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Kota Kinabalu is the biggest city in Sabah. It contrasts
sharply with Kuching in Sarawak which is clean and laid-back.
Kota Kinabalu is more of a mess, more of a city. Good luck
finding good food in the city. You'll be directed to places
like Ang's Hotel and if you like House of Nanking in San Francisco
then you'll love Ang's Hotel, but it didn't do it for me.
Then there are the outdoor food courts which were pretty mediocre.
I actually passed through Kota Kinabalu after the Niah Caves
on the way to Mount Kinabalu. The first time through I stayed
at the Backpacker's Lodge which is run by a Cantonese lady
from Sandakan. It's a friendly comfortable place with laundry
facilities and a central area to meet other travelers.
Kota Kinabalu was also my last stop. The second time in town
I stayed at the Trekker's Lodge Sinsuran, which used to be
called the Traveller's Rest Hostel. This place was less like
home and more like a place to sleep. But it was clean and
friendly and there were laundry facilities. It's situated
in the Kompleks Sinsuran and there's plenty of food nearby.
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The market right behind
the Trekker's Lodge Sinsuran. |
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The State Mosque. |
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January 13, 2001
Back
in Kota Kinabalu
I just flew back into Kota Kinabalu from Sandakan,
which used to be called "Little Hong Kong". Most of
the Chinese families in Sandakan are originally from
Canton in the south of China so everyone there speaks
Cantonese.
Just two full days left in East Malaysia so I decide
to treat myself to my own room in the hostel!
"Do you want air-con?"
Get the hell outta here... It's been dorm rooms with
a fan this whole trip. It costs US$11 for my own room
with air-conditioning. Of course, I want air-con.
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Kids playing in the rain. |
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January 13, 2001
Crossing
the street in Kota Kinabalu
I guess it doesn't matter that Kota Kinabalu (unlike
Kuching) has intersections and crosswalks. People
still cross the street as soon as they reach it, weaving
through the cars that have a green light.
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These kids in the stilt
village were great. As soon as they saw their pictures they
went crazy and asked me to take some more. Then some more. And
more. And kids kept coming, wanting to get in on the action.
I loved it. They got bored of all the picture taking before
I did. |
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The beach at Pulau Sapi. |
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On the way back to Kota
Kinabalu from Pulau Sapi. |
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The Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park consists of five islands
just minutes away from Kota Kinabalu. I went to Pulau Sapi
which was supposed to have the best snorkeling, but talking
with the activities guide there I discovered that several
years ago a huge storm ripped up a lot of the coral and that
better snorkeling could be found on the larger island, Pulau
Manukan, and on the smaller one, Pulau Mamutik. Monkeys supposedly
come down out of the jungle to look for food on the beach
in the early afternoon but there weren't any the day I went.
The trails around Pulau Sapi are nothing special.
I spent most of my last days in Borneo relaxing in KK. Just
took it easy. Rested and tried to recover from climbing Mount
Kinabalu. My legs ached all the way back to Los Angeles...
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