Another place of interest that I went to while I was based in Sabah was Murug Turug. I liked to believe that this place was newly discovered, or it was not open to public until a few years back when pictures and videos of a unique-looking waterfall which was half hidden behind a wall of rock flooded the local social media walls.
But then, I had come to discover that it had always been there all along, and people had been coming to it for so many years. A friend of mine who is now in her forties told me how she got traumatized by a near-death experience when she almost drowned herself to death while having a picnic with her family at the waterfall when she was still a kid. To add to the perspective, she was not even from any of the kampongs nearby.
So, after searching the place on Google Map, I was quite surprised that the entrance to the trail was very much near to the main road from KK to Ranau. I had been driving on that very road for so many years and yet I didn’t know nor noticed the existence of the entrance to one of the most famous waterfalls in Sabah.
So, after parking our car at the designated area, we went to do the registration where we were introduced to our local tour guide. Then we set out to the beginning of the trail where the towering Mount Kinabalu was welcoming us from a far distance and creating such a majestic postcard view.
It was going down all the way in the first few kilometers. It was more like traversing along the newly graveled road which reminded me of volcano trails that I’ve been to say – in Indonesia or probably at Mount Fuji in Japan where the loose rocks would propel my feet further down with every step that I took. The rocks were so loose even the best of shoes wouldn’t secure a good grip on them.
Once we hit the bottom of the valley, it was going up all the way to the peak. I mean, after doing so many climbs and hikes, I had come to notice that every trail is very fair where every descent will be balanced out with just as much ascent especially if the trail ends at the same spot as the starting point.
The series of ascents that followed later were quite challenging that we had to stop every now and then to catch our breaths and avoid passing out. The fact that it was easily accessible from the main road made it such a perfect training ground for those who are preparing to scale bigger and higher mountains such us Mount Kinabalu and Mount Trus Madi.
The trail took us to a number of waterfalls. Some were significant while some were not quiet. I think it was quite a dry season so the waterfalls were not at their best forms.
It was past lunch time when we finally arrived at the Murug Turug waterfall. I was quiet taken aback to find out that it was quiet crowded. A large group of students from some college were there, dominating the pool of water at the bottom of the waterfall. I had actually brought with me spare clothes and towel but just looking at the crowds had made me lose my appetite to swim.
So after settling ourselves comfortably at a shaded spot and enjoyed our packed lunch, we continued our hike and after much struggle especially in the last half kilometre – we arrived back at the entrance to complete the loop. Of course it always felt good to complete a hike and ticked something off the list.
Murug Turug might not be the most spectacular trail nor the most spectacular waterfalls, but the fact that it was easily accessible made it such a perfect place for a quick nature escapade. In fact, one can simply skip the trail and go directly to the waterfall, which only requires a minimal use of energy. But of course, it is always good to go the hard way because it usually gives you more. Heh.
