Borneo style By Jennifer Chen, TODAY | Posted: 13 November 2008 1124 hrs
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As a destination, the Malaysian state on Borneo island already stands out for its lush jungles and indigenous wildlife — proboscis monkeys, orang-utans and hornbills — towering Mount Kinabalu and world-famous dive site Sipadan.
Now, it wants to add style and wellness to its eco-tourism roots.
“We want to show people there’s more here than orang-utans and jungle,” said Victoria Hilley of Exquisite Borneo Villas, which is developing the luxurious Kudat Riviera resort in the northern tip of the island.
“We had waited for Banyan Tree to come in. They didn’t, so we decided to build it ourselves,” she said.
The villa resort is set to open its doors next February. In the meantime, travellers looking for a plush place to hang out in Sabah can check out the chic revolving Atmosphere restaurant on the 18th floor of the Menara Tun Mustapha building, a gleaming 30-storey structure that looks like a lighthouse for the digital age.
The restaurant is done up in sunset shades of aubergine and mandarin, with cushy scoop chairs and divans for lounging. Naturally, the view is extraordinary from the rotating platform.
The pampering in Sabah, too, is an occasion to remember. Situated on the second floor of the Tanjung Aru Plaza, the Jari Jari Body and Mind Relaxation centre uses tribal massage techniques that hit the spot, painful as that may be.
There are no gentle, amateurish foot rubs here. In fact, on seeing me squirm under her ministrations, the therapist smiled benignly. “No pain, no good,” she said.
Apparently, the Murut and Dusun tribe members were made of sterner feet muscles. The body massage was one of the best I’d had, however, just the thing to comfort sore limbs after a jungle or mountain trekking tour.
To learn more about the tribes behind the massage techniques, head to the Sabah State Museum and Heritage Centre.
The museum traces the history of Sabahans with exhibits of their early culture — ceramics, weapons, costumes, tools and the like. I was impressed by the human skulls suspended from the rafters of a hut situated on the sprawling grounds of the Heritage Centre.
Located beside the museum, the Heritage Centre displays the living arrangements of various tribes, from the minority Bongi’s thatched hut and observatory tower to the Rungus’ longhouses for group living.
According to tour guide Albert Chua, the skulls are relics from the Dayak’s headhunting days. Hanging skulls from the beams was believed to bring good fortune to the household.
More tribal culture can be appreciated at Fishermen Village restaurant, which stages tribal dances nightly. More than that, the restaurant is famous for its seafood, prepared in a way that leaves no doubt about its supreme freshness.
The divine seabass sashimi with bitter gourd tastes like a cross between Thai and Japanese cuisine. The clear clam soup, or sapak, shines in its simplicity. The must-try dish is the stir-fried sayur manis, a crunchy, stick-like vegetable available only in Sabah. A six-course meal for 10 costs RM350 ($147).
The food on the ground rivals the view from the 18th floor — Sabah basics just as memorable as Sabah luxury.
Malaysia Airlines flies to Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, thrice weekly. Visit malaysiaairlines.com to see fares. For information on Sabah, visit www.sabahtourism.com/en/ - TODAY/ra
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