Michael Sit's Travel blog: An odyssey to Sabah

An odyssey to Sabah, Malaysian Borneo
in Feb 2012

Watching seas, sunset, wildlife and satisfying my palette.

Places visited:-

1. KK A bird’s eye view from Signal Hill Observatory (訊號山亚庇瞭望台)

2. KK Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (東姑阿都拉曼海島公園）

3. KK Shangrila Hotel Sunset view (香格里拉丹绒亚路酒店看日落)

4. KK Tanjung Aru Beach (丹容亚路海滩)

5. KK Tanjung Aru Waterfront (丹容亚路海岸)

6. KK City Mosque (市立水上清真寺)

7. KK State Mosque (州立清真寺)

8. KK Lok Kawi Zoo (洛高宜野生动物园)

9. KK Gaya Street Sunday Market (Gaya街星期天市集)

10. KK Central Market & Fish Market（亚庇中央市场及渔市场）

11. KK 1Borneo Shopping Centre -沙巴州最大的商场1Borneo

12. Sandakan Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary (山打根西必洛人猿庇护中心)

13. Sandakan Central Market (山打根中央市场)

14. Sandakan City (山打根老城区)

15. Sandakan Nan Tung Suburb (山打根南通市)

Reference articles:-

Introducing Malaysian Borneo – Sabah

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/malaysia/malaysian-borneo-sabah

Downtown Kota Kinabalu (KK) is small, smaller even than Macau. But it has a long and beautiful waterfront. The sapphire sea offers a gorgeous view which inspires the eyes of the tourists, especially those coming from the inland area, who have little chance of seeing deep blue sea.

Signal Hill observatory station is perhaps the best location to get a bird’s eye view of the town, which is only a short 15 minutes walk from Gaya Street.

You start walking up from here :-

The Signal Hill observatory station

A nice blend of old and new buildings filled the narrow stripped town.

Tourists will notice the strong British influence in Malaysia. HSBC Bank can be found in every major town.

Suria Sabah is the most modern shopping centre in downtown KK (1Borneo is bigger but is at the outskirts of the city). It has a big food court at the top floor with an excellent sea view.

KK Tunku Abdul Rahman Park（東姑阿都拉曼海島公園）

Sabah State has numerous offshore resort islands. Unfortunately, most of them are accessible only by speed boats which can be quite expensive visiting. The most affordable choices are perhaps the 5 islands which form the present day Tunku Abdul Rahman Park: Pulau Gaya （加雅島）、Pulau Manukan（曼奴干島）、Pulau Mamutik（馬穆迪島）、Pulau Sulug〔蘇洛島〕 Pulau Sapi〔沙比島〕. Pulau Gaya is the largest island and Sapi the smallest.

Due to time limit, most tourists will choose to visit 2 islands on the same day. I choose to visit Pulau Manukan（曼奴干島）and Pulau Sapi〔沙比島〕.

Discount coupon can be obtained from most Youth hostels by asking. You can save about RM4. Ferry fare for 2 islands (RM23, after discount) + RM10 (Entrance fee) + RM7.2 (Government taxes).

This is the Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal, Kota Kinabalu.

Pulau Manukan（曼奴干島）

A tour to Sabah is incomplete without visiting some of its beautiful offshore islands. Pulau Manukan is a good place to recommend for snorkel divers. It has a white sandy beach and a long jetty except fish here are not too colorful. Even for those who do not intend to dive and swim, a one day visit to the island sightseeing is still worth the while. You will find the cool sea breeze of the speed boat ride (locals call it sea hopping) particularly pleasant under the bright hot sun.

Fish here are not as colorful as those in Sapi.

Pulau Sapi〔沙比島〕

Sapi Island is small and therefore crowded. However, it has the best water (deep blue) and fish here are more colorful.

The breath-taking Kota Kinabalu(KK) sunset view

Both KK and Manila Bay are famous for their Tropical sunset view. The former is where local people go to relax, unwind and enjoy the nature. As KK lies on the western coast of Sabah, it is geologically ideal to watch the sun sinking like a fire ball into the sea. Choose a day when the sky becomes clear after an afternoon thunderstorm common in the tropical area.

Tanjung Aru Shangrila Hotel is best known for its breathtaking and stunning sunset view. It is located near the Tanjung Aru Beach, hence the tedious name. However, the hotel is in fact not in any way related to the worldwide Shangrila Group. The hotel generously allows visitors from all walks, even those non-customers to enjoy its beautiful sunset view. Nevertheless, most tourists will choose to buy a drink and lay down comfortably on the canvas chair to enjoy the sunset scene.

Before the Sun sets…

When the Sun sets…

The Sunset cycle ...

The sun was gradually changing colour, sinking on the horizon like a salted egg yolk. Within 15 minutes, the sun hit the water just so and the whole horizon exploded like a fireball. The sky turned into reddish orange. The world was dusk, yet the reflection of sun still shined, though somewhat dim.

After the Sun sets…

The view after the sunset was even more spectacular and stunning. I was simply lost in the scenic surroundings, though I did not forget to capture some beautiful pictures with the sunset reflection and coconut trees as a backdrop.

The nearby Tanjung Aru Beach

The beach

The food stall

Some backlight pictures on the beach. They are a good test of you photographic skill (and luck) of catching a passing moment as it happens.

Joy of family playing water…

Sunset view at the Tanjung Aru Waterfront

Tanjung Aru Waterfront Park is conveniently located at the CBD area (just opposite to the Ocean King Restaurant) and is also a hot spot to watch sunset.

Parkson Department Store is nearby (Opposite to Wawasan minibus station)

Sunset view

The famous Ocean Seafood Restaurant (海王城) is nearby.

Opposite is a luxury apartment called Marina Court. With a fantastic sea view, centre location and a number of seafood restaurants and Department stores nearby, I believe it is the best of town. However, asking price is only about RM 5,000 (HK$12,600) per sq M. As a HK citizen, I just want to say how envious I am.

http://www.propwall.my/kota_kinabalu/marina_court/classifieds

With more and more tourists flocking to KK in recently year, some owners have converted some apartments into hotels for short term rental. If you have a group of 3 couples, or 6 individuals willing to share 3 double rooms, renting these apartments may be more economical than staying in a 5 star hotel. At least, you have some home feel and can enjoy sunset every evening. Moreover, if you are a seafood lover, you can enjoy the convenience of having seafood just by walking downstairs as the famous seafood restaurant “Ocean Seafood Restaurant (海王城)” is next door.

http://www.agoda.com.hk/asia/malaysia/kota_kinabalu/marina_court_resort_condo.html

http://www.agoda.com.hk/asia/malaysia/kota_kinabalu/qq_boutique_service_apartment_marina_court_resort_condominium.html

KK City Mosque (市立水上清真寺)

This is the largest mosque in Sabah which can accommodate 7,000 people praying at the same time.

KK State Mosque (州立清真寺)

To my disappointment, the so called “State Mosque” is much smaller than the City Mosque and has shown signs of ageing.

Sunday market at the Gaya Street

Both locals and tourists flock to Gaya Street to eat and it has become a Gourmet Lane. Famous Chinese and Malayan restaurants offering tantalizing dishes like Yu Kee Restaurant’s Bak Kut The ( 佑记肉骨茶) , Yee Fung Restaurant’s Laksa and iced lime water (怡丰茶室叻沙及桔仔冰), 5 star Chicken Rice Restaurant (五星海南鸡饭餐厅)，Fung Yip Restaurant’s white bread and Laksa noodle（馮業咖央白麪包同喇沙麪）. They choose to station here not without some good reasons.

Yu Kee Restaurant’s Bak Kut The ( 佑记肉骨茶)

Yee Fung Restaurant’s Laksa and iced lime water (怡丰茶室叻沙及桔仔冰)

5 star Chicken Rice Restaurant (五星海南鸡饭餐厅)

Others

But the normally quiet street (by Hong Kong standard) can quickly turn into a hustle and bustle flea market on every Sunday morning. More than 200 hawker stalls gather along Gaya Street and nearby streets selling all kinds of commodities you can name of, which include food, clothes, fruits, pets, flowers, medicine etc…drawing a large crowd of people to party here.

The flock is incredibly large. I guess selling at the Sunday market has probably become a popular event and a moonlight job for many under-employed and retired locals, seizing the opportunity to earn some extra bucks to fight against inflation.

Music jamming...

Massage at open street? Unbelievable!

Pets always draw the largest crowd, and audiences of all age.

See how captivated and absorbed the audiences were…

The market frenzy do not last for long. When the clock strikes 12 at noon, the carnival ends in an orderly fashion: all hawkers leave, the crowds disperse and the street returns to normal again. A word to the Hong Kong hawkers at Mong kok (旺角) –who said hawkers cannot operate by erecting and removing their stalls every day to help reducing chance of a fire outbreak?

The normal day Gaya Street looks like this:-

Culinary guide

Sabah is blessed with abundance of mouth watering foods.

In a nutshell, there are 5 major Delicious local dishes: Seafood, Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶), Laksa (喇沙) ，Curry fish head (咖喱鱼头) and Cold Boiled Chicken (白切鸡).

Of course, to the Chinese tourists, seafood is the main theme. The food culture of Sabah would be incomplete without a mention of seafood.

Seafood Guide

Kota Kinabalu

High end

Ocean Seafood Village（海王城海鲜村）

port view seafood village（不夜天海鲜村）

Mid range

a) Kampung Air Food Court (甘榜阿逸海鲜美食天地) at SEDCO Square

1. Wah Hing Seafood Restaurant（华兴海鲜楼）

2. Suang Tai Seafood Restaurant (双天海鲜楼)

3. Old Village Seafood Restaurant (古村海鲜酒家)

4. Sri Mutiara Seafood Restaurant（珍珠海鲜酒家）

b) Luyang Restaurant（路阳酒家）at Jalan Kolam。

The Luyang Restaurant, Luyang, K.K, Sabah (路阳酒家) is the oldest and the most popular seafood restaurant for the locals. It is located between 2 BP Oil Stations at Jalan Kolam near the KK domestic airport. They serve one of the most delicious crab in town, even foreign visitors visit the restaurant to have their seafood dinner. I like the Salted Egg with Crabs and the dish that fried with Curry Powder（金香蟹）very much. Although it is not the cheapest, but the quality of the crab is very high. In my opinion, it is probably the most yummy and best value restaurant.

The restuarant has a very family look with little decoration, which gives you a home feel.

Budget

a) Welcome seafood restaurant (大茄来海鲜)

http://tepikampung.blogspot.com/2011/10/sabah-welcome-sea-food-restaurant.html

http://blog1.poco.cn/myBlogDetail-htx-id-6984256-userid-3227183-pri--n-0.xhtml

You won’t believe it - 1Kg of mud crabs（including cooking charge）cost only RM18. What a steal!

In Hong Kong and Shenzhen, it can cost 4 to 5 times as much! I believe Welcome seafood makes use of low price mud crab as a lose leader to attract gourmets which is quite a clever marketing gimmick.

Live swimming fish like groupers are only half the price that of Hong Kong! Only shell fish and tiger pawn (RM40 each pcs) are not cheap. Lobsters are imported from Australia and are therefore not too cheap. Check up the price yourself!