A Fresh Perspective on Travel Every Day
Kota Kinabalu is the delightful capital city of Sabah, a region located in East Malaysia. In contrast to Peninsular Malaysia, which is home to the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, East Malaysia provides a unique atmosphere that draws many visitors who seek a more rural experience, characterized by verdant jungles and majestic mountains.
Sabah combines protected jungles with tropical islands dispersed in the South China, Sulu, and Celebes Seas.
Borneo is the world’s third largest island (after Greenland and New Guinea), featuring over 15,000 plant species thriving in its ancient 130-million-year-old rainforests. The island is home to a variety of mammals, including orangutans and proboscis monkeys, which flourish in the dense jungles, alongside countless tropical islands, expansive beaches, and Malaysia’s highest mountain.
One of the world’s most prominent peaks, Mount Kinabalu soars up from sea level to 4095m, making Borneo the planet’s third highest island (after Hawaii and New Guinea) and a popular destination for climbers and hikers alike.
My lungs are burning as I gasp for breath in the thin mountain air of Mount Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo. I have been climbing for two hours in the darkness and I ask myself repeatedly, why am I doing this?