The first glimpse of Sabah for many visitors is the dramatic view from the plane as it approaches the airport o Kota Kinabalu, the state capital. As the plane reduces height, rice fields, scattered villages, a small coastal town and a lazy river of two spilling out into the South China Sea may come into view.
Beyond the long string of sandy beaches, the occasional island is a smudge of green on a deep blue backdrop, while inland, beyond the rice fields, forested hills rise abruptly. With any luck, the awesome granite mountain after which the city is named might be glimpsed as the plane prepares to make its decent.
Where it all begins vi
From Jesselton to Kota Kinabalu 10
A Kaleidscope of Cultures 22
Islands in the Sun 86
Sabah’s Crowning Glory 120
Where the Wild Things are 160
Borneo Adventures 172