Going on Sabah-tical

Sabah – it’s not the first place you would think of when planning a long weekend getaway. In fact, it probably wouldn’t even come to mind at all. To most Filipinos, Sabah sounds vaguely familiar because we were taught in school that it was once owned by the Sultan of Sulu, but now it is part of Malaysia and the Philippine government wants it back. And after going there, I can understand why. Sabah is wonderful! It’s the perfect place to go when you’re sick of fast-paced, polluted metropolitan life. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy city life as much as the next person. Bangkok and Hong Kong are great for short trips; they are bustling cities with all the shopping and food you could ever want and a vibrant nightlife to boot. However, after a short visit to these places, you are usually left needing another vacation to get a respite from all the shopping and sightseeing.

If a truly relaxing holiday is what you’re after, Sabah is the place to go. It has the nice slow pace of a city still on the verge of development, where you don t feet like you’re missing out on something if you’re not up early in the morning. It is the sort of place where you feel like you can stay in bed all day if you want and you may be tempted to because the hotel rooms are quite luxurious. But when you open your eyes, see the sun shining and hear the waves crashing, you’ll just want to get up and see what nature has set out for you to experience that day. I don’t consider myself much of a nature person, but when I was in Sabah, I suddenly developed a desire to go mountain-climbing, do a canopy walk of the rainforest and go scuba-diving.

Should you be so inspired that you decide to scale a mountain, the mountain to conquer is Mount Kinabalu. It is the tallest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea. (Despite this, the Lonely Planet Guide Book claims that it is one of the easiest mountains in the world to climb.) And on a clear day, you are supposed to be able to see the Philippines from the summit.

There is something about being in a place where the locals actually appreciate the value of what they have and are really eager to share it with every visitor who comes to town. Their approach to tourism is quite intelligent. There are no folksy attempts to create an exotic experience for the tourist; no cultural theme parks – they have real parks with an amazing range of flora and fauna. They have an Orangutan Rehabilitation Center – a park where injured and orphaned orangutans are fed and cared for until they are strong enough to go back to the forest. It is one of only four in the world.

The promotional video produced by the Sabah tourism bureau has environmental luminaries such as Jacques Cousteau raving about the dive spots, and Richard Attenborough (the naturalist and actor more commonly known for his role as the dinosaur-engineering grandfather in the movie Jurassic Park), attesting to the rich diversity of the rainforest.

One of the attractions that I found fascinating in our visit to Sabah was the Gayana resort and marine research facility. The set-up of the rooms is similar to resorts in Palawan where the rooms are on stilts over the water and the green mountains are the backdrop. But what makes the place amazing is that other than being a resort, it is a marine research facility. They have a marine biologist on staff who develops programs so that resort guests can learn to dive, study marine life and contribute to the conservation of coral reefs in the area with their coral planting project. You leave the place with a deeper appreciation for what is there and a greater understanding of the environment.

However, when in Sabah, the place to stay is the Nexus Karambunai Resort. It has all the amenities that one would require for the ultimate in rest and recreation. It has facilities for a pretty diverse set of activities such as parasailing, archery, kayaking and of course, golf. It has a world-class golf course designed by Ronald Fream. It is beautiful. The front nine is by the lush green mountains and the back nine is by the sea. Even if you don’t play, it is worth it to walk with the golfers and enjoy the scenery. And after a whole day of physical activity, the best thing to do is go to the cool, relaxing spa for a massage, facial or even for a dip in the jacuzzi and then sit on the spa lounge and read.

There is so much to do in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah’s capital, that for once while on holiday, shopping will be the last thing on your mind. And this is a blessing because it is definitely not the place for Filipinos to shop. There is one main mall in Kota Kinabalu and if you look up shopping under Kota Kinabalu in the Lonely Planet Guide Book, they will refer you to the Filipino market where the stores are "not surprisingly owned by Filipinos and they sell a wide variety of handicrafts from the Philippines."

So if all you want to do on your vacation is to go shopping and bar-hopping, go to Bangkok or Hong Kong. But if you want a REAL holiday, an experience that awakens your senses, a vacation from your normal life in Manila, if your idea of a vacation is about finding the joy in new experiences, not finding a bargain, go to Sabah.

(For more information on travel to Sabah, call the Philippine Travel Bureau at 5264996 to 97.)