点评:My family (3 kids and myself) went on the 3 days, 2 nights tour with our friends (a mom and two kids). We had a fabulous time! My kids are ages 12, 10, and 8, and my friend's kids are both 7 years old. We enjoyed a private tour! All of the food was outstanding, the guides were all very kind and genuine. We loved learning about the Murut culture and livelihood, and experiencing the Murut hospitality. (The Murut are one of the 5 main indigenous tribes in Sabah). Our accommodations were simple and met our needs perfectly.
I highly recommend booking directly with Orou Sapulot at their website: www.borneo.tours
We didn't have a very good experience with the intermediary travel agency that we used.
Every detail on our trip was thought of in advance by the Orou Sapulot team. We were met in Keningau town by Jojo, where we discussed what we needed over Kitchai ping, a delicious iced calamansi juice with a dried fruit at the bottom. She suggested we buy Adidas Kampung (white rubber shoes with cleats), long white socks (for leech protection), and headlamps for the caving part of our trip. These were not expensive and made for a fun souvenir. **Also, don't be worried about the leeches -- not one of us found a leech on our socks or shoes. :)
We met our guide Virgil for lunch. Virgil's first language is English, and he is extremely well-educated. He is a master storyteller, and an excellent orator. He was really good with the kids too! His stories were my favorite part of the trip. I learned about how the palm oil plantations are actually good for Sabah, and for the wildlife, and for the taking care of the medical needs of Sabah's stateless population. I learned about Virgil's wild cousin who tried to grab a python by the neck, but grabbed the tail instead and got bit! And about his uncle who can heal people by speaking special words to them. And about how the crocodiles and the Murut people agree to leave each other alone.
The cave was really cool! There were many stalactites and bats. Our kids delighted in the huge centipedes, spiders, and even a snake.
We enjoyed the waterfall visit on the second day. We swam and the kids built towers of balanced rocks. We had to postpone the farm tour until the morning of the third day because of the rain. As a former Peace Corps Agroforestry volunteer (Guatemala 2002-2004), the farm tour was really interesting (and beautiful!).
We also enjoyed the traditional dance presentation. There were 5 drummers, and maybe 10 dancers...and only 7 of us watching! The kids loved that we got to try the dances. And...the rice wine was delicious!
The whole trip was so special and inspiring. I felt it was worth every penny -- rather I felt proud to support the Orou Sapulot project, because I could tell that it benefits the whole community. I will never forget our trip! Thank you to Virgil, Jojo, Eton, and the whole Orou Sapulot team!
翻译:我们一家四口(三个孩子和我)与朋友一家(一位妈妈和两个孩子)一起参加了为期3天2夜的旅游。我们玩得开心极了!我的孩子们分别12岁、10岁和8岁,我朋友的两个孩子都是7岁。我们享受了一次私人定制的旅行体验!所有食物都美味至极,导游们也都非常亲切友善。我们很喜欢了解穆鲁特人的文化、生活方式,也深刻体验到了他们热情好客的待客之道。(穆鲁特人是沙巴州五大主要原住民族之一)。我们的住宿条件虽简单,但完全满足了我们的需求。
我强烈建议直接通过Orou Sapulot的官网进行预订:www.borneo.tours。我们之前通过一家中介旅行社预订,体验并不太好。
Orou Sapulot的团队事先为我们的行程考虑了每一个细节。在肯尼高镇,Jojo来接我们,我们一边喝着基查冰汁——一种底部有干果碎块的美味酸橙冰饮——一边讨论了我们的需求。她建议我们购买阿迪达斯Kampung牌运动鞋(带鞋钉的白色橡胶鞋)、长款白色袜子(用来防止蜱虫爬上身体),以及用于洞穴探险的头灯。这些东西价格不贵,还能作为有趣的纪念品。**另外,不必担心蜱虫问题——我们当中没有人发现袜子或鞋子上沾有蜱虫哦。:)
我们在午餐时见到了向导维吉尔。维吉尔的母语是英语,学识渊博。他是个出色的讲故事的人,也是一位口才极佳的演说家。他对孩子们也特别好!他的故事是我这次旅行中最喜欢的部分。我了解到棕榈油种植园实际上对沙巴州、当地野生动物以及满足无国籍人群的医疗需求都有益处。我还听说了维吉尔的那个“野性十足”的表弟——他试图去抓一条蟒蛇的脖子,结果却抓到了尾巴,结果被咬了一口!还有他的叔叔,据说只要对病人念上几句特殊的咒语就能治愈他们。至于鳄鱼和穆鲁特人是如何达成互不打扰的协议的……
那个洞穴真的很酷!里面有很多钟乳石和蝙蝠。我们的孩子们则对那些巨大的蜈蚣、蜘蛛,甚至一条蛇都乐此不疲。
第二天我们游览了瀑布。我们尽情游泳,孩子们也堆起了用石头搭成的“塔楼”。由于下雨,我们不得不把农场游览安排到第三天早上。作为曾担任和平队农林项目志愿者的我(2002年至2004年在危地马拉服务),这次农场参观真的非常有趣(而且风景也很美!)
我们还欣赏到了传统的舞蹈表演。当时有5名鼓手,大概10名舞者……而观看演出的我们只有7个人而已!孩子们特别喜欢能亲自尝试这些舞蹈的机会。还有……米酒也美味极了!
整个旅程既特别又令人深受启发。我觉得每一分钱都花得值——更确切地说,能为Orou Sapulot项目出一份力让我倍感自豪,因为我能感受到这个项目确实造福了整个社区。我永远都不会忘记这次旅行!感谢Virgil、Jojo、Eton以及整个Orou Sapulot团队!