Kota Kinabalu or KK is the capital state of Sabah, Malaysia. It's a home of Mount Kinabalu where the city name was derived. KK is the popular gateway for tourists visiting Borneo, one of the oldest rainforests in the world. during our 3 days visit in KK we managed to explore the city on our own and with the help of friendly locals and fellow travelers and we also experience the culture and the local way of life.
When we arrived in KK we learned that our hotel accommodation is far from the city center. We were blessed that we've met Jen, a fellow Filipina traveler who helped us find another hotel near Gaya St. Gaya St. is located in KK Central Business District and if you are based in Gaya St. you can easily explore the city by foot, taxi or by bus.
KK Airport to Gaya St.
To get to Gaya St. from KK airport ride the airpot bus and tell the driver to drop you off at the bus stop near Gaya St. Bus fare is RM 5 only while taxi fare is a bit expensive. Travel time is up to 30 minutes.
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| that was our bus and this is where the bus dropped us off |
Before we look for hotel we decided to have lunch first since it was already lunch time when we reached Gaya St.
Jen brought us to Yee Fung, a Chinese Restaurant that serves bothe Malay and Chiness cuisine. One thing I learned from travelling is when a restaurant has so many customers, it is most likely that they serve good and cheap food.
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| Claypot chicken rice is the best seller of Yee Fung Restaurant for RM 7.50 |
I am not a milk tea lover but I became addicted to it as a soon I tasted the KK's milk tea or teh tarik.
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| Teh Tarik for RM 3 |
After we found our hotel accommodation we walked around the city to familiarized ourselves with the help of Jen who became our instant guide since it's her third time already in KK. We only parted our ways when we reached Jesselton Point and it was also time for her to go to her hotel to check-in.
KK Heritage Tour
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| Jesselton Point |
From Jesselton Point we tried to find a bus that will pass the KK's City Mosque but we couldn't find it so we've decided to hail a taxi instead. Most of the taxis in KK are not using meter so before you ride ask the taxi driver how much is the fare. From Jesselton to City Mosque asked RM 20 back and forth and he said he is willing to wait for us. Vincent, our taxi driver became our tour guide too on our second day in KK.
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| on Muslim wear |
Non-Muslim tourists are allowed inside the mosque provided that you covered yourself from head to toe. There are Muslim wear for rental outside the mosque starting from RM 5.
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| Signal Hill Observatory Tower in KK |
Instead of going back to our hotel, we asked Vincent to bring us to Signal Hill Observatory Tower for additional RM 20. Signal Hill Observatory Tower is the highest point in KK center where you can see the view of the entire city.
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| Atkinson Clock Tower |
On the way back down to our hotel from Signal Hill we passed the
Atkinson Clock Tower, the oldest standing structure in KK.
At the ground floor of our hotel there's a restaurant called Sin Kee Bah Kuh Teh, they also serve Malay and Chinese cuisine and of course their specialty is Bah Kuh Teh, a pork rib dish simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices. We didn't know about this dish so we missed trying it, instead we ordered a noddle dish only of late snack. Of course we were hungry so we forgot to take picture but let me tell you that the dish was tasty and the place was jammed pack with locals and foreigners.
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Malaysian Delight
(sorry for poor photo) |
For our late dinner we went to Upperstar Bar and Restaurant near Hyatt Hotel and just across the hotel we are staying, they serve Malay, Chinese and other Western cuisines. this is the first restaurant that I've been to that has desktop computer with internet access on the table that is free to use when you dine in. I had the Malaysian Delight which consists of steamed rice, hard boiled egg, chicken curry, grilled chicken dried small fish, chicken satay, peanuts and sambal sauce and it was good and cheap for RM 10 only. The lights in the restaurant are all dim so the photo above is unrecognizable.
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Laksa
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On the next day, we went back to Yee Fung Restaurant for breakfast. We tried the famous Laksa, it's a spicy noodle dish with a curry soup base. Even if I'm not a noodle soup person, I can say that it has a sumptuous taste. And for the second time, we ordered claypot chicken rice again. Yeah it was really good!
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| Bok Choy dish |
We also tried the bok choy dish or Chinese cabbage dish. The dish is pan fried and I like the garlicky flavor a lot.
Filipino Night Market (Pasar Malam)
After our roadtrip to nearby towns of KK on that day we went back to KK city before night fell and we went to Filipino Night Market to buy souvenirs and eat dinner. The Filipino Night Market is a large commercial building with stalls that vendors are mostly Filipinos, my Kababayan (fellow countrymen). They sell wet and dried goods from souvenirs like pearls and handicrafts, clothing, sea food and there are many other stuff to choose from. They are also selling ready to eat cooked food.
For our dinner, we had grilled chicken wings for RM 1.5 each and fried crabs for RM 5 only per order and we bought nasi goreng (fried rice) for RM 3 only. The chicken wings is not comparable to Philippine chicken inasal (grilled), ours is the best, the crabs was yummy and meaty and the nasi goreng was good too.
Gaya Street Sunday Market
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| some of the products sold at Gaya Street Sunday Market |
It was Sunday on our third day in KK and every Sunday morning Gaya Street is closed to traffic to give way to Gaya Street Sunday Market where vendors lay tables on the street and put their products for sale. Vendors often sell sarongs, different varieties of coffee and tea, pastries, street foods, fruits and vegetables, bags, watches, plants and herbs, sweets and many more. It is open as early as 6 AM until 1 PM. So before we headed to the beach on that day, we make sure to stroll Gaya street to scout for souvenirs and pasalubong (any homecoming gifts for family and friends).
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| street food |
And because we were heading to the beach, we've decided to buy street food as our packed breakfast. For only RM 4 you can choose 2 dishes and rice, I had rice, fried chicken and fish cake that tasted so good. Eat like a local, act like a local. Ohh yeah!!!
KK Esplanade
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| Marlin Statue |
Before the sun sets we headed back to KK from Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park (I will write separate post about the park). We headed to KK Esplanade where Marlin Statue is situated in the heart of KK City near Hyatt Hotel. The Marlin Statue is inaugurated last February 2, 2000 when KK got its city status.
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some locals and tourists waiting for sunset at the waterfront park
facing Pulau (island) Gaya, part of Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park |
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| sunset covered by thick clouds |
Suria Sabah
Since it was our last night in KK, after sunset viewing we went to check-out the Suria Sabah shopping mall to see what can we buy for additional pasalubong and to find money changer too because the money changer near our hotel is closed. I noticed that establishments in KK has no security guards even the malls to check everyone's bag before entering unlike malls in the Philippines where security guards are everywhere. But in the absence of security guards, I notice that there are push buttons on the walls of different establishments that you can pushed to alert police in case you need help.
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| at Suria Sabah entrance |
I think people of Sabah likes mixed martial arts too because we witnessed a game fight inside Suria Sabah.
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| mixed martial arts game fight that last for 1 round only |
KK Night Market
Ok mission accomplished, we bought additional pasalubong and exchanged money then it was time to hunt food for dinner. We've decided to go to KK Night Market to scout authentic Malay cuisine. KK Night Market is close to KK Esplanade where many restaurant stalls are offering fresh seafood at cheaper price and they will cook it for you according to your likeness.
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| fresh seafood |
We passed several stalls and the stall that really catch our attention is the Nadirasa Resipi because of the friendly soft spoken man standing in front of the stall encouraging customers to try their restaurant.
We bought 1 piece of fish that is almost 1 kg and 300 grams of shrimps. We didn't know Malaysian recipe but the man assured us that they will cooked the fish and the shrimps the Malaysian way.
True to his words the dishes did not disappoint us. All ingredients are fresh and both dishes are delicious and still making me droll while writing this :D. We paired the dishes with rice and of course my new favorite teh tarik.
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| shrimp dish - cooked in fresh black pepper sauce and herbs and other spices |
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| fish dish - fried and cooked with fresh spices, tomatoes and pineapple |
I know there are lot's of Malaysian cuisines that I missed during my KK visit that are worth trying for. So next time I'll be in KK I will make sure to try different Malay cuisines as many as I can. Do you have any suggestion? Ohhh I can't wait to visit KK again.
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