Just Back From ...
Sabah, Borneo
by Lee Franks
Known as "The Land Below the Wind" thanks to it's position below the 'typhoon belt', Sabah has been something of an undiscovered paradise. Today, thanks to new direct services from Australia to Kota Kinabalu courtesy of Australian Airlines, plus some great package deals at quality resorts, Sabah seems to be the name on everyone's lips! And with good reason! p> Positioned on the North Eastern part of the island of Borneo, Sabah belongs to Malaysia. If you've visited other countries in Asia you'll probably find, as I did, Sabah to be relatively clean, affluent, safe and remarkably hassle free. Couple this with some top quality hotels/resorts where you can escape the debilitating humidity with a cooling Tiger beer, some incredibly diverse flora and fauna (from the world famous OrangUtan's of Sepilok, the indigenous proboscis monkeys whose 'hooters' have to be seen to be believed, to the Rafflesia - the world's largest flower) and frequent, cheap domestic flights to get you around, and Sabah really does provide a great, easy, taste of Asian exotica at wonderfully reasonable prices. I actually flew with Malaysia Airlines via Kuala Lumpur and, although it's a slightly longer routing, you get the opportunity for a city stopover in this modern, commercial Capital. Worth a stopover just to see the sparkling Petronas Towers, the world's tallest. Go early in the morning and queue for a free ticket to ride the lift up to the skybridge. This enclosed, glass walled, 2 storey walkway joins the two towers with spectacular (if rather vertiginous) views over the city. At the bottom of the towers you emerge into one of KL's multifarious glittering, mega shopping malls (KL is great for good quality, cheap shoes, by the way!) Times Square is another mall reputed to be the largest in Asia so worth a visit if you're a shopaholic.
On to Sabah, just a 2.5 hour flight away and a million miles from the hustle and bustle of the mainland! The north coast of Sabah fringing the South China Sea is home to a number of quality resorts currently at very reasonable prices. We spent our first week supine, beachside and poolside at the Nexus Karambunai Resort. It has arguably the best beach in Sabah - 6km of white sand (albeit plagued by impossible sand flies) and rolling surf (sharks and jellyfish are reported to inhabit the waters as well as the odd Aussie tourist - but hey!). The Nexus also has it's own golf course and spa. The spa staff regularly roam the rambling grounds too, so you can indulge in a spot of reflexology foot massage without the need to leave your beach lounger. Marvellous! Oh and the pool bar staff drive around the grounds in a little electric golf buggy to keep you supplied with 'coldies' - so you shouldn't have to move all day! If you feel like being a little more active, there is a Lagoon Park just around the corner offering heaps of water activities including kayaking, windsurfing etc.
Mount Kinabalu is the largest mountain in Asia and easily accessible in a day trip from Kota Kinabalu (KK) Well worth a visit for it's rare flora and fauna. If you don't have the energy or inclination to climb the Mountain (a 2 day hike) some kind soul has planted a Mountain Garden where you can stroll around and see examples of all the incredibly diverse plant life seen on the mountain and in the surrounding areas, including pitcher plants and rare orchids.
The highlight of my holiday was a side trip to Sandakan on the East coast. From here we ventured to Turtle Island (Selingan) just 45 mins offshore by speedboat and a Marine Sanctuary dedicated to the preservation and breeding of the Green and Hawksbill turtles. Accommodation on the island is basic and restricted to around 20 guests per night (you only need one night here!) The fabulous thing about this island is that every night you can witness turtles coming up to the beach to lay their eggs. You then witness transplanting the eggs to the hatchery and even get to hold a new baby hatchling before they're released into the sea!
The following day we returned to the mainland and the world famous Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre. Guests can visit at feeding time which occurs twice daily at 10am and 3pm. Although you observe from a distance you can still get really close to these incredible creatures. Sepilok also has an interesting exhibition hall and a very endearing 30 min video presentation on the work of the Centre.
Sandakan also provides the jumping-off point for a trip up the Kinabatangan river into the jungle. We spent 2 nights just down river from the jungle village of Sukau at the wonderfully eco-friendly Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Here your candlelit buffet dinners are taken on the deck overhanging the river, under an vast canopy of stars, and to the accompaniment of a symphony of nocturnal creatures. Misty early mornings and drowsy golden evenings are spent exploring the river and it's tributaries in a tiny wooden boat spotting the indigenous proboscis monkeys, crocodiles, other primates, languid monitor lizards and a wealth of melodious bird life.
Sandakan itself is worth a few hours of your time, in particular the emotionally effecting exhibition at the Australian war Memorial. Sandakan was the location of the infamous POW camps from where the dreadful 'death marches' took place during the 2nd world war. Standing there in the stifling heat, taking long glugs from my cooling water bottle and scratching at my numerous insect bites which had somehow evaded the overdose of 'Rid' I was in complete awe of these men who coped with unfathomable privation and hardship.
Returning to KK we spent our remaining few days at the Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort, very conveniently located just 10 mins from the airport and 10 mins from downtown KK (visit the night markets in KK one evening for some fabulous food from the traditional stalls) Although the Shangri-la here really has no beach to speak of, the offshore islands of the Tunku
Abdul Rahman Park are just 15 mins away where you can access sandy beaches, bush walks and snorkelling.
For the Scuba diving enthusiast it's really worth the effort to get to Sipadan. A short flight, drive and ferry trip from KK, Sipadan is rated as one of the top dive sites in the world! Don't do as I did and expect to dive off KK itself, this area has been extensively dynamite fished so it's well worth the effort of heading to the pristine marine wilderness of Sipadan instead!
All in all, a wonderful, newly emerging destination. But get there soon if you want to experience the rare wildlife. Logging and conversion of land to huge palm oil plantations continues apace and threatens this fragile environment. The only way to help abate this is to make eco-tourism an important source of income to the Malaysian Government. So, go to Sabah!
