Sabah Rafflesia Tour 2007

Still recovering from splendid fieldwork in Sabah, to accompany 10 botanists and stake holders from the Philippines. The group was lead by Dr Domingo Madulid, senior botanist from PNH, Manila. Dr Madulid was accompanied by Dr Esperanza Maribel Agoo from DLSU Manila and Ferdinand Bautista and his 4 staffs from the office of the Maragusan, in Campostela, Mindanao. They are the authors of Rafflesia magnifica from Campostela and keen to develop ecotourism there. In the group were also Joyce E. Dulce and Getrudis Girlie Jaucian-Adan from Camarines Sur State Agric College, south Luzon and Carmina V. Tolentino, an Associate Professor and the Director of Science Laboratories, Enverga University, Lucena City in Quezon.

Our host is none other than the Rafflesia's truly world authority, Dr. Jamili Nais. He is the author of the the award winning Rafflesia of The World book, and my close associate. We are also in the process of writing another book on Rafflesia to be published by DBP which I drafted while on this tour. Jamili also wrote another book in malay, called Rafflesia, Bunga Terbesar di Dunia published by DBP.

I and Jamili have known Dr Domingo "Doming" Madulid and Dr Esperanza "Bel" Agoo for sometime, and they were the hosts of our trips to Luzon and Panay. He was also instrumental in the proposed setting-up of SEA program on the systematics of Rafflesia. The group, whihc wa the second tour after a group of policy makers from Panay last year and they are keen to learn how to manage their resources, from our experience. Jamili and Sabah Parks are well known in conservation world for Rafflesia Conservation Iniatiative (RCIS) around Kinabalu. I am delighted to meet them in person in Kota Kinabalu and take them around Sabah even though Jamili was not able to join the trip due to heavy workload and several late developments involving Sabah Parks then.

Dr Jamili Nais (right) and Kenneth Sion, his staff

Our main guide, driver and manager was Alim Biun, Sabah Park ranger with Crocker Range whom I have known since his early days in Kinabalu in 1980's.

It was a great trip, and we all surely enjoyed every minutes of it. We joke together, eat together, and sleep in the some of the best brand new Sabah Park rest houses in Crocker, Poring, and Kinabalu. From Kota Kinabalu we went to Tambunan Rafflesia Forest Reserve, visiting Rafflesia Information Centre I fought, design and built in late 1990's.

Dr. Domingo Madulid

We also visited several populations of Rafflesia pricei there. From Tambunan we went to Crocker Range Park. We rushed to the Rafflesia trail where we saw several Rafflesia keithii buds and Rhizanthes. This Rhizanthes, the cousin of rafflesia, was for sometime called Rh. lowii. After seeing the buds and several photos of the blooms I beg to differ!.

Spectacular view of Keningau town and surroundings from our hostel

From Crocker Range in Keningau, we came back to Tambunan, and then to Mahua Station. This is the station built after our expeditions there in early 1990's.
Then under afternoon sun we crossed to Ranau for late lunch. From Ranau, we were driven down to the famous Poring hotspring, stopping for a visit to RCIS site of Mr Kundong Ransiki. There are many pictures of Rafflesia posted in the internet about this site, and blogged about it many times.
Arrived late in Poring, we went for a dip for one hr in hot water pools at 8 pm.
The next day we visited ex-situ conservation site of Mr Marius Gabin, near Poring. This is the site where Dato Dr Noramly and Glenda photographed their first Rafflesia and posted in her blog. hclimbed the canopy walkway, visited ethnobotanical and orchid conservartory gardens before check-out and off to Gunung Kinabalu.

From Kundasang vegetable town, we went up to Mesilau just in time to trek up the ultrabasic side of the eastern shoulder of the mountain to see visit Nepenthes populations in stunted ultramafic forest. We went down just before dark and enjoying the last few minutes of the top of Kinabalu open up, before dissapearing in the cloud.

Ansow Gunsalam, the Chief Ranger of Mesilau Station, giving his briefing

In the dark we went up to Kundasang, and then to Kinabalu HQ for the night rest in the brand new guest house I used to call Eric House, after Eric Wong the former Kinabalu Park chief Ranger.

Waking up early in the morning, I spent early morning rituals of photographing Kinabalu before the sun set in. What a sight.

I will blog in much more detail for each sites and other issues later when I am a bit free to do so. More photos (I have more than 2000 in the 4 gigabytes files in DVD) will be uploaded in my Picasa Web album later.