Sabah is one of two states of Malaysia on the island of Borneo, the other state being Sarawak. Three countries share the large tropical island: Malaysia, the oil-rich Sultanate of Brunei, and Indonesia. The previously pristine rainforest has long been depleted and the island's wildlife is being forced into ever smaller areas. The rate of deforestation is both breathtaking and heartbreaking, and sure to bring out the environmentalist in anyone who visits. I won't write too much detail at this point as you can read lots more about Sabah at Wikipedia. Just click on the link, then come back!
Regarding Sabah, the Malaysian government has decided that oil palm plantations are a great source of revenue and have parceled up the state into areas depending upon their agricultural use. Fortunately, there are some wonderful national parks and protected areas where a visitor can enjoy some outstanding natural beauty and wonders. Hopefully these oases will be sufficient to protect the diminishing numbers of animals but they are under extreme pressure. Of course, many Malaysians themselves see the benefit of eco-tourism and fully understand the necessity of conservation. Only time will tell whether their efforts will be enough.
For me, there are several reasons why you should consider visiting Sabah apart from the fantastic nature. Firstly, the hotels are friendly affairs, you will probably be greeted with a 'Welcome back, nice to see you again.' even if it's your first visit! Secondly, the night-life in Kota Kinabalu (KK) is excellent, starting late and going on till very late, drifting by taxi from one club to another. We had a ball dancing the night away to the talented cover bands, mostly from the Philippines. In addition, the food is excellent, with fresh seafood straight from the glass tanks that edge the outdoor restaurants, although you may end up spending far more than you planned or expected! KK is not a tourist town and so the shopping is not so hot, targeting the local population, but this for me is an advantage as the town retains some of its rough charm.
I
visited Sabah for two
weeks with three of my friends: Richard, Ian and Danny. We stayed in The Pacific
Sutera hotel
which is just outside KK and next to its resort-style sister hotel The
Magellan. I recommend the hotels for their convenient location with
easy access to the town and the blue waters and coral islands of the Tunku
Abdul Rahmen Marine Park. We
were fortunate enough to stay in
suite rooms arranged generously through a travel agent friend of
Richard's uncle Les. Thanks guys! On arrival we hit the Jugs pub in the
bowels of the hotel for some well-earned beers. The drinking continued
uninterrupted for the next few hours until it was time to hit the dance
floor. Things get lively late in KK so pace yourself and you'll have a
great time. It's so easy here to chat with the friendly and
well-educated locals and we already had contacts from a previous visit:
members of the local rugby team and their friends and relatives. A
great bunch of people who made us extremely welcome almost every night!
We had come to do more than party and so the clear waters of the marine park beckoned. We hired a small boat to take us out to Pulau Sapi - one of the group of islands off the coast from KK and the one with perhaps the prettiest beach. That day, the sea was very rough, no one else was venturing from the safety of shore so after a wet and wild ride we found ourselves alone on Sapi island, hoping the boat would come back later to collect us. Being the only visitors we enjoyed the solitude of exploring the hiking trail and swimming in its waters. There were macaques in the trees and a giant monitor lizard lumbering along the beach. The coast felt a long way away, the sea ever rougher, giving us a blissful feeling of isolation, stranded on a sandy shore. Rather disappointingly, the boat did return to whisk us back to the harsh reality of sipping gin and tonics as the sun set over the South Seas. It's a hard life.
_
_
As with anywhere, the vibe can change but during our stay the best place to party was the fun pub called Shenanigan's in the Hyatt Regency hotel right in town (The drinks are very pricey so get tanked up before you go!) We had some truly good times here, a lot of interaction with the friendly Malaysians, both locals and tourists, and a whole lot of dancing to the exceptional house band. Over our two weeks there were many highlights but I'll always remember the very warm welcome there! The strangest place had to be a techno club called Sydney 2000' which had a bouncy sprung dance floor and no lighting. It was pitch black inside and seemed to be run by young Chinese gangsters all dressed in black suits and black sunglasses. The place stunk of sweat and was packed full of dancers of indeterminate sex in the dark. I could guess a man or woman only by their perfume or body odour or a more direct method. I was checked many times, but by who?
Behind the city is the impressive Crocker Range of mountains. Dominating the range is Mount Kinabalu, which at 4095m is the forth loftiest peak in South East Asia, but also the easiest to climb with over 40000 ascents every year. For the less adventurous, there is a World Heritage national park surrounding the mountain with fantastic scenery, plants and animals. Home to beautiful orchids, carnivorous plants and a variety of endemic animal species, the vegetation changes as a visitor climbs towards the alpine conditions high up. The park headquarters are 88km from the city and easily accessible independently or on a tour. As long as you like insects, you'll love this place. In fact Malaysia is a great place to get up close and personal with a bewildering variety of six-legged creatures, eight-legged creatures, leeches and worms, all of them happy to meet you.
_
_
We decided to take an escorted tour to see a few of the larger animals that make Sabah famous, namely the orangutans of Sepilok. This reserve helps re-introduce orangutans back into the ever-shrinking forest, and importantly educates and informs visitors in order to increase environmental awareness. Sure this is a great place doing a well-recognized conservation job and doesn't disappoint, but we wanted to see some of the apes in the wild and so we headed off to the Kinabatangan river. This long river provides a haven for elephants, orangutans, proboscis monkeys and hornbills. Our expert guides succeeded in finding all of these signature creatures as our boat motored many kilometres down the waterway. To see nesting orangutans in the trees was a thrilling sight, but our close encounter with the last remaining great herd of elephants was the highlight for me although I felt relieved to be safely in a boat. The third part of our tour was a visit to wonderful Turtle islands National Park. The park has been in operation for many years and is very successful in releasing thousands of baby turtles into the ocean. Visitors can observe the nightly laying of eggs and help in the release of the babies into the sea. I will never forget this wonderful opportunity to see conservation in action.
_
I recommend Sabah to anyone who enjoys nature, relaxation, food and nightlife. There are great places we didn't get to see: Sipadan island, for example, one of the world's top diving sites and on any divers wish-list. Neither did we make it to the Danum Valley conservation area, a luxury resort in the heart of the primeval forest. Next time maybe! Go before it's gone.
At the end of October, my friends Miki and Manami travelled from Tokyo to Sabah for a short break. They enjoyed their stay at the 5-star Nexus Resort Karambunai. This hotel is situated 40km north of the airport in an area of outstanding beauty and during their trip visited the Poring Hot springs where one can also walk through the trees on a canopy walk 30m in the air. Below, are some photos of their trip.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
