Malaysia | Singapore Travel Photo Blog @ travelerfolio.com

Hopping around Kota Kinabalu city

After a fantastic day out snorkeling in Pulau Sapi and Pulau Manukan, we just wandered around the waterfront area, trying to sniff out any surprises along the way. At the roundabout near the Central Market in Jalan Tun Fuad Stephen, a giant marlin seems to have leapt out of South China Sea and stays inland timelessly, with Pulau Gaya in the background.

More fish statues adorning the waterfront.

Further down, many fishing boats are docked near the central fish market. The boatmen can balance themselves really well, carrying loads while crossing on such narrow wooden plankway.

There are plenty of local food stalls all over the waterfront area.

I’m a great durian lover but have never seen anything like this before: the thorns are longer and sharper, and the shape of the fruit resembles durian. Yes, it’s durian. The Malay seller told us. She expressed that this kind of durian is not tasty at all and suggested we buy the “regular” durians. While staring at those alien fruits, the lady opened up one of them to eat. The flesh is red!

I was really curious about the taste of red-fleshed durian. We chose the SMALLEST one since the seller said they are not nice to eat, and bought one at RM 3 (RM 6/KG) and another yellow-fleshed durian.

Say “WOW!” after me. The flesh is gorgeously red! Very eager to try it. Then another surprise. After taking one bite of the red flesh, I wanted to spit it out. Is this durian? It’s almost tasteless! I can tell you that I have tasted the worst durian of my life!

Any idea if this red durian is only found in Borneo, or just Sabah? Can I call it Sabah durian? @_@

Maybe NON-DURIAN Lovers will like this kind of red durian since it’s almost tasteless. To me, it has a very slight taste of avocado. Let me know how you find the taste if you ever tried some before!

While in a cab along Jalan Tun Fuad Stephen to 1Borneo Hypermall, we saw this magnificent mosque near the sea. It is Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, the biggest mosque in KK that can accommodate 9,000 – 12,000 people.

From our hotel (King Park Hotel) at the city centre, it costs us RM 30/way to get to 1Borneo HyperMall, the first and largest lifestyle mall in East Malaysia. About the mall, if you need retail therapy, it is the place.

We dropped by a coffee cafe called Borneo 1945 Museum Kopitiam which is located on the ground floor of Borneo Backpackers. It’s run by a friendly Chinese couple. We asked the boss why it’s called Museum Kopitiam. He explained that the cafe does not have a museum in the precinct, it’s just that the location used to be a campsite for the Australian army during World War II.

There are articles and photos displayed on the wall, depicting the early days of Jesselton which is now known as Kota Kinabalu. The capital is also affectionately known as Api Api by the locals.

It’s quite interesting to see antique furniture, old artefacts, and even an old bicycle and a sewing machine displayed at one corner in the cafe.

The boss recommended us hot and cold Borneo White Coffee. They serve good traditional charcoal toasted bread too. A great place to sip in your coffee and relax in this rustic cafe that opens till late night.

*Borneo 1945*Museum Kopitiam.

Great sunset view over the sea. It’s only 6pm!

On the 4th day, we flew back Singapore by Malaysia Airlines. If you are planning for holidays now and searching for good airfare deals, check out MAS website for their special rates.

An aerial photo of Singapore on a cloudy day, unfortunately, else the view could be a lot nicer with tall buildings like paper model buildings all over the tiny island. It’s monsoon season now with frequent afternoon showers.

Posted by eunice Posted in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Comments (19)

Burnt in Manukan island

Sabah is known as “the land below the winds” as it is located below the typhoon-prone region around the Philippines. Many tourists visit Sabah for Mount Kinabalu, a World Heritage Site since year 2000 and its exotic islands can be visited all year round.

The boat operator fetched us from Sapi island to the nearby Manukan island, the second largest and most popular island in Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park (TAR Park) with developed tourist facilities and hiking trails. Besides, there is a resort on the island called Manukan Island Resort with chalets overlooking the South China Sea.

The entrance to Pulau Manukan. You do not need to pay the conservation fee again if you’ve already paid that on another island.

That’s a way to lure many fish swarm around you for a photogenic moment. The man was joyfully feeding the fish with some bread which you can buy from the nearby stall. Once a friend didn’t get hold of his bread and it floated to his face. You can guess what happened next. He was fish-kissed.

I guess we will see more visitors on weekends. It was a Tuesday afternoon without many beach-goers. You can have the beach to yourself!

I think there are NO public lockers on the islands. So, it’s advisable not to bring valuables along. Our most expensive belongings at that time was the digital camera. We were told to cover our bag with a towel (“security”!) as we left the bag on the bench near the shore. Fortunately, a lady who took the same boat with us preferred to stay in the shade so she looked after our belongings and we could have a peace of mind even though the place looked pretty safe.

There aren’t many eateries in Manukan. Food is a lot more expensive on the island – a normal buffet (not very appealing) can cost you RM100++! No wonder we saw many island hoppers bring their own lunch.

Still, we had to feed our rumbling stomachs. We had lunch at Prahu Restaurant that’s run by Manukan Island Resort- Sutera Sanctuary Lodges. Anyway, it’s the only restaurant on the island.

We ordered a plate of Yang Chow fried rice that costs RM 18 and six sticks of chicken satay at RM 9. Well, you can say that the dishes cost more on the island. However, we enjoyed our meals at this restaurant.

The sunny sky turned overcast.

And there were even fewer swimmers around. The water became murky and it was quite unpleasant when the water visibility was so low that I couldn’t see what was around me in the sea. Some of the tourists that came with us had already left the island as they said the mainland was raining heavily. We stayed on for our boat to pick us up at 4pm.

See? I was swimming in my very big private pool! From afar, dark gloomy clouds were looming over the mainland.

Gosh, it was pouring when we left the island. While on the way back on a bumpy boat ride, the raindrops hit us really hard like sharp needles. Our clothes were all wet. Now I know why many left the island before us when they thought there was a storm in the mainland.

Back to Jesselton Point, we came across an indoor soccer centre surrounded with net.

Here is another night market just a stone’s throw away from our hotel (King Park hotel) – Kampung Air Night Market which opens from 5.30pm to 11pm. There are stalls selling clothes, accessories, bags, souvenirs, etc.

Look at my skin. I didn’t re-apply sunscreen while island-hopping, perhaps that’s why I was miserably suffering from a first degree sunburn. Somehow, Jacky did not get sunburn even though he also didn’t re-apply sunscreen. I should have applied more sunscreen, at least every two hours, according to the doctor. I was in pain for days! And now, I’m left with some unsightly sunburn marks on my arms and legs. But I think the recovery cream prescribed by the doctor helps a lot. Remember to buy Travel Insurance! I made a medical claim for that!

Sigh… the only way to get rid of the ugly patches is to let time heal.

Time flies! It’s December! The festive seasons are around the corner. Do you have any holiday plans? I’m definitely going somewhere soon! If you are looking for good deals on airfares, check out Malaysia Airlines. They have great bargains now.

Next, more about Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

Read Pulau Sapi | Filipino Night Market | My first trip to Borneo

Posted by eunice Posted in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Comments (15)

Island Hopping in K.K

The next morning, following the visit at the Filipino Night Market, we were fully-charged for island-hopping at Tunku Abdul Rahman marine park which consists of five idyllic islands – Sulug, Gaya, Manukan, Mamutik and Sapi. It’s merely a 5-min ride by taxi from King Park Hotel (where we stayed) to Kota Kinabalu Ferry Terminal at Jesselton Point, and that cost us a standard rate of RM 10.

At Jesselton Point, there are different tour operators providing ferry and motorboat services to the nearby islands. We didn’t bother to compare the rates offered by each operator as we guess it’s pretty straightforward since we just wanted to do a day of island-hopping. Anyway it was already 10 0′clock in the morning at Jesselton Point. Do check out the time for the next departure since you won’t want long waiting time for your boat transfer to the island.

Note: Pulau = island (Malay -> English)

We were pretty comfortable with the boat operator at the first counter near the entrance. The friendly staff recommended us to go Mamutik island as it has nice house reef and fewer people. But we decided to go Pulau Sapi and Pulau Manukan partly because our dear blogger from Sabah, Henry from Clevermunkey.blogspot.com, has been to Pulau Sapi before and posted some lovely photos of Pulau Sapi at his blog.

According to the boat operator, Sapi island is smaller and we can stay there for an hour. Then the boat will come and fetch us around noon time to Manukan island which is bigger and we can have our lunch there.

How much does it cost for the boat transfers?

It costs us RM 54 per pax which includes a life jacket, snorkel mask and boat transfers to the two islands and back to the passenger ferry terminal at Jesselton point. (as on Nov ‘09).

Tips for snorkeler:

Rent the life jacket and snorkel mask from the boat operator if you plan to visit more than one island so that you just need to return the gears when you return to Jesselton Point. If not, you have to rent the gears on each island and that will cost you more.

We went island-hopping on a fine beautiful Tuesday. The crowd was small, probably ‘cos it was a weekday. I think most of them were tourists from some Western countries and also Malaysians from other states.

Ferry and motorboats at the passenger ferry terminal.

There came our motorboat. It takes roughly about 20-min short and breezy “roller-coaster” ride to Pulau Sapi. How lucky the people are in Kota Kinabalu. It doesn’t cost much and at such short distances away, you can get on to the sun-kissed beaches with crystal-clear waters, beautiful corals and exotic marine life.

It’s exciting to see such lovely blue tones of the sea just after a short boat ride from the mainland. Nature’s colours can blend in so well.

Unlike the resort that we stayed on Pulau Redang where we had to jump into the water and lift our bags above our heads and literally walked up to the shore, this one has a dock for goodness sake.

Lovely, isn’t it? We were on Sapi island.

Waters that seem to be tainted with different shades of blue.

The entrance to Pulau Sapi.

We just need to pay once for the conservation fee for all the five islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman marine park. For non-Malaysian of 18 yrs and above, it’s RM10; for those below 18 yrs old, it’s RM 6. If you dive, that’s RM 50 for non-Malaysian. You pay at the entrance of the island.

I love Sapi island for its clear water and white powdery beach. Also spotted some Anemonefish which we like to call them NEMO affectionately, colourful parrot fish, bat fish and the list goes on… er-hem excuse me but I’m not good in naming marine creatures!

Alright, as the signboard shows, swim at your own risk. Personally, I think it’s pretty safe to swim near the shore as the water is shallow. I always wear a life jacket even though I can swim pretty well (I guess!). You can’t underestimate the underlying water current even though the sea may look calm. Just don’t swim over the designated area that’s bounded by the ropes.

You can go monitor-lizard “hunting” (notice the double quotes here!) on the island. We saw a few big ones! Those critters are ferocious and they can move very quickly. Be careful. Don’t stand too near them.

Around 12pm+, our boat came to fetch us to another island – Manukan, the most visited island in the marine park.

Also, if you are planning for an overseas trip and searching for competitive airfares on the web, you can check out Malaysia Airlines for their Special Offers now. The airfare to Kota Kinabalu is only S$97!

Next, join me on Pulau Manukan!

Read my previous posts about Kota Kinabalu, Sabah-Malaysia on My First Trip to Borneo | Filipino Night Market

Posted by eunice Posted in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Comments (15)

The Night Market in Kota Kinabalu

It takes about 1hr 15mins flight from Singapore Changi Airport over the South China Sea to Kuching Airport in Sarawak; another 1hr 20mins (approx.) from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu (KK) Airport in Sabah, an almost-3-hr pleasant journey on Malaysia Airlines to reach the northwest coast of Borneo, the world’s third largest island.

At KK airport, in order to take a taxi, you have to buy a ticket from the taxi counter. The good thing is, there is no taxi touting. Everything seems to be well in order for tourists.

We bought a ticket to King Park Hotel which is just 15mins away at the old town city centre. That ticket costs RM 30.

As a budget traveller, I like to source for reasonably good and affordable hotels near/at city centres for convenience sake. Since we are out most of the time, we can do away with the facilities of a 4/5-star hotel and get a decent hotel, with or without any star rating. This time, I chose to stay in the 3-star King Park Hotel cos of its good location at the city centre, plus it’s much cheaper than many hotels in that area due to the good location.

It cost us RM 148 per night inclusive of daily buffet breakfast for a high floor superior room that overseas the city and the sea. Of cos, there are also good but more expensive hotels recommended by others, like Le Meridien and Shangri-La hotel nearby. Anyway, it’s a sponsored trip by Malaysia Airlines so we should enjoy ourselves! Remember to check out MAS promotional airfares!

A nice view of the sea on the 12th floor of King Park Hotel.

Time for dinner! We wandered aimless at the city centre near our hotel to look for food and were pretty surprised to come across a big market without knowing that it’s the popular Filipino Night Market that is facing the waterfront.

Rows of stalls are selling fresh poultry and fishes. I always thought people like to visit the market in the morning for fresh meats and vegetables. Surprisingly, there were many customers buying fresh produce in the market at night.

So many different types of fresh fish at the market. Walk on if you don’t mind the fishy smell and wet ground.

Another area in the Night Market selling vegetables, fruits, spices and other ingredients.

See the brown fruits covered with soft spines? They are tarap fruits. In fact, at first I thought those were another type of durian. Really funny-looking fruit with skin like the bristles of a brush. I forgot to try it. But I did try some red coloured Sabah durian! Will blog about it later.

As we meandered past rows and rows of stalls, we came to the dining area where there are stalls selling local delicacies. We were tempted to try the BBQ seafood. There are different types of seafood: big tiger prawns, different kind of fish, squids, crabs and even lobster.

This lobster costs RM 100. I wonder if it has been eaten yet cos we still saw it (if it’s the same lobster) in the same position two days later.

The BBQ seafood was quite good. Try the BBQ if you have a good stomach (you may not like the way they handle food). The succulent tiger prawns and fish were fresh but they were not warm. One such tiger prawn costs RM 8 and the red grilled fish is around RM 10. You may want to bargain for better price if you order a lot. Anyway, all the BBQ stalls are pretty much the same. We tried two stalls on different nights and they charged the same price for the same quality of seafood.

For the first time we came across such funny looking food that like fish eggs to me. Frankly, we didn’t know what it was. We tried some and it’s quite nice, a bit salty. The local mixed them with chilli sauce and some lime juice. These are fresh lato, a type of seaweed with green coloured little bulbs filled with juice.

Corals on sale. I was really surprised to see that. I thought coral shouldn’t be removed from reefs as they will affect the reef ecosystem?

They sell sea shells by the sea shore.

This Night Market seems to have everything under the sky. There are even some men stitching clothes with traditional kind of sewing machines.

Ha! For the first time, we had macaroni in “Ice Kacang” (shaved ice dessert).

Time seemed to pass by really slowly. Later then we realised the sky above Sabah had already turned dark at 6pm! So when we thought it was getting late, our watch showed that it was only 8pm (same as Singapore time).

Next, island-hopping in Pulau Sapi and Pulau Manuka.

Read My first trip to Borneo.

Posted by eunice Posted in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Comments (22)

My First Trip to Borneo

I’ve long heard about the beauty of Sabah in Northern Borneo – its alluring beaches and many exotic islands such as Pulau Sipadan which is one of the world’s top dive sites, and the highest mountain in South-East Asia – Mt Kinabalu. Little did I expect that I would get a sponsored trip to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah by Malaysia Airlines in November!

The service oriented airline has won Skytrax World’s Best Cabin Staff Award for the sixth time this year. It’s interesting to know that MAS airline code “MH” actually stands for “Malaysia Hospitality“. I thought I would only experience that when on board the plane but it starts 24 hrs before departure: the quick web check-in service on MAS website!

So convenient. I just need to present our printed boarding passes at MAS counter for a hassle free check-in. We were also invited to experience MAS Golden Lounge at the Changi Airport.

It makes waiting a breeze at the Golden Lounge. Here is an impressive spread of mouth-watering complimentary food to indulge in! Yum yum!

There is also a business centre fully equipped with the necessary office facilities for executives to carry on business as usual, like a travel blogger who can update her whereabouts at the PC with Internet access.

For ultimate rest and relaxation, you’ve to try the Chair Spa for a full body massage with OSIM’s award-winning iSymphonic Massage Chairs and iSqueez Foot Massagers, and get rejuvenated before your next flight!

The lounge also features an arcade room for the kids!

We were embarking on a direct flight to Kota Kinabalu (KK). The flight would briefly stop over at Kuching airport for transit passengers.

A simple yet delectable meal on board! Of course, MAS was awarded the “Best Inflight Meals in Economy Class 2008” at the Monitor-Galileo Airline of the Year 2008 Awards.

Malaysia Airlines is currently having Airfares Promotion for flights to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. A one way flight to Kota Kinabalu costs only SGD97 inclusives of all fees, tax and insurance. That’s what I like, at one glance you know what you gonna pay in total, unlike some budget airlines that show very low fares on their websites but you only realise it adds up a lot when you are about to pay after going through a few pages. So, if a world class airline like MAS can offer such competitive rates yet uncompromising its service level, why fly on budget?

After another 1hr 20mins from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu, we finally touched down at KK International airport. An aerial view of KK from the flight. Wonderful crystal blue sea, isn’t it?

Next, Filipino Night Market in KK! Also check out my posts on island-hopping in Pulau Sapi and Pulau Manukan.

Posted by eunice Posted in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia Comments (8)

Penang “Rojak”

Travelling is not just about visiting sights, indulging in local cuisine, shopping, experiencing different cultures… blah blah… sometimes you get caught in massive jams while on the way to your next destination. And you begin to worry when you see thick smoke rising to the sky…

and then… a fire engine whizzes past and stops ahead and you see firemen quickly get to the water hose…

And the next thing you see: a blazing car.

Firemen trying to put out the fire.

The blazing car was parked at the side of the main road and not obstructing the traffic flow. So why the jam?? Just like any kind of road accident, it must have attracted many curious drivers to slow down and see what’s going on. That’s why!

In Singapore, it’s called Penang Laksa. In Penang, you can’t find Penang Laksa as it’s known as Asam Laksa. @_@ If you are at Balik Pulau, try this famous Asam Laksa stall which claims that it’s Best of the Best Balik Pulau Laksa. They serve three kind of Laksa – Asam Laksa, Siam Laksa (aka Lemak Laksa) and Mix Laksa (Asam + Siam!).

I ordered a bowl of Siam Laksa. If you have tried the original Asam Laksa before, Siam Laksa is sweeter and the soup base is thicker as it’s added with coconut milk. Something new for me and it’s just right for my taste buds.

The Asam Laksa is delectable as well! Those who prefer a lighter version can try this. Love the fish flakes!

Location of Balik Pulau Laksa: The coffee shop can be found directly at the Jalan Tun Sardon intersection into the main road. Shophouse no. 67.

Opening hours: 11 am – 4 pm. Closed on Wednesday.

At one glance, who would think that this coconut does not contain water but jelly? That’s coconut jelly. The coconut water is formed into jelly after food processing. The jelly just tastes like coconut water in jelly form. And there is still soft coconut flesh in the shell. It’s a very refreshing dessert!

On the label, it’s named “Tender Nut Jelly“. Maybe you can get some from: 240 Datuk Kramat 10150 Pulau Pinang.

We like to snack at Oldtown Cafe whenever we are in Penang. That day we ordered some slices of kaya butter toast. They looked good on the outside, though seemed abit too dry and crisp. I thought I didn’t taste any butter so I lifted up the top slice…

and saw two “fries”. So? Nothing. Just wondering why the butter was cut this way.

Word of the day:

Rojak – A fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. It is used as a colloquial expression for an eclectic mix, just like this post with random photos from Penang. \(-.-)/

I’m going Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah in two days’ time. Come back soon to check out my posts on KK!

Posted by eunice Posted in Malaysia, Penang Comments (12)

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Hopping around Kota Kinabalu city

Burnt in Manukan island

Island Hopping in K.K

The Night Market in Kota Kinabalu

My First Trip to Borneo

Penang “Rojak”

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