Sabah.....where do i begin?
As if I went anywhere further than Kota Kinabalu, the state capital.
I instantly like KK...the people, the ambience, the south china sea along the newly appointed bandaraya status .They wrote it as "Bandar Raya" instead of bandaraya on their signboard. Initially i thought, there might be a bandar raya somewhere. But the Pusat gave out the clue. And so it was. ONE of the endearing yet quirky things about KK that I love. Dont mention the cutesy kadazan fellas clad in their hotpants and cultural tribe, similar to a Red-Indian ensemble custom (and those Amazonian tribes) siap ada feathers stuck in their headband lagi for culture shows laaa dey! Ape ingat diorang berkeliaran like that ka? I dunno why but I couldnt help looking at them and how they are almost FREE of visible body hair except on their head (hell, dont ask me whatever between their thigh ok....!)
Their coconut is only RM2.5o during the daytime, sold like abundant(!) along jalan tun fuad stephen opposite warisan complex, the one where Centre point is situated just behind it. The juice? Marvellous! One fruit could easily fill up THREE 300ml plastic cups. What a joy kan?
Where the fish is Pasar Filipino? OOOoooo now it is called Pasar Handikraf. But everyone seemed to be sticking to its old name and what is it famous for? Sabah handicraft laa...what kinda question is that? Ada orang filipino ka? Takda! They all kat Pulau Gaya bah. Or perhaps creating an eye-sore somewhere in the heart of the vibrant city. No, i am no racist bah (thats bah bah sabah for u), but apparently this filipino arent really accepted well in Sabah but they survived anyway, those political asylum seekers dating as far as 3 decades or more. So if anyone wanna start hunting for some decor or pearls (harvested ones), this is your starting point. Prices are bargainable and most sellers are ladies. One thing though, it was bloody sauna inside the market. They should install air-condition la!
What a conference trip that was. I enjoyed the city more than the conference though i met many researchers across malaysia, korea and india there. Organized by UMS and held at Novotel, 1Borneo, the ICCBPE-SOMChE 2009 conference was OK but that was it. I met my old friend there too, Rachel Mansa. She was soooo into her 2 beautiful princes and she just kept going on and on telling me how great her kids were and all. I bet she must be feeling so proud now that she is a mother of 2 and how she loved them to bits. It inspired me to be a mother more n more.
And so we rented a manual Iswara for only RM60/day, drove by yours truly, the 4 ladies went out shopping for pearl brooches, ikan masin, udang kering, pearls, Swarovski brooches etc all around KK.
BY Saturday, I was all alone again, and in the morning, I went on foot all the way to Jesselton Point from Promenade, stopping only 4 times at kedai kelapa muda and taking nasi ayam for brunch at a nearby resto, then to a local mobile phone shop to top up my mobile credit and after that bought four types of hot bread rolls. It was a fine day indeed and the only thing i had in mind was an island stroll. I also rang another old friend of mine, Sakinah reminding her of our meeting in the afternoon on my way to the jetty. I had 3 choices: Sapi, Mamutik or Manukan island? After a not so long thought, Manukan made into the top. Off I went to the counter asking for the boat ticket and so on. The price was very reasonable! Only RM17 return plus another RM6 for jetty tax. Brilliant innit? Duncha just love Sabah?
There I was, a pretty voluptious damsel riding the boat that also carried another 2 passengers , i presumed a couple, and they hailed from Thailand. The boat driver was a jolly tubby fella who probably has been doing his job driving to and fro for most of his life. He nonchalantly manouver the boat that occasionally, no, more than a couple of times sending the boat into a few bumpy rides. Thank god for my ample bottom, i muttered silently. They dont call it a bumpy ride if it wasnt for inflicting your bum or is it? Otherwise, lebam ok.
What can Manukan Island offer u? Besides the clean and shallow shores, yes, they also have this one mile , make it 2 miles return jungle trail. I took the trail 1st upon arriving and didnt really make it exactly 2 miles though but enough to have taken pictures of small monitor lizards which seemed to be the main inhabitants of this island. And while trudging on my returning route, i saw this 3-feet monitor lizards with the head the size of an average lady's fist. It was so shy (of my presence kot?) that it hid between the bushes as soon as it saw me heading not far from it. As if aku nak tangkap dia kan? But i stopped to wonder in amazement how old must this lizard be looking at his relatively massive size compared to the little ones that were only slightly bigger with tails longer than the house gecko. I felt , ok, i imagined like I was a National Geographic documentary lady just doing this trail. Only that I was in my Gucci shades (bought for Rupiah-150,000), Levis' jeans, Bonia sling bag , Ms.Read top, Ariani-like tudung and a pair of comfie Bata sandal. Which doesnt qualify me as a jungle documentary lady lest i would damage the whole dressing ensemble.
I then made more strolls down the beach, passing by bikini clad ladies, some looked like a whale on the lazychair. Why la she had to bare everything? Anyways, i picked some shells too, saja to kill the time. ON my way back I met 12 of our postgraduate students who were enjoying their time there too. We took some photos together and one of them pointed to a sea-cucumber creature near us resting and curling near the rock under the sea water. At 1st i thought it was dead, so i picked it up, but guess what, the Gamat , as it is known locally (also very famous in Langkawi) actually a living breathing sea urchin, with jelly like body as I squeeze it. I then put it back to where it was and not long after that, it started to curl again. Apa la punya animal. But it was sold at high price in the market, dried and ready to be converted into local cuisine as well as a source of ointment and healthy supplements.
Those postgraduates were more adventurous as they rented an Avanza and went all the way to Ranau where they headed to Kundasang and marvelled at the Gunung Kinabalu view. And all I had was the banjaran(rocky ranges) Crocker that could well be seen as the backdrop of KK itself. I told myself , with a little jealousy already creeping inside of me, that I will come back and this time will do the driving out of KK definitely. And of course, I will have to fork out some money too so i will only select the auto-clutch car for easier and more convenient cruising around some dodgy,potholed road en route to those places like Kundasang, etc. Maybe i can plan the trip with my parents and whoever nak follow to sabah for that reason. Or maybe i can ask out kot2 ade orang nak join. Ye la most of my friends are married people hence the difficulty for them to leave their family and be my travelling company. Susah kan? Thats why I ended up a lone traveller who happened to come across many wonderful people.
What else? Perhaps to get fitter with more money (or more conferences/outstations) so I can travel more.
As if I went anywhere further than Kota Kinabalu, the state capital.
I instantly like KK...the people, the ambience, the south china sea along the newly appointed bandaraya status .They wrote it as "Bandar Raya" instead of bandaraya on their signboard. Initially i thought, there might be a bandar raya somewhere. But the Pusat gave out the clue. And so it was. ONE of the endearing yet quirky things about KK that I love. Dont mention the cutesy kadazan fellas clad in their hotpants and cultural tribe, similar to a Red-Indian ensemble custom (and those Amazonian tribes) siap ada feathers stuck in their headband lagi for culture shows laaa dey! Ape ingat diorang berkeliaran like that ka? I dunno why but I couldnt help looking at them and how they are almost FREE of visible body hair except on their head (hell, dont ask me whatever between their thigh ok....!)
Their coconut is only RM2.5o during the daytime, sold like abundant(!) along jalan tun fuad stephen opposite warisan complex, the one where Centre point is situated just behind it. The juice? Marvellous! One fruit could easily fill up THREE 300ml plastic cups. What a joy kan?
Where the fish is Pasar Filipino? OOOoooo now it is called Pasar Handikraf. But everyone seemed to be sticking to its old name and what is it famous for? Sabah handicraft laa...what kinda question is that? Ada orang filipino ka? Takda! They all kat Pulau Gaya bah. Or perhaps creating an eye-sore somewhere in the heart of the vibrant city. No, i am no racist bah (thats bah bah sabah for u), but apparently this filipino arent really accepted well in Sabah but they survived anyway, those political asylum seekers dating as far as 3 decades or more. So if anyone wanna start hunting for some decor or pearls (harvested ones), this is your starting point. Prices are bargainable and most sellers are ladies. One thing though, it was bloody sauna inside the market. They should install air-condition la!
What a conference trip that was. I enjoyed the city more than the conference though i met many researchers across malaysia, korea and india there. Organized by UMS and held at Novotel, 1Borneo, the ICCBPE-SOMChE 2009 conference was OK but that was it. I met my old friend there too, Rachel Mansa. She was soooo into her 2 beautiful princes and she just kept going on and on telling me how great her kids were and all. I bet she must be feeling so proud now that she is a mother of 2 and how she loved them to bits. It inspired me to be a mother more n more.
And so we rented a manual Iswara for only RM60/day, drove by yours truly, the 4 ladies went out shopping for pearl brooches, ikan masin, udang kering, pearls, Swarovski brooches etc all around KK.
BY Saturday, I was all alone again, and in the morning, I went on foot all the way to Jesselton Point from Promenade, stopping only 4 times at kedai kelapa muda and taking nasi ayam for brunch at a nearby resto, then to a local mobile phone shop to top up my mobile credit and after that bought four types of hot bread rolls. It was a fine day indeed and the only thing i had in mind was an island stroll. I also rang another old friend of mine, Sakinah reminding her of our meeting in the afternoon on my way to the jetty. I had 3 choices: Sapi, Mamutik or Manukan island? After a not so long thought, Manukan made into the top. Off I went to the counter asking for the boat ticket and so on. The price was very reasonable! Only RM17 return plus another RM6 for jetty tax. Brilliant innit? Duncha just love Sabah?
There I was, a pretty voluptious damsel riding the boat that also carried another 2 passengers , i presumed a couple, and they hailed from Thailand. The boat driver was a jolly tubby fella who probably has been doing his job driving to and fro for most of his life. He nonchalantly manouver the boat that occasionally, no, more than a couple of times sending the boat into a few bumpy rides. Thank god for my ample bottom, i muttered silently. They dont call it a bumpy ride if it wasnt for inflicting your bum or is it? Otherwise, lebam ok.
What can Manukan Island offer u? Besides the clean and shallow shores, yes, they also have this one mile , make it 2 miles return jungle trail. I took the trail 1st upon arriving and didnt really make it exactly 2 miles though but enough to have taken pictures of small monitor lizards which seemed to be the main inhabitants of this island. And while trudging on my returning route, i saw this 3-feet monitor lizards with the head the size of an average lady's fist. It was so shy (of my presence kot?) that it hid between the bushes as soon as it saw me heading not far from it. As if aku nak tangkap dia kan? But i stopped to wonder in amazement how old must this lizard be looking at his relatively massive size compared to the little ones that were only slightly bigger with tails longer than the house gecko. I felt , ok, i imagined like I was a National Geographic documentary lady just doing this trail. Only that I was in my Gucci shades (bought for Rupiah-150,000), Levis' jeans, Bonia sling bag , Ms.Read top, Ariani-like tudung and a pair of comfie Bata sandal. Which doesnt qualify me as a jungle documentary lady lest i would damage the whole dressing ensemble.
I then made more strolls down the beach, passing by bikini clad ladies, some looked like a whale on the lazychair. Why la she had to bare everything? Anyways, i picked some shells too, saja to kill the time. ON my way back I met 12 of our postgraduate students who were enjoying their time there too. We took some photos together and one of them pointed to a sea-cucumber creature near us resting and curling near the rock under the sea water. At 1st i thought it was dead, so i picked it up, but guess what, the Gamat , as it is known locally (also very famous in Langkawi) actually a living breathing sea urchin, with jelly like body as I squeeze it. I then put it back to where it was and not long after that, it started to curl again. Apa la punya animal. But it was sold at high price in the market, dried and ready to be converted into local cuisine as well as a source of ointment and healthy supplements.
Those postgraduates were more adventurous as they rented an Avanza and went all the way to Ranau where they headed to Kundasang and marvelled at the Gunung Kinabalu view. And all I had was the banjaran(rocky ranges) Crocker that could well be seen as the backdrop of KK itself. I told myself , with a little jealousy already creeping inside of me, that I will come back and this time will do the driving out of KK definitely. And of course, I will have to fork out some money too so i will only select the auto-clutch car for easier and more convenient cruising around some dodgy,potholed road en route to those places like Kundasang, etc. Maybe i can plan the trip with my parents and whoever nak follow to sabah for that reason. Or maybe i can ask out kot2 ade orang nak join. Ye la most of my friends are married people hence the difficulty for them to leave their family and be my travelling company. Susah kan? Thats why I ended up a lone traveller who happened to come across many wonderful people.
What else? Perhaps to get fitter with more money (or more conferences/outstations) so I can travel more.
2 comments:
Hi Manal.. ahhaha So sorry I could not stop about my kids..
It is just a phase.. soon they will be grown up and I will be all alone.. Hahaha.. just trying to savour it as much as i can..
I feel soo sad that i overdid it with the talk about the kids..
can i follow you to go to sabah again? hehe..after went there for NACES, i really want to go there again! :)
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