Our adventure began in style with three nights at the luxurious Shangri-la Rasa Ria Resort. My kids happily lived these days boogie boarding, flying down the waterslide, finding hermit crabs, and cooling off at the kids' club. Adam and I enjoyed a dinner sans kids, a leisurely bike ride to a water village, and even a deluxe spa treatment involving mud, steam, bubbles, and massage.
We also enjoyed a visit to the onsite Nature Reserve and its rehabilitation program for rescued orangutans. For one hour, we watched from a viewing platform as two toddler orangutans swung from the jungle canopy all around us. I marveled at their agility and commend the resort for its efforts to preserve this beautiful, endangered species.
Moving on from here, we checked in for three nights at the centrally located Kinabalu Daya Hotel in Kota Kinabalu. We shared a family room, which was quite comfortable with one king and two twin beds. The first day, we walked a short distance to Jesselton Pier and caught a speedboat to Mamutik, one of a group of islands comprising the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. Mamutik is a popular spot for snorkeling and beach lounging, and we were lucky to spot quite a few anemones among the coral reefs! Later, we enjoyed dinner with some friends that recently moved to KK and had a wonderful time catching up on life.
The next morning, we hopped in a taxi and visited the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. Arriving at feeding time, the animals (especially the sun bears and Asian elephants) were quite playful!
After an afternoon siesta in our room, we enjoyed a night-time visit to the Mari Mari Cultural Village. Here, we donned mosquito repellant and were taken to visit the longhouses of five different tribes, learning about their culture and traditions from our guide and through hands-on activities. Stilted above ground to avoid flooding and provide protection, longhouses are made of bamboo and have windows for air circulation. Daughters sleep in an upstairs room (with ladder removed), men and boys on the floor below to protect them, parents and grandparents in separate side rooms. We watched as fire was started without matches, saw how vests are made from tree bark, and observed the clothing styles and skilled arts/crafts of various tribes. We drank homemade rice wine and honey, sampled bamboo cooking, and even got henna tattoos.
Prior to visiting the last tribe, we were asked to chose a leader. Mark volunteered for the important job of requesting permission to enter. By placing hands on the chief's shoulders, we were allowed entry into their village, and thankfully, were allowed to keep our heads! (On a side note, headhunting is no longer practiced among tribes and was reserved for tribal enemies or those caught stealing. It was abolished years ago, as such practices are not popular with the tourist industry.)
We got to try out our skills with a blowpipe (I'm pretty terrible!), and then we were invited to jump on a special trampoline they use during important ceremonies. Our exciting evening ended in a cultural dance performance and plentiful buffet dinner. I would highly recommend a visit to Mari Mari (meaning "come" in Malay) to any visitor to KK; it was a true highlight of our trip to Sabah!
Moving on, I was determined to see the famed Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in SE Asia. We rented a car and drove to the base of the mountain where we spent our last two nights. We took a beautiful (and exhausting) hike in the national park and also visited the lovely Sabah Tea Garden, enjoying a tour of the organic tea farm. We also visited the Kundasang War Memorial, a touching reminder of over 2,000 Australian, British, and local Sabahans that lost their lives in Borneo during WWII.
On the way back to the airport, despite the fact that we were all wearing flip flops, we stopped at the Rafflesia Information Center. Here we hired a guide that took us on a short but muddy 5-minute trek through the forest to view the world's biggest flower. The one we saw was only 15" in diameter, but it was so very cool to see one!!
A few fun facts about Sabah:
* Sabah is a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo. Its capital is Kota Kinabalu and its population is made up of 32 ethnic communities. It is an ideal destination for eco-adventures such as diving, river cruising, mountain-climbing, white-water rafting, and caving.
* The very first "Survivor" was filmed at Pulua Tiga, an island off the northwest coast. 16 Americans were dropped here to live (with very few resources and lots of camera crews) for 39 days, with 1 million dollars to the last "survivor" not "voted off the island".
* Mount Kinabalu (4,095.2 m) is the highest peak in SE Asia. While we were here, the Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon welcomed hundreds of trekkers to its picturesque, moonscape peak.
* Because of their endangered status (due to deforestation and hunting), orangutans (from the Malay words "orang" (person) and "hutan" (jungle)) now only live in the wild on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
* The world's largest flower, the rafflesia, is actually a parasite that has no stems, leaves, or true roots. It blooms for only a few days and can be found (if you're lucky) in the rainforests of Borneo. Nicknamed the "corpse flower", it looks and smells like rotten flesh.
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