Back to Kudat: Misompuru Homestay

Hey all you bloggers !! I just got back from an exotic stay in Kudat, The Misompuru Homestay where it famous from the Rungus culture, white sandy beaches, the gongs, beautiful beads and etc,etc. Yesterday we started our journey from Sabah Tourism Board ( my internship location) with a few member/long old staff and of course me . The long 3 hour journey was really tiring and along with annoying kiddies plus crying babies ( just kidding, just a bunch of children and the parent work in STB ). Once again I've given the chance to travel out of Kota Kinabalu towards Kudat. One of the staff, Ms Mary told me that there's a few place of attraction which is watch sunset, cloth making, cultural dance, beach visits, trekking - mangrove forest. But what interest me about the trip was all about the Ocean Rhythm Festival held on 17th and 18th September 2011. But before that, we went to the Gombizau Honey Bee Farm which is one of the most commercialized and organized Honey Bee Farm in Kudat region. The Gombizau Honey Bee Farm is located in Kampung Gombizau in Matunggong, a sub-district situated 43 kilometers south of Kudat city, where one of the economical activities for the village community is honey bee farming. There are over a hundred bee cages in the bee farm. The Honey Bee Farm was started and established over ten years ago, and the bee farm produces honey both for the local consumptions as well as to be sold in bottles for those who are akin to the sweet taste of raw honey. After spending our only half an hour in Gombizau, we deperted to our next destination, the Sumangkap Gong Making facto. For your information, Gongs are very important musical instruments for the Rungus and many other communities in Kudat Malaysia. Gongs are valued not only just as musical instruments but also as items of wealth. It takes days of pounding the metal sheets to produce a gong. In Kampung Sumangkap Gong Factory a demonstrations of making gongs in various stages by skilled craftsmen is an experience not to be missed. Kampung Sumangkap Gong Factory is located less than one hour away from Kampung Gombizau Honey Bee Farm, is famous for its gong making cottage industry. The gong is one of the most important Rungus musical instrument and often being played during festivities and grand occasions such as weddings. The gongs that are sold in Kampung Sumangkap vary in sizes—visitors can expect to find tiny souvenirs ones with different shapes and unique designs (price ranging from RM25 to RM37) as well as large ones that can reach up to 2 meters wide in diameter. For large groups of visitors, the villagers of Kampung Sumangkap will often hold cultural performances in the Kampung Sumangkap Community Hall where the kulintangan (a set of different sized gongs producing different sounds) is to be played. Okay, this story will have to be continued as I'm really, REALLY EXHAUSTED. Ciao!!