Serene Beach in Kota Kinabalu
Trip Start
Sep 04, 2008
1
4
Trip End
Sep 11, 2008
Where I stayed
Lucy Homestay, Kota Kinabalu
What I did
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
One day after strenuous exercise was always the most excruciating time. My legs were aching so much until I had trouble straightening them. My twisted ankle had also swollen until I can't see the ankle bone. Using some medicated oil, I massaged it for almost half an hour before standing up. Although painful, I could still walk without obvious limping. The others also massaged their legs. We still decided to go out and explore Kota Kinabalu town, not wanting to waste a day, but had to do it at a very leisurely pace.
After a simple breakfast in the guest house, we headed out to visit Pasar Besar Kota Kinabalu, the big local market. Apart from both wet and dried goods, there were also fruit stalls and other necessities. There was also Sabah Fish Market, just across a road, next to a fishing wharf. The others were keen in buying stuffs to bring home, but I was more interested in taking photographs. So we split up for an hour to do whatever we wanted and to meet at a specific point later. I spent the time finding photography opportunities but there were not many. The fishing wharf became my main focus.
Lunch was easy. We found a eating place with several stalls selling different varieties of food and order a signature dish from each stall. These food were quite common in Singapore but with differences in local flavours. We ordered roasted chicken drumstick and braised chicken feet for sharing and each of us ordered different types of noodle. I ordered Kuching laksa, which was noodle in laksa soup with prawns and shredded chicken. Other noodles ordered were Penang char kway teow (fried noodle) and pork soup noodle. I also ordered a special iced three-layered tea (三色奶茶), with green wheat grass at the bottom, white skimmed milk in the middle and brown tea on top. It had to be stirred well before drinking. A very special taste indeed.
After lunch, we made our way along the coast towards Kota Kinabalu Ferry Terminal, also known as Jesselton Point Waterfront. We scouted the place. There were cafes, bars, restaurants and several shops selling gears for water sports. The restaurants had nice seaside settings and wide view of the South China Sea. In the ferry terminal, posters on a beach destination, called Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, caught our attentions and we asked around for information. We decided to head out to the islands the following day.
With nothing much to do, we headed back to Lucy's Homestay. It was only 3.45pm. The others wanted to take a rest but I decided to explore a little more. Behind the guest house was a staircase leading up a hill, which led to an observation post. I followed the trail for a little trek. I was really a glutton for punishment – walking up a hill with a twisted ankle instead of letting it rest.
There were not much to see on the hill or at the observation post but I had a good view of the ferry terminal below, between a break in the trees that obstructed most of the view otherwise. I guessed the observation post was constructed before most of the tall buildings were built – the sea view was all obstructed by them.
I retreated back to the guest house. Instead of resting, I washed my clothes and showered. Then I read some travel magazines in the common area until the rest were up and ready to go out for dinner. We went to a Indian cafe for some Indian roti prata. After dinner, we shopped in a supermarket before heading back to the guest house.
10 Sep 2008 (Wednesday)
After a quick breakfast, we headed off to Jesselton Point Waterfront and bought our ferry tickets to Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. We did not buy the tickets on the previous day so that we had the flexibility to change our plan any time. At 9am, we boarded a small boat and was ferried to Pulau Mamutik in the Marine Park.
We spent a short while on Pulau Mamutik before taking the same ferry to Pulau Manukan. These were small islands that hardly need long hours to explore but the scenery here were great. Most people, only a hand full of people on a weekday, came here to swim or snorkel. Both islands had clean beaches and clear water and the fine weather made good opportunities for photography. And that was what I did while the others went snorkeling or simply suntanning on the beach.
There were a couple of cafes on Pulau Manukan where we grabbed some Malay food for a late lunch. After lunch, we continued idling on the beach, more to get our clothes dried before going back. I took more photos. At 3pm, we headed back to Kota Kinabalu in a different ferry.
We went back to the guest house to wash up before heading out for dinner. Being the last night in Kota Kinabalu, we decided to have a seafood feast again but in another restaurant in the seafood market. We ordered oyster omelette, chilli crabs and fish lips, which was a rather unique dish.
After dinner, we did some last minute shopping before returning to the guest house to pack our baggage. We were due to return home the next day.
11 Sep 2008 (Thursday)
We checked out of the guest house early in the morning and took a cab to Kota Kinabalu International Airport. The AirAsia jet left Kota Kinabalu at 10am and on its way to Senai International Airport in Johor Bahru. I took one last shot of Mount Kinabalu and Kota Kinabalu from the window of the jet.
This was a very fulfilling trip for me. I had conquered Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain of Southeast Asia.
