Where Would You Prefer to Travel In Malaysia?

If you are a Malaysian traveler or more like a Malaysian who likes to travel, one of the most common goal for us is to travel to all 14 states in Malaysia. Personally, I have 2  more states ( Terengganu and Sarawak) to complete my personal  'cuti-cuti' Malaysia travel. I spent most of my growing up and adult years roaming mostly in the Peninsular Malaysia. It didn't occur to me to check out on East Malaysia or Borneo or simply put it as Sarawak and Sabah not until two years ago that I made my first trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. So the question now is, after having traveled to almost all states in Malaysia, where would I prefer to travel in Malaysia?

The answer to that will be Sabah and Sarawak! Yes, if given a choice to travel and discover more things in Malaysia, I would prefer to explore more of  Sabah and Sarawak or the Malaysian part of Borneo. I am going to list down the reasons why you and I should travel more to Sabah and Sarawak:

- When I was about 12, I had this teacher by the name of Dr.Mayala of an African descent who asked me where I was from and I told him I am from Malaysia. Dr. Mayala replied," Oh, that's Borneo right!" and I was like, "No, I don't live in Borneo".  At 12 years old my Geography was not that good, not that it is any better now and if only back then I could explain to him that a part of Borneo which is Sabah and Sarawak is a part of Malaysia which is the East Malaysia and I am from West Malaysia. Just in case you are a bit confused myself included, Borneo consists of three different countries which are Sabah-Sarawak of Malaysia, Brunei and Kalimantan of Indonesia and it is the third  largest island in the world.

So, the I'm trying to get here is non-Malaysian usually associate Malaysia to Borneo and unfortunately, the bigger part of Malaysians (people from the Peninsular Malaysia) have little knowledge of the other part of us Malaysians - the Sabahan and the Sarawakians. Imagine yourself going abroad and meeting fellow travelers who are non-Malaysians and most of them should have traveled down to Sabah/Sarawak and you will be utterly clueless of what they are trying to share with you because you are a Malaysian that have never been to Sabah and Sarawak. Ouch, that will be absolutely pathetic, really. Haha.

- I have to admit that my knowledge about Sabahan and Sarawakian are really limited even after having traveled to Sabah twice by now. There are something about people from Borneo that are uniquely different from us Peninsular Malaysians and the only way for you to discover more about them is to visit them in their home ground of course.

I have to say that people in Borneo are more welcoming, very friendly, helpful, down to earth and polite. Yes, I have to highlight polite! Haha! I think they sound polite because of their close to "Bahasa Baku' accent. If you are looking for something of a change from the typical Malay, Chinese and Indian people that we have in the Peninsular, you really should make sometime to discover the other larger part of Malaysians - the ethnic people of Sabah and Sarawak on their way of life and believe me, you will love them. :)

- Sabah and Sarawak are really huge. Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah the second largest state in Malaysia. You don't ever dream to discover Sabah or Sarawak from just a week's travel over there. I believe you will need months to discover both Sabah and Sarawak in one shot. So there is more than enough reason to travel more to the East of Malaysia.

- Both Sabah and Sarawak is a haven for an outdoor adventurer. I love the outdoors and with these two states you get to explore the beautiful sea, the ancient old rain forests, the unique animals only found in Borneo like the Orang Utans, Proboscis Monkeys, Borneo Pygmy Elephants to name a few, the majestic mountains and caves and jungles waiting for you to discover and explore.

From the people to the places - this part of Borneo is something worth traveling to in Malaysia and it will always be the preferred travel place of my choice in Malaysia. If you are a Malaysian, do make a point to travel there will you. We have cheap airfare now thanks to AirAsia so there is just no excuse to not get out, travel and explore more of our lovely country, Malaysia. So where do you prefer to travel in Malaysia? By any chance, will it be Sabah and Sarawak?