Sabah - The Land Beneath the Wind [Day 3]

DAY THREE 

1 JUNE 2013 (SATURDAY)

Sabah is famous for its island. The world-famous diving spots including Sipadan, Mabul, Kapalai and Layang-layang. There are also other nice snorkeling areas such as the 2 mentioned below.

Sapi Island

Jesselton Point

Heading to our motorboat!

We reach Sapi Island Jeti!

Beautiful beach

Calm sea breeze

Wait... it's not the end! Part of the reason we are in Sapi Island is to experience the sea walk!

What is this sea walk? Simple... walk under the sea! Is it possible? Yes it is. Share with you some random pictures :)

Did we look like underwater astronauts? Yes, we are deep down under the sea with fishes swimming around us!

Can you spot the nemo?

Don't be frightened to experience this once in a life time opportunity! You're 100% safe. There will be 3 instructors monitoring us below and taking our pictures as we interact with the fishes. The fees might be expensive (RM180 for locals and RM250 for foreigners) but again, how often you get to walk on the sea bed? Cherish that moment! 

Manukan Island

Manukan is another island worth visiting. However, if compared to Sapi island, Sapi island water is more transparent, and the coral reefs are lively. Somehow, Manukan Island is disappointing as I see rubbish are litter into the sea! No proper control/management done. The fishes are not as vibrant as Sapi too. Maybe it's just a bad day for me to visit! haha.

Cozy resort is built inside of Manukan Island

Still, you get the scenic view

Note: Didn't manage to capture much pictures on this island as the time spent here is shorter.

I won't be writing for day 4 as the only activity worth mentioning is visiting the Gaya Market, which was very merry. Stay tune to my next holiday!

Sabah - The Land Beneath the Wind [Day 2]

DAY TWO 

31 MAY 2013 (FRIDAY)

I promised you in my first blog post that this second blog post will mainly talk about nature.

And so, here we are, in Poring Hot Spring.

Poring Hot Spring as according to local sources has the ability to de-stress and soak away the sores and aches of our muscles due to its richness in sulfuric minerals. The hot spring is well maintained and is very clean and organized. 

Welcome Sign! :)

Surrounded by greens, clean and well-organized, you can even book private hot spring rooms! But its First Come First Serve (FIFO) basis

However, as I mentioned earlier, its super peak season and we didn't manage to enjoy the hot spring. Luckily, we still manage to proceed with the canopy walk. 

Note: The canopy walkway is 157.7 meters long and 41 meters high.

On the way to Canopy Walk!

We passed-by a bridge

Almost reaching the canopy!

There are 5 check points for the canopy, this is the first!

Only max 6 persons are allowed to be on the bridge each time

 After the canopy challenge, we walked further down to the waterfall which taken 15-20 minutes.

Nice avenue :)

We reached the waterfall! Time for some splash!

You can stay whole day at Poring Hot Spring as it is very big! Apart from the hot spring, canopy and waterfall, you can explore the butterly farm, Poring Orchid Conservation Cente, Tropical gardens etc. So much to explore. If only you have all the time :)

For more information on the entrance fees for the activities inside Poring Hot Spring, refer to the link below.

http://www.sabahtourism.com/sabah-malaysian-borneo/en/destination/60-poring-hot-spring-phs/

After a day of nature, we finally decided to check-in at Horizon Hotel. Horizon Hotel is a good place to stay as it is at the city center. All the major banks, pharmacies, polyclinic are just walking distance. Needless to mention about the night life, abundance selection of food and shopping malls (ie. Suria Sabah Shopping Mall). 

Spacious and comfy beds

The Main Entrance... Notice the horse?

Note: Famous eating place to explore are Double Luck Restaurant, Sinalau Bakas and Gayang Seafood Restaurant.

Sabah - The Land Beneath the Wind [Day 1]

DAY ONE 

30 MAY 2013 (THURSDAY)

Richard Branson's Reach for the Skies: Ballooning, Birdmen and Blast into Space has broadened my view on the airline industry. The dream of flying like birds are no longer dreams and now Everyone Can Fly! I boarded Air Asia's AK5110 on Thursday morning. It was early in the morning, approximately 6.30am. Once I found my seating, the first thing I did was to catch some rest ... ...

I woke up around 2 hours later and as I peeked outside the window (I was seating besides the window between). I saw clusters of puffy clouds.The sky had a vibrant blue, deep blue, light blue, peaceful blue etc. I wished that I have captured those picturesque moments ... ...

We reached Terminal 2 around 9 am. It was 28 degree Celsius and a sunny day. 

AK5110 flied by Melissa Nathan landed safely at Terminal 2

Terminal 2 is a mini airport. However, it has the ability to manage the ever increasing traffic to Sabah.

Bro managed to grab some leaflets before leaving Terminal 2

We chartered a van to take us around Kota Kinabalu

David is our van driver cum tour guide. David have been in the Sabah tourism industry for more than 20 years. Hence, he was acting like a walking Sabah encyclopedia for us. 

Note: Sadly I did not capture David's face. If not I will share it over here.

We have our breakfast at Borneo Treasure Restaurant. I just randomly select some dim sum that we have tasted for the day.

Borneo Treasure Restaurant - Famous for Dim Sum (Non-Halal)

烧卖(Shao Mai)

叉烧包 (Char Siew Bao)

流沙包 (Custard Bun)

I know by now, your saliva must start to drool! They are tasty indeed! After the satisfactory breakfast, we started to tour the following places. The (6) is our accommodation. Please take note.

(1) Sabah Museum 

Nice landscape and informative museum

Note: Sadly I couldn't capture pictures inside the museum. The items displayed inside the museum are belonged to the old tribes, ie Kadazan, Dusun, Bajau etc. It somehow refresh my memories on the history text books I used to study back in secondary school

(2) Signal Hill Observatory Tower

The highest point in the city, able to have a good view on Kota Kinabalu

(3) Tun Mustapha Tower

The design of the tower is unique so much so it is one of the 3 buildings designed based on this concept whereby a central core with steel is used to support each floor

 (4) Kundasang View

I feel like I am away from Malaysia. The sky looks awesome!

Note: There is a famous Sayap Ayam Kundasang nearby, and very long queue. Of course, we managed to taste the great marinated chicken wings! Yumyum :) But since my eating etique is not pass, I won't wanna post it on my blog. Haha.

 (5) Desa Dairy Farm

ALERT! The cows are no longer black and white... Its muddy and black :(

If you plan to visit this place, don't visit during peak season, because they are unable to upkeep the cleanliness of the farm when tourists kept flooding in. Add ons, they marked up the entrance fees to RM4 each person, instead of RM2. Add on to that, they charged for the filthy toilet. Kinda disappointing experience. Seriously :(

However, the plus point is the scenic view you get to experience when you are at Desa Diary Farm. Just can't help falling in love with the nice view :)

(6) The Pines Resort (KK)

Our rooms are at the back end. It is surrounded by trees, mainly pine trees.

This is where we stayed for the night. Notice that the environment makes me feel like I am shooting in a Twilight movie. The setting is just so perfect. However, my skin won't glow or turn into diamonds when the sun shine towards me. Sorry for the lameness. Can't help! haha

Take another scenario, I am one of the characters inside the Harry Potter movies. Phew... luckily no scary creature attacked me for that night.

TBC ... thank you for reading attentively. Day 2 will be mostly on Nature, like the idea? Please continue to follow my blog then :)