Sabah: Into the Sunset

Kota Kinabalu

My first visit to Peninsular Malaysia happened in November 2019, just before the outbreak of the Covid-19, and it always felt enough.

Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, is a lovely coastal city with the best sunset in the world. The word “the best” and “in the world” seem to attract tourists’ attention naturally and subconsciously, and it did for me as well.

Does anybody know that Borneo (Kota Kinabalu) sunset, is rated the 15th place of the 24 in the world, and Kota Kinabalu was recently voted, along with Siem Reap in Cambodia and West Lake in Hangzhou, China, as one of the world’s top places to watch the sunset?

Okay, in fact, I was unaware of this information before my visit to this destination. But, when I viewed this magnificent sunset in Sabah, I immediately realized why many claim this is one of the most spectacular sunset views in the world and I unexpectedly burst into tears.

I still remembered people gathering at the beach, sitting down randomly to savor the spectacular sunset as nature smears a palette of orange-red colors across the sky. I don’t know whether people will be touched to cry like me when they see something profoundly beautiful and stunning that all their thoughts are reduced to pure appreciation.

Well, I do every time. Expressing teary reverence for such versions of beauty is really common for me.

Sunset

Coast

However, it is a pity that a lot of people are not aware of how fortunate we are nowadays. Even some of my friends may think it’s a waste of time, sitting down and looking at the sunrise or sunset when we can see them every day. It’s because of the fact that we see it every day, we tend to take it for granted, without appreciating the nature around us. Then we gradually lose our innate ability to discover and even appreciate the beauty of nature.

As a world traveler, I yearn for pioneering landscapes in the world since I’m always willing to embrace different types of beauty, whether natural or humanistic. I hope all of you could appreciate the beauty that surrounds us and memorize such striking moments all the time.

By the way, Sabah is also known for some of the world-class diving sites and rainforest jungles. I’m certain that the next time I’m here, I’ll try something new!