Michi Photostory: Kota Kinabalu

Showing posts with label Kota Kinabalu. Show all posts

June 30, 2017

3 Days in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia

Just this week, out of the blue my son asked me if he has been to Malaysia already and I said yes. He doesn’t believe me at first but I told him that we’d been to Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor Bahru Malaysia. Then he remembered the Petronas Twin Tower in Kuala Lumpur and Legoland in Johor Bahru but he can’t remember our Kota Kinabalu trip.

Some people say that it is better to travel when the kids are already old because they won’t remember it when they are still young. But for me, my son may not remember it but I have pictures, videos and stories to tell. There are so many memorable stories that I can share with him.

Read: Why Do We Travel with Kids in Tow

In fact, Malaysia is his first out-of-the-country, our first family overseas adventure, and the cheapest out-of-the-country trip we’ve experienced. Would you believe that I only paid P2000+ for our round trip fare and that is for 3 persons. Thanks to Air Asia promo!

Read: Air Asia Experience

At that time, Air Asia only flies at Clark International Airport so we traveled to Clark Pampanga and parked our car at DMIA. Then after few hours, we landed at Kota Kinabalu Airport, the airport is not that big so we were out after several minutes.

Where Did We Stay in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia?

I availed the airport pick-up service of City Park Lodge so we won’t have any problem haggling for taxi rate. I’ve read before that they don’t use taxi meter there and base on our experience, kontrata nga lagi pagsasakay, I’m not sure kung ganun pa rin.

One of the reasons why our Kota Kinabalu trip was cheap is, we did not stay in hotel. We stayed at City Park Lodge, the lodge has a good location too so we just literally walk when we went to the port, restaurant, market, and other tourist spots. They even gave us a coupon too that we can use for our island hopping, RM4 per person discount.

Read: City Park Lodge

And because of our flight schedule, we have very limited time in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia. Sharing with you our trip.

Day 1

It was already late in the afternoon when we arrived in Kota Kinabalu so we just bought food and drinks at the nearest convenience store then we had dinner at Secret Recipe.

Day 2

The following day, we woke up early so we can start exploring the city. From the lodge, we just walk to Jesselton Point Waterfront. It is where we’re going to ride the boat for our Island Hopping.

Island hopping in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park

We can visit Mamutik Island, Sapi Island, Sulug Island and Manukan Island but because we have very limited time, we just chose one island which is Manukan Island. It is 15-20 minute speedboat ride from Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal. We had a great time at the beach, this was the first time na nakapagbeach ako sa ibang bansa.

Read: Manukan Island

We only stayed for few hours on the island and we went back to Jesselton Point. From the port, we just walked to Suria Sabah Mall to eat our lunch. Most of the time we eat at KFC because it is everywhere and some stores are open 24 hours.

Monsopiad Cultural Village

Some people say that a trip to Sabah will not be complete if you will not visit Monsopiad Cultural Village, so I included this in our itinerary. Since we did not want to get lost and we want to save time, we rode a taxi even though the price is steep. RM100 taxi ride vs RM3 per bus per person.

Monsopiad Cultural Village is a historical site in Sabah so you will learn more about its history by visiting the village. Aside from that, they will show you how Kadazan people live before. If you like history, you will enjoy this tour but if not you can skip it.

Read: Monsopiad Cultural Village

Seri Selara

After our trip in Monsopiad Cultural Village, we asked the taxi driver to drop us at Seri Selara. He agreed but he asked for additional RM10. Seri Selara is an open-air seafood restaurant so don’t forget to include this in your itinerary.

This is like Dampa Restaurant here in the Philippines, where you can choose the seafood from the glass tanks and they will cook it for you. We enjoyed our food trip here, there is Filipino staff here and he gave us a discount. From the restaurant, we just walked back to City Park Lodge.

Read: Seri Selara

Day 3

Gaya Street Sunday Market

The following day, we woke up early to take advantage of the Gaya Street Sunday Market. From its name, it is only open every Sunday from 6:30 to 1PM. You can buy souvenirs, clothes, food and other stuff. I bought some souvenirs and pasalubong here.

DIY Kota Kinabalu City Tour

Since we are budget travelers, we did not book any tour packages so we just hired a taxi driver to tour us around for 3 hours. We visited Signal Observation Hill, Wisma Tun Mustapha (Sabah Foundation Building), Pu Toh Tze Buddhist Temple, State Museum, State Mosque, and Handicrafts/souvenir Center.

It was just a short city tour since we have to go back to our lodge to get our luggage. After check-out, we went straight to the airport so we won’t miss our flight.

Read: DIY Kota Kinabalu Tour

Note: If you still have time, you can also visit Brunei, you need to ride a ferry boat from Kota Kinabalu to Brunei.

July 04, 2011

Kota Kinabalu Airport

Asian Delights Cafe

We’re supposed to eat at “Little Italy” but we’re too tired to walk again so we just checked out early and went straight to Kota Kinabalu Airport (Terminal 2), taxi fare is RM25. After checking in our baggage, we’re now ready to eat, we only have two choices KFC and Asian Delights Café, located on the second floor of Terminal 2.

Of course, we chose Asian Delights Café; we had enough KFC for the past two days. We ordered Beef Rendang Rice Rm10.90 and Spaghetti RM9.90, I am not fond of spicy food so I just ordered spaghetti. Beef Rendang taste like Pare-Pares, hot and spicy version. Spaghetti is just ok; I still love my own spaghetti. lol.

Super Ice Cream Potong

I was looking for something to eat while killing our time and I still have a few smaller bills and coins left to spend. I saw this Taluwang Super Ice Cream Potong RM1.70 pero stick in one of the airport stores.

It is Malaysians Popsicle that is made of coconut and fruit flavors, there are ten flavors to choose from such as durian, avocado, cendol, sweet corn, cempedak, red bean, yam, mango, and sweet corn. I chose sweet corn but my son did not like it so I ended up eating the popsicles. I love the taste of their ice cream because it is not too sweet and they use coconut milk instead of dairy.

DIY Kota Kinabalu City Tour

As early as 6AM we started our itinerary. We went to Atkinson’s Clock Tower; it is two blocks away from our lodge. In 1903, this clock was built in memory of Francis George Atkinson; it is an all wood and no nails structure which is considered as the oldest standing structure in Sabah. It survived the World War II and until now it keeps the city’s time.

Gaya Sunday Market

Then, we dropped by at Gaya Sunday Market to buy some souvenirs. Every Sunday morning the whole Gaya Street is closed off to give way to Sunday Market. There are different stalls that sell flowers, pets, foods, handicraft, souvenirs, fruits, antiques, plants, herbs, footwear, antiques and many more.

I did not miss the chance of getting here; it is just one block away from our lodge. Gaya Sunday market is open from 6:30AM to 1PM. I bought some souvenirs here, keychain for RM10 (6pcs) and t-shirts for (RM20, RM9 and RM8).

DIY Kota Kinabalu City Tour

City Tour is my last itinerary before we leave Kota Kinabalu, I did not book any City Tour package because the price is too expensive for me, RM90+ per person so I decided to DIY my City Tour.

I contacted few taxi drivers that I’ve got from the internet but no one replied. So we ended up walking and looking for taxi driver that we could hire for 3 hours of City Tour, after forty minutes we found the taxi driver who agreed for RM100 for City Tour.

First stop is Sabah Museum and Heritage Village; 10AM is the opening time so we just took some pictures outside the museum.

Second stop is Menara Tun Mustapha or formerly known as Sabah Foundation Building. The design concept of this building is very unique; it is a 30 storey high circular tower of glass stands and steel. There is also a revolving restaurant at the 18^th floor but again, opening time is 10AM.

Third stop is City Mosque or Floating Mosque located in Likas Bay. This is considered as the most beautiful mosque in Malaysia.

Next is Puh Toh Tze Temple, this is a Buddhist temple that was built in 1980.

We dropped by at Sacred Heart Cathedral, a catholic church in Kota Kinabalu.

Last stop is Signal Hill Observatory Platform; this is the highest point in Kota Kinabalu City. The best place to get a good view of the city.

July 02, 2011

Malaysia: Seri Selara

On our first night in Kota Kinabalu, we got lost and we’re not able to eat at Seri Selara, but I promised to myself that we will eat here before we leave Kota Kinabalu. So after Monsopiad Cultural Village tour, I told the taxi driver to drop us in Seri Selera, thank God, he knows the place.

Seri Selara is formerly known as Sedco Square, it is the famous popular seafood restaurants among the locals and tourists because of its affordable prices. It has 6 famous seafood restaurants and 21 exotic Asian food stalls that offer different cuisines.

It is an open-air restaurant that can accommodate up to 1,200 diners. It is really big and spacious. Every Friday and Saturday, diners will be entertained by live cultural performances and traditional music, 7:30 to 9PM but we did not experience this because we had an early dinner.

As we reached the Seri Selara, we’re immediately welcomed by a Filipino guy named “Awang” who works in “Old Village Restaurant” so no sweat in ordering our food and he gave us discounts too. Seafood choices are inside the glass tanks so you are guaranteed that you will eat fresh seafood. Just choose the seafood that you want and they will cook it for you, free of charge.

I thought the peanuts and papaya are complimentary food but when I checked my receipt it cost RM2 each. Cup of rice is RM1.50, 1 kg of crab is RM16.80, 300grams of shrimp is RM18 and coke in can is RM2. Fruits are complimentary.

There are available utensils that you can use, there are chopsticks, spoons and forks but of course, the best way to enjoy crabs and shrimp is to use your bare hands. They will give you small bowl where you can wash your hands if you do not want to go to the restroom.

We both enjoyed our seafood experience; it is really worth the price. Do not miss the experience if ever you will go to Kota Kinabalu. It is really a walking distance from our lodge, if I did not easily give up on our first night I will find Seri Selara, one to two blocks away from Secret Recipe.

Business Hour: 3PM - 2AM daily
info@seriselera.com
Sedco Square, Kampung Air, 88300,
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Tel: +60 88 210 400 Fax: +60 88 213 400

July 01, 2011

Monsopiad Cultural Village in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia

They say that you have not seen Sabah if you have not visited Monsopiad Cultural Village that’s the reason why I included this in my itinerary. It is a thirty minutes drive from Kota Kinabalu City, you can ride a bus or taxi and I chose the latter because I do not want to get lost. Asking price of the taxi driver is RM120, we haggled for RM100 (roundtrip) but if you will take the bus, it is only RM3 per way. (big savings!)

Monsopiad Cultural Village is a living museum and historical site in Sabah. It was founded in 1996 in memory of Monsopiad, the great head hunter and Kadazan warrior. He was the famous headhunter who defended his village three hundred years ago. No enemy could match his power and as a proof, he took 42 skulls with him.

The 42 skulls are displayed in the legendary House of Skulls. Aside from being a living museum, the village aims to revive, conserve, keep alive, and document the culture, traditions, and Kadazan community beliefs. You will learn more about the ways of life of Kadazan people and Monsopiad warriors’ stories.

The entrance fee is a little bit expensive, RM75 for the guided tour and cultural show. As I was told in the email, a guided tour can be anytime but we ended up waiting for the cultural show which is 2PM before the guided tour.

I was a bit disappointed because we would not be able to visit Green Connection and Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, but I could no longer back out because I already paid RM150.

After the registration, you will proceed to Riverside Café for your welcome drinks (coffee or tea); we stayed here for almost one hour, waiting for the cultural show. The cultural show lasted for 30-45 minutes. We enjoyed the show; visitors can also take part in the cultural show.

Start of guided tour. We learned about Rice Wine Making, Sago Grating (mamagalus). Sago Grub (butod), Shooting using Traditional Blowpipe (monupuk), Catapult (lastik) and Stilt walk (tampanau). Some of these are familiar to me since I live in the Philippines, alam ko may ganyan din sa Pinas.

We paid RM75 per pax but we were not able to experience all the inclusions in the package like “Taste betel nuts and Traditional cigarettes” and “Experience Traditional Handicraft Making”. They just need to improve their guided tour because we kept on waiting for the next activity. If you are into history, you will enjoy the experience but if not, you can skip this tour.

June 30, 2011

KFC in Malaysia

We did not eat at the island because we’re afraid to miss the boat so when we reach Jesselton Point, we look for a restaurant where we could eat our lunch but it was scorching hot so we decided to eat at Suria Sabah. Since we are not familiar with the place, it took us so much time to look for restroom and restaurant. Finally, we saw KFC.

2pc chicken, rice and soup w/drinks RM10.40, 3 pcs chicken, roll, mashed poatato and coleslaw w/drinks RM12.70

I was looking for gravy because I love KFC gravy but I did not see anything and I’ve noticed that each table has two bottles of ketchup which I do not like. Thank God for the gravy of mashed potato, though the taste is different from what we have here in the Philippines.

Breakfast Combo RM8

On our third day, we were looking for a café shop or fast food chain so we could eat our breakfast before we start the City Tour. Then we saw KFC at Kampung Air, it is open 24hrs. So I ordered a breakfast meal, the KFC staff does not know how to speak in English so we are having a hard time so we end up using hand gestures. J I went back to her to ask for a spoon and fork but they do not have a fork, she just gave me a spoon. Then I’ve realized that not all restaurant or fast food in Kota Kinabalu use spoon and fork; expect that you will eat using your hands. Good thing that I did not order rice meal.

June 29, 2011

Manukan Island in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia

I do not have so much expectation when I went in Kota Kinabalu because from what I’ve read, we have better beach and island. We almost scrapped this trip because according to my husband, there is nothing special in Kota Kinabalu but I do not agree with him because for me, each place has its own beauty and uniqueness.

I was correct because when we’re in Jesselton Point, how I wish we have the same ferry terminal, the place is clean and well maintained. Everything is organized from buying a ticket, paying for the terminal fee, getting your lifejacket, snorkels, fins and others. We also met some Filipinos who work there so we did not have a hard time.

After buying the ticket, you have to inform them what time you want to return to Jesselton Point so the boat will pick you up. If you want to extend your time or you want to come back earlier, just call the operation counters thirty minutes before.

If you are coming from Manukan and Mamutik Island the return time is

10AM, 11AM, 12NN, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM, 4PM and 5PM

If you are coming from Sapi Island the return time is

10:15AM, 11:15AM, 12:15NN, 1:15PM, 2:15PM, 3:15PM, 4:15PM and 5:15PM

So do not be late or else you need to wait on the next return boat.

Exactly 8AM we left Jesselton Point. Manukan Island is a 15-20 minutes speedboat ride from the ferry terminal. It is not the usual boat that we use here in the Philippines whenever we do an island hopping. After fifteen minutes we are now here at the Manukan Island, a little walk from the dock going to the island proper. At the registration counter you need to pay Conservation Fee.

RM3 for Malaysians

RM10 for Non-Malaysians

I forgot about this fee so while I’m getting my wallet I’ve asked the staff “how much will I pay?” Then he asked me, are you non Malaysian? I said yes, and then I noticed that the ticket that was in front of me was RM3 only, but he replaced the ticket to RM10 for non Malaysians. If I did not talk, I will only pay RM6 for 2 adults instead of RM20. No conservation fee for children. But Honesty is the best policy.

Manukan Island is the second largest island in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. It is also the most developed island. There are lodges, souvenir shop, fast food, seafood restaurant, beach table, public restroom and even lifeguard house. I find Manukan Island very beautiful and relaxing, it was developed but not commercialized. If I don’t have limited time, I would like to visit Mamutik and Sapi Island.

Though we have limited time, we enjoyed the place. It was the first time that we just left our things on the beach table so we could swim together. At first, I was scared because everything is in my bag but I see other beach tables without watchman so I thought it was safe to leave your things.

Jesselton Point Waterfront

Jesselton Point Waterfront is formerly known as Kota Kinabalu Ferry Terminal, it is a place where you need to go if you want to go to Labuan, Gayana Island, and Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.

We woke up early for our island hopping, I’ve asked the staff for directions and she told me, “just go straight and when you see Hyatt Hotel, the Jesselton Point is at the back of it.” Again I just follow the road and look for Hyatt Hotel, upon reaching the Hyatt Hotel, I was looking for the arch but I cannot see anything, I just saw this fish monument.

I decided to turn left, following the sign of the fish but it was a wrong move. Again, we’re lost so I asked again for directions and the lady told me, just walk straight. It is funny that whenever I’ve asked for directions they will just say, follow the road, go straight and walk straight and the landmark that they are giving me is too far from the place that I need to go.

When you see the fish monument, you should turn right and the landmark is Suria Sabah Mall. I was so happy when I see this arch, finally, we’re in Jesselton Point.

I went inside the office and proceeded to counter 8 to avail our discount from City Park Lodge, RM4 per person. Since we only have limited time, I decided to go to one island only and that is Manukan Island.

Manukan Island Entrance Fee

Adult: RM23

Children: RM18

Terminal Fee

Adult: RM7.20

Children: RM3.60

Others: RM5 – lifejacket

In spite of getting lost, we're still early because 8AM is the boat departure so we still have 45 minutes to roam around. I did not mind waiting because I enjoyed watching the view, port and people. I am not surprise if this became one of their main city attractions because it is a great place to unwind and watch sunrise/sunset.

June 28, 2011

Malaysia: Secret Recipe

We're supposed to eat at Seri Selara on our first night but we got lost and we're already tired of walking. I even asked for directions and staff told me, “Just follow the road, landmark is Le Meridien”. I know that it is just there but I can’t find it. I already gave up because we need to sleep early, so when I saw Secret Recipe restaurant, we immediately crossed the road and entered the restaurant.

Read: Seri Selara

This restaurant is also included in my “must try restaurant list” so I know that the food will be good and it did not fail my expectations. The food taste good and they also have big servings. We ordered Mozzarella Baked Fish RM18.50, Stewed Aussie Beef Steak RM19.50 and Ice Lemon Tea RM5.50