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SITES FOR SIGHT OF SABAH

There are many interesting places to go to in Sabah. This State known as Land Below The Wind and Land of The Secret Mountain is known  for its diversity in flora and fauna. And they abound in their natural habitat, the mountains, the hills, and the valleys.

One of the best places to go is of course the Kinabalu Parks and, of course. Mount Kinabalu. The sights here are awesome, especially when you view the mountain during a clear morning. Kinabalu Parks is two hours drive away from Kota Kinabalu the State Capital. It covers 754 sq. km. It is blessed with a wide variety of flora and fauna. I espe­cially enjoy this place because I can walk leisurely along the trails and enjoy nature. The cool air here is also invigorating. But if you are an adventurous person who likes challenges, the mountain is there for you to climb all 13,455 meters of it.

The other place you should really go to is Simpang Mengayau in Kudat. This place is beautiful in a very opposite way to Kinabalu Parks. The beach there is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen, and believe me I have been to a few beaches in my lifetime. The blueness of the sea seemed to reach right up to the white sandy beach.

The waves that crash on the sand are white, just like pieces of pristine soft cloth, then they gently draw back, just to return for another caress. The most beautiful part of that area is the beach. The crashing waves that caresses the sand are awesome. After the beach you will see the jutting mass of land, and that is Simpang Mengayau. Boulders and rocks sur­round this mass of land therefore creating a shallow area almost around it. The formations are interesting, with some looking like waffles while others were like bee­hives.

Right on the tip, you will be able to see a commemo­ration of an event held there recently, when it-was offi­cially declared the Tip of Borneo. The globe stands proud near the Malaysian flag. The path down the hill towards the granite mass on the sea has been paved and now sports a stair. This is commendable, as people have been known to slip quite easily down when it was still just grass.

If you want to go to the East Coast of the State, and happen to go through Lahad Datu, you should check out Tabin Wildlife Conser­vation area. If you decide to take the plane, it will take you 45 minutes to the airport there and an hour drive into the reserve. If you opt to drive, which I usually do, it will take you six to seven hours from Kota Kinabalu, the State Capital.

If you want to stay there for a couple of days, you should check out the Tabin Wildlife Resort. It is located about 30 kilometres from Lahad Datu town. The road towards it undu­lates through oil palm plantations. I enjoy the sights of oil palm trees standing like sentinels along the dirt road, and the buzz of humanity in small hamlets along the way, but I cannot help thinking that the palm trees are like intruders into the ancient habitants.

It must be mentioned here that the reserve, 120,500 hectares of it, was declared a wildlife reserve because of the large numbers of wildlife and birds inhabiting its jungle. Many of them as believed be endemic to this area while others are endangered. There are some signs along the way of animal crossings, like the pygmy elephants, the Sumatran rhino and Tembadau, but during my visit there, I did not see any, although I heard and saw various types of birds and insects.

Be that as it may, the resort is a beautiful place. It is located on a scenic spot, nestled gigantic trees and a bubbling stream, which is called the Lipad River. The trees give the place a cooling effect and the incessant bubbling sound from the stream soothes.The Kinabatangan area, such as Sukau and Bilit are also the ideal place to visit if you want outdoorsy activi­ties. There are lodges there for you to stay. The man­agement will only be too happy to plan out activities for you. This include jungle treks, bird watch and night walk. If you are lucky you will see an elephant or two, hun­dreds of macaques and a few families of Proboscis Mon­keys. You can either stay with the people who are partic­ipants of the Homestay programme or you can stay with lodges.

Southwest of Sabah is Beaufort, Kuala Penyu and Sipitang. If you are interested in going on a river cruise bird watching or just enjoying nature the Klias River at Beaufort is a good place to visit. As for Kuala Penyu, the best time to visit this area is during their Sago Palm Festival. The festival is very inter­esting and informative. You will be able to sample vari­ous types of fruits and also foodstuff derived from Sago.

During the fruit season you should visit Sipitang. This is the time where you can sample the `King of Fruits' durian cheaply. When the durian season comes, it literal­ly floods the market there. This could be a good time to pamper your tourists. There are durians being sold there at the moment, although not plenty, but you can still bring your tourists there to challenge their palate!

There are many  things to see and do in Kota Kinabalu and Sabah as a whole. Information can be acquired from SabahTourism Board (STB) at 088-212121 

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