What a Wonderful World: KOTA KINABALU, Sabah Bah!

wow! da stgh tahun terkubur blog daku ini. Terpaksa gali semula. agak2 boleh igt x cite2 basi sume tu??? ok, lemme re-start with KK. Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2014 yo! advance setahun

date : 1 - 4 Nov ~~2014~~ 2013
sector : Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah, Malaysia truly Asia
group : En Azmi & family ^^ x 4 adults + 1 child + 1 infant

x edited pict. Muka gelap time ni sbb baru balik dr Lost World of Tambun, A Famosa Water Park, Tioman & Redang :( pastu bertambah hitam pegi KK island hoping. xpe, puas ati!! mari hitam kan lagiiii

the itinerary
Day 1 ~ KLIA - KKIA - Gayang Seafood Restaurant (Chinese Style) - Tuaran - The Upside Down House of Borneo in Tamparuli - Tamparuli Bridge - The Nabalu Market - Kundasang - Mt. Kinabalu Heritage Resort, Kundasang + Steamboat Dinner.
Day 2 ~ Panorama of Mt. Kinabalu's Peak - Ranau - Kipungit Waterfall + natural Fish Spa - Poring Hotspring - Sri Papar Restaurant - Tamu Kundasang - Kundasang War Memorial + Orchid Garden - Kinabalu National Park + World Heritage Site + Garden - Mari-Mari Cultural Village in Inanam + Show and Buffet dinner at Leke Leke Restaurant (5 tribes : Dusun, Rungus, Lundayeh, Bajau & Murut) - Cititel Express Hotel - Self exploring
Day 3 ~ Jesselton Point / Harbor / Jetty - Tunku Abdul Rahman Parks : Manukan Island & Sapi Island + BBQ buffet Lunch (2 islands out of 5) - Jamilah Jewelry - Filipino Market - Kg. Nelayan Restaurant + Show (floating seafood market restaurant) - Night Market.
Day 4 ~ Sutera Harbor (inspection) - KKIA - KL

my comments

1st time taking my family travel on MAS. i booked online. having 2 1/2 hours air journey. arrived at 11am at Terminal 1; while Terminal 2 is for Air Asia only (5 mins away).

the best meal we had is at Kg Nelayan. worth having. it is the best seafood in KK ever! then, Sri Papar Rstn in front of Poring hotspring entrance, cause they are serving deer meat with soy sauce. yum yum!! next is steamboat dinner at resort on our 1st night. both buffet dinner at Leke2 restaurant @ Mari2 and also buffet lunch at Sapi Island are nice. better than meals at Gayang Rstn. x sedap!! they served seafood with chinese style. but we dont prefer their cooking style.

the best show is at Mari-Mari Cultural Village. very entertaining. because it is a combination show from those 5 tribes. better than performance at Kg Nelayan Rstn. i can say "it was boring!"

regards on hotel, Kinabalu Heritage Resort is highly recommended. located at the Mesilau hill area, facing the Mt Kinabalu's peak. considered at the highest resort in KK. how about Cititel Express at KK city centre? well, i got a small room. a very-very-small-room *frustrated*. and my parents' room is not on the same floor as mine, quite troublesome for me each time i need to go to their room. not recommended unless you have small budget and prefer the hotel's location.

things to see? Upside down house is something unique, but kinda boring. ptot improve sket. no pict allowed inside the house. same goes to Poring Hotspring... i cant complaint much. not-so-clean. we took the indoor hotspring for RM15. whatever it is, i wont go to these 2 places no more. however, the Kipungit Waterfall (need to walk for 665m via Poring Hotspring; the furthest waterfall is Langanan 3,715m away) is a nice place. we were having a free natural fish spa there. unfortunately, there's price to 'pay' when i got slipped and my camera fall into that cold water. sedey!! oh my cammy ;( ~~ then due to that accident, i dont have any island photo taken by myself. thought, i'll enjoy the island hoping. oh, my expectation is too high. both Manukan & Sapi are beautiful islands, but sadly there's no coral. all i can see just a grey sand and some litter -.-' . i heard that Mamutik is better. Manukan means chicken (manuk), Sapi means Ox (lembu), Mamutik means Duck (itik), Gaya means big and Sulug is one of the local tribes.
LUCKILY we managed to get the best view of kinabalu mt.'s peak (4,095m), the war memorial (what a sad story to tell -- kekejaman org Jpn 1943-1945)... a beautiful place for wedding photoshoot too. oh ya, not to forget i saw a €9K orchid, seriously, im not bluffing. the orchid name is known as Slipper or Queen of Orchid. at the Mari-Mari Cultural Village.. i did enjoyed the uniqueness of traditional houses, activities, culture, lifestyle of Dusun, Rungus, Lundayeh, Bajau & Murut. i experienced the pipe-blowing, cooking, fire making, dancing, rope making, 'tattoo' drawing, and many more.

even though im unable to see the real Rafflesia flower, but at least i saw one giant Rafflesia replica at Kinabalu Park. thanks Kinabalu Park for making my dream come true -.-"

cheaper items can be found at Nabalu Market. apart from that, you can shop souvenirs, local snacks and fresh fruits at Tamu (market) Kundasang (not far from Heritage Resort & War Memorial). as for the accessories, we bought a lot at Jamilah Handicraft (with 50% less for all items) not far from Le Meridien Hotel and City Parade Mall. about 250m from Filipino Market. i dont like to shop those pearl at Filipino market. it's too expensive, i dont like the design and doesnt have quality.. (i bought 1 set of brooch and its already broken after a week). we went to Sunday night market. we found cheaper brooch @RM1 each. however, we can get cheap Kuih Cincin or anchovies or other dried fish at Filipino Market (belah kanan ujung skali). my sista bought a lot of "amplang". for me, Kuih Cincin2 @ Sabah is softer than Kuih Cincin Sarawak. no offense ya, Sarawak people. this is just my point of view

finally i found one street foot massage nearby the night market. it's time to pamper my foot & shoulder ^^ ahhhh

i would like to say thanks to Mr Sam (Somido), our local tour guide

and did you know?
the 1st person climbed Kinabalu Mt was Mr Gundohing Gunting Lagadan
March 1851

additional info, people from Peninsular Malaysia can enter Sabah/Sarawak by using either passport or IC. if by using passport, it is similar like entering other countries in this world; we need to get the immigration stamping on our passport. while if using IC, they will give us a small 'piece of paper' or visitor pass - make sure you dont throw it away cause you wont be able to return back to Peninsular if you lost it!!!

my investment:-
flight ticket on MAS @ RM 380 / adult
package rate @ RM 845 / adult
included : hotel , transport, guide, driver, meals, snorkeling, tips etc
breakfast @ KLIA @ RM 25
rumah terbalik @ RM 10 / adult
souvenir @ Nabalu Mkt @ RM 19
add fried rice @ resort @ RM 14 / set
poring hotspring - indoor @ RM 15 / room
fruits @ Kundasang Mkt @ RM 11
souvenir @ Mari2 @ RM 22
pearl @ Jamilah @ RM 29
souvenir @ Filipino Mkt @ RM 15
kuih cincin x 2 @ RM 20
souvenir @ night mkt @ RM 25
foot massage @ RM 25
taxi fare @ RM 15 x 2 = RM 30
Sabah leather clutch @ RM 13
parking @ KLIA @ RM 144
toll @ RM 2.50 + RM 4.30 x 2 = RM 13.60
fuel @ RM 20

phewww!!! tak sanggop nk total up the expenses -.-"