First hurdle on the journey was to get out of busy Kota Kinabalu. Make sure to fill up before embarking on the journey as the petrol stations are sparse... Which can only be a good thing as the next 200 km are going up and down to get beyond the majestical Mount Kinabalu; There are enough of slow vehicles to overtake without petrol tankers!
The climb and ascent gradients are quite steep, and demanded a lot of the poor Pajero. Especially with the full engine rehaul only finished few weeks back, we didn't fancy blowing the gear box up... So we stopped to cool the car down - and refuel the passengers.
The views of the mountain range are breathtaking, and it's nice to see that up to Ranau, past the Mount Kinabalu nature park, the jungle is mostly preserved. Beyond Ranau the scenery changes, however, from primary jungle, to some vegetable harvest, to palm oil plantations.
The climb and ascent gradients are quite steep, and demanded a lot of the poor Pajero. Especially with the full engine rehaul only finished few weeks back, we didn't fancy blowing the gear box up... So we stopped to cool the car down - and refuel the passengers.
The views of the mountain range are breathtaking, and it's nice to see that up to Ranau, past the Mount Kinabalu nature park, the jungle is mostly preserved. Beyond Ranau the scenery changes, however, from primary jungle, to some vegetable harvest, to palm oil plantations.
There are several options for lunch and/or accommodation in Kinabatang and Ranau but we didn't really see any reason for stopping. Instead, we stopped at the Sabah tea plantations and sampled their tea and lunch menus. Food was tasty and views tranquil. There is tasting available, too, and the cinnamon and lemongrass teas were firm favourites.
The last 100km of the journey was absolutely shocking. The logging trucks and overloaded coconut trucks have worn the tarmac out. The road is pothole ridden and the repair paches are worse than the original surface. Looks like the British highways agency's legacy to Malaysia! It took us slightly over 2 hours to reach Sandakan...
At the end of the leg, the Pajero still drives straight and has most of its suspension left. Whilst there was no off road action to require a 4x4, I felt much safer negotiating the "main rod" in a hefty vehicle with a sturdy suspension. I wouldn't be happy to negotiate the road in anything smaller - at least there is a chance to crash through the missing bits of tarmac, rather than end up with a square wheel...
We spent under 24 hours in Sandakan so won't say much about it, as don't really have that much good to say. The seaside boulevard (with a loose sense of the word) is full of restaurants but we had a fairly average meal. Can't fault the price, though, under RM100 for 5 dinners and drinks.
The 4 Points Hotel surprised us positively, however, with its infinity pool. It was a perfect pit stop for a toddler terrorist, bored of driving! 
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