We got off the high altitude in ear popping fashion, hurtling down slopes on our ever reliable van. Most of us dozed off and within a couple of hours we were transported from the foot of Mount Kinabalu to the wide expanse of the ocean. We checked into Magellan Sutera Resort on a clear, hot afternoon. Most of the rooms faced the ocean, and ours was no different. It was a luxurious place that had everything you’d expect from a seaside resort, from well decorated interiors to Grohe shower heads. We slacked for a while in the room before going out to witness the spectacular sunset. And boy, it was spectacular, with the sun sinking into the ocean like a coin falling streamlined into the still waters of a well. To me, the fading of the light usually brought along with it some fears and despondence, but on such a fine day, I felt comfortable witnessing such a beautiful transaction.
We travelled to the city nearby for a nice dinner at Welcome Seafood Restaurant, a popular haunt for delectable seafood for both locals and tourists alike. It was filled to the brim with hungry guests and those waiting for seats were aggressive in attaining the first vacated spot. We had to choose our seafood which were kept alive in small fish tanks. Tiger prawns the size of chihuahuas, lobsters the size of mini schnauzers, and squid the length of your arm greeted us. It was a tough choice, but we made a few orders.
We hadn’t had seafood for the entire trip, so it was great to dig into something new. The food was fresh and the service was lightning quick. It was almost like they knew your next move and prepared beforehand. You turn to make the order and when you turn back to eat again, your order would be right in front of you. It was that sort of stunningly swift service standard. The fried squid and flower clams were sheer class, though the crabs were a little tiny. Sure, in our final analysis, the portions were a little underwhelming, but we ordered enough dishes to feel fully satiated. Being close to the ocean and having the best of its offerings, it was a the perfect way to end our day. *** We had a late start to the following day, and went for the hotel catered buffet breakfast. It had a strangely oriental spread of Korean and Japanese cuisine. When you look around, this comes as no surprise because the tourists were mainly from those parts. Shortly after our filling breakfast, we boarded a boat from the harbour that shuttled us to our next destination. The ride was extremely fast but bumpy. The scenery around us was majestic from every angle, with pristine blue waters stretching as far as you could see, with the occasional island sticking out like tall people in the rush hour crowd.
Normally snorkeling trips took up the entire day and had lunch and breakfast provided by the tour company. However, this wasn’t one of those long winded trips. We simply took a 15-minute ride to a small island, snorkeled there for one hour and then took the boat back to mainland. It was all over within two hours. We arrived at the small island about the size of five football fields. It was half filled with tourists so it wasn’t too crowded; not bad given the perfect weather and cloudless skies. We grabbed our snorkeling equipment, and waded into the clear waters. The coral and fishes were impressive enough. Due to the Finding Nemo franchise, I would only ever be able to identify the clown fish, but there were many other colorful varieties. You could tell that the coral had seen better days, as they looked blackened, brittle and barely alive. The fish had probably found more inhabitable waters that weren’t so infested with curious tourists. There were probably better snorkeling spots in the world, but given the moderate crowds and short travelling time, this experience was more than worth it.
Blackened by the scorching sun, we returned to our hotel to check out and have lunch at the hotel cafe. Saying goodbye to the beaches, we then took a cab to the city with our possessions and landed at a new hotel in the heart of the old town. After checking in, we sauntered down Gaya Street. The street was clean and didn’t have the lingering smell of sewage you’d expect from crowded living areas. It was flanked on both sides by old shop houses with a mix of coffeeshops serving up local fare, to chic modern cafes serving up Taiwan desserts and western cuisines. It had a lot to offer, but we were gunning for another popular seafood haunt nearby.
We finally found our place, in the form of Hua Hing Seafood Restaurant. In many ways it was similar to yesterday’s atmosphere and concept. It was in the middle of an open space with many other seafood stalls surrounding the area, so you’d expect competition to be intense. We had to choose our food from the tanks and the food was served almost immediately. That took away some of the wonder and excitement, for we had seen it all before. What was good was that the portions they served were wholehearted and generous. The crabs weren’t the scrawny types we saw the day before, and the food mostly filled the entire serving platters. The white pepper crab and steamed stonefish were especially mentionable, both were fresh and had the sort of texture and firmness you’d pay good money for.
Toddling back to our hotel, we savoured our last night in Sabah. We walked past a night market that sold a bunch of fake goods and traditional artworks and wood carvings. It was relatively empty and spacious, with only a few tourists walking about. The shopkeepers looked on eagerly, smiling at us as we approached. This, to me, has been Sabah in a nutshell. It is less vibrant and has a lesser tourist culture than the likes of Phuket and Bali. And because of that, this place has a more genuine feel about it. We could go about our day without worrying about tourist traps and buy things like the locals did. The locals have been friendly and offered help whenever you asked, and you got to do everything under the sun from mountain climbing to snorkeling without hoardes of tourists blocking your path. Sabah is a hidden treasure that will go unfeatured on the front pages of travel magazines for years to come. But now that I’ve got a taste of it, I can’t wait to go back soon to do more things over a longer period of time. Climbing Mount Kinabalu would definitely be one of those things, and if I have to take months to train for it, I will.
The Shallow Traveller 