Averting briefly from the natural shyness typical of Borneo’s Sabahan people, Richard Masalan’s eyes light up on recalling a midnight trip to a jungle loo.
“I remember at the study centre once at Maliau Basin, the electricity is only provided until midnight,” Masalan said with a cheeky grin as he told his story in the shadows next to the pristine blue waters of Kota Kinabalu’s Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.
“In the middle of the night, I woke up looking for the toilet and suddenly heard something outside. I shone my torchlight and there was this big wild boar in front of me. Wow, yes.
“And then I look in the field just at the front of the study centre and I can see, like, 100 wild deer. It’s just the best there, amazing.
“The Maliau Basin is kind of like a lost world in Borneo. I just love the nature.”
Masalan, originally from Kota Marudu in Sabah’s Kudat division and now 35 years of age, was a little lost in life before he quit his part-time job cleaning hotel rooms to pursue the Amazing Borneo tourism guide job he has now held for a decade. English was his favourite subject at school and he is good at speaking it and equally good at his job.
Amazing Borneo's Richard Masalan. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
Flying back into Kota Kinabalu for the third time in my life and feeling the bounce of the plane tyres after seeing the city’s lights just before midnight after a long day flying from Vietnam, was pure delight. I’ve seen the main sights before and I could barely wait to do it again.
Sure, you can shop until you drop at the Centre Point Sabah, the Imago Mall or Suria Sabah, but the real beauty is outside the things you can basically do at home. And our first step in that direction is island-hopping around Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.
The takeoff point in KK is surrounded by glassy water. There is an excited buzz of travellers and a fleet of moored boats that would make parts of Hillary’s Marina blush. The hulking Magellan Sutera Harbour hotel forms a towering backdrop.
On the jetty. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
Once on the jet-boat, there are about six minutes of anticipation, with the islands swelling larger in front of you as you bump over a few tiny waves.
Soon enough, you are snorkelling at Sapi and despite there being only sparse coral clumping on perfect white sand, the thousands of different fish varieties make you feel like you’re in a real-life aquarium — just 50m from shore. It is a real treat.
You don’t even need to be too brave to enjoy a 10-minute Sea Quest parasailing ride above the islands off the back of a boat while you are there … and the visual rewards are immense.
The parasailing. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
A three-minute skip over to Manukan for lunch a little later takes you into influencer central as social media hopefuls carefully craft sand thrones to pose on and strike garish hand poses as they swing on a swing in front of the paradise setting. There is no shame shown here.
And the barbecue seafood lunch, if you’re that way inclined, is to die for alongside a frosty brew.
Annabel Butler on the beach. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
Back in the city and those wanting a bit of sport on TV, or the dulcet tones of local barmen singing their lungs out to Johnny O’Keefe, may want to try the Shamrock Irish bar on a waterfront packed with fishing vessels in front of an island backdrop Moana would be proud of.
One sizeable chap at the table in front of me, who was partly obscuring my view, took full advantage of the 88RM ($28) Tiger beer bucket special. I thought he was expecting some mates, but he duly drained the six stubbies as he casually watched the time pass.
An ensuing plate of fried chilli chicken wings also stood about as much chance as a pair of loose tourist sunnies in a monkey forest.
It was amazing to watch the usually relaxed city traffic come to an absolute standstill as people stocked up with shopping for the end-of-Ramadan celebrations known as Hari Raya. It was on a day where there was the city’s first rain for four months — and it came in heavy, beautiful buckets.
The perfect end to a KK day is the North Borneo Sunset and City Night Dinner Cruise — a rollicking two-hour trip on the waters of the South China Sea near the islands. With tunes of all tastes blaring courtesy of a band called the Music Maestro Academy, it was quite the interesting experience.
It featured spectacularly serene sunset views of KK, contrasted by a congo line of different countries feverishly beavering into the floating buffet on the middle of the dining floor. That part also came with a warning not to pile the plates and a potential 10RM fine for every extra 100g left on the plate.
Mixing with locals in the restaurant. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
It did not seem to worry too many of the fun-loving Korean in a wild on-board disco after dinner that included a traditional Kadazandusun dance known as the sumazau, where guests are invited to wave their hands like wings around the buffet. Given the hearty levels of enjoyment, I was a little more than surprised when most of them got off the boat just as I started singing Men at Work’s classic Down Under with the band.
The Butler family centre stage. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
But what I was really waiting for was a trip back to the majestic mountain I once climbed to the top of back in 2008 — the world’s 20th most prominent peak, Mt Kinabalu. This time it was just a day trip, but it was enough to spark plenty of emotion and to see some favourite old sights.
An initial 40-minute drive gets you to the Tamparuli suspension bridge that locals use every day to go to market. You get a touching musical welcome with unique percussion from locals on arrival and a tale from the local grapevine that says a young girl was once buried alive in a jar near the 1930-built pillars of the traffic bridge as some sort of good luck sacrifice!
Walkway in the jungle. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
A wonderfully friendly little morning market sits at the other end of the bridge and one vendor allowed me to take her photograph on the promise that I sent her “viral”. I did my bit, now it’s your turn.
In the market. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
Then, it is another 40-minute drive to the Nabalu market where hill views of the mountain are simply spectacular.
Seeing the distinctive peak from that range brought back the vivid feeling of apprehension on seeing the same sight 15 years ago before climbing it. Looking at it and its towering size again, while standing on much older legs, makes me wonder how I actually did it.
It is quite a nostalgic view for those who have climbed the mountain and become instant Sabahans … and I do have the certificate to prove it.
Steve Butler cutting loose. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
Nabalu hosts a village of Christian people famous for growing pineapples. And I might say, for just $1 a cup, it was arguably the best freshly-chunked pineapple I’ve eaten.
Passing through Kundasang town, it suddenly strikes me I’ve lost my charger chord at a time when talking pictures on my iPhone is paramount. But a quick hunt around solved the issue and a young girl behind the counter actually haggled me down $1.
Even when you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere in Sabah, you still always seem to be able to find whatever you need.
Annabel Butler meeting locals. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
On to Kinabalu National Park — a UNESCO World Heritage site — and its beautiful botanic garden, there are rare flowers such as the sleep orchid and you learn that KK has 83 different types of fig, in addition to the aptly-named broken heart leaf and dog-tail fern.
Learning in the jungle. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
The canopy walk has stunning views, but is not for those who have a height phobia. The wobble up there is real.
High in the jungle. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
Those people may prefer the outstanding local lunch at a restaurant by Poring Hot Spring pools. The chilli mango wild mackerel on a pappadum with a bed of papaya flower was mouth-wateringly good.
As are the hot spring tubs, which I recall as being something of a physical saviour on descending the mountain all those years ago. It does have a special type of smell, but it allows you to sweat out the bullets of largesse and feel a million afterwards.
If it hadn’t been for the elderly local lady intermittently peering over from her tub into mine — seemingly fascinated by the strikingly-white, portly chassis on display — it would have been almost pure relaxation.
Butterfly wings for Steve Butler's daughter, Annabel. (Credit: Steve Butler / The West Australian)
There is a different type of joy almost everywhere you look in KK and like most Sabahans I’ve met, Masalan just wants to share the natural beauty of his homeland.
“People should come to Borneo because there are so many things to discover — especially the wildlife and Mt Kinabalu and the sea as well,” he said.
“There are so many people who have never been here, then when they get here, they really didn’t even know what Sabah is. It is safe and it is beautiful and I love sharing it with people.
“It is why I stick with this job.”
Discussion