(^70) Kota Kinabalu
I had a slow start to the day as the room was windowless (one of my pet hates),
but one couldn't argue about the price. I had no plans and ambled around to see
what Kota Kinabalu had to offer. The town didn’t arouse a great deal of interest
except for the waterfront with its fishing boats, markets and food stalls. Blazing
hot, there wasn't much in the way of walking about. Also, the bank couldn’t
dispense any money as it was offline, argh!
I didn't visit the night market by evening, as was my habit. Instead, I sought out
the tourist lane where restaurants played Western music, had a massive TV
screen, and sold beer and pizzas. Strangely enough, for the most part, the
patrons were from KK. How ironic: the foreigners were at the night market, and
those who resided in KK were at the tourist spot. I got my share of ear-splitting
music, overpriced beers and lousy food, and then returned to my digs, having
had my fill of Western culture.
Kota Kinabalu
In the morning, I jumped on a boat to the nearby islands. Tunku Abdul Rahman
National Park consists of five islands off the coast of downtown Kota Kinabalu.
The day was barely long enough to explore three of the islands, and what a
blast! I snorkelled until my fingers and toes were wrinkled - such a pleasure. The
water was lukewarm and crystal clear, the fish colourful and plentiful. There are
times I genuinely think I'm happiest when in the water. But, unfortunately, the
time came too soon to return, and if I knew one could camp on the islands, I
sure would’ve taken the tent along.
An additional day was spent in Kota Kinabalu. Sadly, World War II bombs
destroyed nearly all of KK. Apart from the waterfront markets, there were only
the islands of any interest.
leana
(Leana)
#1