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Published: April 28th 2013
So farewell Philippines, and hello again Malaysia!
Despite having spent so much time on the Peninsular side of the country, this was in fact my first step on Malaysian Borneo soil, and I am intrigued to see what the differences are compared to the mainland. I'd read much about the sweltering jungles, diverse wildlife and indigenous tribes, so I'm looking forward to exploring those the next month of so.
And my first stop was Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the state of Sabah, one of just two Malaysian Borneo states. This state was somewhat in the news recently, being historically part of the Sulu sultanate. The current claimant to the throne currently lives in the Mindanao in Southern Philippines, and his loyal subjects recently launched an armed take-over attempt in Lahad Datu, a city in the south of Sabah, prompting a serious operation from the Malaysian police and armed forces to reclaim control of the area, but not without some loss of lives from both sides. All said, I've been told the situation is now under control, and peace has been restored. Not a moment too late either, as Malaysia faces a General Election in the looming weeks.
But enough about the sombre politics, and onto Sabah proper. The capital is normally used as a launchpad for climbs up the nearby Mount Kinabalu, Southeast Asia's highest peak at over 4000m, and another Unesco World Heritage site. As already mentioned on previous entries, I'd contemplated attempting a climb too, but realised the logistics are in fact rather complicated, mostly involving early bookings, which I was unfortunately unable to commit to ahead of time. So I would have to leave the climb for another day. I do intend to check out the surrounding Kinabalu National Park in any case.
The city of Kota Kinabalu itself offered sufficient amusement for at least a couple of days. Coming from chaotic Manila, it was quite calming to arrive in a city that seemed much more orderly, with a less intense overall feel. East Malaysians do indeed seem more laid-back than their Peninsular counterparts, or at least compared to those in the country's capital of Kuala Lumpur. And after being on the road for over three months now, arriving in Sabah and ordering my first meal reminded me how similar Malaysian food is to home (Singaporean) food, which I have of course missed
for several months now. And of course, the languages spoken -- accented English, Mandarin and the Southern Chinese dialects, Malay -- all native also to Singapore, really make me feel like I'm not far from home now (which of course, is in fact true!)
So the general plan is to generally make my way westwards across Malaysian Borneo, before taking the short flight home from Kuching, in Sarawak. But for now, I'll be heading in the opposite direction to check out the rest of Sabah, before swinging back.
Stayed at Stay-In Lodge.
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