Kundasang continues to charm visitors

Published on: Sunday, April 11, 2021

By: Lorena Binisol

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Spectacular view from the homestay in Mesilau, Kundasang.

KUNDASANG may rank as one of the best options for a holiday if the international border opened following the Covid-19 pandemic.

It boasts a majestic view of Mount Kinabalu and the chilly weather makes it even more exciting and comforting.

It is time to “travel” for relaxation away from the scorching hot at the low land and hustle and bustle of the city life, opined Azizul Julirin, a homestay operator in Mesilau.

When the 33-year-old was just about to build his homestay in 2015, it was halfway towards completion when earthquake hit part of Sabah including his area in Kundasang.

They had no choice but to vacate the whole area of Mesilau and forced them to find temporary refuge elsewhere.

“While the tragedy made us dreadful with uncertainty, it made us stronger and determined to move forward,” said Azizul.

After things were settled, he and other operators picked up the mess, they started all over again with whatever they had in hand.

Eventually a year after the incident, tourism industry became active again and he could start promoting his homestay.

With his far-sighted vision, he decided to build an aquafarm in 2016 not far from his homestays as part of his guests’ activities.

Since then, he received local and international guests experiencing his homestay and farm enjoying plucking and eating his vegetables fresh and pesticide-free.

However, greater calamity occurred in early 2020 when the pandemic hit.

Homestay operators were once again put under distress for not being able to operate and their livelihood was greatly affected.

For Azizul, he was thankful to have started his aquafarm in 2016. While the pandemic crippled many businesses, his farm was not affected. It produced food, therefore, it fell under the category of essential services.

“My farm went on operating during the MCO 1.0 last year. In fact, the production of vegetables was not sufficient, but we did whatever we could to supply to the masses,” he said.

Indah, one of his staff, regarded Azizul as a good mentor for setting good example as a leader to his subordinates.

She described the homestay as the best place to work due to its well organised system. It was also a place to meet new people while working.

Being trained in agro-technology, Indah said whether it is in the farm or in the homestay, as long as there is a proper system in managing, they can’t go wrong with handling the operation.

They provide the homestay and the aquafarm to locals and hoped international guests would be coming once the border is opened.

Uniquely designed small houses, Azizul was inspired by the working culture of the Japanese people, hence he used Japanese architectural design and even naming each house with Japanese words.

For example “Midori” means green, “Kiiro” is yellow, “Momoiro” is pink to name a few.

He said playing with colours by painting each of his house is important as part of the attraction apart from the nature surrounding it. Even bed sheets have variety of colours in each room to entice guests.

With the unique names for each of his unit, some guests might be wondering if the person behind the homestay is Japanese.

She said her boss who had been to Japan for courses and furthered his studies there was captivated by the way the Japanese were loyal to their employers and honest in discharging their responsibilities.

“These traits made him a good person, coaching and moulding us to be leaders with quality. I guess he is applying these values within his organisation.”

While overseeing the day-to-day operation in the homestay, Indah would gladly bring her guests to see the farm, which is just a walking distance away.

In their pesticide-free farm, she would teach guests how to care for seedlings such as strawberry, grapes and other fruits and vegetables.

Despite his young age, Azizul is quite the entrepreneur for having opened up many job opportunities to his fellow villagers.

He also provided training platform to many post-graduate university trainees for their practical training as well as creating awareness on the importance of cleanliness to the community in Mesilau.

He was glad that local guests appreciate nature and look forward to catch a glimpse of Mount Kinabalu early in the morning.

Movement of clouds is a phenomena and even spectacular when it is viewed at closer outlook. Guests were mesmerised by the process. “Such an amazing experience! This is a view to die for,” one guest commented.

“We don’t get to see clouds moving from one end to the other at a closer view in the lowland. Therefore, this is very unique,” said another guest who was utterly fascinated by what had happened.

There are also guided tour to the nearby villages which included walks through small jungle and streams.

As guests passed from one village to another by foot, they could see a variety of plants along the way, some with weird looking leaves or petals.

Flora and fauna play important roles in the homestay programme.

“Walking leisurely is part of our activities and it is always fun to bring outsiders to see the local sights.

“Sometimes they asked me name of flowers but I had to tell them that honestly I hardly recognise some of them,” she said, laughing.