After we concluded our short medical mission trip to Tataluan in the interior of Sabah and before we bid farewell to the villagers and headed home (the photo blog of our amazing journey is here), we spared some time to take a boat ride to see a natural wonder in the area, the Batu Punggul pinnacle.

it started with a short ride upstream in River Tataluan

it was only a 20 minutes or so of a short return boat ride

In less than 6 minutes after we started our smooth river cruise, we came round a bend and there, in front of us was the outcrop!

what a rock!

as we got closer…

and closer… close-up of the limestone outcrop

We followed the river and continued our journey upstream to get another view of Batu Punggul from the side. Halfway there we encountered an interesting rock formation jutting out from the side of the bank…

a dog?

but to me it looked more like a yawning lion with his eyes closed!

When the boat turned around, we were presented with a different profile of the giant outcrop…

side profile — no longer square

what a beauty!

I especially love the trees framing the giant rock!

On the return journey and with Batu Punggul behind us, I concentrated on the enjoyment of being surrounded by greenery as we glided along the shallow river. Although the midday sun was getting hotter, the alluring beauty of the forests along the river banks did not seem to diminish; on the contrary, it seemed to be enhanced by the light and especially with the sun rays seeping through the leaves.

ahhh… nature!

a glimpse of the mystery and beauty of tropical rainforests

I looked up and was enthralled by the view

What a nice way to end our 3 days/2 nights mission trip. Blissful!