No Mount Kinabalu...

The main purpose of choosing Sabah as our once in a blue moon family vacation is to view the spectacular majestic Gunung Kinabalu (there are other more famous majestic mountains elsewhere but we don't have the luxury to go elsewhere) and of course to sample the equally famous much talk-about seafood of Sabah....

but alas... this is the view that greeted us on a  wet early morning at Mount Kinabalu Heritage Resort & Spa in Kundasang, this hotel most possibly not a resort I presumed got lousy reviews from past guests. 

and what to expect when our journey to Kundasang was in this kind of weather?????

We checked-in in the late afternoon at the hotel  it was still drizzling and to my horror we have to climb flights of steps amid tall pine trees to reach the chalet.  Beg-beg kena angkut sendiri naik ke atas padanlah hotel ni dapat lousy reviews from past guests such as one of the reviews below;

We booked a chalet and it was terrible. Very expensive but you don't get anything for the money. There was no cabinet or shelf in the room. No space to put your clothes. On top of that, there is no hot water at all. Room was very run down and smelly. Chalets are very noisy. Staff is not friendly or helpful.
Even the food and drinks are very expensive.
The only good thing is to be out in the nature and the nice view.

Stayed September 2013, travelled as a couple

To reach the chalets we have to cross this swaying hanging bridge first before climbing the stairs.

 The tall pine trees with the mist surrounding them made me recall the Twilight Saga movie...can just imagine the vampires fleeting among these pine trees. 

The look-out balcony infront of the chalets...nothing interesting to view except for the foggy view

We stayed in two chalets and  I was given the government rate at RM160.00 per chalet (kita kerja gomen satu masa dulu, baru saja pencen), anyway it was not the peak season.   Menginap one night saja di sini, the hot shower was not working in the chalet I stayed and the water was ice cold!  Mula-mula masuk bilik tu I noticed there was a kind of animal droppings on the floor below the window...apa kah!  Nak telefon ke reception di bawah nun sana there is no telephone provided in the chalets, mujurnya masa check-in kita ambil extra bedding (kena caj lagi at RM70.00 per mattress) so when the staff came bearing the mattress complete with pillows and blankets we asked her to remove the droppings.  Her reaction was like...oh tak ada apa itu hanya kepompong rama-rama.  She came back later with a broom and dustpan and asked us to sweep it away....well so much for the hospitality haha...Memang sebijik macam review di atas...the chalets smelled musty and there's a lizard in the bathroom and I am so anti-lizards!!!  Maintenance chalet di sini memang ke laut....

 Beg-beg angkut sendiri naik dan turun tangga, chalet kami di paling atas sekali, kononnya tu get the best view of Mt. Kinabalu.

Sarapan sebelum tinggalkan resort ini, hendak sarapan di luar tak tau di mana kedai makan yang sesuai so isi perut di sini sajalah walaupun agak mahal.

The hotel rooms that got lousy reviews/complains.."funky smell, shower that doesnt quite work. dim lighting in the bathroom, the list goes on. One of the crappiest hotels I've ever stayed in. Surprised there wasn't any insects crawling around the room though! The room was massive however, but aged and just overall in dispair.

Stayed June 2012, travelled with family"

The management should buck up and upgrade  the facilities since the location is already superb with cool refreshing mountain air.

 A snapshot of the cloudy mountains

On the way back to Kota Kinabalu we made several stops...

The natural fish spa and the fishes here are big.  A lot of giggling from those in the water...memang geli sebab ikan-ikan tu slippery.

Cucu taking a dip too..

Kalu oghe Kelate kato...beghiok ikae ssini termasuk ado ikae keli saeko, mari manolah ikae keli tuh.

Bersih dan tenang Sungei Moroli

Singgah di Sabah Tea Garden sekejap

Not much going on here and I bought a book at the souvenir shop 'Land Below The Wind" by Agnes Newton Keith.  Her husband H.G. Keith was the Conservator of Forests and Director of Agriculture of North Borneo in the 1930s and her book depicted her Borneo experience and impressions of that time.  Makes good reading for me on the flight back.

It started to rain again when we reached Mount Kinabalu National Park.  The road going uphill to reach Timpohon Gate reminds me of the road leading to Boh Plantation in Sg. Palas.

 Walking in the rain...

Dah tak boleh menikmati pemandangan Gunung Kinabalu kita tengok gelagat tupai ni sahaja lah di Mount Kinabalu National Park.

Rumah Terbalik di Tamparuli, Desa Cattle Farm

A run through with pictures to places we go on the third day of our trip to Kota Kinabalu...

Tidak sahkan kalau tak singgah di Rumah Terbalik di Batu 21, Kampung Telibong, Jalan Tamparuli-Ranau.  

Ok we were there at Rumah Terbalik...boleh google baca blog lain nak tahu pasal rumah upside down ni.  Nothing spectacular to me ie...semua barang-barang dalam rumah tu diterbalikkan itu saja..gambar tidak benarkan diambil dalam rumah tu nanti kena denda RM100.00 dan gambar-gambar dalam kamera or handphone di 'delete'...well so much for that.

Our journey continue to another famous site with a famous song...Jambatan Tamparuli

The famous hanging Tamparuli Bridge...we have to cross the one-way traffic bridge below with swift running river below to reach the other side , I think this bridge will be under water if it floods.  

That's us on Tamparuli Bridge...takut nak jalan ke tengah-tengah, ada papan yang reput, dengan body extra large semua ni memang tidak disyorkan berjalan sampai ke seberang sana hehe..

Tengok keadaan jambatan walaupun di bawah papan itu ada dawai besi but no way jose I'm going to cross it all the way, nama lagi jambatan gantung dan dengan air sungai yang mengalir deras di bawah tu huhu...dasar penakut that's me!

 Our next stop...Desa Cattle (Sabah) Sdn Bhd...jalan masuk ke tempat ini amat tidak selesa, jonkang jongkit atas van..

The rain started on the way to this place...rugi yang amat sangat sebab ramai orang kata when it is sunny the place is like when you are in New Zealand...sedey sedey...

The view that we get to see on a rainy day...cian sungguh!

No cows were grazing on the wet field that day as they were all here, mungkin tunggu giliran nak perah susu ke hapa...

ini first time ke Ahmad Daiyan tengok cow in the flesh???

boleh tengok aktiviti perah susu pun jadiklah...

dan makan aiskrim vanilla yang lemak lagi berkrim...its not sweet though

a wet day at the Cattle Farm...

TIP OF BORNEO!

There we were on a wet drizzling day at the Tip of Borneo, 8 adults with a 15 month old baby in tow.   Call me a dolt or whatever but I did not know this place where two seas meet existed (cannot remember geography lessons 40 tahun dulu ada ke terselit Tip of Borneo ni) and it was not a big deal to me when my eldest daughter who had planned this trip since last year insisted that a visit here should be at the top of our itinerary aside from going to Kundasang to view Gunung Kinabalu.  Folks like us only can afford to Cuti-Cuti Malaysia saja and thanks to AirAsia jual tiket murah so boleh sampai ke tempat cantik ni.  Trip ke Kota Kinabalu bermula 18 Januari hingga 22 Januari 2014, one thing about going on vacations ni (which is very rare for us) I prefer going with the whole family, if possible with all my five children (son-in-law included) in attendance and now with a grandson completing our entourage. Tapi trip kali ni anak bongsu kena tinggal since his college has just started the new semester. Joining us on this trip too were my two sisters....lagi meriah!

Dini, my eldest daughter had earlier on booked an apartment with three rooms at Marina Court for three nights @ RM330.00 per night.  To ferry us around while there we rented an Urvan (van baru lagi) for four days @ RM240.00 a day, comfortable for all of us with the baby and his ummi hogging the last back seat.  Tiga orang pemandu (my sil, my son and hubby) silih berganti pandu van.  One thing that dampens the whole journey...it rains all the time and nak enjoy scenery Gunung Kinabalu habis ke laut....

Memang pada mula-mulanya tidak jadi hendak ke area Kudat (Tip of Borneo) sebab hari hujan.  Pagi 19 Januari (hari Ahad) kami ke Gaya Street dulu (famous kan Gaya Street ni, cuma pada hari Ahad saja hingga pukul 12 tengahari ada bermacam-macam gerai menjual bermacam-macam barangan...murah-murah pulak tu), so not to be missed if you are here on a Sunday.  Dini telefon tuanpunya van (Encik Ariffin, orang Kelantan bermastautin di sana) if it was possible for us to go to Kudat even though it was quite late at 11 am.  He advised us not to go since it is already late and we are not familiar with the roads further more the roads will be dark and foggy on our way back to KK.  But what the heck, since that is the only opportunity we had and semua pemandu kata boleh cuba so off we go and reached our destination after three and a half hours on the road (using GPS tracker Waze all along)...worth the trip and the view is breathtaking and spectacular!

Dah sampai .....

Spectacular view where two seas meet...The South China Sea and Sulu Sea

Apa lagi anak-anak ber'selfie' sebagai kenangan...

Its not a public holiday nor a school holiday and we have the place to ourselves...just marvelous!

Uphill path leading to the Tip of Borneo

just breathtaking!

makan angin free!

It is not for nothing when this newspaper cutting was forwarded to all staff  recently from a concerned individual in the office. Teruja bila membaca keratan akhbar ini, rupa rupanya ada jugak di kalangan pemimpin atau pemerintah di Kelantan yang  sedar 'gelagat orang orang besar' yang sering keluar negara kononnya melawat untuk mempelajari sesuatu di luar negara yang boleh dibawa balik untuk diimplementasikan di tempat sendiri. 

Diucapkan syabas kerana  beliau sudi menegur keadaan tersebut yang sememangnya telah berlarutan sejak 30 tahun dahulu. Saya berdoa semoga orang orang besar di kalangan pemerintah dapat celik mata sikit apa yang sebenarnya berlaku selama ini. Cuba hitung sejak 30 tahun dulu siapakah di kalangan pemimpin dan pembesar yang ada kuasa telah membuat lawatan keluar negara dan berapa kali.....hasilnya adalaaaaa.....dapat makan angin free! ....menghabiskan duit rakyat yang membayar cukai, tetapi hasil tidak dapat dirasa bab kata mereka 'biar orang lain bayar....kita tumpang aja kalau ada kemudahan' ...heard this statement from the horses mouth too!

Walau pun begitu saya masih ragu ragu di atas hasrat Datuk  kerana tak mungkin dapat mengubah sesuatu kerana di kalangan pemimpin yang ada sekarang sememangnya sudah 'expired' idea dan citarasa, boleh dianggap mereka berpendapat begini ... 'hidup sekarang ni ok dah...molek belako dah...pembangunan banyak dah...kereta di atas jalan  cukup banyak dah....sampai nak parkir pun susah dah....parking berbayar pun sudah dikenakan minimum caj 40 sen sekarang'.  Jalan raya dulu rasa besar dan luas, sekarang ni rasa sempit ....banyak kereta banyak parking lot...orang jual air kelapa pun boleh meniaga atas jalan...memang satu kemajuan...apa tidak nya, nak beli air tak payah turun kereta...di KB ni 'drive in' memang banyak di tepi jalan...pintu kedai pun boleh duduk atas 'road alignment'.

Satu 'kemajuan' di KB yang amat  dikagumi...kita boleh buang sampah di mana-mana walau pun tong sampah dan 'sistemnya yang amat canggih' telah disediakan, tak kena denda pun..jangan bimbang..ada orang cukup senang kalau nak buang sampah, letak saja karung sampah atau bag plastik yang padat dengan sampah di atas bonet belakang kereta dan dipandu atas jalan raya..sampai di mana mana selekoh jalan  akan tergolek jatuh di atas jalan  sebelum sampai ke tempat pembuangan sampah! 

KB ni kononnya sudah memadai dengan slogan 'Kota Bharu...Bandaraya Islam' dan juga 'Kota Bharu bersih' (cuba gak enforce sistem kebersihan di Pasar Siti Khadijah tu..nak bawa pelancong melawat ke situ baik toksah! Orang jual ikan letak atas stall tu tapi di sini terbalik, ikan duk dalam tong di bawah, tauke  hok duk bersila atas stall, lantai habih becak, kotor dan licin, sudah berapa ramai orang gelincir dan jatuh dalam PSK ni, hok boleh malu jah sebab jatuh in public).   Slogan ini sudah cukup untuk mereka yang berkuasa  mendabik dada kononnya dialah punya idea sudah buat sesuatu.  

Sekarang nampaknya MPKB telah membina tempat buang sampah yang baru dengan batu bata dan konkrit..serta dicat yang agak menarik (hijau kuning)...tapi tempatnya masih lagi di tepi jalan raya...baunya yang masam masih lagi semerbak kalau kita lalu disebelahnya...longgokan sampah masih lagi kelihatan bersepah di tepi tong....masih tak selesai, ramai lagi orang yang buang sampah di sini masih di takuk mentaliti tak reti nak masukkan sampah ke dalam tong yang disediakan.  Just for info, earlier this year a man selling 'nasi belauk' whose house is just across the street (along Jalan Wakaf Mek Zainab) from the 'tong sampah' was 'gedebum' knocked down dead by a car  when he was disposing his rubbish at the rubbish dump,  so do not think that it is safe disposing your rubbish  because most dumps here are placed so strategically by busy roadsides! 

Baguslah kalau ada sesuatu usaha yang baik itu sememangnya patut dipuji dan sebaliknya yang tidak baik itu patut dikeji.

Field Trip aka Shopping to Hat Yai Songkla

Lately the will to blog is no longer a priority, guessed things which one find exciting in the beginning  loses its lustre over time and on top of this it was more depressing when I accidentally clicked on this site http://www.similarsites.com, and discovered some statistic about naniasda.blogspot.com... that on average  users are viewing 1.8 pages each time they visit this site and 82.61% of them exit the site without clicking on a single link...WOW!  I might as well pack it in and not blog anymore  looking at the reception this blog is receiving. Nevertheless here is some update (as requested by Teh of course) about my visit to Hatyai Songkla for Teh's and Sunah's reading pleasure...you know this blog is for you two...yeahhhh!

Ada gambar sikit-sikit nak tunjuk Teh and Sunah ni...org lain nok tumpang tengok tak dok hal punya...jangan copy paste sudoh lah...payoh nok jjupo Tok Cha gini.  Kecik-kecik dulu takut kalau jumpa 'tok cha', orang-orang tua kata jumpa tok cha jangan tunjuk dengan jari kat demo ni nanti kudung jari tuh hahaha...percaya betullah masa kita kanak-kanak anyway those long ago 'tok cha' looked so tall and forbidding in their saffron robes.  Sekarang payah nak jumpa tok cha gi mari di jalan-jalan KB, tidak serupa seperti dulu.

Met this four guys monks (tok cha) on a Hatyai market street three weeks ago.  It was on a Sunday morning my friend and I were taking a stroll along some busy street before we leave for home later in the afternoon, saw this four guys ahem...monks waiting for alms and blessing anyone who wants to be blessed that morning like this guy below.  Asked permission for their photo to be taken and the guy monk in the forefront nodded ..tengok tu malu-malu kuching pulak dia, senyum tak nak senyum sama banyak ada bunga bungaan di tangan lagi..

It was a field trip (Lawatan Sambil Belajar)  to Hatyai Songkla organised by the office management for ladies staff with four male staff accompanying us...tahu-tahu lah kan situasi di sebelah Selatan Thai sekarang.   Takut memang takut tapi hendak pergi jugak actually ini merupakan kali kedua ke Hatyai, kali pertama pada tahun 2003 dengan hubby bawak anak-anak sekali, berkonvoi dengan kereta beramai-ramai dengan ahli kelab rekreasi pejabat.  Ada polis pelancongan Thailand yang escort rombongan kami masa itu so memang rasa selamat.

Rombongan atas bas..galok benar atas bas demo-demo hok duk belake tu gege riuh...sukalah jugok gi makae angin ggini dengan office mates.

Our tour guide throughout the journey, Encik Rusdi (orang melayu-siam, cakap dialek kelate-siam) he joined our entourage at Sungei Kolok.  Panjang cerita Encik Rusdi sepanjang perjalanan ke Hatyai...tentang kerabat raja-raja di wilayah selatan thai yang kahwin dengan kerabat diraja semenanjung sampai ke negeri Johor.  Ada Raja Kuning, Raja Ungu sambil ditunjuk tempat-tempat yang menjadi sejarah di sepanjang jalan.  Not really shocking but it was to me when he told about drug addicts comes largely from these southern parts and all of them are muslims.  So satu cara/agenda menghapuskan remaja Islam melalui penagihan dadah hinggakan ada yang sanggup kikis ubat nyamuk lingkar dicampur air dan diminum...gerenti nyamuk tak ketik dia lagi kata En. Rusdi.  As you travel further up north no more drug addicts...fikir-fikirlah sendiri tentang fenomena ini.  

He also told us the incidents that caused the situation as of now in these parts, starting the incident at the Masjid Krisek in 2004 that led to the unrest till now.  He gathered it is difficult now for conditions to be back to normal and still we continue our journey to Hatyai through road blocks with posters nailed on trees by the side of the roads with words 'Stop The Killings', 'Stop Violence'...rasa takut memang meresap dalam diri especially bila tengok kat luar stesen-stesen polis yang dilalui ada dibina kubu dan kerawat berduri di sepanjang pagar. 

 Nak tunjuk gambar betapa lengangnya keadaan di Imigresen Rantau Panjang walaupun cuti minggu panjang sempena Keputeraan Al-Sultan pada masa itu.  Sebelum rusuhan di Selatan Thai memang kalut keadaan di sini. 

Imigresen di Sungei Kolok, juga nampak relaks pegawai imigresen.  Hampir sejam berada di sini, kena tunggu urusan kebenaran pelepasan bas oleh pihak imigresen thai.  Di bandar Sg. Kolok kami buat pertukaran RM ke Baht, yang tak berapa seronoknya RM sudah turun nilainya misalnya saya tukar RM700 dan perlu tambah RM18.00 lagi untuk mencukupi 7000 Baht....tidak berapa tahu pasal tukaran wang asing nih tapi gak duit kita semakin mengecil ler.  

Tidak peliklah orang Kelantan ada mempunyai ramai kaum kerabat di Sg. Kolok, Yala, Pattani.  Kita pun ada jugak, mak saudara sekarang sudah arwah duduk di Kolok ni.  She was a masseuse (tukang urut) and a very good one too.   Why Pok Teh Kar (her husband) settled there with the whole family was not known to me maybe Teh know the story?  But then our ancestors came from Siam so its not a puzzle that has to be solved.  A cousin with his family is still living here in Sg. Kolok.  My first visit to Kolok was when I was in my early teens, went with my aunt who was visiting us.  Masa tu naik perahu tambang menyeberangi Sg. Kolok.  Sampai sebelah sana naik motosikal tambang pulak...and oh I saw a popular singer shopping in one of the shops there...the late Rafeah Buang.  Teh mesti ingat kita always provoke Mok Nab (our aunt) pasal keadaan jenayah tembak menembak di Kolok yang sering kita dengar pada masa itu.  Marah benar Mok Nab bila kita kata Kolok macam bandar koboi nak marah orang ambil pistol gi tembak.  Begitulah keadaan dulu kini dan sekarang sudah merebak ke tempat kita jenayah tembak menembak ini so kalau Mok Nab ada sekarang mesti dia pulak yang provoke kita kan...

Berhenti di C.S. Pattani Hotel untuk lunch...

Duduk dua tiga hari di Selatan Thai ni naik jelak makan makanan yang pedas manis (brona perut lah weh)...

Lepas makan sembahyang jamak waktu zohor dan asar di Masjid Pattani.  Sayang masjid cantik besar tetapi tidak cukup kelengkapan sebagaimana yang diberitahu Encik Rusdi, memang semua masjid di sini begini kerana tidak cukup peruntukan.  

Dalam Masjid Pattani

I mentioned field trip kan...so sudah lewat petang kami dibawa melawat ke tempat ini sebelum check-in hotel di Hatyai.  Tidak tahu nama kampung tapi ada disebut oleh tour guide.  Di sini penduduk wanitanya buat gubahan daripada sisik ikan siakap sort of Satu Daerah Satu Industri gitu...

Sedikit briefing tentang kegiatan mereka,  suri-suri rumah yang dapat pendapatan bulanan anggaran RM700 - RM800 sebulan setiap orang. 

Kerongsang daripada sisik ikan berbagai warna dijual dengan harga 35B setiap satu.

Sedikit demonstrasi oleh mokcik-mokcik Thai bagaimana buat gubahan kerongsang 

 Cantik manis budak-budak Thai ni yang kebetulan ada di situ

Ok nati sambung lagi untuk Teh and Sunah cerita lawatan ini...

Kenangan Sekejap di Istanbul

 I was in Istanbul in the year 2000 and these look-alike tellytubbies in the picture below might be around 2 or 3 years old, now they would be 15 or 16 years old.  Bila terpandang mereka gedik-gedik berjalan di area Masjid Biru (Blue Mosque) terlintas dalam kepala mereka seakan Tellytubbies   iaitu satu rancangan televisyen untuk kanak-kanak yang agak popular disiar di televisyen tempatan pada masa itu...they look so colourful and oh so so cute in their outfits.  So mintak tolong MOTH (man of the house) pergi minta izin dengan ayah kembar ni untuk snap gambar mereka untuk kenang kenangan.  Bapa tellytubbies ni izinkan tapi sayangnya MOTH tak enterframe muka bapa tellytubbies ni dalam gambar ini.

Tellytubby on the right  screwing her face ready to cry (memang nangis pun lepas gambar diambil)...takut agaknya orang tidak dikenali  ambil gambar dia hehe..but still so cute!

Melancong sekejap ke Istanbul ini merupakan acara  selepas mengerjakan umrah pada awal bulan Ramadhan tahun 2000 dan kena pulak pada musim sejuk bulan Disember brrrrrrr... Kebiasaannya dulu kalau kita pergi mengerjakan umrah travel agency akan tawar sekali melancong ke negara-negara berdekatan dengan Arab Saudi and everything all in murah dalam sekitar RM4000 lebih sikit untuk seorang  dibandingkan dengan harga pakej-pakej sekarang yang hampir mencecah RM10k seorang.  Disebabkan pada masa tu bulan puasa dan cuaca amat sejuk so tak banyak tempat yang boleh dilawati, sepatutnya dalam pakej ada river cruise di Sungai Bosphorus yang tersohor yang juga merupakan sempadan antara timur dan barat Istanbul tetapi terpaksa dibatalkan.Orang turki memang bangga yang separuh daripada tanah air mereka berada di benua Eropah, their lifestyle pun terikut-ikut cara mereka di dunia barat.

At that time I was kind of fascinated with Turkish people, they are good looking with their blue green grey eyes and  most of the men looked a lot like Sean Connery aka the most famous James Bond and the ladies...tak payah cakaplah lawa-lawa belaka.  Even yang berjalan tempang I saw at their airport pun when I first arrived pun nampak segak kehkehkeh... tetapi indah rupa daripada perangai tahun lepas semasa mengerjakan haji orang turki ni lah yang paling tidak disukai, they were a rough lot! But that is my opinion lah....

Ok nak tayang gambar yang diambil dekat satu park..tak ingatlah mungkin this area somewhere dekat Topkapi Museum.  Ada tujuan ambil gambar ini sebenarnya...semasa atas bas ke bandar Istanbul daripada lapangan terbang we were briefed by a tourist guide and I can still remember he said, 99% of the population is muslims tetapi gaya hidup jauhlah dari gayahidup orang Islam.  Di khalayak ramai boleh kissing kissing, berpeluk sakan dan tengok tu makan di bulan puasa! Entahlah mungkin mereka ni yang 1% bukan muslim.

Jalan-jalan cari sourvenir buat kenangan bersama rombongan pakej... pada masa itu ramai wanita-wanita muda pakai kasut amatlah tinggi tumitnya, mungkin trend dia oranglah masa itu. So masa pergi ke Grand Bazaar tergatal tangan beli satu pasang kasut tumit setinggi 5 inci, balik rumah malu pulak nak pakai kasut itu hingga dibuang oleh MOTH!

Kenangan di Masjid Sultan Ahmed lebih dikenali sebagai Masjid Biru (Blue Mosque).  No pictures taken inside the masjid (ruginya)..Ramai pengunjung tempatan pada hari yang kami lawati masjid itu.

 

The Bosphorus  behind us separating East and West Istanbul...

Bergambar dengan replika muka Kamal Ataturk..westernised punya Presiden!

Pedang-pedang bertatahkan intan berlian dan busur anak panah  yang diguna oleh pahlawan-pahlawan Islam dahulu kala antara yang dipamerkan dalam Museum Topkapi.  Saiz pedang-pedang ini panjang  dan nampak berat, terlintas di kepala mungkin saiz badan pahlawan-pahlawan Islam dulu amat besar dan tinggi.  

The only momento that I have of this visit to Istanbul 13 years ago till now is a leather skinned handbag with Turkish/Egyptian calligraphy pattern and is still in good condition.  The leather is of a fire-resistance kind and I remember how the salesman demonstrated by lighting up a lighter to burn the surface of the bag without damaging the bag.