As I was driving back down to Kota Kinabalu this morning, I was remembering my outlaw brother and sister, Alain and Giselle, and their reaction to Sabah roads when they visited us a few years back. "What does 'awas' mean?" they asked. "Basically, it means watch out, danger, take care, and it's cheaper to put a warning sign than repair the joke of a road you are about to encounter", I told them. To enliven our 6-hour drive, we started grading the "Awas" spots with *, ** or ****, a sort of Michelin system for dangerous road conditions.

As I crossed the 20-km stretch of collapsing road on the edge of the Crocker Range (a place I've dubbed Killer Hill), I decided to stop and take a few photos to share with you. At least a couple of these spots are *** Awas, wouldn't you agree?