Now that you have safely climbed down
from Mount
Kinabalu,
you can extend your stay in Sabah for another few days - if your budget
permitted. One of the place that you can go and spend a few days with
only a fraction of your budget is
Rungus Longhouse. The Rungus people, a sub-group of the
KadazanDusun community, are known for their longhouse, bead work and
weaving.
Situated in the
northern district of Kudat, the heartland of the Rungus
people, Maranjak
Homestay
was developed by a family, which have come together for a community
project to share their lifestyle and culture with visitors. The journey
to Kudat (about 130 kilometers from Kota Kinabalu) will take about two
and half hours, cruising the Land Below The Wind with rice field and
magnificent mountain sight along the way. Maranjak Homestay began
welcoming visitors to the longhouse in the village of Bavanggazo in
2002.
Each Rungus
Longhouse (vinatang)
measures 3 meters by 15 meters and comprises a long gallery or corridor
(langsang sid apad),
where socializing and community activities takes place, as well as
several family 'apartments' (valai)
each with own sleeping unit (tingkang
sid ongkob), areas for cooking and working (langsang sid ongkob)
and an attic (abai sid
ongkob) and (abai
sid apad). each family has its own valai. A typical
longhouse has about ten valai,
but larger ones may have fifteen or more.
Build on stilts,
the Rungus
Longhouse is always constructed on an east west axis to ensure a cool
atmosphere throughout the day. Depending on the size of the house and
the availability of materials, a longhouse takes at least three to four
months to build in the traditional way. One of the best ways to become
acquainted with the Rungus culture and their communal way of life is
through a homestay experience in the longhouse.
ACCOMMODATION
The Maranjak
Homestay contain 10
apartments (room) which are available for overnight visitors. Each
rooms accommodates two people, and is provided with pillows,
mattresses, mosquito nets, bed sheets, towels, blankets and slippers. A
modern communal bathroom or traditional bathing facilities are provided
for guests.
MEALS
Traditional meals are
prepared for breakfast, lunch and dinner, using mostly ingredients
grown within the gardens surrounding the longhouse, such as tapioca and
sweet potato leaves, ferns local herbs and village-reared poultry. Fish
is caught in the nearby sea, whilst fruits are grown in their gardens
and orchards. In the evenings, the Rungus people love to gather and
chat about their day's activities over a drink or two of their
traditional brew, and visitors are always welcome to join in these
gatherings and sample the many version of their brew, which is made
mainly from maize.
ACTIVITIES
Maranjak
Homestay have plenty of
activities to occupy visitors. Demonstrations of traditional handicraft
making are held for those staying overnight, and personalized
handicrafts can be specially made to order.
You will be
entertained with cultural dances and given the opportunity to join in
the mongigol sumundai,
mangatip-atip and the manaradan,
well -known traditional Rungus dances, or learn to play their nose
flute, the turali
or the mongurunding,
another traditional musical instrument.
Nature lovers
can indulged in some
jungle exploration with a guided jungle trek or two in the nearby
forest area. There are also traditional games available for you and
your family.
Weddings or
Harvest Festival
celebrations are wonderful occasions to participate in. When you book
your visit, be sure to enquire if there are any weddings or
celebrations taking place. These are excellent opportunities for you to
see traditional ceremonies or rituals being performed and take part in
their merrymaking. If
you are interested to find out more about planning a homestay
experience, booking or tour package, please email us.
Otherwise, read my post in Kinabalu Blog on 3D2N package trip
to the
Longhouse, Kudat city sightseeing and The Tip of Borneo excursion!
I like this homestay at rungus longhouse.cuz u can enjoy wite the local people there .like dancing n drink some ricewine wite the rungus people.........
Natasha Selangir
Posted at 3:40pm on Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
Hey Everyone!! Currently im doing research on homestay, if any of you guys been to homestay or interested to fill in the survey form pls email me at natasha2242003@yahoo.com.hk..urgents...thanks lot
AZ SABAH
Posted at 2:59pm on Thursday, March 6th, 2008
I ONLY DISSAPOINTED WITH THE GUIDE THRE...THE OTHERS IT WAS GOOD....THE CULTURE OF RUNGUS WAS WONDERFUL!!!SPECIALY THEIR PERFORMANCE....IT WAS GREAT!!!!!!
bbizz sabah
Posted at 2:49pm on Thursday, March 6th, 2008
it was fantastic!!the people thre are nice and friendly..i really like it!!!i will come BACK!!!WAIT FOR ME!!
Gurlz.... sabah
Posted at 2:05pm on Thursday, March 6th, 2008
staying at maranjak homestay is the best BUT i don't like the guide who give a bad experince to me...he's the liar bcoz he said he want to bring us to jungle trekking but suddenly he just cancel it...he's the f***ing guide i've ever seen....& wasting our time...............but staying there also is the best bcoz the local peolpe in there is friendly...........so for the guide...GO TO HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pusas kudat
Posted at 2:31pm on Sunday, March 2nd, 2008
not only pilak but also 'kawang' too need send to pare-pare
Neji of Lokoton Japan
Posted at 9:52am on Thursday, February 28th, 2008
I miz my land..:(
Alex Chong Sabah
Posted at 12:08pm on Monday, February 25th, 2008
Send those f**king PILAK back to where they belong to. Sabah is only homeland for everyone and not PILAK
Rotch Kudat
Posted at 2:34pm on Monday, January 7th, 2008
yeah..slayer rules..please govrmnt, pls send these 'PILAK' ,the parasite in our beloved homeland..and when someday you'll visit kudat, make sure you take a trip to the tip of Borneo..a place must see. And contact your nearest travel agent for more information about this fascinatng place..my beloved Kudat.
June Sabah
Posted at 11:58am on Saturday, November 24th, 2007
come and experience the culture of rungus people at RUNGUS TRADITIONAL LONGHOUSE,KUDAT(MERANJAK HOMESTAY)!! The local people there were nice.. I have been there on 2nov-5nov.its FUN!! FUN!! FUN!! FUN!! =) GOD BLESS!!
