Sabah Fest 2011 - It's Amazing with The People! The Culture and The Cuisines!

Would like to go but no one would like to join me for the Papakang Premiere Show at the first place. However, my mom was interested during the last minute while we were having our lunch at home and my sisters explained with an interesting way of the amazing culture and event it could be.

It was SO FORTUNATE that we got last 5 tickets  for the last day of the show from Sri Pelancongan after my sister gave them a call! Immediately after our lunch, they went to the Ministry Office to get those tickets which cost RM50.00 each!

- Premiere Show to enjoy Papakang, The Odyssey of Seven Brothers -

As promised before, my post for Sabah Fest 2011 will be flooded with selected photographs among hundreds. Captured tones of photographs from the exhibition hall and the Premiere Show. And this post for now will be referring to the Handicraft and Food showcase of Sabah Fest 2011!

Hey~ Don't click away when I mentioned this, it won't be bored if you love Sabah's culture that's totally colourful and beautiful for me since that night, there's so much to talk about. :)  If you want to see more photographs about Sabah Fest 2011, just inform me, I will link it in my Premiere Show's post!

- Smart Casual attires with my lovely Cherlec, Handmade Borneo Jewellery (click) -

Sabah Fest were held two days continuously and on the last day we are required to wear proper attire with smart casual clothing because there's more high ranked people will be there! From my point of view, Sabah has the most multicultural races here, therefore I'm wearing my tailor made ala Punjabi suite but without the long pants. :D It's fine without the pants! Haha :D

- Warm welcome with Traditional music instruments played -

 For your information, during May of each year, Sabah will be the most crowded place with events all over the town area and same to those rural area that far from Kota Kinabalu. It's our Cultural Month and so many pretty girls around competing themselves by joining the competition of UNDUK NGADAU (a kind of local pageant)!

You know what? Those local people who took part in the show and exhibition showcases were from small town like Kudat, Penampang, Lahad Datu and others. It's touched my heart when the emcee told us that all  of them came all the way from those places (The real Village people!). And so much effort they did. :)

- Area Map Handicrafts and Foods Showcase Exhibition -

The Convention Hall of Sutera Harbour was well divided in to few areas with Handicrafts section, Local Cuisine Section and two others and open to all public with no entrance fee. And there's I learned more about the culture, the customs, Hinava (Kadazandusun Food) etc etc.

 - Pathway from the main entrance to the exhibition hall downstairs -

We were greeted by local people with music and live band. It's by the local people of Kadazan.

We walked all the way down to the exhibition hall and it was crowded with people who were going to watch the Premiere Show later.

- Traditional music instruments -

They still maintained the traditional way of making their music instruments, it's give a nice music when few of the instruments are played at the same time.

- The traditional sewing method of the local people -

It's quite difficult to find such traditional sewing of cloth method in Kota Kinabalu (correct me if I'm wrong), from what have I understood, people at the rural area still sewing such cloth for their living by distributing to another souvenirs sellers in town.

- Sabah Malaysian Magazine -

The monthly local magazine that need to purchase by us, which it will noted down the happening events that will be held in Sabah and other information that tourists might found it useful.

- Painted Stones -

I found it quite lovely and beautiful with artistic figure of Borneo. It's reflect Borneo authentic style of the surrounding here for example like insects, people and Rafflesia. I was searching for a lady bug painted stone the other day, it's really really cute with rounded stones and polka dots. I really like it.

- Handmade Bamboo Saxophone -

I'm not sure whether it's a kind of traditional music instrument or not, I never seen it before. However, you can just click the video below, he played a Chinese song!! The music instrument make a nice sound when he played with it.

- When a few music instruments combines -

Naturally, few of them took some music instruments and played Sayang Kinabalu (Sabah's Tourism Song) after few others saw us having fun when the man played his Bamboo Saxophone.

Click the video below  to listen :

Do you like it?

- Handmade Jewelleries -

It's should be hard for us to took all the tiny beads and turn it into colourful patterned necklace and bracelets.

They are really good in it! I was searching for something there when I saw the old lady was trying to put a beaded hairband on to her hair. Unfortunately, they don't have it there. :(

- Kadazandusun custom -

She was besides me when she was looking for something, and hen I show my camera to this little girl, she knocked her head and she was happy. And I was surprise when she speaks Chinese with her friends and she doesn't look like one. Aww~~ She was very pretty with the traditional custom.

- Handmade Turtle with COCONUT SHELL -

Meatball (my elder sister) bought it as a collection when I show her the turtle and it cost RM25.00 each!!

- Hinava (Local Delicacies) -

It is from the ethnic of Kadazandusun race. They mixed raw fishes, lime, bitter grout and more. Meatball bought some for us to have a taste and as you can see, the raw fishes became COOKED!! It's all because of the lime, my dad did told me about it since years ago and finally I had a try. It's sour, but taste good! It's saliva drooling local delicacies.

It's almost 7.00 p.m and all the personnel of the event gathered together and formed a long long queue with different tribes by section to greet and welcome to all audience and tourists, the long queue was as long until the end of the hall. It's feeling good when I saw various ethnics in one day which all the beautiful customs from different races.

Some photographs I took with the local people!

- Kadazandusun from Penampang -

They really came from Penampang!

By the way, there were people was wondering where am I came from and they were surprise that I was a Sabahan! They thought I was a Korean and one of the Sutera Harbour staff was saying loudly that  "Nah! Ini dari Korea ni!" while I was going to buy the Sandwich and I was like "....". He thought I don't know Malay language~  I think next time I can pretend to be one when I wanted to prevent myself from unexpected issue. *Grin smile*

- Manaradan Dance presented by the Ethnics above were that from Pitas -

- Murut Custom -

The ethnics that runs a little in my blood. Click here to know more about Murut Tribe!

- Penggalai from Sandakan -

It's similar to Bajau Tribe (click), they have the most colourful custom since olden days. One of the reason is because Bajau people live nearer to the sea. Therefore, when the Cloths Seller came to sell the cloths, Bajau people will the first to select the colourful cloths among others and when the seller bring the cloths all the way to other tribes or nearer to the land, it's only left darker colour which was black. Is that possible? It is possible!!

That's all for my view of the Exhibition and before the show officially started! Stay tuned for premiere show  - Papakang soon.

Till then....