Sabah (East Malaysia) Travel Notes: Where is Sabah?

Malaysia's territory is divided into east and west by the 650-kilometer-wide South China Sea. The eastern part accounts for 60% of the total land area, but there are only two states (there are thirteen states in Malaysia), so it is the largest two states. One of them is Sabah, which accounts for about 40% of the total area of East Malaysia. It is the second largest state in Malaysia, and Sarawak next to it is naturally the largest. East Malaysia borders Brunei and Indonesia. Brunei is a tiny place with a total area of 5,765 square kilometers (Hong Kong is 1.084 square kilometers) and a total population of less than 300,000. Because just on the ground of a big oil field, just dig a hole and you can take out a few barrels of oil. Brunei has become a world-recognized rich country, and Sultans Of Brunei, the head of a country, is the richest man in the world. On the other hand, Indonesia is known as the "country of thousands of islands", with an amazing total population and area, and the area bordering East Malaysia is about twice that of East Malaysia. These three countries (or part of them) together form a big island surrounded by the sea, called Borneo or kalimantan island, with a total area of about 600,000 square kilometers. The capital of Sabah is KOTAKINABALU in Na Ba, but there is a more lovely name in Chinese, Abi. Located in the north of Liao Bo, near the South China Sea, it is a relatively prosperous city. The airport is not far from the city, but it is far from our hotel, which takes an hour by car. Abby's airport is said to be the second largest in Malaysia, and it looks really big, probably because Sabah has developed tourism. But this airport, like Abby downtown, is a bit messy. When we made travel plans at home, we knew Sabah was not small. After coming, I found it was bigger than I expected, and it took me a long time to return to the planned tourist spot. And the most terrible thing is that we met with "bad weather" and burned garbage and straw everywhere, which greatly reduced our fun. On second thought, we only finished the city tour (also called the project? ), visit the water town and visit the longhouse. The rest plan to visit MTKINABALU, see Raffles, the largest flower in the world, visit Sandakan, which is known as "Little Hong Kong", explore Turtle Island and visit islands with steep and magnificent stone walls. Have to give up temporarily. Our plane ticket has been booked by the hotel for a long time, and there is no way to change it, and of course it can't be refunded. I thought I would stay in the hotel for a few days, but later I got another enjoyment because of this paradise hotel. Hotels far away from urban areas and airports must of course have their own advantages. When we arrived at the hotel at one o'clock at noon, the front desk staff told us that the room we reserved would not be given to us until after lunch, because it was full. I thought, is it really so crowded? But I have to go to a restaurant for lunch. When I came back, I gave us the room, but I still didn't tidy it up. After another exchange, I got an ordinary double room instead of a couple room. Although I have repeatedly promised to change the room for us as soon as it is free, I still can't get rid of it. How can this "weather" season be full? I'm afraid you are giving me the runaround. However, people's attitude is excellent and they are extremely tired, so they have to go into the room to rest. Later, I walked around the hotel, which was really bustling. The next day, they were kind enough to help us change the room we wanted. Finally, we were very happy: it turned out that they really didn't lie! To tell the truth, the hotel was really prosperous in terms of the "weather" in Sabah at that time. I remember when we first arrived at the hotel, the waiter at the door rang the big gong hanging at the door, which resounded through the lobby and sang like a guest! The lobby is big and high, with a high roof and spacious and transparent. There are no walls around, and of course there are no windows; It's cool and refreshing, and of course there is no air conditioning (there must be one in the guest room). We stayed for five nights and enjoyed the characteristics and customs of the hotel. Every night, she will hold a lighting ceremony at night. After a period of drum music, several torches will be lit near the lobby to increase the charm of the hotel. Two nights a week, the hotel will have amateur band performances and professional folk dance performances by the staff; A hill next to the hotel is the National Wildlife Park. Two festivals a day, the administrator will arrange to lead tourists up the mountain to watch wild animals. Wait a minute. I think a good hotel is a completely independent community with a unique culture. From the building, facilities, staff, guests, plus the various activities held by it, guests will feel something that is not available in other places and other hotels. The hotel is located at the bottom of a bay, facing the open and calm sea. The sand on the beach is as fine as flour, and coconut trees and grass are scattered. Moreover, watching the sunset and enjoying the shadows of trees is amazing. This tree, this grass, and even the sunset are all artificially transplanted, which is doubtful. However, the sunset will never sink into the sea, but will suddenly disappear in the haze of "burning garbage stalks". The hotel covers a large area and the rooms are all four or five-story buildings. On the second floor, all the buildings are connected by a long corridor. Numerous shade plants and shrubs and flowers have been planted in the building or in the gap between buildings, and many vines have climbed to the "high altitude" on the third and fourth floors. Every time I walk on the promenade, I always love to touch these green oils. Once, my wife and I wandered around the corridor for more than ten minutes, as if lost in green oil, lingering. However, the scene ten steps away is another world. The National Wildlife Park has long been a dry mountain forest, and the golf course connected to the hotel is also terrible. The turf has completely turned brown, and occasionally there is only a trace of green, just like changing a special kind of grass. The back garden of the hotel is better, greener and more expensive, but the "yellow peril" and "yoga don't hide its shortcomings". In order to avoid the haze of "burning garbage and straw", we try to stay in hotels, wander around, and even play with children's toys in "Children's Paradise" for fun. In the evening, we almost always kill time by the swimming pool beside the beach. We swam in the pool for a while, lay in a chair and watched the sea, watched the smoke and the evening light, had dinner in the pool, and then took a walk in the back garden before going back to our room to rest. The waiters here are very friendly and occasionally meet people who can speak Chinese. Looking at the scenery, the hotel and the staff, I can't help but compare with the South Pacific. Coincidentally, the name of the warm and thoughtful waitress next to us is Anna, which immediately reminds us of the lovely waitress aunt in Fiji. They have the same name! Lying on the beach chair by the pool, lazing around for a long time, is really a great enjoyment of life. Watching the sunset disappear, the wind shook the coconut trees, complaining about the smoke of birds flying around and feeling the dribs and drabs of life. We sometimes laugh at those "ghosts" who only care about the present, drink today and get drunk tomorrow, but do we see that their attitude towards life is also very desirable? We have been taught since childhood to "pursue a perfect life" (only perfect people will be respected and praised), but aren't perfect people all the same? Hundreds of millions of people are pursuing the same success (at least in public opinion and education), ignoring individual differences, leading to a general and sometimes unnecessary obsession with something. For example, I think there is something wrong with the sentence "No pains, no gains". I think "no pains, no gains" is more appropriate. Because of the relationship of "God disposes", while we are diligent, we should also see the impermanence of the world and cultivate our tolerance. From this perspective, the attitude of "Ghosts" towards life is not really useless. There are so many examples of impermanence that even the pollution in front of us can be classified into this category. No matter how high the quality of the hotel itself is, the surrounding environment suddenly deteriorates, and the operation is difficult, and no one is responsible. We are definitely going to travel these days, really with ulterior motives, our wedding anniversary and my birthday celebration. On the night of our wedding anniversary, we went to an Italian restaurant (there are many restaurants with different flavors in the hotel) and ate spaghetti (for example, on the night of her birthday in Beijing two years ago). The difference is that this time we ordered a whole bottle of champagne. Qiao Yu clinked glasses happily. A year passed, and gradually, she said less and less. As soon as she looked up, her face was red and her eyelids were swollen, so she quickly checked out and went to the back garden. When she arrived at the beautiful beach, she just lay down and said that she wanted to listen to the waves. The next day is my birthday. I opened the door early and saw a birthday card signed by all the employees at the front desk of the hotel. I was immediately elated. After a happy day, dinner is in the pool.