Sabah Most Wanted

Soujourn in blue sabah

Malaysian state's beauty spots continue to attract Chinese despite air disasters.
For those who like the sun and sea and enjoy cultural heritage, Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the state of Sabah in Malaysia, is one of the better choices.
Although the country's tourism industry has been affected by the two tragedies of Malaysia Airlines this year, many Chinese are still visiting Sabah for its picturesque views, delicious seafood and hospitable people.
According to Tourism Malaysia, from January to July, tourist arrivals from the Chinese mainland totalled 997,370, a decline of 11.8 percent compared with the same period last year.
"Our tour was a perfect getaway from work. We enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and beaches, the fantastic scenic spots, and met with interesting local people and tourists. It's a memory that we will cherish forever," says Wu Yehua, 25, who visited Malaysia with seven colleagues during China's National Day holiday. She works in a foreign company in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.
The easiest way to start one's adventure in the city is to have a one- or two-day tour arranged by one of the local tourism agencies, who know best about the scenic spots and local culture, and will provide transportation and take care of the visitors.
You mustn't miss the UNESCO World Heritage Kinabalu Park, dominated by the 4,095-meter high Mount Kinabalu, where there is a wide range of habitats, such as rich tropical lowland and tropical mountain forests. It also has a variety of animals and plants.
It takes two days to climb the mountain, and most tourists would join a daily tour. You should have some medicine for carsickness for just in case, because the two and a half hour mountain road journey is windy.
If you're lucky, you can see Rafflesia keithii, which can grow up to 1 meter in diameter. It will only blossom after it has grown 18 months, but its flowering phase lasts only seven days.
My friends and I paid 30 ringgit ($9.20) a person to see one flower in full blossom and several round buds. The flower is also called "corpse flower" because it smells like rotten flesh. The odor attracts insects such as flies, and we saw several flies fly into the hollow pistils and not getting out.
For the second day, you can take a speedboat to the Kilas Wetlands to see forests on the water, crocodiles and the famous long-nosed monkeys on the trees. There are fireflies glowing in the woods in the evening, and you can have fresh seafood at cheap prices when you return to the town.
Our next destination was Pulau Mantanai Besar (the Big Mermaid Island). It's advisable to make a reservation because the island's capacity for tourists is limited. We stayed one night in a cozy cottage, and enjoyed both sunset and sunrise out on the beach.
During the day, the guide took us on a speedboat to a snorkeling spot to see the colorful fishes, starfish and corals in the sea.
Safe swimsuits and fins are available. It's better to take along one's own snorkeling equipment for hygiene reasons, because they are not sold on the island and the guides offer only shared ones.
We explored the magic of the underwater world freely, played with the clownfish and other fishes that you see in the Hollywood blockbuster Finding Nemo, and recorded those indelible moments with GoPro, a waterproof camera that can capture still photos or video through a wide-angle lens.
We returned to the island for a buffet lunch of local dishes in the open air and had a two-hour refreshing rest before heading for the next snorkeling spot.
Visitors stretched out on beach chairs or hammocks to enjoy the picturesque view of the coastline, swam, deep dived, and rowed canoes in the sea.
In the evening, the guide took us to look for "blue tear" or "blue sand" on the beach. These are a kind of seed shrimps that glow blue in the dark, just like fireflies. They get to the shore by riding the tide and survive for no more than 100 seconds.
The peak season of blue tears on the island is from November to February. You are lucky if you get to see the beach dotted with beautiful luminous blue spots, like shining meteors in the sky.
We were disappointed when we arrived at the shore, because it started to rain cats and dogs. But we still wanted to see the blue tears. We turned off the light on our mobile screens and flashlights, because blue tears won't appear if there's light.
Fortunately, we saw a few blue spots sprinkled on the shore, and when we dug our hands into the sand, we saw more hidden blue tears twinkling and disappearing quickly.
The 45-minute speedboat journey back to Kota Kinabalu was like an exciting ride in an amusement park because of the strong wind in the sea. The boat tilted to the right and left from time to time and sea-water washed over us.
Those who want to enjoy parasailing and banana-boat riding can go to the city's ferry terminal and take a boat to nearby small islands such as Sapi or Manukan. You can also go deep diving or snorkeling there and see fishes that are different from those at the Big Mermaid Island. Don't forget to wear water shoes to prevent cuts from the reefs in the sea.
Xulin@chinadaily.com.cn
 
Pulau Mantanai Besar are three isolated islands located northwest of Kota Belud, about an hour's drive from the state capital of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu. Photos by Xu Lin / China Daily