"THEY are called Donkey's Ears," said my tour guide, Mr John Prudente.
"What? Where?" I asked excitedly, thinking of the chatty Donkey in Shrek.
It turned out that he was referring to the name of a pair of twin peaks on the jagged summit of Mount Kinabalu. But that did not stop me from wondering if there were peaks shaped like Shrek's ears as well.
Land below the wind
Adventure-seekers flock to Sabah to climb Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in South-east Asia, or go scuba-diving at Sipadan, touted as one of the world's best dive spots.
Sabah is located on the northern tip of Borneo, the third-largest island in the world. Its capital, Kota Kinabalu (KK), is a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Singapore.
Some workout is needed to trek up the path to reach the 41m-high canopy walkway at Poring.
The Land Below The Wind, Sabah's other name, is blessed with some of nature's most breathtaking wonders. It has the world's oldest rainforests and lots of sandy beaches, tropical islands and colourful coral reefs.
For nature lovers and shutterbugs, this is also the place to come face to face with a great diversity of wildlife in their natural habitats, such as orang utans, proboscis monkeys, sea turtles and, if you are lucky, the world's largest flower, Rafflesia.
Forests and hot springs
Don't like to climb mountains?
Well, you can still enjoy the sights and sounds around Mount Kinabalu without doing much vertical exercise.
Just take a drive to Kinabalu Park, which is about two hours from KK. The park is Malaysia's first Unesco World Heritage Site. It encompasses Mount Kinabalu and covers an area larger than Singapore.
The hot sulphuric minerals at Poring hot springs are claimed to have healing effects - ideal for soaking your tired feet after your canopy walkway trek.
From the park's headquarters (HQ), take a stroll on one of the walking trails and enjoy the serenity, fresh air, tiny creatures and flora along the way. Go on a guided tour if you want to identify what you see.
Include Poring in your itinerary if you want to try the canopy walkway (footwork required) and hot springs. It is about 40km away from Kinabalu Park HQ.
Sabah may be home to Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world, but it is difficult to see one because it takes nine to 15 months to bud and lasts only seven days in bloom.
For updates on Rafflesia in bloom, call Tambunan Rafflesia Information Centre on 6013-881-2923 or 6013-541-0941.
You may also find Rafflesia at eight participating local farms along Ranau to Poring road. For details on blooms in this area, call Mr Marius Gabin on 6019-832-7060 or 6088-879-248.
Rivers and monkeys
Look out for big-nosed proboscis monkeys on a river safari at Klias Wetlands.
If you want to see wildlife, go on a river safari, such as at Klias Wetlands, which is 120km from KK.
But bear in mind that a river safari is not a zoo. So do not expect the animals to perch prominently on tree branches for you to gawk at as your boat sails by.
But the fun is that if you look hard enough, you will spot them. My sharp-eyed travelmate managed to spot a family of proboscis monkeys before our boatman did.
Look out for other monkeys, birds, fireflies and crocodiles too.
Bring along your binoculars or a camera with zoom lens. And don't forget to take a poncho because you never know when it might rain.
Sand, sea and seafood
In less than 20 minutes, you can hop from city to coral life - that's how close the nearest snorkel and dive sites are to KK.
Don the Seawalker helmet and you are off for a walk on the 5m-deep sea floor.
The Tunku Abdul Rahman marine park has five islands, which are surrounded by extensive coral reefs. You can take a short boat ride from the mainland or check into one of the island resorts for an idyllic escapade.
Can't swim or snorkel but want to have a fish-eye view and feel of the reefs?
No worries. You can walk under the sea while keeping your head dry and your glasses on - with the Seawalker air-hosed helmet.
While you may feel a bit clumsy with the bulky fish-bowl helmet, you can breathe through your nose underwater.
The seawalking experience at Sapi Island costs RM250 (S$112) for an adult and RM210 for a child. Visit www.borneoseawalking.com for details.
To refuel what you have lost from all that swimming, seawalking or lazing around, hop to Manukan Island for a yummy barbecue buffet lunch under the shade of coconut trees.
The writer visited Sabah as a guest of Tourism Malaysia. For more information about Sabah, visit www.sabahtourism.com
