Teck Guan Cocoa Museum, Sabah, Malaysia

3HPLIM 5:00 PM May 8, 2015

Informative and educational....worth visiting
Before coming to Tawau, we were actually not sure what to do while in Tawau. All we know were that Tawau is famous for seafood. We just booked the flight because there was a flight promotion from Air Asia, then only think of what to do next. So we were busy surfing the internet for information. Finally we decided to visit this Cocoa Village & and also the museum when we were in Tawau. The next morning after breakfast, our tour guide-cum-driver Mr Yap was at the hotel lobby to fetch us to Teck Guan Cocoa Village. FYI, you need to pre-book the tour to the village as it is owned by private company. The village is situated some 30 minute drive from town centre. After passing through some bumpy and undulating granite road, we finally arrived at the village to take a close look at cocoa trees and fruits. Besides visiting the plantation, the guide also took us to the Cocoa Cultural Spring Waterfall. You need to take a jungle trail about 1-2 km to reach the waterfall. Certain part of the trail is quite steep. However, steps are crafted and laid to make it easy for you to climb. There are even railings and ropes to help you too. Well, it was a good exercise as we have to miss our morning qing-gong for 3 days. The air here is cool and fresh. However the waterfall is nothing to shout about as it is not very huge and magnificent. On the way, the guide also took us to see some volcano rocks. I didn’t know Malaysia also had volcano long time ago. He said this is what the geologist said, not his own story! After taking a few pictures, we were back to the village again for lunch. Lunch provided was simple, with assorted local fruits, chicken curry, cocoa noodles which I am sure many have not tried before. It was quite nice to eat. I particularly like the pineapple which is sweet and with little fibers. All the fruits are organic, and grown at the village. There is this fruit called abiu which l have not seen in Peninsula Malaysia. It looks like a passion fruit but doesn’t taste like it. Anyway, I don’t quite like the taste. Over here, this is the first time I have tasted a cocoa fruit! The lunch costs RM 60 per pax. The transport costs RM 150 per car. Our passenger car is a four wheel drive Toyota Vigo Double Cab. After lunch, we were taken to the Cocoa Museum situated near the town to see how cocoa powder is processed. Entry fee is RM 25 per pax. You need to pre-book also as it is not open to public where you can enter any time like any other museum in the world. The museum tour consists of 3 parts: part I is a video clip of about 16 minutes showing how cocoa fruits are harvested and processed, the goodness and health benefits of cocoa powder followed by a visit to the factory to see on hand how cocoa is processed. Too bad, on that day, the plant was closed for maintenance. Part II is food tasting with some food products made from cocoa, and part III is of course the sale of cocoa products. In a nutshell, I would say the trip is worth it as it is very informative and educational. So next time, when you are in Tawau, do make an effort to visit these places

4FOH CHIN C 5:00 PM Mar 24, 2019

SIMPLE BUT FRIENDLY VISIT
We went there on our own accord did not realize that we need to make appointment. Luckily there was a small group which had been arranged so we managed to join that group which was half an hour later. It was an educational visit about cocoa and a glace of the old cocoa factory which was abandoned for a few years due to economic reason. At the end of the tour was a sampling session with cocoa products and drink. The staff there were friendly.