Kota Kinabalu Things to Do

I am honoured to be one of the passengers at the re-launching of North Borneo Railway this morning.

The North Borneo Railway was temporarily closed in September 2005 due to the upgrading works of the railway track by the ministry of transportation, but it continued its service on July 4th 2011 after the upgrading works was completed.

North Borneo Railway is a joint venture project between Sutera Harbour and the State Railway Department, signifying a historical collaboration through common initiatives between the private sector and the State government.

Sitting inside the carriage creates the nostalgic romance of people traveling by steam train in the past. The rail line runs from Tanjung Aru through the towns of Kinarut, Kawang and Papar. The train crosses over the Papar River over steel trestle bridge into Papar where the train will stop for a least 30 to 40 minutes for passengers to experience the "rice bowl" township.

The North Borneo Railway is the last of a fleet of locomotives that once plied the tracks through Borneo since the late 1880s, was manufactured by the Vulcan Fondry Ltd in Newton-le-Willows in Lancashire, United Kingdom.

The train features five fully refurbished colonial-style passenger train carriages. Each carriage can accommodate 16 persons to provide a total 8- passengers. Refurbished to reflect the steam engine era, both the exterior and interior provide and environment that would have been typical of stepping onto a train in 1990.

The exterior utilizes the traditional deep green and cream of the original North Borneo Railway, with carved brass logos, showcasing the original design of a tiger holding a rail wheel, standing on the royal crown.

The train runs on every Wednesday and Saturday between Kota Kinabalu and Papar, priced at RM250 for adult, RM150 for children between the ages of 2 to 12 and complimentary for children below 2 years old. Its quite pricey, not recommended to budget traveler.

Arriving at the Tanjung Aru station, passengers will board the train at a designated platform that have been styled to create a distinctive historical feeling.

Passengers are offered free seating on one of the awaiting carriages. Along the journey, passengers will be treated to some of the most unique interesting scenery in Sabah whilst being pampered with polished service onboard.

On the return leg, passengers will experience "tiffin-styled" meals, which accent a typical railway meal of the turn of the century. Served in traditional tiffin boxes, the unique culinary experience highlights the exotic blend of Asian and continental cuisine, primarily focusing on a sampling of Malaysian delights.

Booking details just email infor@northborneorailway.com.my the staff will reply you ASAP.

It was a free of charge 3-hour train ride for me, so I don't have to prepare the ticket fees. Great experience, but to be honest it's too expensive. Can't complain more because it is not easy to look after an old train. Must be the maintenance. However, passengers can be assured of hospitality and five-star service that is synonymous with Sutera Harbour.

MORE PICTURES HERE: http://barefootedladymariah.blogspot.com/2012/02/great-north-borneo-railway-experience.html

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Islands off KK offer a refreshing change from the hustle n bustle of city life.

The boat trip can be bumpy depending on weather....

once there, enjoy the sun, sand, sea n snorkeling...

bring along a picnic basket with your favourite food n drinks....

You can check my hubpages link to see what I did in Sabah. One idea would be to head up to Mount Kinabalu. You can walk about the national park, make a stop at Kundasang and also try the hot springs at Poring.

This Beautiful colonial building that now hosts the Sabah Tourism Office was built in 1916 to house the Printing Office and later the Treasury, Audit Office, Town Board, the District Office and the Attorney General's Office. Is one of the three colonial constructions that survived allied bombings during World War II. Was fully restored and officially became the Sabah Tourism Building in 1991.

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It´s not really a big Chinatown, just a couple of streets, but a good place to wander around, some shops, and restaurants and as in other Malaysian cities always the mix between the modern and the tradition. The Chinatown Main Gate was donated by the Sabah Chinese Chamber of Commerce and marks the entrance to the quarter.

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This clock tower was built in 1905 by Mary Edith Atkinson in memory of her son Francis George Atkinson first District officer of Jesselton, died of 'Borneo fever 'in 1902 at the age of 28. The lights of the clock tower were used as navigation aids by local shipping, and is one of the few historic buildings that survived the destruction fo the Second World War.

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Number two activity in Kota Kinabalu in order of importance (for those who are not madly in love with shopping) is snorkelling in search of your next aquarium fish acquisitions. Poor Kota itself is sadly deprived of beaches and the downtown area is dominated by a thriving commercial port. This is all wonderful but in the sweaty tropics the visitors are inclined to dip in water and being entertained in the process would be a marvellous bonus. So what Kota does is offers cheap boat rides to off-shore islands that have all the ingredients for a blissful daytrip. The beaches are fine, mind you a bit overcrowded for my taste and the reefs are teaming with fish. Equipment is offered for rent and there are refreshments as well. The only side that needs improvement is the toilets but this is a small price to pay for the package. Snorkelling is wonderful just off the beach with rocks teeming with exuberantly colourful fish of the kind that one might expect in an aquarium and there is nothing wrong with this perception since the fish DOES arrive from locations like this one. The difference in this case is of course the fact that you are literally immersed in it and the fish is rather large just like the “aquarium” it swims in.

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Kota Kinabalu has the key component that makes Sabah different and thus attractive to visit – the orang-utan encounters. Here is the time to open a bracket and mention that orang-utans in their semi-wild form are available for viewing in three-four places in the world; namely, Sepulok in Sabah, Pontianak in Kalimantan and a joint in Sumatra. Most importantly this is the option that gives the best chance to view the animals that in the other two cases would be pitifully bored in a zoo setting or hard to spot while roaming the jungle. So Kota Kinabalu has the advantage of presenting jungle-living ex-pets/orphans in their childhood years and hence more friendly who are invited for a snack provided by the jungle “professionals”. In the process one can see them from a very short distance eating and performing their gymnastics in what might as well be described as a show since the feeding platform is very reminiscent of a stage and the “audience” is nicely packed onto separate platforms cleverly set on higher ground just like in a mini amphitheatre surrounded by the jungle itself. Mind you all this is happening on the property of local all-inclusive type of establishment. What lacks in authenticity is quickly made up for convenience because the location is some forty minutes outside of the Kota Kinabalu downtown as opposed to the 300km drive to Sepulok in the outskirts of Sandakan where the same show is on offer and there is no coincidence that the Kota venture is a branch of the Sandakan orphanage. What the real miss is on part of such giants of travel guidance as Lonely planet or Rough Guide is that they do not advise about this option and want you to “sail’ all the way to Sepulok/Sandakan which might be good for the Sabah tourist industry but not useful to people who have less time to spend in the region.