ethnic heartbeat.
Portrait of a gongs-man at tamu Donggongong. Volunteers sometimes get together to play a gongs ensemble at the tamu,
~Lightbox~ My tamu Donggongong set.
A gongs ensemble consists of nipple gongs of various sizes. The sound is muted and harmonious. The larger ones are hung vertically, while the small ones are horizontally suspended on ropes. Wikipedia infornation about gongs.
tamu donggongong.. greetings.
Friendly and cheerful atmosphere at Tamu Donggongong. Vendors at the dried seafood stalls (salted fish, anchovies and shrimps).
~Lightbox~ My Tamu Donggongong set.
The Donggongong township holds their weekly tamu (market) on Thursdays and Fridays. Not a huge market in this pre-dominantly Kadazan township, but it is easy to spend an hour or two here. An enjoyable market to visit.
tamu kinarut.
Women selling vegetables and other local produce at the weekly tamu, Kinarut.
Kinarut is a town located about 17 km from Kota Kinabalu and just a few km from Putatan. It is one of the stops for the North Borneo Railway {out of commission for upgrading works}. A small town with just two rows of wooden shophouses and two rows of new concrete ones, the population here is 15,716 (circa 2006) consisting mainly Bajaus and Dusuns.
Kinarut is one of three places in Sabah with “kina” as part of its name. The word probably comes from the early connection with the Chinese. “Cina” is Malay for chinese. The other two are Kota Kinabalu (which derive its name from Mt Kinabalu, the 5th highest mountain in South East Asia) and Kinabatangan River (the longest river in Sabah).
Tamus (weekly markets) throughout Sabah:-
Sunday: Kota Kinabalu, Kota Marudu, Sikuati, Kota
Belud, Tuaran, Putatan, Papar, Membakut, Tenom
Monday: Tandek
Tuesday: Kiulu
Wednesday: Tamparuli
Thursday: Donggongon, Telipok, Tenghilan, Pekan
Nabalu, Sipitang, Tambunan, Keningau
Friday: Donggongon, Sunsuron, Weston, Mesapol, Kundasang
Saturday: Putatan, Babagon, Kinarut, Beaufort, Sindumin,Matunggong, Ranau (tamu besar every 1st of the month)
local fruits stall at tamu putatan
Local fruits stall the 'tamu' in Putatan township, Kota Kinabalu.
~Lightbox~
She was arranging the mandarin oranges (local) on her stall. The other items (front to back) are; bag of dried anchovies, ‘langsat’ {Lansium domesticum} before the mandarins, pineapples, sweet potatoes, and small pumpkins. {‘Langsat’ on Wikipedia.}
Putatan township is about 15 km from the center of Kota Kinabalu city. They hold their weekly tamu on Saturdays and Sundays.
What is a “tamu”?
The ‘tamu’ is a weekly market/bazaar and every township/district holds their tamu on a separate day of the week. So, there is a tamu somewhere every day of the week.
The tamu nearer to Kota Kinabalu are more ‘commercial’, meaning many of the stalls are ‘re-sellers’ or traders. The ones further away are more ‘ethnic’. At the tamu in Putatan, there is a good number of stalls selling produce from their own farms. Tamus are a great place for interaction with the local communities.
Tamus (weekly markets) throughout Sabah:-
Sunday: Kota Kinabalu, Kota Marudu, Sikuati, Kota
Belud, Tuaran, Putatan, Papar, Membakut,
Tenom
Monday: Tandek
Tuesday: Kiulu
Wednesday: Tamparuli
Thursday: Donggongon, Telipok, Tenghilan, Pekan
Nabalu, Sipitang, Tambunan, Keningau
Friday: Donggongon, Sunsuron, Weston, Mesapol,
Kundasang
Saturday: Putatan, Babagon, Kinarut, Beaufort,
Sindumin, Matunggong, Ranau (tamu besar every
1st of the month)
The Tamu on SabahTravelGuide.com
colours at tamu kinarut
Colourful morning at tamu Kinarut.
~Lightbox~
Kinarut is a seaside town located about 17 km from Kota Kinabalu and just a few km from Putatan. It is one of the stops for the North Borneo Railway {out of commission for upgrading works}. A small town with just two rows of wooden shophouses and two rows of new concrete ones, the population here is 15,716 (circa 2006) consisting mainly Bajaus and Dusuns.
Kinarut is one of three places in Sabah with “kina” as part of its name. The word probably comes from the early connection with the Chinese. “Cina” is Malay for chinese. The other two are Kota Kinabalu (which derive its name from Mt Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South East Asia) and Kinabatangan River (the longest river in Sabah).
Popular tourist destinations in Kinarut are the Dinawan Island, Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, beaches and numerous small seaside resorts.
Old timber shophouses at Kinarut town.
On left: A school. On right: Railway track.
evening at tamu putatan.
Onions, big and small. Photographed at tamu Putatan.
~Lightbox~
Putatan is a township just 15 km from Kota Kinabalu City. They hold their weekly market (tamu) on Saturdays and Sundays.
Part of the tamu area consist of permanent structure supplied with electricity. Other parts consist of temporary tents and are without electricity supply, like the one in the photo. When the sun goes down, kerosene pressure lamps are lit.
ma’am and her flowers
Ma'am sells flowers at tamu Putatan.
~Lightbox~
A “tamu” is more than just a market. It is also a social occasion when traders come from surrounding districts and towns. It is common to see young children here too, nieces and nephews who have come to spend some time with their older relatives from out of town. The tamu at Putatan is held from Sat to Sun.
Photographed at the tamu in Putatan, about 15 km from Kota Kinabalu City center. Ma’am with her bougainvilleas and other plants. If I remember correctly, the plants were from Papar, about 63 km from Kota Kinabalu.
Weekly Open Markets Throughout Sabah:-
Sundays: Kota Kinabalu, Kota Marudu, Sikuati, Kota Belud, Tuaran, Putatan, Papar, Membakut, Tenom
Mondays: Tandek
Tuesdays: Kiulu
Wednesdays: Tamparuli
Thursdays: Donggongon, Telipok, Tenghilan, Pekan Nabalu, Sipitang, Tambunan, Keningau
Fridays: Donggongon, Sunsuron, Weston, Mesapol, Kundasang
Saturdays: Putatan, Babagon, Kinarut, Beaufort, Sindumin, Matunggong, Ranau (tamu besar every 1st of the month)
A BW version was previously posted. I prefer the one in BW, but the one in colour is more suitable as a documentary photo.
Kota Kinabalu, People and Places, Street Photography. 
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