As my plane descended over a dreamy view of lush tropical islands, strings of white sandy coasts, and the sapphire-blue South China Sea, my attention was momentarily fixated on a structure from afar.
In this part of the world, home to one of Mother Nature’s oldest rainforests (130 million years old), a large structure was seen glittering under the afternoon sun, nestling alongside pea-green paddy fields, and a partially obscured mountainous range.
After a candid inquiry about what that structure was, the flight attendant presented me a surprised yet composed glance. “It’s Kota Kinabalu Terminal 1,” she said. “We will be touching down shortly, sir. Kindly hoist your seat upright to prepare for landing.”
Realizing my folly as a city-bumpkin, I buckled the seatbelt and began my maiden trip to this exotic East Malaysian terrain called Sabah.
Ambushed by headhunting tribesmen; living on treetops; and seeking shelter in caves. These were all the laughable notions I had about Sabah, which were vaporized the instant I stepped afoot its modern Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).
