ZestAir Brings Us To Amazing Kota Kinabalu! (Part 1)

I am part of history!

I was invited to be part of the few who got to take part in the inaugural flight of ZestAir to an amazing place called Kota Kinabalu.I've always heard about this since I was a kid because some of my relatives have already been there. It was early morning and I just spent the last 18 hours for a shift, but that didn't dampen my spirits because I was so excited to see what Sabah, Malaysia had in store for me. I reached the airport quite late but the festivities were just starting. It looked like everybody was waiting for this moment where Filipinos will touch boundaries again via this airline. ZestAir and Air Asia used to have this done from Clark International Airport and now they're doing it from Manila's NAIA4. In my books, that's just totally amazing!

They even got this wall where everyone who's part of the flight are to send their wishes for ZestAir, this is just a momentous occassion!

These noble men and women took care of us during the flight. Then after a couple of hours, we got on board our cozy aircraft. They even got my carry on bags and put them on the storage bins on top. Mind you I didn't ask them to help but they did!

Then we went on and took flight to Kota Kinabalu! The guy I had a chat with earlier that morning was the first to book the flight online, and for that he won a trip to any destination of his choice through ZestAir! Amazing!

It took us around 2 hours to get there. The landing was quite smooth too (thanks to the pilot!). And when we went down the plane, a huge welcome party was waiting for us!

Arriving In Kota Kinabalu

The airport was huge, very modern and reminiscent of Manila's NAIA3 Airport. They say the one in Kuala Lumpur is even bigger. It was so clean and orderly inside and we were surprised when we went down from the plane.

Clad in uber colorful costumes, these gentle smiles greeted us at the airport's tarmac and we were individually given some bead necklaces which is part of their custom. These gorgeous people clad in native clothes actually represent the 32 tribes of Sabah, Malaysia; and getting to see this first hand was awesome! I loved how intricate the details of their costumes are and how they made our arrival extra warm + special.

It was so nice to have been received that well in foreign soil. I have never been to Sabah; and these people from both the Sabah Tourism Board (Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah) and Malaysian Tourism Board served as our hosts in this part of the country. They will show us around the capital Kota Kinabalu and nearby tourist spots which you should definitely watch out for! They were so warm and accommodating; I really felt right at home. Check out this video we watched on the tourist bus and all the places in Sabah we went to. It'll tell you something you probably didn't know about the place.

I was surprised, impressed and excited to find out more about the place. Sabah, Malaysian Borneo has yet to be discovered by travelers, adventurers, tourists and people like you. They've got more things in store for us on this trip. I'll tell you on the next part of my Kota Kinabalu series. Honestly, this whole experience on how we were welcomed makes me want to go back to Kota Kinabalu... Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. I fervently hope that it will be soon!

/*By the way, Zest Air flies regularly to the City of Kota Kinabalu every Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sunday. Make sure you book a flight now through them or Air Asia. Now it's easier to go to Sabah, Malaysian Borneo on the freshest airline there is from the Philippines!

For more information about ZestAir and Kota Kinabalu


Visit their websites!

http://www.flyzest.com/
http://www.sabahtourism.com/
http://www.airasia.com/

Or follow them on Twitter

@flyzest

Or Contact them

Sabah Tourism Board
51 Gaya Street, 88000 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Malaysia
Tel:   +6088 212121
Fax:  +6088 212075
Email: info@sabahtourism.com