Thursday to Sunday
February 15 to 18, 2024

My first overseas trip for 2024 was to a place I’ve visited before. But the second time is not any less beautiful and I’m looking forward to a 3rd time. This is a travelog for my trip to the beautiful city of Kota Kinabalu.

Pre-Flight

We chose Kota Kinabalu because we both love the beach and sunsets. And since this was Shane’s first international travel, we wanted a place nearby without any VISA requirements.

Our airline was Cebu Pacific and we booked during a regular day so our tickets were a bit pricy, but still cheaper compared to other international destinations. There was no delay and we arrived in KKIA in the wee hours of Day 1.

Arriving at the KK airport, taking pictures of pigeons, and a quick taste of the local KFC before checking in

Day 1 – Monkeys and Fireflies

I had booked our hotel a day early so we can directly check in. Fortunately, the hotel had 24-hour staff even with its very cheap price. I don’t recommend our hotel for picky travelers, but since we’re both kuripot (cheapskates), this was good enough for us.

We lugged our things to our room on the 5th floor. This hotel had no elevators so we burned a lot of calories just to get checked in. Finally settled, we got a bit of rest before our day officially started.

First on our agenda was breakfast, and thankfully, there was a restaurant right behind our building. This Borneo Chicken Rice had really friendly and patient staff. Despite the language barrier, we were able to order.

We ordered their Kon Lo Mee Chicken Chop and a side of Chicken Meat Rolls. These were so good. The crispy chicken on top provided the crunch while the chewy noodles underneath had a savory sauce to complete the flavor profile. We also tried their coffee with milk which was served with lots of ice.

After the meal, we headed to Imago Mall for some shopping. Meaning, we just bought some water and mosquito repellant. We did take some pictures of the public exhibitions as well as visited some stores to compare their prices vs the Philippine market (like Uniqlo and Mi).

At Imago Mall

We returned to our hotel but before climbing the dreaded 5 floors again, we stopped by an Islamic Restaurant & Hotel right by the corner of the building. We ordered the Seafood Mee Goreng and this was an instant hit. The fried noodles were a joy to chew on while the spices and seafood imparted their distinct flavors to the dish. The serving was also very generous, enough for the both of us to be satisfied.

For our drink, we had another local specialty, the Teh Tarik. This milk tea is prepared in a very flashy way and is absolutely delicious. I missed drinking this and it was one of the things I missed the most in KK.

Words can’t express how delicious this is and how I am sad that instant mi goreng will no longer appeal to me

We returned to our hotel and waited to be picked up by the day’s main event, the Bongawan Mangrove River Cruise and Firefly Watching. I booked this activity on Klook. The organizer picked us up and it was a long drive to the beach where the activity took place.

We arrived at the mouth of the river by the ocean. There were so many Chinese and Korean tourists. We were surprised to be the only Filipinos on tour that day.

We were served complimentary banana fritters and orange juice shortly before the river cruise. Then, we were ushered into motorized (and noisy) boats and off we went.

We followed the river inwards and stopped near the trees where a bunch of long-tailed macaques climbed into our boats. They were lured in by the noise and by the bananas that the guides were giving them. They hopped around the branches and nearby boats as they ate the fruits and seeds given to them.

After this spectacle, it was more mangroves. This time we were on the lookout for the more elusive Long-nosed Proboscis Monkey. These were harder to spot and after a few minutes of going back and forth the river, we only saw around 3 of them.

Then, it was time to return to the beach. We had lots of time to spend before sunset when the fireflies came out. We had a delicious dinner as part of the package. The various local food served was so good, I want to avail this package again just to eat this menu!

After dinner, we spent our time taking pictures at the beach and waiting for the sunset. Our first sunset in KK and it was indeed one of the most beautiful I’ve seen.

A very delicious local dinner || the “sky mirror” photoshoot || playing with the sunset

Shortly after dark, there was a “fireshow” from the locals. Then it was back to the boats for the firefly watching.

In my opinion, the firefly tour in Palawan is better, but it was still a fun time watching the lights go on and off in the trees. Fireflies are beautiful creatures and seeing them in their natural habitat is a treat. These are moments you have to see with your naked eyes and not just through a camera lens.

Afterwards, we were taken back to our hotel where we immediately got some rest. It was a tiring first day but we had a lot of fun.

Day 2 – Island Hopping and Market Hopping

We woke up early to go to Jesselton Port. Here, we registered for a boat to take us to three islands in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. After some waiting, we boarded a speedboat to the first island.

We touched down at Manukan Island where we had to stay for the next 2 hours. Here, we found a spot at the beach and did some snorkeling.

The waters here are clear but the ocean floor gets deep very quickly. It was nice to spot some fish but there were hardly any corals in the area we chose. We explored the rest of the island after our dip. There were some hotels where you could spend the night if you choose.

At noon, we boarded another speedboat to Mamutik Island, our 2nd island for the day. Here, we did the same thing but we found the water a bit too cloudy. There were also more people here because it was a smaller island. After some time in the water and taking photos, we washed up and ate some snacks we brought.

We were supposed to go to the next island (Sapi Island) but after a long delay at the jetty and even after boarding a boat, the portmaster cancelled the trip. The waters were too rough around the third island so we had a choice to wait for it to abate, or go back to Jesselton port and get refunded.

We chose the refund as it was already late in the afternoon. We didn’t want to risk staying out there until dark. We returned to port, got our refund, and walked back to the hotel.

Some city sights

On the way back, I managed to get a Coconut Shake at a local place that I’ve been craving for since my last visit 6 years ago. This store really stood the test of time and it was still as yummy as I remember it.

We changed into dry clothes and walked to the Waterfront for another sunset viewing. We randomly picked a restaurant and waited while eating some chicken curry and naan.

The sunset came and went. The sun is noticeably bigger when viewed from KK and the colors that come out are so vibrant.

Afterwards, we went to the nearby Filipino market where we ate some grilled chicken skewers and looked at the souvenirs and wares.

Some huge mangoes, shells, and delicious grilled chicken wings

To cap off the evening, we headed to the Api-Api Night Market on Gaya street. There, we ate some fried hamburgers and some cheesy corn kernels. I’ve been here before and I’m glad it’s still lively and full of people.

We returned to our hotel while sipping some sweet drinks. We didn’t get the chance to change clothes and just collapsed on the bed.

Day 3 – Museum, Park, and Library

We were so tired from island hopping and the night market that we woke up a bit late. Fortunately, our itinerary for the day wasn’t very strict.

We had breakfast at the Islamic Restaurant again. This time we ordered the Roti Cobra Ayam, Roti Telur, and Martabak Daging. These local dishes were so delicious because of the roti dough and their special sauces. We just couldn’t get enough.

Roti Telur (Bread with egg) || Roti Cobra Ayam (Chicken) || Martabak Daging (Beef)

After breakfast, we took a stroll to the Atkinson Clock Tower. Unfortunately, we were unable to get up close as it was being renovated. This is one of the famous landmarks of KK, one of the few buildings from the post-war era.

We continued walking around the city and ended up in the Old Town Coffee Shop. This is another famous place in KK and where I get my favorite instant coffee. Being able to drink it freshly made is a highlight of this trip. Shane enjoyed the Hazelnut White Coffee and I had their Oolong Milk Tea.

Stomachs full, we went to the Sabah State Museum where we immersed ourselves in the island’s culture. I’m not much of a history fan, but I enjoyed the giant whale skeleton in the lobby as well as their zoological displays.

We also entered their heritage village where houses of different ethnic tribes stood. It was fun seeing the different nuances in architecture and lifestyle. But mostly, I was amused by the similarities to the houses in the Philippine provinces as well.

After the museum, we visited Perdana Park which was still devoid of people. We decided to go to the Sabah State Libray and entertain ourselves with the science exhibit inside. This was a good way to kill some time because we returned to Perdana Park for the musical fountain and it was already full of families and joggers.

At Perdana park || In front of the library || playing with the exhibits

Afterwards, we walked to Tanjung Aru beach to wait for the sunset. We ate some fried squid and chocolate shaved ice in the meantime.

Sunset arrived and the beach was swarmed by both locals and foreigners. It’s hard not to be awed by how beautiful the sunset was. Despite seeing the sunset for the 3rd straight time already, we just couldn’t get enough.

We had dinner at Borenos which was touted online as the best fried chicken in KK. It was definitely a nice piece of fried chicken. The meat was so juicy, even the breast parts didn’t taste bland or feel tiresome to eat. However, they didn’t have any gravy which was a bit of a letdown.

My unexpected highlight of the meal were their buns, which were so soft and a great replacement for rice. It had a sweet aftertaste and paired so good with the chicken and coleslaw.

We were so full we immediately retired to our hotel room to end the day.

Day 4 – Minigolf and Last Meals

Our last day in KK started with an early morning walk to the Gaya Sunday Market. This was the same location as the Api-Api Night Market but this time there were more handicrafts than food.

It was here that we bought some pasalubong to take home to the Philippines. We bought a lot of sachets of Old Town Instant Coffee. We got some ice cream on the way back to the hotel, too.

We had our final breakfast at the Islamic Restaurant. We had the same Seafood Mee Goreng and some Kofi Tarik. It was bittersweet knowing it would be a long time before I have food this delicious and this cheap again.

It was our last day at the hotel as well, so we packed up and checked out before noon. We headed to Centrepoint Mall to leave our things by their lockers.

Here, we tasted our new favorite fried chicken. Uncle Bob’s is a chain that serves huge, fried chicken fillets cut up into bite-sized pieces. The flavor brought me back to my Taiwan trip where I last tasted this kind of fried chicken.

For some reason, the skin of the chicken was both crispy and chewy. This mix of textures is addictive plus the deep fried chicken meat is very juicy. To complete this dish are the flavored powders that add some umami and heat.

This was so good, we went back and ordered another serving later in the day.

Last meal || Checking out || Delicious fried chicken poppers

Temporarily free from our heavy luggage, we headed to Gaya Street once more to have lunch at Kung Fu Bak Kut Teh. Bak Kut Teh is pork simmered in an herbal soup that tastes very much like how it’s described. It’s quite addictive and the meat is so tender after being simmered for hours.

We also ordered some enoki mushrooms and rice. This was the only time I ate rice during my stay here and it’s recommended when having Bak Kut Teh. The strong flavor of this dish needs the rice to dilute it and it adds fullness to the meal.

After this late lunch, we headed to Jolly Golf‘In for some minigolf action. It was both our first time to try this and we had fun maneuvering through the 18-hole course.

We cooled off by heading to Woo! Cafe for some drinks. I ordered the Iced Vanilla Hojicha while Shane had the Orange Espresso. The drinks were alright, but I suggest going here to see how quirky the place is. It has a great vibe and there’s a surprising amount of people and things to see inside.

We were feeling sleepy so we returned to Centrepoint Mall to walk around and find some energy. We walked through the entire mall from the basement to the 5th floor.

Finally, it was time. We gathered our luggage from the lockers and headed to the airport. That was our 4 days in KK, done!

Miscellaneous Thoughts

• Jollibee and other fastfood chains are hella expensive in KK. But there are also super cheap places to eat outside of malls and in local restaurants. (P20 for delicious and fresh Roti is crazy)
• Grab fare is so cheap! RM5 (P65) for a ride is the norm. In Manila, you can’t get a ride for less than P100 and if you could, the drivers would be murdering you in their mind.
• There’s only traffic at night. KK is so car-dependent but they manage to have less traffic for some reason. 5 days of stay and I never heard a car horn. Drivers here are so chill.
• Drivers are not in a rush. The cars are compact and practical. I would love to drive here. The Proton Saga C20 is a beautiful car.
• I wish there was a clearer public transport system for foreigners. I’m not even sure if locals use the public transport. But walking and taking the Grab is so convenient already so IDK why I’m even complaining.
• Despite the sketchy appearances of the buildings and alleyways in Kota Kinabalu, I never felt unsafe or uneasy. Of course, common sense is still needed. But it’s a relatively safe place to walk around at night (at least compared to Manila).
• It’s so convenient to pay via QR code or Card (e-tap). However, I suggest to still carry some cash especially if you plan to go to the night or day markets. But in general, people have their own personal QR codes for cash transfer.
• Malaysian currency denominations in paper are not uniform in size. Small nitpick but I don’t like it especially since I fold them in half every time.
• For some reason they sell so many One Piece merch and also Milo drink variations. I love it!
• Such a shame they didn’t continue developing their railways. They could have been great at train development especially considering that Borneo is one big island.
• So. Many. Chinese. And. Korean. Tourists.
• Only in Kota Kinabalu did I experience mobile data faster than their wifi speed. It’s crazy how fast the internet is. Props to their mobile networks for offering enviable speeds at affordable prizes. It really made me jealous and wonder why the Philippines is throttled by our internet providers.

Some croissants we ordered for our long trip to the beach. They were meh

Playing with the beautiful sunset

The beaches here are a sight to see

My second visit to Kota Kinabalu did not involve any hiking, but instead, I enjoyed many sunsets and beaches. Some places are worth a second look just to see more of the beauty they have. I believe that Kota Kinabalu still has more to offer and I will surely come back (and maybe explore the island of Borneo while I’m at it).

Until now, I’m still dreaming of that delicious Roti and the Seafood Mee Goreng. I need to find some authentic Malaysian restaurants here in Manila to satisfy these cravings. Let me know if you have some recommendations!

Thanks for reading and until the next adventure!

-jgzn