Recently, I was in Sabah, (east) Malaysia. The trip was long coming and the initial objective that we had (about a year back) was not met. However the trip was wonderful and well worth the time and effort.

The initial plan (about a year ago) was to climb Mt. Kinabalu. At that time, everything I knew about Malaysian Borneo was Mt. Kinabalu. I was not very aware of the geography nor did I know that Malaysia had two states in Borneo. General knowledge aside, I was not planning on doing anything other than climbing. The trip did not materialize and I setup another trip in November hoping to climb Mt. K again. But being me, I do not plan things until push comes shove and when shove came to kick me in the arse, I decided to check out the details for the climb.

To cut the story short, I needed to have booked a place in Laban Rata about mid way in the mountain and the vacancy is small and in high demand. I did not secure any place and the only other option I had (though very adventurous) was a bit too expensive. So the decision was made instead to fly in and bum around in Kota Kinabalu. KK is a nice little town with pretty friendly people and lots of human traffic in the main street. I stayed at a back packers lodge and went around town on day 1. But by the end of the day, we figured it might be better if we could explore outside town – primarily we were excited by the lush rain forest bordering the town.

A little bit of snooping around and chit chat with locals resulted in us renting a car and taking a nice 4 day road trip across the state.

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If anyone is interested, the green portion from KK to Telupid is hilly and chilly The roads are good and the drive is very enjoyable. The Blue stretch to Sandakan is reasonably flat and warm. The yellow road to Sukau is pretty bad once you turn off the highway. the roads are gravel and the scenery is nothing but palm plantations. The red portion is pretty special. It is a lovely river ride that we were very lucky to enjoy. I shall document some of the experiences here. Keep watching.

1. Great. Wildlife. So much so that you can spot hornbills while taking a quick break by the roads. Monkeys, fireflies etc… are all around you when you are at the right place.
2. Everyone. Smiles. Now this seems about what should be expected in a tourist infested place like KK. But when people smile and wave to you in a small town like Sandakan or even smaller Kampung like Sukau or Abai, you know their heart is in the right place.
3. Really. Beautiful. Girls. Grrr, Really sabah has a very high concentration of really good looking women. And really friendly and not snooty.
4. Free. Wifi. Everywhere. Atleast, almost everywhere when you are in a city. Unlike other places I know, cafes, restaurants and shopping centers have free, unprotected wifi. Many places have additional power outlets for charging your electronics. great!
5. Friendly. People. I cannot express the lengths to which people have gone to make our stay, trip memorable / enjoyable. I always think I have met the best people already. But each time I meet someone more friendly and more helpful. The world is a better place with people like the few I have met.