There’s literally two sides to Malaysia. East Malaysia — located on the island of Borneo, the world’s third-largest — is where you’ll find Kota Kinabalu. This seaport on the South China Sea can be thought of as a gateway to Borneo’s natural wonders like the plant-packed forest trails of Mt. Kinabalu Park and the endangered animal refuge of Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. But the city isn’t without constructed wonders of its own, featuring two ornate mosques, the historic Sabah Museum, plus the really-modern Tun Mustapha Tower. A reminder of the city’s colonial past is its former name “Jesselton,” but even older — and way more fun to say — is the indigenous “Api-Api.” Today Kota Kinabalu often simply goes by “KK”… and KK throws its doors open to visitors with a hearty selamat datang! (Now when you hear that, you’ll know it means “welcome.”)