2 Aug 2009 - Haze in Kota Kinabalu
How bad was the air in Kota Kinabalu? It literally felt that I was walking around in a giant ashtray. It was hot, much hotter than Singapore, and hazy. The jungles are on fire and no one’s doing a damned thing.
Novotel was a fantastic hotel, albeit with an awful location. It’s a long ways away from town, located in a massive mall. The good thing was that the hotel is brand spanking new, so the rooms were lovely. The bad thing was that the mall was also brand spanking new, so there were many empty shop-fronts. Truly, my only complaint about the Novotel was the location. It was inconvenient to get to town (25RM taxi one way, or free hourly shuttle bus… which was meant for tourists, but used by locals, thus almost impossible to get a seat) and the surrounding area was not yet developed, so I could not take my morning walks to look for good local fare.
View from the room. You can see it’s pretty much surrounded by nothing. Right next door is the University, and opposite is the land awaiting development into a housing estate. I’m guessing the area will be properly decent in a few years, but right now, you’re better off staying in town.
We flew Jetstar and the flight was delayed by an hour. Which meant we arrived an hour late, which meant by the time we got to town, it was almost 5pm(we had to wait an extra hour for a shuttle bus as the previous ones were full), missing the Sunday market and other Sunday afternoon festivities. We took the free shuttle bus to town, grabbed a map and tried to make our way to the other end. Found this fresh market next to the docks. Pretty much like every other fresh market in asia, cept this one did not sell meat.
There were plenty of fresh fish. You can see the fishing boats right behind, so everything was catch of the day.
No raw meat on sale, but plenty of stuff on the grill. Yummy bits of chicken. Sadly, they didn’t sell chicken hearts. I developed a taste for them in Koh Samui
Fire fire burn so high..... heh. Sorry, I can’t explain it if you don’t get it
Lovely fresh seafood. Not as good as in the philipines when they cook to order. There were rows of shops with BBQs going, with seafood on the grill. All the stuff was pre-made, and they would heat it up for you when you made your order. I wasn’t impressed.
Narrow walkways of the Philippine Market (yes, that’s what the place is called. They sell crafts and souvenirs)
Pasar Kraftangan.
Down the street from the market, you can find lanes of street vendors setting up shop (we took our walk about dinner time). This was one of the more interesting places. I think it was Nasi Lemak, packed in clear plastic bags. I know I extort the virtues of street food, but I am hesitant to try stuff that’s left out (especially in our climate). I am all for the streetside noodle vendor, since there is cooking involved, but I usually draw the line at pre-made cooked food left out on display.
A very common sign in KK. “Serve No Pork”. KK being more malay than Kuching (which has a larger Chinese population). I missed pork for the first 3 days of the trip.
The Sabah Tourism building. Due to our late arrival, the place was closed by the time we got there. Twas a pity as it contained a wealth of information and brochures that would’ve made our trip much better (we did manage to go in on day 3)
KK town is not very big. We basically walked from one end to the other within 30mins. This was Jesselton point, basically the ‘end’ of town. We got there just in time to see the sun set over the mountains. JP is a beautiful place. I really liked it. Wonderfully romantic. Strangely, no budding entrepreneur had thought to set up a restaurant by the dock.
Public toilets are not free in Malaysia, and they sure know how to advertise.
This is called Bak Kut Teh in Hokkien, literally translated to ‘Pork Rib Tea’. It’s not really tea, but it has the colour of tea as its brewed with a bunch of herbs and spices. This was literally the 2nd best bowl of BKT I’ve had in my life (the best bowl belonging to an out-of-the-way shop in Ipoh). I would fly back to KK JUST to have this soup.
For those of you who happen to visit KK. The BKT shop is located along Jalan Gaya, directly opposite Jesselton Hotel. There are several coffeeshops selling BKT along this stretch, but I assure you, this is the best one.
3 Aug 2009 - Shy mountain
We were pretty lucky to find ONE tour agency/dive shop open (they all close on Sunday. Strange no?) and we managed to book a day trip out to see Mount Kinabalu and the Poring hot springs.
It was a long and windy drive up to the Mount Kinabalu park HQ. Easily 3 hours going up and up and up. The best part of the drive was seeing the mountain. Cos of the switchbacks, the mountain would drift to the left and right of the van.
Our tourguide mentioned that Mount Kinabalu is a ‘shy mountain’, always hiding behind clouds. And that was pretty much the view most of the day. We did get a really lucky unblocked view of the mountain (keep reading) on our way back.
Unfortunate name for a town? Depends what dialect you speak.
First stop was the Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden. Lots of orchids and Pitcher plants. Too bad we arrived at the wrong season to catch a glimpse of the Rafflesia.
Renting a private room cost 20RM. That’s really cheap. But then again, there are FREE hotspring pools in the compound. Very interesting set up. Each public basin is first-come-first-served, you get in one and turn on the water from the spring. These are free, but you can’t get naked (You probably could, but it would be frowned upon). If you’d like privacy, you can rent a room, but there are only 10 of them, and they are also on a first-come-first-served basis. No reservations.
A rare photo op. Our tourguide was kind enough to stop the bus and let us snap away. Even the tourguide and the busdriver were taking photos, so rarely does the Mountain appear so clearly.
That’s the Novotel. Like I said, lovely place, lovely rooms, fantasic bathroom… I forgot to mention, they had 24inch iMac’s in the lobby with internet access. I was able to check scores everyday and manage my team.
It was a long and windy drive up to the Mount Kinabalu park HQ. Easily 3 hours going up and up and up. The best part of the drive was seeing the mountain. Cos of the switchbacks, the mountain would drift to the left and right of the van.
Our tourguide mentioned that Mount Kinabalu is a ‘shy mountain’, always hiding behind clouds. And that was pretty much the view most of the day. We did get a really lucky unblocked view of the mountain (keep reading) on our way back.
Unfortunate name for a town? Depends what dialect you speak.
First stop was the Mount Kinabalu Botanical Garden. Lots of orchids and Pitcher plants. Too bad we arrived at the wrong season to catch a glimpse of the Rafflesia.
Renting a private room cost 20RM. That’s really cheap. But then again, there are FREE hotspring pools in the compound. Very interesting set up. Each public basin is first-come-first-served, you get in one and turn on the water from the spring. These are free, but you can’t get naked (You probably could, but it would be frowned upon). If you’d like privacy, you can rent a room, but there are only 10 of them, and they are also on a first-come-first-served basis. No reservations.
A rare photo op. Our tourguide was kind enough to stop the bus and let us snap away. Even the tourguide and the busdriver were taking photos, so rarely does the Mountain appear so clearly.
That’s the Novotel. Like I said, lovely place, lovely rooms, fantasic bathroom… I forgot to mention, they had 24inch iMac’s in the lobby with internet access. I was able to check scores everyday and manage my team.
4 Aug 2009 - Island Hopping in Haze
Day 3 saw us taking a boat from Jesselton point on an island hopping tour. The weather was fine, but the haze was awful. It was a hazy shade of grey and the sun was totally hidden. Also, I’ve been totally ruined by the Singagao trip. All future beach/boat/island hopping trips would be judged based on the Singagao trip. All beaches would be compared to the ones in Surigao and all will be found lacking.
As it is, and it shall ever be in Malaysia… First stop is to pay money. 3RM for Malaysians, 10RM for non-malaysians. This is supposed to be a park maintenance and conservation fee. I would happily pay it I knew the money was being put to good use.
Pulau Mamutik. Looking at the horrid beach, I think not.
The 2nd island we visited was called Pulau Manukan. Trust me when I say this. The beach was not this nice. Though I did not use photoshop, I took many liberties with composition and cropping to make this beach look this nice.
We had originally planned on going to Pulau Sapi as well, but the boatman recommended that we do not as the weather had not been very good. The seas were horridly choppy, but I’m guessing it hadn’t rained in KK for a while. Returning to the mainland, we decided to head up to Signal Hill Observatory Platform. It’s supposed to have an amazing view out to sea and of KK town. But the haze pretty much ensured we only saw grey.
As it is, and it shall ever be in Malaysia… First stop is to pay money. 3RM for Malaysians, 10RM for non-malaysians. This is supposed to be a park maintenance and conservation fee. I would happily pay it I knew the money was being put to good use.
Pulau Mamutik. Looking at the horrid beach, I think not.
The 2nd island we visited was called Pulau Manukan. Trust me when I say this. The beach was not this nice. Though I did not use photoshop, I took many liberties with composition and cropping to make this beach look this nice.
We had originally planned on going to Pulau Sapi as well, but the boatman recommended that we do not as the weather had not been very good. The seas were horridly choppy, but I’m guessing it hadn’t rained in KK for a while. Returning to the mainland, we decided to head up to Signal Hill Observatory Platform. It’s supposed to have an amazing view out to sea and of KK town. But the haze pretty much ensured we only saw grey.
5 Aug 2009 - Haze in Kuching
Day 4 saw us move from KK to Kuching. We flew Airasia and while it was not as horrid as flying Tiger, it certainly felt CHEAP. They make no qualms about being a budget airline. All things considered, it was not that bad. Flight was on time, seats relatively comfortable, stewardesses relative attractive. No big complaints.
We arrived pretty late in Kuching and unlucky for us, the hotel had allocated our room to someone else. I had prepaid for a riverview room, but they no longer had any available and gave us a streetview. Traveller tip: ranting and raving does not help in such circumstances. Being gracious gets you much, much further. I simply told the staff I was disappointed that their promise to me was not fulfilled and I hoped to be moved when a room became available. They promised me that one would be free the next day, so I said, fine, we’ll take the streetview room for the first night.
Not 15mins after we got to our room, the phone rang and guess what. They upgraded us… to a suite. The room was HUGE. With a separate dressing room and bathroom. The bathroom was easily as big as a normal room. SWEEEEET!
The building on the right is Fort Margherita and the one on the left is the newly built and commissioned Sarawak State Assembly (DUN) building. How new was it? It seems the opening ceremony of the building was not 3 days before we arrived.
Awesome looking makan place across the river. Unfortunately, we had yet to learn how to cross to the other side(you can take the boats for about 50sen), so we decided to eat on the waterfront.
kereng meehoon goreng special. Basically rice noodles fried with clams and prawns. I really liked this dish (there would be a repeat performance on day 6)
After putting the better half to bed, I decided I need to stretch my legs and take an exploratory walk near the hotel. Not such a good idea. You’d think that it would be cool at night, but no. The haze literally trapped the heat, so the nights were hot, and being next to the river meant it was especially humid. I had barely walked 200m before my shirt was soaked through. Sucking in all that smoke wasn’t good for my lungs either (more to this story later)
We arrived pretty late in Kuching and unlucky for us, the hotel had allocated our room to someone else. I had prepaid for a riverview room, but they no longer had any available and gave us a streetview. Traveller tip: ranting and raving does not help in such circumstances. Being gracious gets you much, much further. I simply told the staff I was disappointed that their promise to me was not fulfilled and I hoped to be moved when a room became available. They promised me that one would be free the next day, so I said, fine, we’ll take the streetview room for the first night.
Not 15mins after we got to our room, the phone rang and guess what. They upgraded us… to a suite. The room was HUGE. With a separate dressing room and bathroom. The bathroom was easily as big as a normal room. SWEEEEET!
The building on the right is Fort Margherita and the one on the left is the newly built and commissioned Sarawak State Assembly (DUN) building. How new was it? It seems the opening ceremony of the building was not 3 days before we arrived.
Awesome looking makan place across the river. Unfortunately, we had yet to learn how to cross to the other side(you can take the boats for about 50sen), so we decided to eat on the waterfront.
kereng meehoon goreng special. Basically rice noodles fried with clams and prawns. I really liked this dish (there would be a repeat performance on day 6)
After putting the better half to bed, I decided I need to stretch my legs and take an exploratory walk near the hotel. Not such a good idea. You’d think that it would be cool at night, but no. The haze literally trapped the heat, so the nights were hot, and being next to the river meant it was especially humid. I had barely walked 200m before my shirt was soaked through. Sucking in all that smoke wasn’t good for my lungs either (more to this story later)
6 Aug 2009 - Heritage Trail in Haze
Unlike our “play-by-ear” KK adventure, Kuching was pretty much pre-planned all the way. Day 5 was our day to explore the town and day 6 and 7, would be guided day trips with Henry (Thanks to the recommendation from Jason and Val). Day 8 would be last minute shopping before returning to Singapore.
As usual, I get up before the sun whenever I’m on holiday, and I love to explore the town to see it ‘wake up’. Morning view of the Kuching waterfront. HAZE…
I decided on taking the “Kuching” trail to see the 3 kuching statues along their Chinatown (Kuching is a Chinese town, so their Chinatown is pretty much just another street). This is the tacky, cliché tourist one. Everyone takes their picture here to prove they’ve been to Kuching (btw, Kuching is Malay for cat, but historians are still arguing about how Kuching got its name… certainly not because of cats)
I… WANT… TO… EAT… SOME… BBQ…
2nd tacky kitty statue.
This statue is actually the one leading into town, so it’s kind of like a ‘welcoming’ statue. There’s some story about it being donated by so-and-so, but I never really bothered to read it.
Did I mention I missed pork. Well this place had freshly butchered pork. No refrigeration to keep the meat chilled, no sanitary practices whatsoever. I feel suddenly hungry.
Breakfast was Pork Mee Special. A little liver, a little intestine, some stomach, prawns and fishballs. As Anthony Bourdain would say “ahh. The good stuff”
That’s the view from the room. Pity about the haze.
In Kuching, we pretty much had a rough idea of where to go and what to see. We had already grabbed maps and decided on following the ‘Kuching Heritage Trail’. Touristy I know, but heck. I’m a tourist. First stop was the ‘Tua Pek Kong’ temple. Supposedly the oldest temple in Kuching.
Lovely sign along the Waterfront Bazaar. Souvenir shops have taken hold of the shop houses here. Quaint little mom and pop shops that used to sell everything from furniture to toys to sundries have been converted to airconditioned tourist traps. Very much like Chinatown in Singapore. Everything’s been cleaned up and given a facelift. Unlike Singapore, most of the old world charm still exists. Behind the façade of the tourist store, you can still peer in and see what the shop used to be like. Very interesting stuff.
Day view of the Sarawak State Assembly (DUN) building.
The former courthouse. Currently the Sarawak Tourism Board HQ.
Pillar dedicated to the white Rajahs of Sarawak. (hit wiki if you wanna know more)
Doesn’t that look like some guard holding a spear on top of the fort? Like something out of the 19th century. Actually, it was some dude with a big straw hat repainting the roof.
SPICE!!!
From the top… Butter, Margarine and Ghee…
I know Kuching was not named after cats, but since I love cats, I had to visit the cat museum. It was mostly crap. Displays had no rhyme or reason. There were categories, but in all honesty, the curator was really stretching the theme. At least it was free.
The Astana. Will not bother with history lesson, go hit wiki or google.
View from the waterfront. That’s the Hilton where we stayed.
A really interesting temple we found along Carpenter street. The temple’s façade faced sideways towards the next shophouse instead of into the street.
It’s pretty easy to get around Kuching. And there are history lessons displayed pretty much everywhere. I did enjoy the Heritage trail and reading all the signs detailing the histories of the area/buildings. Educational, and more importantly, entertaining.
The Sarawak State Museum. I really liked the displays on the 2nd floor. Not so much the stuffed animals on the first floor. The stuffed animals were really creepy.
Another view of the Sarawak State Assembly (DUN) building.
Midin fried with belacan. Midin is a fern, harvested wild from secondary forests and it’s delicious. Its wonderfully crunchy even after cooking and it doesn’t have that horrid bitter taste normally associated with vegetable stems. I loved it.
As usual, I get up before the sun whenever I’m on holiday, and I love to explore the town to see it ‘wake up’. Morning view of the Kuching waterfront. HAZE…
I decided on taking the “Kuching” trail to see the 3 kuching statues along their Chinatown (Kuching is a Chinese town, so their Chinatown is pretty much just another street). This is the tacky, cliché tourist one. Everyone takes their picture here to prove they’ve been to Kuching (btw, Kuching is Malay for cat, but historians are still arguing about how Kuching got its name… certainly not because of cats)
I… WANT… TO… EAT… SOME… BBQ…
2nd tacky kitty statue.
This statue is actually the one leading into town, so it’s kind of like a ‘welcoming’ statue. There’s some story about it being donated by so-and-so, but I never really bothered to read it.
Did I mention I missed pork. Well this place had freshly butchered pork. No refrigeration to keep the meat chilled, no sanitary practices whatsoever. I feel suddenly hungry.
Breakfast was Pork Mee Special. A little liver, a little intestine, some stomach, prawns and fishballs. As Anthony Bourdain would say “ahh. The good stuff”
That’s the view from the room. Pity about the haze.
In Kuching, we pretty much had a rough idea of where to go and what to see. We had already grabbed maps and decided on following the ‘Kuching Heritage Trail’. Touristy I know, but heck. I’m a tourist. First stop was the ‘Tua Pek Kong’ temple. Supposedly the oldest temple in Kuching.
Lovely sign along the Waterfront Bazaar. Souvenir shops have taken hold of the shop houses here. Quaint little mom and pop shops that used to sell everything from furniture to toys to sundries have been converted to airconditioned tourist traps. Very much like Chinatown in Singapore. Everything’s been cleaned up and given a facelift. Unlike Singapore, most of the old world charm still exists. Behind the façade of the tourist store, you can still peer in and see what the shop used to be like. Very interesting stuff.
Day view of the Sarawak State Assembly (DUN) building.
The former courthouse. Currently the Sarawak Tourism Board HQ.
Pillar dedicated to the white Rajahs of Sarawak. (hit wiki if you wanna know more)
Doesn’t that look like some guard holding a spear on top of the fort? Like something out of the 19th century. Actually, it was some dude with a big straw hat repainting the roof.
SPICE!!!
From the top… Butter, Margarine and Ghee…
I know Kuching was not named after cats, but since I love cats, I had to visit the cat museum. It was mostly crap. Displays had no rhyme or reason. There were categories, but in all honesty, the curator was really stretching the theme. At least it was free.
The Astana. Will not bother with history lesson, go hit wiki or google.
View from the waterfront. That’s the Hilton where we stayed.
A really interesting temple we found along Carpenter street. The temple’s façade faced sideways towards the next shophouse instead of into the street.
It’s pretty easy to get around Kuching. And there are history lessons displayed pretty much everywhere. I did enjoy the Heritage trail and reading all the signs detailing the histories of the area/buildings. Educational, and more importantly, entertaining.
The Sarawak State Museum. I really liked the displays on the 2nd floor. Not so much the stuffed animals on the first floor. The stuffed animals were really creepy.
Another view of the Sarawak State Assembly (DUN) building.
Midin fried with belacan. Midin is a fern, harvested wild from secondary forests and it’s delicious. Its wonderfully crunchy even after cooking and it doesn’t have that horrid bitter taste normally associated with vegetable stems. I loved it.
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