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Kota Kinabalu Local Customs
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Kota Kinabalu Local Customs

Sacred mountain to the local Kadazans/Dusuns - Kota Kinabalu
Sacred mountain to the local Kadazans/Dusuns
by JamesWtc
Learn the local customs of Kota Kinabalu. Tips and photos posted by real travelers and Kota Kinabalu locals.
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Local Dances
  • Tip Rating:
    • Wild_Orchid
  • By Wild_Orchid on August 19, 2005
  • Kota Kinabalu Page by Wild_Orchid
    • Cultural Dance - Kota Kinabalu
    Cultural Dance
    by Wild_Orchid
    The various local ethnic groups take pride in displaying their own forms of dances for tourists and during festivals and rituals. The biggest festival celebrated in Sabah is the "Hari Gawai" or Harvest Festival. During the 3-day Gawai festival, there is continuous dancing and performances taking place and an air of festivity fills the air. Tuak, a type of home brewed rice wine is drunk in large quantities, and sometimes offered to visitors and tourists. I am not sure what this tuak tastes like, but I believe that it is not drunk with taste in mind! Rather it is drunk more with the intention of relaxing after the hard work of the rice harvest...if you get my drift. (hehe)

    At other times of the year, dances are performed by various dance troupes at hotels and cultural villages and shopping malls. The most famous dance troup is the Sabah Tourism Board Dancers. At the end of the show, an unsuspecting tourist is usually roped in to complete the dance (see pics). It is really fun to try to join in or to watch!

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    Horse transport
  • Tip Rating:
    • stevemt
  • Updated By stevemt on October 13, 2008
  • Kota Kinabalu Page by stevemt
    • Kota Kinabalu Local Customs
    by stevemt
    This I just could not believe.

    My hotel was not far from the Royal Sabah Turf Club, and on my last full day in KK there was a race meeting there.

    In the early evening I wandered down to a group of shops that happened to be opposite the entrance to the race course.

    I could not believe my eyes as out drove a Ute, with a race horse and handlers standing on the open ute tray. I was too late to get a photo of that one but did manage to snap this photo of 2 horses being loaded onto a ute tray.

    Remember these are race horses??

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    Spitting
  • Tip Rating:
    • stevemt
  • Updated By stevemt on October 13, 2008
  • Kota Kinabalu Page by stevemt
    • Just be aware of this. It is commonplace for people to spit freely in the streets. Many buildings and some areas actually have no spitting signs up.

    It can be a bit of a suprise if you are not aware of this.

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    Tamu In KK
  • Tip Rating:
    • daryll
  • By daryll on May 5, 2003
  • Kota Kinabalu Page by daryll
    • Tamu in Kota Kinabalu - Kota Kinabalu
    Tamu in Kota Kinabalu
    by daryll
    Tamu is known as Sunday Flea Market, where traders and consumer's will meet and trading all kinds of stuff from fruits, vegetables, handicrafts, traditional music instrument and etc.

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    Sacred Mountain
  • Tip Rating:
    • JamesWtc
  • By JamesWtc on April 3, 2004
  • Kota Kinabalu Page by JamesWtc
    • Sacred mountain to the local Kadazans/Dusuns - Kota Kinabalu
    Sacred mountain to the local
    Kadazans/Dusuns
    by JamesWtc
    The mountain Kinabalu is treated as sacred and resting place of their ancestors. Pay full respect to the mountain by avoiding make noice while you are climbing. Do not take anything from the mountain, including the stones.

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    Various seasons
  • Tip Rating:
    • victorwkf
  • By victorwkf on March 20, 2003
  • Kota Kinabalu Page by victorwkf
    • Kota Kinabalu Local Customs
    by victorwkf
    A rough guide to the seasons is as follows:
    October to February (Monsoon rainy season).
    March to September (Drier and hotter season).

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    pay for use of toilets
    pepemorris11
  • By pepemorris11 on March 9, 2009
  • Kota Kinabalu Page by pepemorris11
    • Keep spare change in your pockets to pay for use of toilets.you need to pay between MR$0.20 to $0.30 for the use of toilets in shopping centres.

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    Useful phrases in Kadazandusun:
    hassan_abu
  • By hassan_abu on May 12, 2008
  • Kota Kinabalu Page by hassan_abu
    • kopivosian – welcome/hello

    isai ngan nu? – what is your name?

    ngan ku nopo nga Walter – my name is Walter

    o – yes

    okon – no

    koginavan zou diau – i love you

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    Climbing up the Mountain
    Swwaattcchh
  • Updated By Swwaattcchh on October 19, 2005
  • Kota Kinabalu Page by Swwaattcchh
    • Kota Kinabalu Local Customs
    by Swwaattcchh
    I heard from my moutain guide and the local staff from my hotel that Mt. Kinabalu is a mountain with great tradition.
    It is believed that while climbing up this mountain, do so with respect and silence.
    Don't climb up the moutain noisely. It is not auspicious.

    As amatuer trekkers, we went up the moutain silently complained how tough the journey was. Of the 4 of us who went up, 3 of us came down with gastric flu and vomitted while coming down.

    Not sure how true that belief was, but just for your info.

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