Sabah

Landing in Malaysian Borneo after a whirlwind tour of the peninsula left little time for me to speculate on what gems I wanted to see in Sabah. A brief visit to the tourism board, however, alleviated me of my speculation problems in about five minutes. After reading through the concise summaries of Sabah's natural wonders I was drooling at the thought of wandering through virgin rainforests with orangutans and proboscis monkeys eyeing me from above. But, as a budget traveler, the miser in my mind was thinking that a week in the magical valley could be eight anywhere else in SE Asia. Tough decisions.

My first stop heading east from the elongated strip-mall, otherwise known as Kota Kinabalu, was the Mt. Kinabalu National park. A single goal was upstairs upon arrival - summit the highest peak in Borneo. Gnarly, nasty, disgusting right? The sheer cost of the hike is enormous, roughly $70, but I was prepared to shell out ringgit to ascend into Sabah's clouds with a guide I didn't need or want. The park ranger turned me down for a day climb since I arrived too late, but he said the following day would be acceptable. Perhaps it was a fortuitous denial, because my exploration of the mountains' surrounds was a grand experience, and begged the question -> Why would I pay $70 for a view from a mountain? To most tourists I've met this is a pittance, the cost of fun here in Sabah, but after contemplating paying for nature, I realized that I would rather save the cash for something else. So, the avid hiker in me was disappointed, but the penny-pincher and rigid moralist in me were grinning with glee. My camera was still put to good use in my two days roaming the outer trails of the park.

Hiking with the kiddies

Saving a few bucks came in handy for my current activity, scuba diving. Semporna, the gateway to some world-class dives, has been my home for the last week or so. Its' dive shops offer extremely reasonable deals on courses, and I was glad I waited to begin my diving life in eastern Sabah.

The fish and coral certainly use every shade in the spectrum, and the sensation of breathing underwater is still so foreign to me that I get that gleeful childhood smile. It is lovely to know that there are activities and adventures that can make you feel like a kid again, especially with scary words like mortgages and marriages floating around. A water-proof camera could make the budget list for the next trip, but for now everything is above the saltwater. Our boat rides featured sublime islands and some locals fishing in the Celebes Sea.

Rainbow

Scuba spot

Zissou's creation station