Last week, me, Precious Pea and a 5'8" tall friend went for a short trip in Kota Kinablu as we managed to book the AirAsia free seats promotion months ago.
Our accommodation at the new Radius International Waterfront.
The reception area and rooms are all located on 7th Floor with a shopping mall located on the ground floor.
The RM120 nett room/nite (no breakfast).
An extra mattress for RM30 ... you can also opt for the 'sleeping chair' on the left. I was given the privilege to sleep on the mattress after losing out in battle.
The waterfront view ... err where is the view with water?
Took us some time to figured out how to operate this shower equipment after getting wet all over with water coming out from 4 directions!
Nexus Karambunai Resort - I took the photos when the tour guide have to make a stop and picked up a family who booked for the same tour package. It was raining that morning with very cloudy sky but the hotel is very impressive.
We booked a full day tour to Poring Hot Springs and Kinabalu National Park for RM150 per person. It was a 2.5 hours ride from KK town and along the way, we past small towns and scattered villages to the Kundasang Valley, then further east to Poring.
The Poring Hot Springs is a tropical lowland rain forests. First developed by the Japanese during World War II, it is now amongst Sabah’s top tourism destinations. The sulphuric, hot waters of the spring are piped into open-air Japanese-style baths, where you can rest your tired limbs after the climb of Mt Kinabalu. Poring is named after a species of giant bamboo that grows abundantly in the area.
Because it has been raining since we arrived and also on the tour day, walking up the steep trail was very exhausting and slippery but good exercise to burn off the calories from eating all those seafood! It took us about 20 minutes before we reached the canopy walk using this trail. Even elderly people climbed up the trail and because of this, we are determined not to give up until we reach the top!
The Canopy walkway - 100 to 200 ft above the forest floor.
Below the canopy walk ... can you see the earth?
Water flow from a stream
One of the many hot springs tub.
Kinabalu National Park is Malaysia's first World Heritage Site, designated by UNESCO in 2000 for its "outstanding universal values" and as one of the important biological sites in the world. It covers an area of 754 sq km surrounding Mount Kinabalu. This botanical area has a variety of flora and fauna that ranges over 4 climate zones.
Plants @ Kinabalu National Park ...
Cultivated Medinilla sp
Before it fully blooms
Closed-up shot
The plants
Flower plant
Fruits plant
Exotic leaves
Sabah is famous for its varieties of seafood but you will have to search for good non-cut-throat type of restaurants. We borrowed a KK Food Guide from a friend and from there started our search on food. Here are some of them ...
For only RM1 for 2 pc, this bread with kaya and butter will melt in your mouth in just 1 bite! I never tasted a bread so soft before (even better than Sun Moulin's Queen bread) ... absolutely yummy!
Another local delight ... rice noodles with yong tau foo. For RM1.30 per plate, this may not look appetizing but trust me, this is good stuff. No kidding!
Aquariums full of live seafoods!
The lighting deco in the Port View Seafood Restaurant (located just opposite Radius Waterfront).
Clams in superior soup
Another type of clams cooked in kung po style
Pak cheok prawns ... the soya sauce is nice and not too salty
Steam fish ... the soya sauce compliments very well with the fish
Soft shell crabs
Kam heong crab
My favorite: Sabah veg - very crunchy and nice ... this one stir-fried in XO sauce
Sabah veg with eggs
Stir-fried deer meat
Coconut pudding ... we only ordered 1 coconut to share but the portion is too big even for the 3 of us!
Frozen yogurt with fruits ... something different from ice-creams
Wafer ... nice to be eaten with the frozen yogurt
We are grateful to a colleague who drove us around town and fetched us to and from airport. The overall trip was fun ... maybe next time I'll conquer Mt Kinabalu. Joining me, girls?
4 comments:
Hahahahahaha...i like the photo of us which you edited!!
Mt Kinabalu?? Errr....you go ahead...hehehe...beh tahan lerrr!
PP: Beauty is hidden behind a 'mask' :P ... if climbing mountain not ur cup of tea then shopping trip also can be arranged!
Lovely photos...been there twice and looking for more....your trips ould be term as complete but if without hiking up the mount KK, then eeeer.....something missing lo...i been up there twice....really can't express the excitement and the beatiful scenery u never imgaine when u r above the cloud....AMAZING
Yong: My travel mates not very keen to climb any mountain ;P But the next time I'll definitely try to conquer Mount KK and shout from the peak "I'm King of the World!"
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