Feelin' Sassy In Sabah

On Arrival in the entrance hall in Kota Kinabalu's Shangri-la Tanjung Aru, I looked out over the gardens and the pool. An enormous black cloud was looming far off in the distance.

Winds picked up and began tossing flower arrangements that were perfectly placed together in neat bundles before the storm picked up.

Flowers greeted us at the entrance to the Shangri-la.

Before I could pick up my bags and carry them to my room, the rain began to spit through the blinds, as the people in the lobby desperately tried to tie them down.


It was like Sabah wanted to greet us with a grand entrance, wind, rain, hail and sunshine. The lobby gave me a front row seat of the storm. I felt like I was a storm chaser, and I had struck gold in the centre of it. Little did I know that storm wouldn't hit the top of the list...

The calm after the storm.

Weather Warning

Late September in Sabah marks the early beginning of the monsoon season for the typhoon belt. So when you look up the weather, don't be alarmed or throw a tantrum when you see 'Chance of Thunderstorms' labelled under storm clouds with lightening bolts jolting out from underneath. The weather man is just being kind enough to be honest with you, and give you the heads up that around 3pm, there may or may not be a thunderstorm. (Let's go with yes)

Sabah is commonly referred to as 'The Land Below The Wind' because it is located just below the typhoon and monsoon belt.

I believe we were given false guidelines by the travel agent who said that October-March mark the wet season, and that April-September mark the dry season.
If I were a meteorologist/scientist/weather-woman I would title September as 'not-so-wet.'

To be totally honest, looking back now, I don't think we had one day without a little rain. But that isn't so bad. After sweltering in the heat, traipsing around the markets and having the sun burn into the back of your neck on a walking tour of the landscapes, a little rain is a gift from the heavens.

How's that for a view.

View from the left wing of the resort.

I'm a bit of a thrill seeker myself, so these severe weather warnings gave me something to look forward to when the day had been lazy and un-eventful relaxing by the pool.

In my opinion, the excitement of waking up and not knowing what to expect makes the trip so much more thrilling and much more memorable.