Kota in the Bahasa Malaysia language literally means town. Walter Maximus, a professional tourist guide of 10 years at ground handler Exotic Adventure, replied to an inquiry of mine after seeing the term on many signposts en route to Klias River lodge. Kinabalu, on the other hand, comes from the Kadazandusun words of Aki or ancestor and Nabalu or mountain. Walter and his colleague Bobby Wesley trace their ancestry to the Kadazandusun, Sabah's largest ethnic community. They proudly share this piece of information although their respective families, they add, have converted to Christianity.

The Klias River experience in the late afternoon was part of the four-day, three-night familiarization tour in Sabah’s west coast arranged by Gilda Largo-Padua, managing director of Ties That Travel, Inc. in Pampanga. The dark waters of Klias River run in the center of the wetland where the Proboscis monkeys and other species could be seen in their natural habitat. The Proboscis, primates with huge bellies because of their unique digestive system, can only be found in Sabah. On a full stomach, the contents of which could reach a quarter of the weight of their whole body.

The male Proboscis, who is larger than its female counterpart, likewise has a larger pendulous nose that hangs down over its mouth. Used in attracting mates, the nose stretches up to seven inches long. Our group patiently and quietly waited for the Proboscis, and spotted three on separate occasions swinging and hanging from trees afar. After having a feel and fill of the wildlife, nightfall in Klias River allowed us to view clumps of fireflies on trees which they illuminated like strings of lights on Christmas trees.

On the way back to the Imperial International Hotel where our group stayed, Bobby, who has been a tourist guide for five years, with Walter in their boundless energetic states explained to their tired audience the ‘womanizing’ nature of the Proboscis and other trivia on the monkey. They related how the male Proboscis has several families and moves from one habitat to another in the forests of Sabah.

Sabah’s city state capital is Kota Kinabalu, more popularly known as KK. KK and the other districts that comprise the West Coast Division of the island contribute almost one million to the total 2.9 million population of Sabah. More than 30 ethnic groups including the Chinese, Indian, and Muslim migrants live together with the native Sabahans in tolerance. Gordon Yapp, deputy general manager of the Sabah Tourism Board, said that a Chinese, for instance, could easily go to an Indian establishment without fear of being refused entry or service. It is also a place where the Chinese New Year has been adopted as a state celebration.

As a tourist destination, KK has been tagged as the premiere nature adventure destination in the new millennium. “The attraction in KK is our natural resources and not the man-made attractions in other destinations. We have a long-term approach for our tourism industry. We want the industry to be sustainable so we take care of our environment first because at the end of the day it is the environment that will attract tourists,” Yapp reveals. “Besides, Sabah has a relatively small population which corresponds to lesser social problems since there are more resources to go around,” he adds.

The tolerant nature of the eclectic populace in Sabah could be a product of the relaxed atmosphere of the place. There are, after all, more land area dedicated to natural resources vis-à-vis the metropolitan locales. KK sprawls 73,619 square kilometers with tourism as the second income-generating industry following agriculture. To illustrate, the 754-square kilometer Kinabalu Park, one of five national parks in Sabah, is bigger than Singapore. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the park as a World Heritage Site in 2000 for having the world's most important biological sites. The park has more than 1,200 species of orchids, 26 species of rhododendrons, nine species of Nepenthes pitcher plants, and is home to a vast number of species types.

Yapp adds that the tourism industry of KK directly employs about 14,000 aside from the indirect employment it spurs such as the home stay program of the board. In 2006, it generated more than two billion (Ringgit) from 2.09 million visitors, and 4.72 billion (Ringgit) from 2.73 million visitors in 2007. Regionally, the board is targeting countries with direct access to KK such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei, Taiwan, China, Korea and Japan. The Philippines and Indonesia have been identified as its new markets. Apart from Manila and Cebu, the Clark International Airport in Pampanga has direct flights to KK via Air Asia. Given Sabah's history with the United Kingdom and Australia, KK also has a steady stream of travelers from these two countries.

KK, however, used to be a small British settlement in 1881 in the Pulau Gaya island, which was granted city status in 2000. In 1899, the British named the colony Jesselton after Sir Charles Jessel, the vice chairman of the British North Borneo Chartered Company. During World War II, the Allied Forces bombed and destroyed most edifices in Jesselton. Three structures survived, two of which are the current Sabah Tourism Board building and the Atkinson Clock Tower. Mary Edith Atkinson of England built the tower in 1905 in memory of her son, Francis George Atkinson. The latter, the first District Officer of Jesselton, died of malaria at 28.

Prior to the Klias River trip, our group departed for Manukan Island Resort, the first activity on day two, the day after our night arrival. The resort is a 15-minute ferry trip from the boat terminal in KK. Manukan Island forms part of the five island groups of Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine National Park. It is the most developed among the five islands with several small, white sand beaches suited for diving, snorkeling and swimming.

Day three had the most anticipated activity, the white water rafting at the Kiulu River located at the northeastern part of Sabah. After the briefing session on the bus by Bobby and Walter, all was set to hit the river. Some even created a musical number for the event, “Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream, when you see a crocodile don't forget to scream”, complete with actuations.

The Kiulu River, classified in river grading class as Class I – II, is for beginners. After putting on helmets and life jackets, we were given further instructions by two other guides on the site. Everyone listened intently to the reminders such as the proper handling of the paddle, paddling in a synchronized manner to move the flatboat, how to get back on the vessel if thrown overboard, and so on. The last item, which had been on my mind during the entire river expedition, was common enough in emergency situations: don't panic.

The nine-kilometer stretch of the Kiulu River has five divisions: the starting point, the wall rapid, body rafting, holy smoke rapid, and the ending point. It took us a good two hours to reach the ending point having stopped for a brief swimming excursion. After a change of clothes and lunch, the group spent the rest of the afternoon on site inspections of hotels. The Sutera Harbour Resort was one of the stops. One of the features of the resort is the 27-hole Graham Marsh-designed championship golf course available day and night. We also passed by the city mosque built in 1997 on a one-hectare site located at the Likas Bay. The mosque can accommodate 9,000 to 12,000 people.

As the bus traversed through KK during our three-day stay, we caught glimpses of Mount Kinabalu. Bobby relayed that Mount Kinabalu, the 13,435-feet granite massif, is the main attraction of the Kinabalu Park. The Kadazandusun who consider themselves to be guardians of Mount Kinabalu believe that the mountain is the resting place of their ancestors' spirits. They had forbidden attempts to climb the mountain until in 1891 when Sir Hugh Low led an expedition team. As a compromise, the Kadazandusun offered a sacrifice to appease the spirits. The Kadazandusun still practice the same ritual for major expeditions on the mountain such as the annual Mount Kinabalu International Climbathon, which is on its 22nd year in 2008.

Bobby briefly related the four packages that the Kinabalu Park offers to visitors. One is the Kinabalu Park Headquarters activity for a visit to the mountain garden, a guided walk and a slide show presentation. The mountain garden or the Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden is a five-acre area where diverse plant life grows. The second package is the Poring activity which has the following itinerary: a canopy walk, visits to the butterfly farm and the tropical garden (Orchid Conservation Centre), and a night walk.

The third package is the Mesilau guided nature walk with open schedules from Monday to Sunday. The Mesilau trail to the summit is recommended for visitors who are more interested in plants and wildlife than in the actual climb. The last package is a visit to the Kundasang War Memorial and Gardens which is open from Monday to Sunday. The site, similar to a fort on a hill, was erected in memory of the more than two thousand Australian and British prisoners of war, and local people who died during World War II.

After providing us with a general information on Mount Kinabalu, Bobby sang a native song about the mountain in his native Kadazandusun. We could not understand the words but felt the reverence he has for the mountain. Bobby could well be singing about the myth of creation of Mount Kinabalu. According to legends, after the deities created the mountain they placed a treasure trove of pearls deep in its forests and asked the dragons to protect it.