Kota Kinabalu Trip 2009 – Day 1

Posted by azuan on Apr 7, 2009 in :: All Posts ::, Featured Articles, TRAVEL | 15 comments

The travel bug hits me again. I have set a target to travel at least once every 2 months and this time I managed to hook up a good deal on Air Asia and decided to join Jiji with her colleagues holidaying in Kota Kinabalu! Sabah is the second largest state in Malaysia yet I chose to spend 3 days only in Kota Kinabalu without venturing to other towns like Kundasang or Tenom. This was my second time in Sabah after the first one during my SIFE days conducting programmes for Tobacco farmers in Keningau back in 2005.

This time it’s all about HOLIDAY.

After a long day at work on Thursday April 2nd, me and Jiji made our way to LCCT for our 925am flight to KK. We nearly missed the flight thanks to KL tricky traffic that day. I left the office at 5.30pm sharp but only managed to reach Shah Alam at 730pm. Thank God I’ve checked-in online allowing some extra breathing space.

I booked Air Asia assigned seating and meals when I bought the ticket and managed to get a row of 3 seats all for myself. One thing I love about Air Asia is the variety of the food offered. Simply delicious.

We stayed for the first night at a 2-star hotel called Impiana Mutiara.

I wasn’t expecting much from this hotel as it’s a budget range hotel but after spending a night, we decided to change into other accommodation. I’ve stayed on budget hotels before but I cannot accept hotels that can’t provide basic CLEAN bed sheet and towels. For an extra RM25 per pax we moved to Marina Court Apartment in promenade with 4-satr apartment facilities and walking distance to the attractions and markets.

We rented a van that comes with a driver to drive us around. Arrangements were made from KL and we were ‘presented’ with this old-skool mini-bus with no air-conditioned. That explains the RM150 per day rate that we got VS RM300 for normal vans. It’s a small matter for me as we did not plan to travel far.

The first destination in KK that we went to is the Pasar Kraftangan or better known as Filipino Market famous for Sabah (and the Philippines) pearls and crafts. This is the place to be to show off your bargaining skills and buy the normal touristy souvenirs.

Jiji had fun buying pearls for everyone.

While I just filled my time chit-chatting with the local sellers and taking photos

and making fun of myself…

Next to Pasar Kraftangan is the Pasar Ikan Masin. This is where locals sell all those ikan terubuk masin, udang kering and local snacks.

What do you get after combining Pasar Kraftangan and Pasar Ikan Masin? A box full of stuff to be brought back.

After the 3-hours shopping spree, the group went for lunch at Grace Point and co-incidentally the food-court we went to is next to a place that I wanted to visit, the Double Six Monument.

The Double Six Monument is located in Sembulan, marking a significant tragedy in the history of Sabah. On June 6th, 1976, an airplane carrying Sabah’s fifth Chief Minister, Tun Mohd. Fuad Stephens and six other State ministers crashed, killing all on board. The Double Six monument was erected on the exact spot of the fatal crash. Today planes taking off from Kota Kinabalu Aiport fly over the monument every few minutes indicating how aviation safety has improved over the 33 years since the crash happened.

Right after that, we went to the Sabah Museum.

An old (a bit outdated) museum but nevertheless worth a visit especially for its Kampung Warisan outdoor showcase. The only thing I hate about local museums is the “No Cameras Allowed” policy for indoor museum. That is so 1970’s policy!

Nevertheless Kampung Warisan at Sabah Musuem is a lovely place.

Some of the sights…

A suspended bridge adds a bit more fun!

Greenery

One of the “House” in Sabah….me trying the lengchai pose.

After Sabah Museum, we stopped by for a walk at Tanjung Aru beach. this place is closest to the hearts of the locals, and is very close to the city. Taking its name from the aru trees that fringe the sands, this is where one might get a ringside seat to the greatest sunset on earth every evening when the crimson sun dips slowly into the horizon, leaving the vast skies a brilliant red.

I visited this beach for one reason, Plane Spotting. This is one place where I can relax, sit on the sands and just watch planes coming in to Kota Kinabalu Airport.

and I was also surprised to find out there’s a temporary helicopter pad for the rich and famous to travel from the beach resorts at Tanjung Aru to other places.

As the sun sets, we made our way to our lovely apartment, put up our boxes of crafts and ikan masin and went out for dinner and night stroll.

We ended up having dinner at one of the stalls behind Pasar Filipina. Not the best in terms of cleanliness, but in terms of cheap price, good fresh seafood and full satisfaction this is the place to really EAT!

Our dinner being prepared. Grouper fish, squids and other seafood.

Freshly grilled!

Transforms into these great dishes…

If that’s not tempting, I don’t know what is……

And what a way to cool down the body after a long day and a heavy meal other than a fresh coconut and chit chatting with the locals.

Excellent Day 1! Next up, day 2 coverage, Manukan Island!