Mt Kinabalu

On a Special Day, you can see Mt Kinabalu from all sorts of points around KK, even though it's a two-hour drive away. But that's why this is called 'Kota Kinabalu', City of Kinabalu. The stately mountain is there all the time, at the edge of our vision, deep in our hearts, occasionally revealing itself, only to be swiftly enveloped in clouds again. It really is wonderful to see it rising up in the distance, with its distinctive granite outline - which is captured, by the way, on the Sabah flag.

One of the best viewpoints - and only about 30 minutes from downtown KK - is on the Mengkabong Bridge. From here, the mountain seems to rise up out of the water and the mangroves and is in contrast to the tiny boats darting in and out along the river and the fish eagles soaring between patches of cloud.

There are some great spots to see the mountain when you're driving up to Kinabalu National Park as well. Like a lot of mountains, Kinabalu tends to be clear first thing in the morning and then to cover up from mid-morning on, so that you play a bit of a cat-and-mouse game trying to get a good picture. The clouds can come and go in a matter of seconds!

Once at Mt Kinabalu National Park, there are more photo ops, with the lush forest enhancing the implacable granite of the mountain top itself. The walks that are available in the park give you a great feeling of the richness of the forest and the amazing diversity of plants that grow here - including native orchids and pitcher plants.

If you stay up the mountain, you are sure to get some amazing views of it both in the evening and in the morning. Well, unless there's lots of rain and mist. The town just past the park entrance is called Kundasang, sometimes described as the market garden of KK. You will see black plastic-draped buildings as you reach the end of your drive to the national park and these have mushrooms growing in them - a thriving business. There are also lots of vegetable gardens and even some flower gardens, so you can buy really fresh veges at the Kundasang market. There is also a dairy farm here that provides fresh milk for KK.

But the real reason for me to go up onto Mt Kinabalu is the mountain itself - it's somehow formidable and also skittish, towering and yet not threatening, ever-present and yet so often hidden. I love it - and I love living in Kota Kinabalu and knowing that on Special Days I can see it. Today it was there, lightly covered in cloud and you could just see it as if through a veil. Lovely.

If you have any comments you would like to make or any questions about KK, Sabah or our tours, please just send me a note at: jude@astsabah.com.