Trip to Sabah 2012 - Jesselton Point for Island Hopping

At Sabah, there is a jetty known as Jesselton Point where it is the gateway to many island hopping adventures. I think you can get many packages from the tour guides here and they are more than happy to work out a plan. We had a group about 30 pax and ended up going island hopping to Pulau Sapi and Mamutik. Sapi Island is definitely bigger with more amenities but its also because of this that the waters surrounding the island is also not in as good condition. Mamutik on the other hand has better water, lots more fish as well as corals. Do check out some photos. And sorry I don't have an underwater camera so don't expect coral pictures from me. 

Archway to the jetty

Interesting street art on the way to the jetty

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Tuaran Mee and Laksa at Yee Fung

In Sabah, our guide told us that the local noodle here called Tuaran Mee is very famous and very delicious and thus, I made it a point to try it out. So what exactly is Tuaran Mee? Well, we found a coffee shop called Kedai Kopi Yee Fung located along Gaya Street and stopped for their Tuaran Mee. Tuaran Mee is a local version of wan tan mee and I was truly disappointed with it. Sorry Sabah folks, unless this was a bad example but the noodles were soft and not tender at all. The dumplings were also small and save for the BBQ pork, its not special at all. Luckily for me, I ordered the Laksa too! Read on

Tuaran Mee or Noodle

The laksa on the other hand that is available at Yee Fung was good. Its like curry mee in Penang with a lemak or coconut milk base soup. You get lots of bits of chicken and some prawns too. Mind you, food in Sabah is not cheap. The Tuaran Mee and Laksa each costs RM5 per bowl.

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Pasar Besar & Gaya Sunday Market

Being the adventurous me and hoping to get a feel of the local market, I made my way to the biggest market in KK (I think its the biggest) which is the Pasar Besar. This market is located right next to the fish market and the handicraft market. Its really convenient as its located nearby and right at the town. Many stalls selling all sort of items but the Sabah Vegetable remained elusive. I just didn't spot it at any of the stalls that were open.

I was too early as many stalls still yet to open at 6am

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Frozen Seafood & Night Markets

Now Sabah is known for its seafood and its very popular for visitors to bring some frozen seafood home with them. I was no different and did the same. There are quite a few shops selling frozen seafood in the town and on average, its cheaper than the shop at the airport for the more average type of fish. What I mean by average are the garoupa's such as the stone or 7 star or red ones. After surveying many shops, in town, the price is about RM40-45 per kg but for the more exotic fish, such as the sow mei and lou shu pan, these are from RM110-120 per kg. The standard packing that they provide is able to last about 12 hours and if you use the styrofoam packing, it will last 24 hours which should be able to last any flight home!

Thats me with 2 huge frozen lobsters! The one in my left hand was about 3kg! Huge! I can't believe I did not take photos of the frozen fishes! I did buy a frozen Sow Mei which I have already eaten! The flesh was just so soft and sweet and even though the fish was small, it was good. But if eating at the restaurant for RM350-400 per kg live, I think its over priced! I would instead go for the giant ones where they slice up the fish for you. There is one restaurant where my friend told me the fish was going for about RM220-250 per kg. Next time I will try it.

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Fisherman Village Seafood Market Restaurant

As this was a company trip that was organized, the travel company actually arranged for a dinner at one of the tourist restaurants as I would like to call it and its non other than the famous Kampung Nelayan Fisherman Village Seafood Market Restaurant. I had heard of this place before and was hoping for some really awesome seafood. What makes this place popular is the fact that they also have a traditional dance performance in the night where its like a cultural show to showcase the traditions of Sabah! But I was to be disappointed as the food was sub standard. Sorry but I do like my food and performances is always second in some cases. What I did notice is probably that the package we got was of a lower price one and thus we got not as great food. Thus if you plan to come here, be prepared to get slaughtered!

The colorful neon signboard

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Horizon Hotel

This was the hotel which I stayed at while visiting KK. Its a relatively new hotel called Horizon Hotel and its located pretty much in the middle of the town. Its a 10 minutes walk to most attractions like the Filipino Market, Handicraft Center, Gaya Sunday market and many more. Thus not a bad choice. The rooms were still new but my only gripe is that they only supply each room with 1 key card which you need to access the lifts. The on hand staff would assist to get you to the floor but its just such a hassle needing to get their assistance each time especially if there is more than 1 person sharing the room. Anyway, they have pretty good amenities like gym, pool and restaurants thus I'm not sure if they are 4 or 5 stars. Another thing would be the internet connection. The rooms has internet free via a cable but not wireless. For wireless, you need to loan a router from their reception and its a first come first serve as they have limited units available. In this modern age, I would guess everyone was expecting wireless internet for every room (phones can't use a cable anyway). Thus, other than some of the items lacking, its a comfortable hotel. Do check out some photos!

How it looks. Its the grey building block in the middle of town!

The in house cafe! Able to fit over 80 people at one time. A nice comfortable setting for all

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Kota Kinabalu Fish Market

Now I have heard of the famous fish market in Kota Kinabalu which is like the center for all the seafood trade here. Every morning daily, without fail unless there is a typhoon, the market is a hive of activity. I actually went there at 6.15am on the first day and what I saw really made me want to visit this market again, and thus, I did that on the next day as well, this time going there at 5.15am instead hoping to see even more stuff. Do check out my adventures at this market

That is a basket full of slipper lobster which someone already bought. Thus I wasn't able to ask how much it was going for.

The friendly seller posing with the fish!

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Pearls and Durian

If you were reading from the previous blog post, you would know that I had just finished a scrumptious seafood dinner and what better way to feel better than to have some shopping done. Sabah is famous for its pearls and all over Kota Kinabalu, one will be able to find shops and stalls that sell this treasure of the sea. Before this, I was really a newbie in looking and buying pearls (well I never bought pearls in my life before) but after a few days of haggling and buying some myself, I consider myself a semi novice now I guess! Hahah. Read on for what to expect if you are considering getting some pearls in Sabah.

Many shops selling pearls abound especially at the Pusat Kraftangan or handicraft market.

There is all kinds of pearl products available here

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Food at Filipino Market

In the main town of Kota Kinabalu, there is a famous place for locals and tourists alike for awesome and affordable food. Be it seafood or others, the Filipino Market has it all. Well, the people here are not Filipino's la, but I would guess that almost anyone can sell their food or goods here. Its a great place to check out and its open daily from the evenings till late night every day! So do have a look as some of the photos I managed to get. By the way, as you scroll down, you will be able to see my dinner for that night! The largest prawns I have eaten in my life!

Fried or BBQ seafood. There are various stalls selling this and the seafood is first BBQ or deep fried. Its not cooked fully and if you choose it, they will then reheat and finish the cooking for ya! Just look at those huge tiger prawns and even lobsters! 

This other stall has crabs, squid and lots of choices of fish waiting to be feasted.

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Day 1, Handicraft Market

In some ways, KK can be considered a shoppers paradise. Well, if you consider local craft and delicacies a must see during any trip, then KK is like a gold mine. This was my first night there and me and my colleague decided to have a walk around to the night markets. Mine you, the night markets here open daily from evening till midnight so shop till you drop ya.

An arial view of the town from the hotel

Lots of stalls line the road after office hours.

We saw this durian which was golden orange in color. More about this in another post! FYI, its called durian dalik, well thats what the seller was calling it. And it was very very expensive at RM35/kg.

Trip to Sabah 2012 - Random Pics from 3 hours city tour

Once landed in KK, we were immediately whisk off by our local guide into a tour bus where they  have arranged for a 3 hours city tour and these are just some of the highlights and pictures which I took. I would say KK isn't exactly that big of a city but places are also not nearby. I guess the best way to go around would be to get a rental car!

The Muzium Sabah! Do note no photography allowed inside. Just got to know that many muziums around the world now also do not allow photography... bummer.

 Yes me with my large grin! Was already so exhausted from the flight

Trip to Sabah 2012 - LCCT to Sabah!

So this is the continuation of my trip. After waiting for about 3 hours, its time to board my flight to Kota Kinabalu (KK), Sabah. As its the LCCT, you need to walk to the plane and we were boarding at Gate 3 but at platform 72. So do check out some pictures as I was to board the plane!

Thats the Gate 3!

 I really like this shot. The pull down grills give the plane a kind of surreal look

Trip to Sabah 2012 - PG to LCCT layover

Went on a trip to Sabah last weekend and it was a fun and exciting trip. Lots of great food and things to see and do and I will blog about this trip adventure of mine. So, it started of with a flight via AirAsia to KL and then only to KK. It was a really tiring trip as the PG-KL flight was at 6.50am and I was at the airport by 5.30am. Well, its good to know at least the the renovation work at the airport is almost complete and its is many times more comfortable than it was in the past. Big glass walls allow one to have a clear view of the planes while tiled flooring is way better than the previous carpet which will get damp when its wet. Thumbs up to the improvements and hope it completes by year end. So as always, checkout the captions with the pictures ya!

Improved departure area!

 The sun creeping out as we depart!

 After soaring at 33000 ft, we can see the sun!