Considering it took us 5 years to get back to Sabah we seem to be making up for lost time now. Our 1st wedding anniversary saw us flying to Kota Kinabalu (KK) and we’re going back again in May. It wasn’t until a week before we flew that I knew we were going away, and I didn’t know the destination until we were already checked in. Steve had organised the whole weekend and all I had to do was go with the flow and enjoy it. The hotel and activities were already booked and planned.
We were checked into D’Borneo hotel in the centre of town by 8.30pm and ready to find a happy hour beer. Much of the waterfront has been developed since we were last there and in fact there is a lot of building work still going on. Most of the new additions have been nicely done and we just hope when they’ve finished, KK will be a pleasant city to wander around. We headed to a section of the waterfront where a row of shops, bars and restaurants have been established. There is a pretty wide choice and all with wooden decking on the sea front. Sounds great doesn’t it? It would have been fantastic if it wasn’t for the stink from the sea! Since it was late, dark and we weren’t sure where else to go we stuck it out and in the end had a pleasant evening and a tasty Indian meal.
We were up early the next morning for the included breakfast that turned out to be only slightly better than dreadful! Call me old fashioned but I expect my beans to have been introduced to some sort of heat in between can and plate! I knew Steve had dinner and tea planned so we weren’t too dismayed. We packed our bag for the day and set off towards the ferry point. Our destination was Pulau Sapi, one of the islands that are part of Tunku Abdul Rahman National Marine Park, and only about 30mins by boat from the city. The sea front might have stunk the night before but fortunately, once on the island, we were treated to crystal clear aquamarine water and white sand beaches. The main beach near the jetty was very busy as not only was it a weekend but also local school holiday. We knew there were trails over the island to other coves and assumed that others would have been too lazy to check them out.
Sure enough within half an hour we’d found 2 deserted bays and chose the second by virtue of the fact that it had less rubbish strewn along it. You can’t have everything in life and we were willing to move the odd plastic bottle in order to have the beach to ourselves. You can’t argue with a private beach, on a tropical island off the coast of Borneo upon which to celebrate a special day. The rest of the day was highly lazy and indulgent and revolved around reading until roasting hot and then cooling down in the sea or having a bit of a snorkel. There weren’t very many fish but it was good to get in some practice before going to Sulawesi next week.
The picnic that Steve had brought with him from KL was splendid – tasty English muffins, cheese, crackers and salad washed down with a bottle of red wine. Over on the mainland we could see a huge storm brewing and there was lots of lightening but we were still basking in the sun. Eventually a few drops of rain fell so we decided to head back to the main beach. It was now much quieter and Steve enjoyed another snorkel, where there were lots more fish, while I watched the huge water monitors on the beach. They’ve learnt to hang around the main beach getting bigger and bigger on the scraps tourists leave behind.
Once back in KK we walked a different route back to the hotel to check out a restaurant Steve had pencilled in for that evening’s meal, and to see where else there was to go for a drink. We ended up in an area we recognised from all those years ago and it has only changed for the better, without the prices rising. Luckily, even though this area is called Beach Street, it’s away from the smelly sea! Unfortunately the great little bar we remembered being perfect for sunset beer was under renovation. So we decided to give the waterfront another try but it was still as stinky. We watched the sun drop below the horizon and then hot footed it inland and to Little Italy Italian restaurant. Both of us remember seeing this place 5 years ago and looking at the menu, but back then it was out of our budget. This time it turned out to be a great place for a tasty meal without breaking the bank. In fact it’s true to say they probably rustled up 2 of the best pizzas we’ve ever had. Before heading back to the room we went for a few drinks in BB’s cafe bar where they had a really good deal on bottles of Heineken.
Although we were up early enough for the included breakfast the next morning you won’t be surprised to hear that we gave it a miss! Instead we found a place selling roti canai that were very good with yummy dahl and chicken curry sauce. We weren’t due to fly until 5pm and had plenty of time to go for a wander through the green outskirts of the town. We checked out of our room but there was no problem storing our bags – in fact all the staff were friendly and helpful right from the moment we walked through the door. On settling the bill I was presented with a locally made book mark that I thought was, not only a lovely gesture but, a great way to pass on your contact details. We enjoyed our stay in their comfortable rooms and we hope to stay there again when we return later in the year.
Our aim of the walk was to head towards Signal Hill and see if we could find a path to KK’s bird park. We’d tried to find this park once before but failed and hoped to be lucky this time since we would be coming at it from the opposite angle. The road was quiet and afforded some good views of the city and out to the islands. Although by this stage we’d walked off the end of our map, we carried on walking as it was fairly obvious the road would eventually loop back into town. Per usual one of our short strolls turned into a 10 mile hike! However the good news is – we found the bird park. This isn’t like KL’s where there is a huge net thrown over a large area of park but a reserve set in an area of mangrove. The park is only small but it is extremely well maintained with lots of information boards. We walked around the wooden raised trail and saw many of the plants and animals mentioned on the boards. The reserve is especially important for the rare purple herons that use the area as a breeding ground and we were lucky enough to see some of them. A great little find and we hope to go back another day with time to watch and wait for wildlife to happen along.
The walk back to town was off course longer and hotter than we’d expected without a shop in sight! Plus I’d been having problems with one of my sandals only to discover that in fact I’d lost the sole of one of them! We dived into the first shop we came to in town and drank its pop fridge dry! That left us with just enough time for a bite of lunch, a final bargain bottle of Heineken, grab our bags and get to the airport. We were already through immigration before finding out that the flight was going to be delayed. Luckily we had some cheese and crackers left and a couple of tins of beer that by some miracle were still cold so it wasn’t all bad news!
Following a lovely weekend dragging myself out of bed at 5.30am to get to work wasn’t easy. Just as well we still had one wedding anniversary treat lined up for the actual day (Tues 24th). I think Steve had hoped to surprise me again but I pre-empted him by suggesting we go to a Sri Lankan restaurant we’d read about. Since we’d both come up with the same idea independently and with that all important link to Sri Lanka it just had to be the right choice. Indeed it was – Aliyaa Restaurant was all we’d hoped for and more. Obviously we wanted to give ourselves a treat but we’re not very comfortable in posh, fussy, 5* joints. Aliyaa provides for a range of experiences as it is set in an old colonial house with; a private garden area out the back for peaceful meals, a quiet bar area and a sports and entertainment area upstairs – all with open balconies and friendly, helpful staff. The food was excellent and very authentic and we’d love to go back.
P.S Even though Steve is wonderful for organising such a lovely weekend ( I actually got the flight tickets free on Air Asia but don’t tell Emma– Steve). It wasn’t Steve who produced all the surprises, as I bought him a Jamie Oliver Italian cookbook so he can make me lots of delicious grub. I think he was pleased!
Travel Information
We stayed at D’Borneo hotel which was great value for money and right in the centre of KK. The deluxe rooms (RM160) had a kettle, fridge and tv with ESPN for the footy. The breakfast was rubbish so go round the corner and get a roti canai for RM 1.
http://www.dborneohotel.com/home.htm
We ate at Little Italy restaurant at the Capital Hotel in KK, amazing pizzas for about RM25
We drank at BB’s cafe on Beach Street KK, very nice outdoor bar with 2 large bottles of Heineken for RM21 + the cheapest beer in KK.
For the best and only Sri Lankan Restaurant, try Aliyaa Restaurant in Damansara Heights
http://www.aliyaa.com/
