East Malaysia has always fascinated me. Despite being a part of Malaysia, there has been something enchanting, almost foreign about it that has always stroked my fancy. And while I'm a regular visitor to Sarawak, it is Sabah that I had yet to experience. Thanks to Firefly, I managed to do exactly that. The subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines had their inaugural flight to Kota Kinabalu recently, and I was one of the lucky few to board their brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Everyone is used to seeing Firefly's ATR 72-500 turboprops, so having their corporate bright orange-and-white colors on a larger jet is rather refreshing. The bigger planes also mean longer hauls and better comfort, which makes perfect sense when it comes to their flights to East Malaysia.
Upon touchdown at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), we were greeted with a traditional aviation industry welcome, which was a water spraying guard-of-honour. After the welcoming ceremony and press conference, we were taken to Kota Kinabalu's Grand Borneo Hotel, which is part of the 1Borneo Shopping Paradise mall. A simple cocktail party with light food, music and dance followed. And luckily for me, I had a friend who's local; she took me sightseeing around town and beaches at night. Kota Kinabalu is really a town which has to be travelled by car, and it is gorgeous at night.
The next day, we were taken for a preview of Saracen Reef World, which was a reef activity pontoon out at sea. From Sutera Harbour, we took a breezy two-hour-and-twenty minute catamaran ride through Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, where we saw numerous beautiful islands along the way. We were told that the pontoon would be towed more than 40km from its current location to a reef area and be similar to the one at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Despite it being a preview, we did manage to see a couple of fish underwater and also to get an overall feel of how the pontoon would be like when it is expected to open in May. We later took a much smaller boat back to shore where we joked how we sat like refugees on the floor.
That night, dinner was at Kampung Nelayan, a floating seafood market restaurant. The seafood there was served fresh and the dishes served included fish maw soup, pucuk paku (wild fern shoot), succulent prawns, steamed grouper, crispy chicken and soft-shelled crab. I also experienced tasting a type of snail/shellfish called Siput Tarik, aptly named because we used a toothpick to pull it out from its shell. It was rather daunting at first, but I found it tasted somewhat similar to squid. Not too bad I must say.
We were also treated to a traditional Sabahan cultural performance, where dances like the Daling-daling, Sumazau and Magunatip were presented. The Magunatip or bamboo dance was particularly interesting, as it required precision and skill so that the dancers avoided getting their feet trapped in the bamboo as they danced. Guests were also invited to have a try, with many hilariously getting their legs snapped. We were also given a chance to try the famed sumpit (blow-pipe). Later, my Sabahan friend once again took me around town, bringing me to a lovely Irish Bar that was located just beside the sea.
On day three we took a two-hour drive to Kuala Penyu jetty, after which we set off to Pulau Tiga via a fun and bumpy 45-minute ride on speedboat. Pulau Tiga is also popularly known as "Survivor Island" thanks to its role as the site for the first season of reality show, Survivor.
Upon arrival I was drawn by the breathtaking view of a true island paradise; white sandy beaches and greenish waters. Our rooms were little chalets on stilts, surrounded by jungle terrain and wildlife. I wasn't kidding about the wildlife; we found out there was a family of over 20 giant monitor lizards behind our chalets. These lizards will chase you if they detect sudden movement, as demonstrated by one of the resort staff. Monkeys were also common residents, as seen from all the 'do not feed the monkeys' signs around the resort.
After lunch we headed off on a jungle trail to the famed 'Mud Volcano'. Pulau Tiga was formed around 100 years ago from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in Borneo. Despite the name, mud volcanoes are formed by geo-excreted liquids and gases and are found near the highest parts of the island. The 1.2km trail wasn't as easy as it seemed, with its uneven, slippery terrain, in which I slipped at least twice on my way up. Taking a bath in the mud is said to have rejuvenating properties for the skin, and everyone seemed to have a ball of a time taking a dip. According to our tour guide, the mud pool has tripled in size since it was first discovered, as more people began taking mud baths in it.
It was hilarious seeing everyone walking around looking like a cross between 'orang minyak' and Arnold Schwarzenegger from Predator. There weren't any water sources up there too, so we all had to travel down the trail to jump into the sea for a wash. Clumsy as I was, I slipped a further four times, grabbed a prickly branch and even stepped on some thorns. Words couldn't express how good it felt to bathe in the greenish-blue sea after that.
We then enjoyed watching the sunset, which was simply stunning. Photos taken were Facebook profile shot-worthy and seemed like they were photoshopped wallpapers. It truly has to be experienced in the flesh.
That night after dinner, we were told by the guides to bring our cameras as there was going to be a 'surprise'. It was really dark (it's an uninhabited island after all) and only our guides had torches, so we resorted to our phones for light. We took a walk along the beach, which was beautiful, with many stars so visible in the night sky. But slowly we started heading more and more inshore, and before you knew it, we were actually trekking in the jungle - in pitch black and in night clothes! The terrain was uneven and there were eerie sounds and a scarily narrow zigzag plank bridge with only a rope for support. We even braved a swamp where I got my foot stuck! After trekking more than 2km, it was called off (perhaps they decided it was too hazardous) and we backtracked the way we came.
Careless, almost blind me kicked a tree branch and broke off my toenail, much to the horror of a couple of girls behind me. A few of the rest rushed to quickly tie a piece of cloth around my toe to stop the bleeding, which had already soaked half my slipper. Turns out the reptilian expert told us not to leave a blood trail behind as the scent would attract wild animals (eek!!).
Limping back to the shore, I washed my foot in sea water and had one of the resort staff later bandage it. We eventually found out that the intention of this night trek was to let us watch nocturnal reptiles in their natural habitat, and we did get to see a poisonous snake. We spent the rest of the night laughing over the funny adventure we had and also shared ghost stories, after which I think some were unable to sleep.
Onwards to our final day, we enjoyed our last bit of fun with the sea and sandy beaches before we had to (reluctantly) say goodbye to our island paradise. A boat ride later and we were back in Kuala Penyu, and took a rather interesting ferry ride to the other side of the shore. It was so ridiculously slow however, that I actually asked the rest "When are we starting?" before realizing we were already in the middle of the water.
We then managed to visit a small fishing village where we met a nice makcik who specialized in making belacan. It was quite fascinating seeing how belacan was made, and also to have a feel of how a fishing village was like. Often I felt like I was in a National Geographic photograph. The nice makcik even sold us some of the belacan, which was said to contain more shrimp content than as found here in the peninsular. The locals were really friendly and the adorable kids loved our presence, even to the extent of chasing after our tour vans as we left the village.
We regrouped back at Kota Kinabalu before heading to a seafood supplier for some fresh and dried seafood to bring back home. Later we stopped by the Handicraft Centre, or better known as the Filipino Market for snacks, gifts and souvenirs. The place was a real sight, with bags, shirts, necklaces, bangles, handmade craft and so much more. There are also various food items to try and take away. Bargaining skills are a real must if one is to get good deals here.
Our last stop before the airport was Lagoona Restaurant at Grace Point, where we were treated to various local delicacies like rendang daging, ulam Sabah, sambal tuhau (a Sahahan specialty) and hinava (fresh fish with lime and onions). The grilled fish was exquisite, with lovely taste and texture. One thing was for sure, everyone was stuffed that night.
Before you know it, it was sadly time to say goodbye and we were dropped off at KKIA to board our orange-and-white Firefly jet. Like they say, time flies when you're having fun, and our four days certainly ended fast. Personally, Sabah was a wonderful eye-opening experience and I certainly plan on returning in the near future.
Firefly currently offers three daily flights between Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) and Kota Kinabalu departing at 6.55am, 1.05pm and 7.15 pm while flights from Kota Kinabalu depart at 10am, 4.10pm and 10.20pm.
