But they have proved to be a blessing in disguise for the villagers in Malangkap Paka.

Giant boulders as big as cars and sharp granite rocks tumbled down the river before resting on the riverbeds, permanently altering the landscape of the region.

Homestay operator Sophia Sampuroh, who started her homestay business more than 10 years ago, said the river was a lot less rocky three years ago and not many people wanted to come because of the location — 21km from Kota Belud.

“However, thanks to the mud floods and the boulders, more and more people have started to come here.

“Ten years ago, I was the sole homestay operator in this part of the village but now, there are several,” she said.

Every weekend and on public holidays, the village will be filled with people, mostly from the urban areas and even from the peninsula, pitching their tents alongside the Malangkap river.

They come not only to enjoy the ice-cold river water that flows straight from the mountain, but also to relish the view of Mount Kinabalu.

The mountain, which is located 14km away, can be clearly viewed from the village.

“Before the mud floods, the view was blocked by trees and hills. I don’t know how but now it is a lot clearer and it also looks a lot nearer now,” Sophia said.

In order to cater to the increasing demand, Sophia and her sister have extended their accommodation facilities and opened another campsite nearby.

Their other facilities include BBQ pits, tents for rent, hot showers for visitors, ample number of toilets and a café.

She also has a policy of never accepting more guests than she can handle, thus ensuring her guests are comfortable and have their privacy despite staying in an open space.

In the middle of their campsite ground, Sophia keeps one of the many coloured rocks that made the village famous immediately after the mud floods.

Originally pink in colour, the rock has now lost its hue.

According to a local, villagers in Malangkap made a fortune selling these coloured rocks to affluent businessmen who believed the rocks were lucky charms.

“These businessmen and rich people did not care how much we sold the rocks for. They just took all — blue, purple, red, until nothing is left any more,” he said.

The sudden influx of visitors and holidaying guests to this village has helped the local tourism industry flourish so much that now campsites are mushrooming along the river.

Unfortunately, due to the rapid increase in the number of tourists, some of the local tourism operators have come up short in providing satisfactory facilities, particularly toilets.

Some complaints have been made against these campsite providers on the stench from the toilets as well as overcrowding at the campsites.

A visitor from Kota Kinabalu who went to the village for a two-day stay said she found it annoying that some operators were taking advantage of the high demand and cramming as many campers as possible on their ground.

“They should not accept bookings if they cannot handle the crowd.

“I think the tourism ministry should look into the matter as it does not reflect well on the local industry at all,” she said.