Kota Kinabalu city is very Western, large and relatively clean. There are some hints of local South East Asian culture though in the emerald lit grand mosque in the centre of town, the open kitchen eateries along the highways and the odd wandering dog.
I’m not sure what I was expecting the capital of Borneo to look like, perhaps the quintessential wood and thatch style housing, but it was mostly plasterboard or render with corrugated tin roofs. Instead of supermarkets here there are roadside fresh food stalls managed by local farmers. The stalls stay out overnight and nobody steals anything – how refreshing!
Islam is the dominant religion across the country with all eleven states now having Muslim leaders. Approximately seven of the states also have sultans that rotate every five years being king. There are even government incentives to convert from Christianity to Islamic. Despite these incentives there is a Catholic church sign on literally every corner of the very long, very winding mountain road that leads to Kinabalu National Park. So there must still be a strong following of Christianity. In addition to these faiths, there is also a small population of Indian, some Sikh and some Islamic, who have migrated here. So it would seem Borneo is an interesting melting pot blending lots of different ethnicities, cuisines and fashion.
Kinabalu National Park
Excitement mounted as we approached Kinabalu National Park, the first UNESCO listed place in Borneo as well as Malaysia and one of my main reasons for travelling here. The majority of Borneo’s flora and fauna diversity is found in this one park that protects 750km2 of native vegetation. By 9am each morning the clouds have started to roll in obscuring the peaks of Mt Kinabalu. The highest peak is at a lofty 4095m above sea level and one of the grandest summits in South East Asia.
Botanical Gardens
After many a winding bend and a veggie chow mein later, we finally arrived and I took my very first steps into true tropical jungle! Entering under the dense canopy I discovered greenery everywhere in every possible shade with large roots wandering, vines clinging, moss carpeting and plants densely fighting for light. There was barely an inch of surface that has not been greenified with the stark exception of the “nude” Pelawan Myrtaceae tree whose red ribbon bark keeps the trunk clear of all epiphytes.
There is an abundance of orchids in the botanical gardens adjacent the park, but they seem at odds growing here in the wild when I am used to them being an expensive cultivated and cut flower at home. There are also other weird and wonderful plants like the ruby red pitcher plant and giant raffles flowers that apparently smell like a corpse and only bloom for a mere five days. But despite the difference in latitude and giant carnivorous plants, the feel of the jungle is not dissimilar to that of the temperate rainforests on the east coast of Australia.
Canopy Walk
Here I stood rocking 41m up in the canopy, balancing on a foot wide plank of aged timber held up by steel cables and a series of rope and net sides, but oddly I didn’t feel vertigo. It is an amazing perspective from up here where one is so far above the ground yet still under more canopy in the towering jungle. There is life up here with green lizards scaling tree trunks, pausing only to observe the weird creatures clinging onto ropes wielding cameras. Being at this elevation evokes a heady desire to be one of those talented aerial creatures that can monkey around at these heights with grace, no fear and ultimate freedom.
Butterfly Gardens
They grow ‘em big here in Borneo! It seems that everything that lives in the jungle is supersized; the moths and butterflies are as big as small birds and the beetles grotesquely oversized like something out of a sci-fi horror film. The largest stick insect in the world at 8 inches lives here along with its big, juicy pincers. The iridescent colouring of many of these creatures is equally as dazzling as their freakish size and the butterflies, in particular, are breathtaking; bold splotches of sunshine yellow on black, fluttering in the canopy, looking for shelter from the rain.
It rains daily in this part of the world. I remember clearly the feeling of standing in a downpour of tropical rain and tasting its life giving waters, it was an experience I will never forget.
