soundly despite the rough road.  I look lovingly at him and once in a while lift up my eyes to the forest and mountains that surround us.  The only thing that came to my mind was…all those villagers, including my husband and his ancestors have been occupying  this magical Cold Mountain for so many years.  In the past, there is no proper road like today.  No transportation ever reach this village except helicopter. They use to walk in the forest by their feet and it took half a day to reach town and another half day to get back home just to buy some domestic supply.  They had no electricity supply as well as phone connection and above all they had no nearby clinic to bring the sick. Silently I cry inside as I wondering, I face the challenge of sick child for one night and I feel like dying of worries already. How in a world they survived through that hard life for so many years is beyond my imagination. These simple life group of people is indeed a SURVIVOR!