You don't need a Kota...... in Kinabalu.

  The sun was just breaking as we glided towards KK.

 The only thing disturbing the silence was the buzzing of small boats zipping back and forth from Gaya Island.  An island not far from the mainland where the houses are not built on land but on stilts over the water. From a distance the shanties looked like they had just all blown across from the main island and come to rest against the shore.

Public transport between Gaya Island and the main land

Locals greeted us as we walked off the gangway. Instead of a floral lei as you would get in Hawaii, we were presented a with locally made beaded necklace…  Maybe we can use these as souvenir lanyards because we certainly have not received a Pacific Circle one from Princess (something about not being a world cruise, hmm I thought that was why we couldn’t use our future cruise letters).

Anyway I digress…. Traditionally dressed locals entertained us as we walked into the Terminal.  All passport processing was done by the ship, so we only had security scanning as we left the building.

A photo I couldn't resist.

Pat, our guide, met us at the port gates as they are strict on who can enter, and basically it is user pays.  There was a shuttle that you could catch into town but that came at a price. 

The tour we chose for today was a City tour and cooking class.  We had modern air-conditioned 12 seater van, a necessity in this part of the world.  To avoid the traffic jams in the afternoon we did our city tour in the morning then headed out to the village for lunch.

Kota Kinabalu is built on reclaimed land.  Their shore line and beaches used to sit at the base of the mountain that now forms the back drop to the city.

Our first stop was the Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, which gives the impression that is floating on the lake that surrounds it. The Sabah State mosque is another but smaller mosque that boasts beautiful gold domes upon their minarets.

They wanted to pose for us!

We drove the winding roads which took us up to the Signal Hill Lookout where we could get a bird’s eye view of Kota’s old and new skyline.  

A quick visit to the handicraft market was pretty much what you would expect to find in Asia - 100’s of stalls and each row a copy of the previous.

I bought this cute bag from this lady

As this was also a cooking tour, we needed to do a little grocery shopping before we headed out to the village of Kinarut.  No supermarkets here, everything is bought and cooked fresh. First we needed some fruit and veg, and as we meandered our way around the fresh market, Pat would stop and show us the key ingredients that are used.

The rows and rows of fresh produce is always sold out by the end of day. The bright colours and the smells had you salivating.  It was the prices that amazed us, as well as Pat when we told him the prices that we pay.

Next was the spice market, and as in Turkey, the aromas drew you into the entrance, wishing you could take bags full home.  You could walk through the aisles blind folded and think “yes this is curry”, “this coffee”, ooh and now that is fresh coconut.  You cringed as you watched the young boy crack open each coconut with his machete with speed and precision. Scared to distract him in case he misses…. Hmm he did seem to have all his fingers.

Approaching the fish market it would have been quite easy to turn and walk the other way.  The stench of fish was very overpowering (no wonder Pat gave us all a kafir lime leaf to crush in our hand to use as a neutralizer). I am glad we persevered, because once inside the market there was no smell at all… hmm or did we get used to it.

There were fishes of every colour, shape and size.  Crabs scurrying about trying to find an escape route out of their crates.  Fresh prawns as far as the eye can see. Beautifully coloured fish that you expect to find in a fish tank, Stingrays and little Reef Sharks.

The 20 kilometres to Kinarut was easy driving along one of the major highways. Pat’s mother, Halimah, owns a restaurant along the road side named D’Soka. Her family has been on this land for over 300 years. The restaurant has a roof, a floor, but no walls to create wonderful ventilation which suits the Malay climate.

Halimah and her staff warmly welcomed us and immediately gave us a cold and refreshing welcoming drink before we started the hard work of cooking our lunch.  We all donned our aprons, and as each step was displayed and each ingredient was explained, we all set about assisting with the process.  It was still Ramadan (no eating during daylight), and fighting the urge to taste, Halimah kept asking us to try each dish to ensure that it was seasoned well.  Not wanting to display any ignorance we smiled and nodded or shook our heads when asked more lime or salt.

Luckily we were only responsible for two dishes, a very aromatic and vibrant yellow chicken ayam and salad made from fern or was it fir … regardless, it was yummy, crunchy and full of heat from the sambal style dressing it was coated in.

Beef, prawn and fish dishes were added to complement our menu, finished off with what tasted like a coconut and vanilla milkshake.  By now we were bursting at the seams and as we waddled back onto the van, we made our farewells in the same fashion as if were saying goodbye to our long lost family.  Just like many trips back to ship, the scenery was admired from the back of our eye lids..

Sundowners white sail away party was a big event on the back of deck 14.  Table cloth covered tables and chairs were set up, waiters walked around with trays of finger food and the music played while we waved Kota goodbye. Kudos to Princess

And so it is “Sea La Vie” from the beautiful Sun Princess.

Tour : Kota Kinabalu City Tour

Company :  Equator Adventure Day Tours (check them out on Trip Advisor)

Email: equatorfpl@gmail.com