Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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is the R unggus, the last gr oup of Kadazandusun to liv e in traditional longhouse com-
munities, where they produce exquisite basket weaving, fabric weaving, and beadwork in
traditional designs.
The Bajau are a group of seafarers who migrated fr om the Philippines only a couple
hundred years ago. The Bajau on the eastern coast of S abah carr y on their traditional
connection to the water, living as sea gypsies and coming to shor e only for burials. O n
the west coast, however, many Bajau have settled on dry land as farmers and cattle raisers.
Known locally as the “cowboys of the east,” Bajau men are very skilled equestrians. Dur-
ing festiv als, their brilliant costumes and decorated ponies almost always take center
stage.
Kota Belud, 76km (47 miles) nor th of Kota Kinabalu, is a to wn inhabited mostly by
Bajau people. In the background is Mount Kinabalu, which dominates the landscape in
most of Western Sabah. The town comes aliv e every Sunday morning with the w eekly
tamu,
or market.
The third-most-prominent indigenous group, the Murut, shares the southwest corner
of Sabah with the Bajau, expanding inland along the border with Sarawak and Kaliman-
tan (Indonesia). Skilled hunters, they use spears, blo wpipes, poisoned darts, and trained
dogs. In past days, these skills w ere used for headhunting, which thankfully is not prac-
ticed today (although many skulls can still be seen during visits to longhouse settle-
ments). One nonlethal Murut tradition involves a trampoline competition. The
lansaran
(the trampoline itself ), situated in the community longhouse, is made of split bamboo .
During Murut ceremonies, contestants drink rice wine and jump on the trampoline to
see who can reach the farthest. A prize is hung above for the winner to grab.
Sabah also has a small community of Chinese families that settled during colonial
days, and newer Filipino immigrants, many of whom ar e illegal plantation workers.
KOTA KINABALU
The best place to begin exploring Sabah's marine wonders, wildlife and forests, adventure
opportunities, and indigenous peoples is from its capital, Kota Kinabalu. Located on the
west coast, it's where you'll find the headquarters for all of Sabah's adventure-tour opera-
tors and package-excursion planners.
Essentials
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Sabah Tourism Board
(51 Jalan Gaya;
&
088/212-
121;
www.sabahtourism.com) provides the most compr ehensive information about the
state. It's open daily 9am to 4pm. Although the Tourism Malaysia has a small office on
Jalan Gaya a block down from the Sabah Tourism office, almost all of their information
promotes travel in other par ts of the countr y. Still, if you're interested, stop by Ground
Floor Uni. Asia Building, no. 1 Jalan Sagunting (
&
088/248-698
).
GETTING THERE
Because of Sabah's remote location, just about everybody will arrive
by air thr ough the
Kota Kinabalu International Airport
in the capital city (
&
088/
238-555
), about a 20-minute driv e south of the central par t of the city . A surprising
number of direct international flights connect Sabah to the region. Malaysia Airlines flies
from Hong Kong, Manila, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo, among others (
&
1300/
883-000;
www .malaysiaairlines.com), and AirAsia flies fr om B angkok (
&
03/8775-
4000;
www.airasia.com).
Both airlines also have direct domestic flights to Kota Kinabalu from KL, Johor Bahru,
Kuching, Sibu, and Miri, with in-state service to Sandakan and other towns.
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