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Sabah is taste of heaven in tropics

The locals like to say that Sabah is a land full of treasures from mountain high to ocean deep - and they're not wrong.

From its impressive 4000m Mt Kinabalu and the Kinabatangan River mangroves, to pristine beaches, islands, jungle wildlife and world-class diving, the uber-relaxed State of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo is a little slice of heaven.

Known as the "Land beneath the wind" because of its location south of the typhoon-prone region of Asia, Sabah has year- round tropical warm weather and escapes those typhoons that affect its neighbours.

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The people are open and generous and masters of hospitality. You won't get hassled at the markets here or anywhere else but enjoy talking to the locals who descend from more than 30 ethnic groups.

Ecotourism here is beginning to boom and when you have all the natural attributes Sabah has been blessed with, you can see why.

Sabah's rainforests are some of the oldest in the world and its blue tropical seas are some of the most beautiful. You only need to stand still for a moment to catch sight of some of the native animals or birds which populate the State.

Travelling around is easy and internal flights from one side of Sabah to the other take barely 45 minutes, transporting the traveller from the bustling hub of the capital, Kota Kinabalu, to the coastal towns of Semporna or Sandakan.

Kota Kinabalu


I must confess it has been 20 years since I last visited Kota Kinabalu or "KK" as it is known. As a then-12-year-old, I scaled the heights of Mt Kinabalu with my patient family, in all likelihood moaning with each and every step.

In those days, a trip to Sabah meant climbing the peak and a day or two relaxing afterwards, but since then, KK and the State have grown to become much more than the sum of its parts.

Although largely destroyed in World War II, the past 60-odd years have seen the city spring up around its enviable natural environment to offer orchid farms, golf, shopping, water sports, a bird sanctuary and luxury resorts.

Our first night in KK involved a trip to and dinner at the Mari Mari Cultural Village - a reconstruction of the traditional homes of several Sabahan ethnic communities, built by descendants of the tribes they represent.

In thick jungle next to a roaring river, we experienced demonstrations of skills belonging to the headhunters of Borneo; blowpipes, fire-making, traditional tattooing and local delicacies, weaving in and out of sturdy houses on stilts, slung together with impossible amounts of bamboo.

While it may have been a mock-up of traditional life, feeling like you were stepping back in time and watching it for yourself all those years ago were unavoidable.

With feet more firmly rooted in the present, in a few short days at KK, we also managed an impressive amount of shopping in several shopping malls, where the "genuine fakes" abound and clothes, shoes, handbags and DVDs are the most popular and value- for-money buys.

The nightlife stacks up pretty well too; Times Square is a great strip full of small bars hopping with live music.

The top-end hotels, like the Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa and the Magellan at Sutera Harbour Resort, combine traditional design elements with modern luxury and could even be a destination in themselves if there were not so much to do in KK and beyond.

But you should make time for at least one of the indulgent spa treatments, which all the good hotels offer.

I chose a semi-traditional one in which I was wrapped up like fajita in local volcanic mud at the Aru's Chi, which was super relaxing.

However, if you'd like something a bit different, head to Hakod in the up-market Warisan Square shopping centre for a traditional fish foot spa. If you're a bit squeamish, the thought of dipping your feet into a pool of tiny fish who get busy nibbling away all the dead skin cells probably won't appeal but the experience itself, though strange, was rather pleasant.

Sandakan


While Sandakan, on Sabah's east coast, is a fantastic portal to the river, jungle and much- vaunted wildlife, there is another reason to visit. The Sandakan Memorial Park - set around an ornamental lake - is a deceptively attractive and peaceful place. However, it was here some of the worst atrocities suffered by Australians in World War II took place.

Between January and August 1945, about 2400 Australian and British prisoners-of-war were held there by the Japanese, subjected to horrific and brutal punishments by their captors and, ultimately, sent to their deaths on the infamous Sandakan death marches to Ranau.

Of all those men, only six Australians survived, having escaped while on one of three death marches.

The bravery and ingenuity of the POWs and the atrocious nature of their torture and death are told simply but effectively in a small museum on top of the hill. It was especially important to me because my grandfather spent four years as a POW, building the Burma Railway. He could just have easily been sent to Sandakan after the fall of Singapore and probably would not have survived.

The Sandakan Memorial Garden hosts an Anzac ceremony every year and is a good place for quiet reflection.

Jungle and marine wildlife


Just a 30-minute bus ride from Sandakan takes you to the heart of the world's largest orang-utan sanctuary, surrounded by some of the most wonderful yet critically endangered animals in the world.

The sanctuary, the Sepilok Orang-Utan Sanctuary, has rehabilitated hundreds of orang-utans, many of which have been threatened by the establishment of palm oil plantations, and other industry and the results of its efforts are wonderful.

Here is the "wild man of Borneo" in his natural habitat and seeing these gentle creatures up close is a real treat. At feeding time, they swing down from the canopy, many with their young clinging to their fur, and tuck in at a special platform.

More wildlife ensues with a three- hour boat trip up the Kinabatangan River to Melapi Lodge.

The river meanders for hundreds of kilometres, cutting its way through the heart of Sabah. Surrounded by mangroves and dotted with small waterside villages on stilts, cruising the river is a little like entering the heart of darkness, minus the scary bits.

A wildlife-spotting tour reveals crocodiles, snakes, birds and monkeys - in particular the proboscis monkeys. With their round little bellies and comical big noses, they are especially loved by the people of Sabah.

Lucky travellers have even seen elephants by the water's edge.

From Sandakan to Semporna, the next stop is to indulge in some of the best marine life available, though there are plenty of places around Sabah to see remarkable sights. The island of Sipadan is a world- class dive centre: clear water and highly populated coral reefs reward the diver or snorkeller with dozens of varieties of fish and the best treat - the graceful turtles which call this area home.

If you are lucky, you can also spot hammerhead sharks, manta rays, barracudas and giant clams and rest up on the beach afterwards before heading back to one of the nearby resorts. About 20 minutes away, Kapalai Water Village, built on stilts on a sandbar, is a great place for marine adventures, with turquoise waters and plenty to see in or out of the water.

The problem with Sabah is that it's so hard to do it justice. There is so much to enjoy across the State that even a packed eight-day trip left me desperate to come back.

However, for lucky West Australians, the Land Beneath the wind is closer than ever -- just a five-hour flight from Perth and a bus or boat or two and you're most definitely in some kind of paradise.

Lindsay McPhee travelled courtesy of Malaysia Airlines and Sabah Tourism.