“Hey I need to talk to you!” I don’t see him that often, my colleague working at the prestigious Hosting Team. I am more into End User Communication / End User Computing. He is – like me – a petrol head. That being said – he owns a 400+ break horsepower shiny Yellow Lotus Evora, a supercar by definition. And I…well I am allowed sometime to drive one. Anyway – he is heading to Malaysia soon which reminded me to write some about the two weeks I spend in that magnificent country.
We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world …. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again — to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more. (Pico Iyer)
Kuala Lumpur, capital city of Malaysia is amazing…..! There is a lot to love about Kuala Lumpur, the modern and exotic capital city of Malaysia. Many people visit this magnificent city because they are pulled by its lifestyle, fabulous shopping, world-class cuisine, pristine beaches, flourishing economy, sound education, and pulsating nightlife. The city remains a hidden treasure for many travellers and holidaymakers
But this is not about Kuala Lumpur – let’s talk about Sabah
If you have never heard of Sabah before, you are not alone. This Malaysian state is located on the island of Borneo and welcomes just about 3 million visitors per year. Sabah shares Borneo with Indonesian Kalimantan, Malaysian Sarawak and the Kingdom of Brunei. Nothing evokes the imagination of deep jungles and unexplored tropical wildernesses more than Borneo. The word itself conjures up dreamlike images of undiscovered head hunting tribes with blowpipes and wild orang utans swinging in the treetop canopies, and yet nothing dispels those images as quickly or rewards them as fully as Borneo. Sabah holds some of Borneo’s absolute must see attractions and some of the world’s most beautiful natural hotspots. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, there is a strong tourist infrastructure in Sabah. Some say that Sabah has become too touristy, with parts almost like a theme park Borneo attraction rather than the real thing. Borneo boasts one of the largest, most bio diverse and species rich equatorial rainforests in the world, a few small facts that get lost on most visitors as they come face to face with one of the planets most stunning natural gardens.
Kota Kinebalu (KK) is capital city of Sabah. The boulevard of KK is called “The Waterfront “. KK Waterfront is arguably the heartbeat of Kota Kinabalu’s nightlife. During the day The KK Waterfront is hot and relatively quiet, but towards later afternoon, as the heat of the day dies down, it comes to life as business open, umbrellas unfold, tourists start to flock and locals arrive for afterwork drinks. Shamrock Irish Bar. A live band and DJ regularly entertains the crowd, there’s a pool table in the back and the food menu has some awesome choices too. One of the most popular venues is, Shamrock Irish Bar. It draws a regular crowd of people looking for a familiar atmosphere, quick service and a reliable venue where to watch all the big sporting events in Kota Kinabalu, from football to rugby.
Borneo – to much to see for one day 😉 I cannot recommend Borneo enough as it has something for everyone and with so much to see, I barely scratched the surface. It is such a varied and beautiful country with very friendly people, it really did live up to expectations. A great read is Redmond O’Hanlon’s ‘Into the heart of Borneo’, following his 1980s journey into the unknown central highlands in search of the lost Rhinoceros of Borneo. It gives a fascinating insight into the people and nature of this incredible island!