The times are turning out to be very special for Kota Kinabalu ,the capital of the East Malaysian state of Sabah.. In addition to celebrating "Visit Sabah Year 2000" the capital, of "The Land Below the Wind" ,attained city status on February 2, 2000 and commemorated its centenary last year.
Sabah hosted the Eco-Challenge 2000 from Aug 21 to Sept 2 and the Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon was held on Oct 7 and Oct 8. To cap it all the Kinabalu National Park - a national tourism icon - has been designated by UNESCO as a world heritage site.
The bright, bustling, Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton (after Sir Charles Jessel, of the British North Borneo Company), is actually Malaysia's youngest city. It's a clean, green and friendly town built right close to the edge of the sea and renowned for its colorful red and gold sunsets.
The Sabah State Mosque, with its majestic domes, is one of the mostphotographed and spectacular buildings in the city whilst the Sabah State Museum's collections include prehistory anthropological artefacts of the various ethnic groups, archaeology, ethnology and natural history and is worth a visit. It's a good source of information on Sabah's highly cultured and multi-ethnic people. Ideal for those who want to get a quick immersion into Sabah and get a dose of culture.
For a wonderful panoramic view of the city and its waterfront, a trip up Signal Hill is recommended. The Sabah Art Gallery, located at Jalan Muzium, about 3 km from Kota Kinabalu, is also another spot to include on a tour of the city and its environs. A striking landmark is the 30-storey Sabah Foundation building near the Likas Bay, northeast of downtown Kota Kinabalu.
For leisure seekers the place to head for on the western fringe of the city is Tanjung Aru Beach, whose powdery beaches are lined with casuarinas and palm trees. It's a peoples-watchers paradise. There are also attractive offshore islands which collectively make-up the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park : it's a fifteen minute boat ride from KotKinabalu. The five main islands- Manukan, Mamutik, Sulug, Sapi and Gaya - offer a rich and varied marine life and coral reefs fringe them,including several so close to the beach that they lie exposed duringlow tide. Many visitors make a trip here to enjoy a rejuvenating swim in the azure tropical waters and the attractive beaches, especially on Sapi Island. The best reefs though are around Sulug and Manukan.
In KK - as it's affectionally called by the locals -there is nightlife and dining-out opportunities to satisfy most tastes, varying from British-style pubs, night clubs, disco's and karaoke. There is a mix of cuisines including Malay, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese and Continental and great seafood, for which the city is renowned. Al fresco dining is popular and apart from the ethnic mix of the eateries, most of the hotels have classy restaurants.
You have to choose somewhere to stay during your visit and these days the visitor is really spoilt for choice.
At the integrated Sutera Harbour resort there are two enchanting hotels : the luxurious 500 rooms and suites at the Pan Pacific Sutera and the Magellan Sutera, also a 5-star establishment, with 456 rooms, are both star attractions.
Landscaped pools, tennis courts and well-equipped fitness centres will help keep you trim whilst business centres and function rooms with state-of-the-art meeting facilities enable visitors to combine business with leisure.
Golfers will enjoy playing at the 27-hole Sutera Harbour Golf and Country Club. The course was designed by Australian Graham Marsh.
Still in town is the 288-room Hyatt Regency Kinabalu and the 5-star Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort both of which are convenient and comfortable places. Accommodation is backed-up with fine cuisine. If you want to enjoy unashamed luxury with impeccable service out of town then the place to head for is the enchanting Nexus Resort Karambunai. This luxurious resort has seven food and beverage outlets to pamper your palate, and a wide range of sports and recreational facilities for the adventurous including a 18-hole championship golf course, tennis and squash courts, lawn bowling greens, jogging areas and water sports. Karambunai is situated between pristine hillside and the South China Sea, a magnificent location and oasis of calm from where you can gaze across at Mount Kinabalu or enjoy a round of golf at a world-class golf resort. No wonder the superlatives are ringing-out and the resort is attracting a sophisticated clientele.
### Mount Kinabalu - Tourism Icon
Sabah's highest, most sacred, and hottest tourist attraction just has to be Mount Kinabalu which attracts 200,000 visitors annually and dominates the surrounding landscape. Those who are game for heights and top-of-the-world experiences trek to its peak which at 4,101 metres, makes it the highest mountain in South East Asia. The Sabah Parks service estimates the climb takes about ten hours, many visitors break the trek into two days. According to local Kadazan folk-lore, Kinabalu is where the spirits of the dead go when they leav the body. From the lofty peak, they are said to watch mortals - possibly smiling at those attempting the trek to the top.
Kinabalu Park covering 754 sq km was established to protect Mount Kinabalu and its incredible plant and animal life. The diverse flora ranges from lowland rain-forest to temperate montane oaks to alpine conifers and the profusion of plant species is almost bewildering to the visitor.
There is the giant red blossoms of the Rafflesia - the world's largest flower found in low altitude forest - some 26 varieties of unusual rhododendrons, 400 different types of fern, around 1,200 species of orchids and ten types of pitcher plant in this botanical paradise.
Poring Hot Springs, in the northeastern edge of the park, is a popular attraction with its hot sulphur water from a bubbling spring in the luxuriant surroundings of huge stands of bamboo, hibiscus and fruit trees.
This spot is also well-known for its Orchid Conservation Centre - where the Rafflesia plant is cultivated using an inoculation technique - the Butterfly farm which apart from a food plant nursery and a breeding room, houses a collection of around 67 different species of butterflies. There's also an interesting Ethno-Botanical Garden at Poring. Spread-over a two-hectare site, the garden features over 200 species of rare plants including some with medicinal value, wild vegetables and fruits .
A trip to the "Land Below the Wind" is recommended for all those who love adventureand nature.
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