Malaysia > The Poring Hot Springs

Today I take an optional excursion to the Poring hot springs. The hot springs date back to the Second World War. Japanese officers let the warm sulfur water flow into the baths so they could relax. Poring is located on the northeast side of Mount Kinabalu, about forty kilometers away. On the way to the hot springs, I visit the tea plantations of Sabah Tea Garden. Sabah Tea Garden is the most important tea producer in Malaysia. Hardly any Sabah tea is exported, as not enough is produced to allow for export. First, I watch a film about the tea plantations. Afterwards, I get a guided tour of the tea factory. Here, the entire process can be followed: drying, grinding, and fermenting (absorbing oxygen) the tea.

Malaysia - The tea plantations of Sabah Tea

The difference between green tea and black tea is also explained. I finish the tour with a cup of Sabah tea overlooking the vast plantations. In the background, Mount Kinabalu lies shrouded in clouds. When I arrive at the hot springs a little later, the parking lot is already very crowded. It is New Year’s Eve and school holidays. Many residents from Kota Kinabalu head into the mountains for a day trip. I estimate there are around forty bathtubs at the hot springs. The hot volcanic water can be mixed with cold water. After bathing, you pull the plug and the bath is free for the next visitor. For many families, this is a real day out. That also makes it difficult to find a free bath. When I walk up, all the tubs are occupied. But I get lucky: a few children leave their tub. Under the curious eyes of those in the surrounding baths, I step in.

Malaysia - Many Malay people come to bathe in the Poring Hot Springs on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu

It is a bit disappointing. Hardly any hot water comes out of my tap, while the cold water is icy. I realize I’ll have to put up with it for the sake of a nice photo. I strike up a conversation with Roy, who is bathing with his daughter in the tub next to mine. He lives in Kota Kinabalu—or “Kee Kee” as the locals call it. He offers to let me try his tub. I let the warm volcanic water flow over me. The smell of sulfur is strong now. I don’t stay long so I can quickly give the tub back to its owner. A little further along, I sit down at a foot bath. Here too, I quickly get into a conversation with a group of Malaysians. Football is always a welcome subject abroad. It’s very enjoyable to be among Malaysians in the hot springs like this.

Malaysia - The Kipungit Waterfall at Poring Hot Springs

Behind the hot springs, a trail leads to the Kipungit waterfall. It’s mostly young people who hang around this waterfall. The clear water is too cold for proper swimming. The Kipungit waterfall is fifteen meters high—a beautiful spot in the forest. Back at the hotel in Kundasang, I get ready for New Year’s Eve. In the village itself, not much is going to happen. Everyone I spoke to today about New Year’s celebrations advised me to go to Kota Kinabalu instead. I choose simply to stay at my hotel. Together with my travel companions, we make it a cozy evening. We all eat together in the hotel restaurant. The dishes arrive in rather random order—the first people are long finished when the last dish is finally served. It doesn’t really matter; it helps bridge the time until midnight. After dinner, I sit down in the small lobby of the hotel. I open the bottle of wine I had bought earlier. Other bottles appear as well. I raise a toast to the approaching new year. Together, we spend the last hours of 2011. When a few fireworks shoot up outside, it is midnight. The new year has begun. Fireworks are officially forbidden in Malaysia, but here and there some modest rockets are set off. Holding sparklers in my hand, I wish everyone a good and travel-filled 2012. I hardly see any Malaysians out on the street; they mostly celebrate indoors. Before going to bed, I send another text message to the Netherlands. Strange, really, that the new year there is still seven hours away.