The Best of Three Worlds in Kota Kinabalu

When looking for a place to go hang out during your break, I think Kota Kinabalu has the best to offer in terms of value for money. I have never thought to like this place so much the last time I went there although I went to visit Kota Kinabalu back when I was in secondary school before. The saying that 'it's not about the place but it's about the people who are in it' sounds very wrong now. It supposed to be 'it is about the nice people at the nice places' that makes you happy.

What exactly Kota Kinabalu had done to me? Does the city offer me the best roller coaster ride in the world? Or just simply beautiful beaches where hookers are all around? Or alpine snow at the mountainous ranges?

No. There were no roller coaster or snow. No hookers too.

You can have the best of three worlds in KK: there's the city itself, the highlands and the islands. The highlands boast to have the third tallest peak in Southeast Asia. Gunung Kinabalu is only 2 hours drive from the city centre. If you cannot afford to go up to the peak, there is always a town named Kundasang for you.

In Kundasang, where the people live in a very nice climate, is always there for you to be mesmerised by the nature's beauty. One's journey is not complete without going to the Cow Farm at the top of the Kundasang valley. The views were super duper beautiful to the point where you don't want to leave the place. Maybe tears will come down to your cheeks when you see the beauty of the place. Over kan? 

There's the hotspring in Poring which is located around 20 minutes drive from the farm. Although not as beautiful as the cow farm, the canopy walk there proved to be a new experience for some of us. Besides, the canopy walk is hanged so high at the top and I bet each of you going there will feel a little bit scared.

The islands- located just 20 minutes to get to by boat. The fee is quite reasonable too if you travel in a group. And it's the national marine park which is just near to the city centre but a little bit secluded from all of the hustle bustle of the city life. The Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park has some of the most unique corals and sea creatures. Unfortunately for divers, the corals are not as pretty as those found in Tioman or Sipadan. You just can snorkel at the Mamutik, Manukan, Sapi and Gaya Islands. Believe it or not, my friends and I went to all of the four islands. And what activities we did over there?

Para-sailing was obviously the most interesting for me. Woosh! Being at the top flying looking at the sea which seemed to have no end and the although my sight was blurry (the person in charge asked me to take off my spectacle), it was such a beautiful moment. 

Banana boat proved to be the most fun of all. Why not? Screaming, shouting and falling down on others in the open sea were surely hard to forget. One of our friends cannot even swim and he did it! 

The city itself is so nice. It is the aura of Kota Kinabalu that makes me fall in love with it. The city surely know people like to shop! Shopping malls which are far far far better than other places in Borneo are the places that you must visit!

Again, in one word to describe KK- AWESOME!-The Chukai Insider

KK Stories: Mt. Kinabalu

These photos are taken on my way up to the Kinabalu Park. Our trip was heading towards Ranau to go to the Poring Hotsptring. While on the van, I got to capture some of the best views of Gunung Kinabalu in the morning. 

My friends and I were able to see some shiny surfaces on one of the sides of Gunung Kinabalu. We inferred that it was the reflection of the sunlight onto the wet surfaces of the mountain. For those who do not know, Gunung Kinabalu is the highest peak in Southeast Asia.

This is not the view of Gunung Kinabalu. It is actually the mountain ranges that connect the Crockery mountainous region that build up the Gunung Kinabalu. It was formed by magma which made igneous rocks and the place was uplifted to form the orogeny of the place. That was what I heard from the seniors doing Geology. If Allah SWT gives my friends and I the opportunity, we will be going to Kota Kinabalu again to do our field trip. What is the best thing for a geology student here is the existence of three types of rock; igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic at almost the same places. I got myself some crystals and marble while my friends brought back a granite filled with hornblende minerals. Very nice. 

My friends and I have made a commitment to climb the mountain before we graduate. From what we have heard, it should cost us around RM800. More or less, I need to get at least RM1200 to get to the peak comfortably. Let's save and travel to see the greatness of Allah SWT's creations. Travelling does bring me closer to Allah SWT and you should try too.- The Chukai Insider

KK Stories: Filipino Market 1st Day

The writer near the Filipino Market.

What is the best way to see how the locals of a place live? For me, the market. In Kota Kinabalu, the most famous would be the Filipino Market. In the morning, it is the most happening spots in KK. The market, located on Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens is the place where you can find the uniqueness of Sabah's food and culture. 

Dried edible marine food.

The traders, many of whom are originally from the Philippines and hence the name, sell an interesting selection of souvenirs and pearls. There were many parts of the market that you have to explore- the souvenirs, the clothes section near the sea and the food section at both sides of the souvenir section. Get your camera ready since you will find lots of things new. 

Dried gamat that will make you 'more handsome'.

One of them is the dried sea cucumber or gamat in Malay. A trader asked me to buy it since it will make me more handsome (makan ini, adik makin handsome in his words). Funny, huh? More handsome?

Like other market in Malaysia, the traffic is busy. The traders were chanting loudly calling for customers to buy their goods. I particularly interested in the souvenir section of the market where there were so many things sold under one roof. I've been to KK and to Filipino Market before, but this trip is the most exciting with friends who are just awesome!

One skill that you have to develop before going to the market is 'bargaining'. The prices put on the goods here are freaking super duper expensive since lots of tourists come there to shop. You must know how to bargain really really well to get the lowest price possible. 

Seen at the back (peach coloured buildings) is the hotel that we stayed during the trip, Marina Court and Residences.

If you feel like going to the beaches or islands afterwards, make sure to buy batek pareo so that you come to the islands in stylo! Well, I did not buy one since I don't think me being stylo helps my tummy look slimmer!

I went to the dried food section for quite some time since there were lots of interesting food that are never to be found in Peninsular Malaysia. Apart from the gamat, there were lots of dried edible marine creatures- ikan bilis, sea horses, shrimps, scallops, mussels and calamari. 

For Palaeontology students, this is the place where you can see and buy gastropods, bivalves, corals, bryozoans and many other stuffs. They are good for your own collection. 

The Filipino Market is located right in front of Le Meridien Hotel too, so if you want to stay in there or go for toilet break during your visit, you may do so although please act nonchalant if you want to go to the toilet without staying. If not, gila tak malu. My friends and I did that since there were no toilets around. Yeah, like the hotel people believe some bunch of teenagers who wear no Prada can afford a room in Le Meridien! But in times of emergency (in this case, explosions of gall bladder), toilets in Le Meridien Hotel is highly recommended. -The Chukai Insider

KK Stories: On MASWings

I flew with MASWings from Miri to the intoxicated Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. On the way to Kota Kinabalu, the flight attendants were all male. Maybe that was the reason why the security briefing were made through the video and not by them, according to my friend. Very classy and stylo! 

While it was a new unique experience to get on a plane which has 'blades of fan' as one of its one-of-a-kind features, the security briefing was the most interesting. You know, the one which no one wants to hear. But wait, on MASWings, the announcement deserves an accolade. Why? These are some of the things I remembered 'the lady in the video' told me:

1. 'Sila tanggalkan kasut tumit tinggi anda ketika kecemasan' (Please take off your high heels during emergency).

2. 'Kami tahu anda sayangkan telefon bimbit anda, tapi anda harus mematikannya agar tidak mengganggu sistem penerbangan kami' (We know that you love your handphones, but please switch them off to avoid interference).

The seat was spacious and far more comfortable than AirAsia. Still, it is the cheaper way to travel around Borneo.

My friends love MASWings for its unique experience. For me, it is because I got two drinks from the stewardess. *Smiles.-The Chukai Insider

KK Stories: Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA)

As I have mentioned before, there will be many more posts about my trip to beautiful Kota Kinabalu. My friends and I went there on MASWings. For those who have not heard about the airline, it is actually a subsidiary company of Malaysia Airlines System (MAS). The check-ins are made at the same counter as MAS' but the flights are connecting regions in Borneo only. Actually, if you are looking for a small budget but with a premium service, MASWings is definitely the best choice for you to travel around exotic Borneo. 

My flight ticket just cost me RM16. However, with the 'tax' and other stuffs, the whole whole return ticket from Miri increases to RM130. Overall, it is still the best option. Considering that AirAsia's ticketing system in which you have to book like who-knows-how-many-months-before and how freaking expensive they are when you book very close to the departure date, MASWings is far the best option you can have. They even serve you muffins and drinks on flight. Their stewardess don't wear tight red skirts that reveal everything as well! Yes, you are a stewardess of a budget airline, but it does not mean your 'kain' to make the skirt must be 'budget' as well. Kalu tak faham tu takpe la, kalu faham tu, pandai-pandaila tukar uniform tu biar longgar sikit. Rasanya ada MP bersuara pasal ni dalam parlimen dulu. 

Sunrise seen from the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). MAS flies non-stop from KL to KK. 

What I like the first time I touched down at the airport is the sense of welcoming and warmth of the Sabahans. The immigration officers are very friendly. I don't know whether this is a 'Sabah thing' or what, but they are really friendly and other immigration officers in Malaysia who is really at the front line of our tourism products should learn from them. To compare them with the officers at the so-called Marina Resort City is nothing! 

2.5 millions of tourists came to Sabah in 2011 (Source: [Here]) and I think the immigration officers have played their part very well. Another thing to be reviewed- the airport.

I don't know how excellent an airport can be but for sure you spend most of your time there when you travel. I don't know how to rate how good an airport as well, but considering that my friends and I slept there for a night, it worth to mention that it is one of the best in its class.

If looked from side, the shape of the structure looks like a cross section of wing of an aeroplane- aerofoil.

For small budget backpackers, if you really are on a tight budget, save some money and sleep at the Main Terminal of KKIA. Yes, I did that and it worth experiencing. 

The WiFi was good, chairs and benches were comfy enough for me to sleep on and the toilets are okay. Maybe there should be some other form of entertainment inside the building- maybe a playground for kids or a bookstore. And, I could not find newspaper sold inside the building and maybe you can work on that.

Yes, other airports are more beautiful but I can assure you that this airport is probably the most beautiful in Malaysia after KLIA. I could not check out the facts about the architecture of the building, but from side, it looks like the cross-section of the wing of aeroplane. Bernoulli's principle, anyone?

The thing that you will notice about this airport is how huge it is compared to other international airports in Malaysia. A friend of mine said that how to see whether an airport is good or not is to look at the shops. Yes, KKIA has excellent shops. Not as good as KLIA, but still..duhh.

I know it is stupid to compare this airport to LCCT but Puduraya is far better than LCCT now, so buck up! You can't even read a book in LCCT and not because it is noisy in there, it is because you have to use your book to fan yourself so you won't be scorchingly burnt inside the LCCT oven!

Dear KKIA, my friends and I love you!-The Chukai Insider