So far yet so near

by Pranz Kaeno

The tourist in us may dream of visiting places far away but sometimes all we need is a trip to our neighbor to discover a different kind of paradise. Kota Kinabalu, or KK as the locals would lovingly call it, is the capital city of Sabah, Malaysia and is only a few miles away from the southernmost tip of Palawan. Tagging along with fellow journalists on a recent inaugural trip by SEAIR, I had the pleasure of exploring her wonders. Aboard the sturdy 33-seater Dornier 328, we breezed through Manila, Caticlan, Puerto Princesa, and arrived in Kota Kinabalu just in time for an afternoon rest.

The Sabah Tourism Board gave us a warm and kind welcome reminiscent of home. They treated us to a scrumptious dinner at the Kampung Nelayan floating seafood restaurant. The menu included a delectable selection of fresh fish, shrimp, lobsters, meat, vegetable, and wine. Famous also for its nightly cultural presentations the Malay dancers dressed in their majestic Bajau costumes enthralled guests with their charm and skill. It was a fun evening. On our way back to the hotel Mercure, Alvin, one of the Sabah Tourism Board representatives, called me pare and bid me ingat. Apparently there are many Filipinos in KK that many of the locals have become familiar to our language.

Kota Kinabalu is blessed with an abundance of natural wonders. It is home to Malaysia’s first Unesco World Heritage site Kota Kinabalu Park. The park, bigger than Singapore, takes pride in its flourishing flora and fauna. At the lowland are springs where wearied travelers can take a relaxing dip. The site is also home to the enigmatic Kinabalu mountain. Standing at 4,095.2m (13,435ft), it is the tallest mountain between the Himalayas and the Snow Mountains of Papua Barat of the New Guinea Island. The granite massif may sound daunting but anyone with basic fitness can reach the summit within two to three days. Accommodations can be found along the way and it is highly encouraged that you plan your route ahead. But just in case you felt the sudden nudge to join the yearly Climbathon also known as “The World’s Toughest Mountain Race,” expect to compete with participants who can scale the giant up and down for less than three hours.

Sabah has many tourist destinations and KK serves as its gateway. While our itinerary was limited, we were still able to sample some of the region’s delightful offerings. A few minutes from the city and we were at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. Lemurs, monkeys, tigers, elephants, eagles, donkeys, bears, deers, and many more speaks of the biodiversity Sabah has. At the exit, if you got some Malaysian ringgit to spare, don’t forget to buy yourself a proboscis monkey stuff toy, one of the main attractions of the wildlife park, at the souvenir shop.

Our nature trip went on with the Klias River Cruise. It was a long but smooth drive from the city. Again proboscis monkeys abound but this time at their natural habitat. They swung from one branch to another as if performing for us onlookers. Our guide Lazarus told us about baby crocs that may linger in the murky waters. As the evening grew older, fireflies twinkled like stars in a clear moonless night sky. They also evoked images of trees lit up by tiny Christmas lights.

KK is surrounded by beautiful islands and are all within a few minutes by speedboats. Beach bums and sun worshipers will never run out of things to do. The area is also good for relaxation and for some tanning. The waters are clear and are teeming with marine life. After an exhilarating boat ride to Gaya Island, we put on our swimwear and went seawalking. Sporting only a head gear attached to an oxygen tank, we descended 25 feet below sea level to commune with fishes and other colorful sea creatures. Twenty minutes after we ascended and moved on to our next destination. We had a bountiful lunch along the beaches of Manukan Island(which was so called because it looked like a chicken when viewed from above). Another great destination would be the Sipadan Island which was voted as Top Dive Destination by the Rodale Scuba Diving Magazine. It was at the other end of Sabah however and we were running out of time.

Shopping around the City

While Kota Kinabalu prides itself with its natural beauty, the city offers a worthy shopping experience especially to Filipinos at the southern end. Walking around the city was a pleasure. It is well served by hotels and resorts of international standards. Major malls open from 10am until 9pm offering local and imported goods. Most popular are handicrafts and pearls. We hopped from store to store in search of bargains and souvenirs. At the Filipino Market where most of the vendors hailed from the Philippines we haggled using our own native tounge. Other popular shopping havens are Center Point Sabah Shopping Complex, Wisma Merdeka Shopping Complex, Warisan Square Shopping Complex, Karamunsing Shopping Complex, and 1 Borneo (the largest lifestyle hypermall in Sabah). After a good retail therapy, try out the seafood restaurants which are very popular in KK.

On our last night we had dinner at a Chinese resto downtown and spent our last night on a bar near Holiday Inn. To our amusement the performers that evening were Filipinos who appeared very much at home with the crowd. We had a blast and wished we had more time to tour the city and its nearby natural attractions.

The Inauguration

On a bright sunny day SEAIR’s Dornier 328 touched down at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. It was welcomed by showers from a water canon as part of the inaugural flight ceremony. SEAIR’s president Avelino L. Zapanta and DoTC Assistant Secretary Dante Lantin were greeted by Sabah Tourism Board’s Chairman Dato Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin. It was a momentous event that goes beyond the fact that it was SEAIR’s first international flight.

“This is indeed a very significant move for SEAIR. The choice of the Puerto Princesa-Kota Kinabalu route is a result of our being designated as the official carrier in the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP EAGA),” said Patrick Tan, SEAIR’s VP for Commercial Affairs.

The route’s added benefit to the passenger, according to Mr. Zapanta, would be the absence of travel tax for international flights from the Puerto Princesa airport.

Consistent with its Paradise to Paradise destinations, KK presents (in itself and as a jump off to Sabah) a myriad of choices for the eco tourist. Dato Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin, an adventurer and avid diver, describes it as a “Premier nature, adventure, ecotourism destination in the global market” with “Eco treasures from mountain high to ocean deep.”

So far yet so near. With SEAIR’s new flight to Kota Kinabalu another paradise has been made closer to us.