3D2N Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Borneo)

Day 1

I was itching to get away for a short weekend to indulge in my hobby so when the airfare promotion came, I did not hesitate to book myself on a trip to Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah. I have been to KK a few times but was always confined to the hotel or the office and this time I have decided that I must go out and explore KK.

I chose to stay at Cititel Express due to the room promotional rate. It was only RM78 per night for a single room. The taxi fare from the airport to the hotel costs RM30 and you need to buy the taxi ticket from the counter outside the arrival hall. I was glad to be chauffered to the hotel in a brand new Toyota Avanza.

The hotel is a mere 15 minutes drive away and it is very central. It is surrounded by coffeeshops and shopping centers and you won't go hungry for sure :-). Checking in was smooth and the room, although a little small but was clean and most importantly comfortable.

After a brief rest, I went out for a walk. My first destination was the shopping centers. Centerpoint shopping center was just behind the hotel. Just walk to the back of the hotel and cross the main road. Centerpoint is opposite. I was rather disappointed. It was like Holiday Plaza Shopping Center at JB or Sg Wang at KL. Within minutes I decided to visit the next shopping center - Warisan Square which is behind Centerpoint. I was again disappointed because the place was quite dim, not many people and the shops are not that interesting. And so I left. What's next? Hmm, since the KK Esplanade is just opposite Warisann Square I decided to pay a visit. I heard that it is beautiful in the evening during sunset. I was there around 3pm so there was nothing much to see. The restaurants were opened for business but there were no customers at this hour. I walked for a while and since there was nothing to see, I proceeded to the nearby Philipino Handicraft market.

The Philipino Handicraft market is very cramp and there are many stalls selling the same handicraft, beads, accessories, keychains and other types of souvenirs. If you have been to Bangkok's chaktuchak wholesale market, this Philipino market is something like that except that it is not a wholesale market and every small stall sells exactly the same items. I got bored very soon and decided to visit Jesselton Point next.

Jesselton Point is the place to take the speed boats to the Tunku Abdul Rahman park that has a few islands. Again, I heard that it is a beautiful place during sunset so I thought I will make a trip there to enquire about the boat tickets and enjoy some sunset views.

I hopped onto the city bus outside the Philipino market to Jesselton Point. It costs only RM0.50 to anywhere in the city and is about 5 minutes away. The city bus is green and yellow in colour.

This is how Jesselton Point looks like.

After snapping some pictures, I went in to enquire on the boat tickets. There are many counters inside and most of them are very noisy shouting for customers' attention. I walked straight to the last counter that is Beach Bum because I've heard of them when I was preparing for my trip to KK. The beach bum staffs are very polite, friendly and helpful. The return tickets for two islands hopping is RM25 and the earliest departure time is 9am.

After getting all the information that I wanted, I went out again to snap more photos. There is a food court at Jesselton Point and there are also some small food shops around. Taxis are plenty outside Jesselton Point.

Next I hopped onto another city bus outside Jesselton Point to go back to the Waterfront. There is nothing much to view here except boats. Sunset is not that spectacular either.

I walked around the area and since there is nothing much that interest me, I began snapping pictures of the boats. After I had enough of the boats I walked a little further and there were plenty of night market stalls selling food and vegetables. I walked around, bought myself some fruits and then went back to the hotel for an early rest to prepare for my trip the next day.

Day 2
My main intention of visiting KK is to visit the Tip of Borneo that I heard of so much. I had so much trouble making a tour reservation for my own as most of the tour companies here only accept a minimum of 2 pax reservation or pay double the price. I was travelling alone. The price for the day tour is RM250. Should I pay RM500 just to visit this place? C'mon man!!! I'm at my own country and at the mercy of the travel agents? Something must be wrong.

So I decided to ask around and read a little about driving there. It is a 3 hours drive from KK to the Tip of Borneo at Kudat. Some say it is just an easy route, others say it is not that easy. What do we do when there are differing views? Be conservative! Don't drive! I read a blog about some foreign young men who drove to the Tip of Borneo with the help of a GPS. On their way back, the GPS led them to some hilly place ... haha ... and it was pitch dark so it took them a long time to find their way back to KK from don't know where.

After writing to many travel agents (and even releasing my frustrations to one of them :-(), I finally found one that told me that I have to pay RM360 if it's just me alone. BINGO!! Ok, deal! Why not since they are so reasonable? They are KK Tours and Travel.

http://www.kktours.com/

They came to pick me at 7.30am as agreed. Hmm, very punctual. Plus point. "They" because there were two of them, in a mini van. They introduced themselves as George and Oswald. George has been in this line for the past 20 years and obviously the sifu, while Oswald is a trainee guide. I was surprised to find that I was the only customer and for RM360, I had chartered the whole van for a private tour! Hahaha ....

Because it was a private tour, they were very flexible with the itinerary. They brought me to a small town called Tuaran to try the local famous noodle called Mee Tuaran. It tastes a little like wonton noodle. The difference is in the noodle which they self made.

After some 3 hours drive, we finally reached the Tip of Borneo at Kudat. I was glad that I chose not to drive there alone because there are no street lights and it is not a straight road! There are some turnings here and there and animals cross the road freely. Sometimes the cows just sit in the middle of the road and it caused a bit of a traffic jam. My guide also confirm that it is not safe to drive back at night as we may not see the animals without proper street light. Even the black water buffalos will come out for their evening walk.

As you can see for yourself, this place is beautiful! I'm glad I made it here and I was blessed with a very good weather too! I spent about an hour taking pictures here. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy ....

Next, we paid a visit to the Rungus Longhouse which is a short distance away. For those who wanted to stay for the sunset at the tip (which I also heard it is beautiful), they have to stay overnight at Kudat. They can choose to stay at this longhouse or at hotels in Kudat town.

This day tour comes with a meal at the longhouse so this is the lunch prepared for me and my two guides. We had chicken, obviously some vegetables and for dessert it was pineapple. On the left is the room condition if you wish to be adventurous and decided to stay overnight :-) Oh, they do have modern washrooms though.

After lunch, we head back to KK. It started to rain and it actually rained throughout our journey back to KK. How lucky! I reached KK at around 6.30pm.

Day 3
I was looking forward to see the islands. I've seen some pictures of it and I wish to capture the beauty of it myself. I checked out from the hotel at 7.45am and walked to the bus stop opposite centerpoint. If you are wondering what happened to my luggage, erm, there's no luggage. I travelled light and only had a backpack with me. The city bus came as I was about to cross the road so I didn't have to wait at all.

I went straight to the Beach Bum's counter upon arrival and the guy who attended to my queries 2 days ago still remembered me. They will ask you which islands you prefer to visit first and what time you prefer to leave from one island to another. I asked him to recommend as I only wanted to visit Sapi and Manukan Island and I also told him I had a flight to catch the same day at 6.30pm. So he booked me on the 9am boat to Sapi first with transfer to Manukan at 12.45pm and return to Jesselton at 2.30pm. All this for RM25 plus RM6 island conservation fees.

I arrived at Sapi shortly after 9am. It was only a mere 10 minutes boat ride. The beach is clean and beautiful and I can see the fish the moment I arrived at the jetty. Well, unfortunately I was not there to snorkel or enjoy the beach but to survey and take photos so I didn't even feel the water!

At the jetty, the Beach Bum's staff will collect back your ticket with the departure time so that he can validate your identity during your transfer to the next island. The island also has a small cafe that sells local and limited western food and drink. Price is reasonable e.g. they have instant noodle for RM3.50, cantonese noodle for RM7, american breakfast for RM6.50 and etc. They also have a small mini mart that sells drinks, snacks and some souvenirs. Many people go there for snorkeling and diving. After I was done with my photoshoot, I had a simple meal at the cafe to rest and wait for my next boat.

Back at the jetty, the Beach Bum's staff returned to me my boat ticket for my transfer to Manukan Island which is also about 10 minutes away.

Manukan Island is more developed and bigger as they have chalets there and many restaurants around. I didn't check the price of the restaurant but I presume it will be more expensive than Sapi since they cater more to tourists here. They also have a jungle trek here.

Well, if you ask me which island is more beautiful, I would say it is Sapi. Just a personal preference based on the number of shots I have taken on each island. Not sure whether I was already tired by the time I reached Manukan but for sure I took more pictures at Sapi than at Manukan.

I left Manukan Island at 2.30pm and on the way back to Jesselton, it started to drizzle again. My! I was so lucky that it rained every time I was on my way back and not when I was on my way there. I took a taxi outside Jesselton Point to the Air Asia airport for RM25. It seems that if you are going to MAS airport which is a little further, it is RM30. I was also informed by the taxi driver that the Air Asia airport will be shifting soon.

Well, all in all, I achieved what I intended to do for this trip. There is really nothing much in KK city. It is just another city with tall buildings, traffics, shops and restaurants but if you just venture out a little bit, you will see a world of difference. If I set foot on KK again, I would want to visit Kinabalu Park. If there is so much beauty and nature to enjoy at KK beaches and islands, I am sure Kinabalu Park has its own to offer as well. Err, no. I'm not climbing Mount Kinabalu although I wish I could be up there. I do not think my weak legs can take it. I think I will just aim for Kinabalu Park for now and not be overly ambitious :-).