Kota Kinabalu Favorites

Favorite thing: Hello -

Supermarkets-
There's 2 (not so big) in KK town itself - Centrepoint has Pacific Nu Kui, near the Hyatt there's a Millimewa. On the fringes of the CBD at Karamunsing, you'll find a mid-sized Giant. At City Mall, a good 20 minutes by taxi, there's a larger Giant, and at 1Borneo Shopping Centre there's the biggest Giant of them all.

Flea markets-
The Philippino Market near Le Meridien is always popular. There's a vegetable market and wet market right next to it - it's daily. The Sunday market is the Gaya Street market which starts early and packs-up around midday. Out at Papar and in Kota Belud there are big, regional markets which are on specific days of the months (check local listings). Pretty much the same thing as at Gaya Street, perhaps just bigger.

Boat trip to Brunei-
You can't go via boat directly from KK. You have to go to Labuan (1-2 hours) and then from there to Brunei (2-3 hours) depending on the sea conditions. You might want to consider flying with MAS or Royal Brunei - little more expensive but time is money.

Getting around KK-
The KK CBD is not all that big - perhaps 3km from Wisma Wawasan on the one side to Jessleton point on the other. Once in the CBD you can walk where you like. To get around further than that, taxis are cheap and although they have meters they charge set fees for set distances - they should have a chart in the car to show you the cost to different destinations. To Kinabalu Park and Sandakan you can take a long distance bus, or a minibus. To tourist attractions, either do a tour or rent a car.

Hope that's helpful.

Favorite thing: No matter what anyone says train before you attempt to climb up Mt KK. I know some people have done it without any training but it would definitely be much more enjoyable if you did it with training. At the least you wouldn't ache as much after the trip. And actually, it's likely even for people with training to not able to make it up due to altitude sickness so why risk that right?

Favorite thing: The best time to visit KK would be from Jan - May, when it's the dry season. Should it rain, you will not be allowed to hike up the mountain to watch the summit. That would definitely be a great disappointment.

Favorite thing: Hi there
I just came back from a South East Asia Trip. I was in Kota Kinabalu and climbed Mount Kinabalu. No problem to buy headlight. If you are going to climb Mount Kinabalu you will be able to rent a haedlight even there. Just ask the guides. But I'm sure you can get it in KK.
Have fun... I loved it!!
Lara

Favorite thing: For Malaysians who live in the Peninsula, upon arrival in Sabah, you will be given an immigration slip as shown on the picture. Malaysians are only allowed to stay in the state of Sabah for 3 months! Can you believe it? We are from the same country called MALAYSIA, aren't we?

Favorite thing: In general, I think the people in Sabah are more gentle than those of the West Malaysia. The overall atmosphere is less hectic and laid back. Most important, coming from Kuala Lumpur, I felt that this city is much safer than anywhere in West Malaysia.

Favorite thing: Please try famous local tropical fruit ice-lolly! There are various flavors like durian, taro, jackfruit, adzuki beans, mango, avocado and so on. They keep the original flavor of the fruits with coconut milk and are very tasty!

Fondest memory: When I was in Sabah, I had ice-lolly every day. In big super market it cost only 1 RM but its common price was 1.5 RM in convenience store and resort area. The most expensive one I got was in Sutera Harbour Resort--2,6 RM!! My favorite flavors were durian and jackfruit. P.S. We have ice-lolly of taro, jackfruit, adzuki beans, mango and avocado in Taiwan so I prefer extraordinary flavors in Sabah.

Favorite thing: Most of VT members are photo addicts, they take a shot at almost everything and then place them at their homepages.

If you come to Kota Kinabalu don't miss its sunset, just beautiful.

My photo was taken from the Hyatt hotel.