The last day of Neko's travelogue to Kota Kinabalu.
13 Jan 2012
8.00 am
8.00 am
It's our final day in Kota Kinabalu, and we're going to end it with a bang by going to the beautiful islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park.
I found this lovely map (from this very informative website) which shows the five islands making up the world-famous marine park. Our first stop will be Sapi Island, and later on to Manukan Island. It's a pity we're going home later this evening, that we'll be missing out on the other islands.
To travel to the park, there are two routes to take. Our guide of the day, Ah Fatt (our guide from day one), takes us on the slightly lavish route via the Sutera Harbour.
I found this lovely map (from this very informative website) which shows the five islands making up the world-famous marine park. Our first stop will be Sapi Island, and later on to Manukan Island. It's a pity we're going home later this evening, that we'll be missing out on the other islands.
To travel to the park, there are two routes to take. Our guide of the day, Ah Fatt (our guide from day one), takes us on the slightly lavish route via the Sutera Harbour.
Sutera Harbour, only a ten-minute drive from the city centre, is a very grand-looking resort that caters to the rich. Private yachts dot the harbour, each more extravagant than the next.
We board our speedboat, and in just 20 minutes reach the first island on the itinerary, Sapi Island.
8.45 am
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park is famous for the pristine beaches and diverse marine life. Some say it's even more stunning than the east coast of Semenanjung. While both are situated in the same South China Sea, probably the biggest difference is that the islands in the east coast are suffering from over-exploitation, while the islands in Sabah have only recently been opened to tourists, and thus still retain most natural marine life.
People weren't kidding when they say the shores are swarming with fish. Look at the number of fish swimming around the jetty! If I have a wide angle camera, I'll bet I can get a picture of huge masses of black in the water.
I can't wait to swim with the fishes! Not in the metaphorical sense, of course. For the safety of the guests, the officials have separated the shallow parts with the deeper parts. Further outside is the big blue ocean, which only certified divers are allowed to go.
I'm happy with just snorkelling in the shallow parts though. The tour operators provide everyone with snorkelling goggles and a life jacket. There are some corals and fishes of different shapes and sizes, enough to keep me happy. But my dad, the adventurous one, decides to drag me out to the slightly deeper end. I think he's more excited than I am.
In the deeper end, the species are more varied and have nicer colours. I even saw a fish as large as 50 cm! Soft corals are not as abundant as hard corals, but if I remember correctly, the numbers are far more than the soft corals in the east coast of Semenanjung. I saw clownfish going in and out of anemones, a species of triggerfish picking at other smaller fish, and hard corals of vivid neon green. If I go for scuba diving, I'll be guaranteed to see even more species, the ones we always saw in pictures and documentaries.
And then I got bit on the knees by a fish. Another bit my dad's toe. Lesson learnt: no dallying in the waters. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...
The sun is getting hotter as time approaches noon. I get out of the water into the scorching sand, as I hopped my way back to the shades of the trees. Here, the tour operators have set up tables and chairs, which we can enjoy our lunch very soon.
12.00 pm
The nice thing about island-hopping in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, is the facilities and services provided throughout. As I make my way to the public bathroom for a simple shower, I pass workers busy barbecuing our lunch. I hear the buffet spread is scrumptious. I spy fish, hotdogs, cabbages, corn, and - wait a minute - mutton and crab! My absolute favorites!
I'm not a picky eater. You don't see me doing food reviews (Puta does that). These are but simple meals that you can find in most BBQ spread. But for hungry ol' me, it's like eating a slice of heaven, coupled with soft sands beneath my feet and wide shady trees above me.
If you're reluctant to part with almost RM 60 per person for the BBQ lunch (probably cheaper if you take a package), you can also order simple mamak goreng from a shop there. Shouldn't be more than RM 10 per person.
...and a resort, complete with a bar, a swimming pool, and other modern facilities you expect to find in a beach resort!
This is slightly out of my expectation. The place looks like the other islands I visited, places like Pulau Redang, Pulau Lang Tengah, Pulau Besar etc. They provide accommodation, and guests can wake up early to catch the sunrise.
Tourist attraction. It's certainly caught my attention.
Both Sapi and Manukan Island provide water activities with a fee. Some of the other islands do too, and some require visitors to pay a small conservation fee to continue protecting the area. Your tour agent should help you with these menial tasks so you can just relax and enjoy the entire trip.
1:30 pm
It's a shame we have to leave so quickly. By the jetty, I can look over to Pulau Sulug.
After a quick speedboat ride back to the mainland, we're off to shopping for souvenirs. In a span of two hours, we manage to scour for seafood, chocolate, and coffee.
If you're planning to purchase some seafood all the way back to Semenanjung, better check the price. Mom thinks there's not really a difference compared with KL, so we wonder if the upped price is because of the layers and layers of protection, served to keep the seafood fresh until it reaches your fridge safely.
Do you know that the state of Sabah produces the most cocoa in Malaysia? We're taken to a chocolate boutique that sells chocolates from any possible flavour available. The chilli chocolate is fiery to the tongue, while chocolate with an actual cocoa bean in it is stimulating. A little bitter, but really interesting. Fruit-flavoured chocolates include oranges, strawberries, to jackfruit and durians.
Coffee is so popular in Malaysia, that in so many cities, the locals call their own coffee "The Best in Malaysia". In a little shop somewhere in Kota Kinabalu, we browse what the Kota Kinabalu people call their pride. Flavours range from the popular, such as tiramisu, hazelnut etc, to the highly acquired taste, such as coconut and durian.
Are we Malaysians a little too in love with the pungent King of the Fruits, that we have to produce durian-flavoured this and that?
5:00 pm
We're already at the airport, and our flight is ready to take us back to Kuala Lumpur.
Three days is too short for a trip to Kota Kinabalu. We've barely even scratched the surface of the activities that is offered in the city. We haven't gone white-water rafting, we haven't climbed Mount Kinabalu, we haven't been to Pulau Tiga (Survivor Island).
But that's just given us another reason to revisit some time soon.
We board our speedboat, and in just 20 minutes reach the first island on the itinerary, Sapi Island.
8.45 am
Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park is famous for the pristine beaches and diverse marine life. Some say it's even more stunning than the east coast of Semenanjung. While both are situated in the same South China Sea, probably the biggest difference is that the islands in the east coast are suffering from over-exploitation, while the islands in Sabah have only recently been opened to tourists, and thus still retain most natural marine life.
People weren't kidding when they say the shores are swarming with fish. Look at the number of fish swimming around the jetty! If I have a wide angle camera, I'll bet I can get a picture of huge masses of black in the water.
I can't wait to swim with the fishes! Not in the metaphorical sense, of course. For the safety of the guests, the officials have separated the shallow parts with the deeper parts. Further outside is the big blue ocean, which only certified divers are allowed to go.
I'm happy with just snorkelling in the shallow parts though. The tour operators provide everyone with snorkelling goggles and a life jacket. There are some corals and fishes of different shapes and sizes, enough to keep me happy. But my dad, the adventurous one, decides to drag me out to the slightly deeper end. I think he's more excited than I am.
In the deeper end, the species are more varied and have nicer colours. I even saw a fish as large as 50 cm! Soft corals are not as abundant as hard corals, but if I remember correctly, the numbers are far more than the soft corals in the east coast of Semenanjung. I saw clownfish going in and out of anemones, a species of triggerfish picking at other smaller fish, and hard corals of vivid neon green. If I go for scuba diving, I'll be guaranteed to see even more species, the ones we always saw in pictures and documentaries.
And then I got bit on the knees by a fish. Another bit my dad's toe. Lesson learnt: no dallying in the waters. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...
The sun is getting hotter as time approaches noon. I get out of the water into the scorching sand, as I hopped my way back to the shades of the trees. Here, the tour operators have set up tables and chairs, which we can enjoy our lunch very soon.
12.00 pm
The nice thing about island-hopping in Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, is the facilities and services provided throughout. As I make my way to the public bathroom for a simple shower, I pass workers busy barbecuing our lunch. I hear the buffet spread is scrumptious. I spy fish, hotdogs, cabbages, corn, and - wait a minute - mutton and crab! My absolute favorites!
I'm not a picky eater. You don't see me doing food reviews (Puta does that). These are but simple meals that you can find in most BBQ spread. But for hungry ol' me, it's like eating a slice of heaven, coupled with soft sands beneath my feet and wide shady trees above me.
If you're reluctant to part with almost RM 60 per person for the BBQ lunch (probably cheaper if you take a package), you can also order simple mamak goreng from a shop there. Shouldn't be more than RM 10 per person.
Another interesting sight on the island is these giant monitor lizards. I swear, they look absolutely like Komodo dragons. The workers there erected fences that only partially stopped their advance towards the grilled chicken wings or whatever meat they're cooking. They're actually free to roam around the island, and tourists enjoy getting up-close as possible to take pictures. These huge lizards, ranging from 3 to 5 feet, are quite tame, but I do wonder if they bite.
1.00 pm
We're on a tight schedule. After eating our lunch, we're ushered off to Manukan Island.
This is an island that is certainly more developed than the other neighbouring islands. There's an eatery...
This is slightly out of my expectation. The place looks like the other islands I visited, places like Pulau Redang, Pulau Lang Tengah, Pulau Besar etc. They provide accommodation, and guests can wake up early to catch the sunrise.
The signboard cracked me up.
Tourist attraction. It's certainly caught my attention.
Both Sapi and Manukan Island provide water activities with a fee. Some of the other islands do too, and some require visitors to pay a small conservation fee to continue protecting the area. Your tour agent should help you with these menial tasks so you can just relax and enjoy the entire trip.
1:30 pm
It's a shame we have to leave so quickly. By the jetty, I can look over to Pulau Sulug.
After a quick speedboat ride back to the mainland, we're off to shopping for souvenirs. In a span of two hours, we manage to scour for seafood, chocolate, and coffee.
If you're planning to purchase some seafood all the way back to Semenanjung, better check the price. Mom thinks there's not really a difference compared with KL, so we wonder if the upped price is because of the layers and layers of protection, served to keep the seafood fresh until it reaches your fridge safely.
Do you know that the state of Sabah produces the most cocoa in Malaysia? We're taken to a chocolate boutique that sells chocolates from any possible flavour available. The chilli chocolate is fiery to the tongue, while chocolate with an actual cocoa bean in it is stimulating. A little bitter, but really interesting. Fruit-flavoured chocolates include oranges, strawberries, to jackfruit and durians.
Coffee is so popular in Malaysia, that in so many cities, the locals call their own coffee "The Best in Malaysia". In a little shop somewhere in Kota Kinabalu, we browse what the Kota Kinabalu people call their pride. Flavours range from the popular, such as tiramisu, hazelnut etc, to the highly acquired taste, such as coconut and durian.
Are we Malaysians a little too in love with the pungent King of the Fruits, that we have to produce durian-flavoured this and that?
5:00 pm
We're already at the airport, and our flight is ready to take us back to Kuala Lumpur.
Three days is too short for a trip to Kota Kinabalu. We've barely even scratched the surface of the activities that is offered in the city. We haven't gone white-water rafting, we haven't climbed Mount Kinabalu, we haven't been to Pulau Tiga (Survivor Island).
But that's just given us another reason to revisit some time soon.
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