Tusan Beach (Miri, Sarawak) - Secretly And Heavenly Beautiful

Quoted from Borneo Post Online (21/09/2015)

MIRI: Blue Tears is a stunning sight of glowing ocean waters with luminous special effects said to be found in places like Matsu Islands of Taiwan, Vaadhoo Beach on the island of Maldives as well as sites like the coastal beaches in USA, the Caribbean, Europe and Australia.

But do you know that Mirians can now enjoy the incredible sight at Tusan Beach, just a short drive of half an hour from Miri City.

Located approximately 40 km from the city, Tusan Beach boasts a long white sandy beach with a gentle slope and is a secret paradise for those who love beautiful sunset scenery and of course, the dozens of fossils and seashells lying across the coastal line which shell collectors find hard to resist.

The glowing waters are caused by certain algae called ‘Dinoflagellates’, which produce a glowing light when the water they are living in is disturbed by motion, like waves. — Photo by Albert Song

Recently, it has become the latest hotspot among the locals here; after a photographer, Albert Song, captured the breath-taking scene and shared it on the social network.

“Actually the natural phenomenon is easily seen with naked eyes. Many who tried to capture the ‘Blue Tears’ on camera failed to get the desired result due to many reasons and photography skills is one of them,” a photography enthusiast who only wanted to be identified as Wong told The Borneo Post.

“The glowing waters are caused by certain algae called ‘Dinoflagellates’, which produce a glowing light when the water they are living in is disturbed by motion, like waves.

“The so-called blue glow is said to become brighter during warmer weather, thus Miri has all the factors that allow us here to enjoy the beautiful and captivating scene without spending big bucks,” he said.

Day view of the Tusan Beach. — Photo by William Ting C L

Tusan Beach, according to him, is a newfound paradise yet to see any development like street-lighting, tar-sealed road etc; making the long-ride just to witness the Blue Tears actually quite intriguing.

“Unlike Miri’s popular beaches — Tanjong Lobang and Luak Esplanade — which attract hundreds of visitors during weekends and public holidays, Tusan Beach is harder to reach. Hence, it remains ‘untouched’ which I guess is good.

“The unpolluted ocean waters also allow for better views, and walking along the beach at the edge of the tide can create the most stunning footprints you’ll ever make, hence the craze amongst the locals.”

Tusan Beach has become the latest hotspot among the locals after a photographer, Albert Song, captured the breath-taking scene of ‘Blue Tears’ and shared it on the social network.

Wong expressed his concern over the publicity, urging visitors to Tusan beach to keep the pristine beach immaculate.

“Moreover, with its remote location, it is advisable to visit the place in a large group. When more people go there, miraculously the unwanted wastes left behind tend to

increase. Without any awareness, it would soon become not so beautiful anymore and I’m sure everyone would rather prefer it to be clean, unspoilt and beautiful,” he said.

Watch Out! Volcanic Mountain Found In Malaysia

Many people have no idea that Malaysia is also has volcanic montains or actually a volcanic mountain. Located at the Borneo Island specifically in the east coast of Sabah, Tawau you can find the Bombalai Volcano.

Bombalai Volcano is actually an extinct volcano in Tawau, Sabah. the only volcanic mountain in Malaysia. Unlike some countries like Indonesia with many active volcanic mountains.

I doubt the majority of people in Tawau really knows what Bombalai Hill is. In all the years I have been there, no one has ever mentioned volcano. I have always wondered about Bombalai Hill in Tawau. It is one of the the only predominate hills you can see close to Tawau town. Imagine my surprise to read that it is an extinct volcano in Sabah which was last thought to have erupted some 27,000 years ago.

Bombalai hill is some 530 meters high and marks the only known Holocene volcano eruption in Borneo.

So.. Is Bombalai Volcano Dormant Or Extinct?

The possibility of Bombalai erupting again is unlikely to happen any time in the near future. It is situated too close to populated areas. It’s never been heard that Bombalai being a volcano, nor an folk-lore about a volcano in Sabah.

No one knows when the last eruption was and is listed as unknown. Carbon dating tells us that the lava rocks were formed possibly some 27,000 years ago.

Country:        Malaysia
Subregion Name:        Borneo
Volcano Number:        0610-01-
Volcano Type:         Pyroclastic cone
Volcano Status:        Holocene?
Last Known Eruption:         Unknown
Summit Elevation:         531 m         1,742 feet
Latitude:         4.40°N         4°24’0″N
Longitude:         117.88°E         117°53’0″E

Mount Bombalai is part of a volcanic field on the Semporna Peninsula in the NE part of the island of Borneo.  The volcano is part of the Malaysian province of Sabah, across Cowie Harbor from the the Indonesian province of Kalimantan.  The low volcanic cone is located north of Sebatik Island and has a roughly 300-m-wide crater breached to the south.  Two young lava flows extend almost to the coastal plain.  The flows were considered younger than a lava flow radiocarbon dated at about 27,000 years before present, and the extrusion of basaltic lavas possibly continued into Recent (Holocene) time (Kirk, 1968).  This marks the only known area of possible Holocene volcanism on Borneo.  Other areas of late Quaternary dacitic and basaltic volcanism occur along the Semporna Peninsula.   

Source: volcano.si.edu

Longest Quartz Ridge In The World: Must-go ‘Bukit Tabur

Bukit Tabur is a hill located in Selangor, Malaysia. It is also known locally as Bukit Hangus. The hill is very prominent as it is part of Klang Gates Quartz Ridge and can be seen from the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2. The hill, which is less than 500 metres, is a quartz ridge. Bukit Tabur has world’s longest quartz ridge. Climbers enter the hiking trail via Kampung Klang Gates, 50 metres from the gates of the Klang Gates Dam, at the back of Taman Melawati for a 3-4 hour climb. The Gombak Forest Reserve and Klang Gates Dam are beside the hill. The peak offers view of the dam and panoramic views of Kuala Lumpur from the north. Several endemic species of plant such as Aleisanthia rupestris are known to grow here.

The hiking trail to Bukit Tabur can be found at 3°14′1″N 101°44′55″E.

Bukit Tabur is divided into the eastern and western section by the dam. Most hikers are familiar with the western section. The eastern side offers more challenging hikes but is said to be steeper and riskier if unfamiliar with the trail.

There has been a series of accidents on the trail including several fatal mishaps. It is likely that more restrictions will be imposed on hikers on this trail.

Location
Taman Melawati, 20mins drive from center of Kuala Lumpur

How to get there
The drive path to the Start Point is very tricky, use the google map or google earth to get the direction with following GPS position information.

Entrance from the main road
Latitude :  3°12’58.67″N
Longitude: 101°44’18.61″E

Entrance, starting point
Latitude :    3°14’1.90″N
Longitude: 101°44’56.65″E

Park your car at the roadside soil road near the Klang Gate Dam, make sure your car wont block the access road. look for the short cement wall where the trail begins in an old orchard,the path going up the hill is pretty straightforward by follow the trail.

How do i return at the end or half way
The return path is very tricky, there are 2ways to return back to the Start Point.

1. The straightforward, just follow the same path where you came from.
2. Another exit path is tricky as there is no signboard, you will have to go until the end of the trail and there is a downward trail that will lead you down to the jungle trail.  Please be cautions, finding the right trail is tricky, friend of mine has got lost in the jungle from chosen the wrong trail. For first time visitor, i will advice to take path of where you came from, otherwise meet others visitor there and follow them.

Duration
Conservatively 1.30hr up to summit from start point, 1.30hr down

Best time to start hike
7am to 8am, for those wanted to cache sunrise should start hike at 6:30am or early, weekend especially at Sunday is very pack.

Climate
dry season is best time to visit, dry season falls between Feb-Aug.
Difficulty: climbing staircase efforts, however if you have medical and physiological limitations must first obtain approval from the doctor prior to the hike

Height
approximately 1000m

What to Wear
Casual clothing with light weight trekking or jogging shoes. shoe must not be tight and able to walk for long hours without pain.

What to bring:

• Change of clothes and towel
• Sun block(Optional)
• Min. 1.0 liter of water per person
• Slippers (optional, for backup purpose)
• Waterproof camera (optional), Snack food (optional)
• First-aid-kit
• Rain coat (optional, very rare rain in the morning in dry season)

A Piece Of Heaven On Earth Is In Borneo

Borneo is world’s third largest island. Known for its million-years forest, orang utan and proboscis monkey that cannot be found anywhere else in the world but only Borneo Island. Borneo also famous with heavenly beautiful islands such as Sipadan Island which is one of world’s top dive sites, Layang-Layang Island in South East China Sea and many more amazing islands around this big island of Borneo.

So, I want to share my experience for trip i made to Tun Sakaran Marine Park in Semporna, Sabah. Semporna is a small town located at the east coast of North Borneo, Semporna is a gateway to many beautiful islands. The name ‘Semporna’ itself means ‘Perfect’ derived from Bahasa/Malay language ‘Sempurna’.

From Semporna we took a boat to Bohey Dulang Island. This island is unique because from the aeriel view you can see it is ‘C’ shape and that what makes the view looks like a paradise.

At Bohey Dulang Island, you can snorkel and enjoy the crystal clear water of the water. Feeding the fishes and also visit the centre where they breed the clams, you can also see giant clams in Bohey Dulang’s water.

Your trip to Bohey Dulang is not complete if you not hiking to the peak of this island’s hill. The hill is 600m and the view from above the hill is the climax for your trip to this island.

TA-DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!  THE VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE PEAK OF BOHEY DULANG